I. Canon
1. Bible (30 C.E.)
2. Peshitta, the most ancient manuscript in Aramaic, preserved by the Syriac church.
II. Apocrypha and Deuteronomical Writings
These writings are from early Christianity. Most of them have been discovered in the Nag Hammadi library (100 C.E.).
1. The New Testament Apocrypha (150 C.E.)
The following is a list of apocrypha according to the Protestant and Jewish canon. Please note that the first 10 books (marked with an *) are canonical in the Old Testament of the Roman Catholic church, i.e. part of the Latin Vulgate.
1) Judith*
2) Tobit (Tobias)*
3) The Wisdom of Solomon*
4) Sirach, a.k.a. Ecclesiasticus*
5) Baruch*
6) The Prayer of Manasseh*
7) 1 Maccabees*
8) 2 Maccabees*
9) 1 Esdras (a.k.a. 4 Ezra)*
10) 2 Esdras*
11) 3 Maccabees
12) 4 Maccabees
13) Letter of Jeremiah
14) Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews (addition to Daniel)
15) Bel and the Dragon (addition to Daniel)
16) Daniel and Susanna (addition to Daniel)
17) Esther (additions to Esther from a Greek manuscript)
2. The Pseudepigraphia
1) 1 Enoch (Ethiopic Apocalypse of Enoch)
2) 2 Enoch (Slavonic Book of the Secrets of Enoch)
3) 4 Baruch, a.k.a. Paraleipomena Jeremiou
4) The Books of Adam and Eve (translation of the Latin version;
5) Life of Adam and Eve (translation of the Slavonic version)
6) Life of Adam and Eve a.k.a. The Apocalypse of Moses (translation of the Greek version)
7) The Story of Ahikar
8) The Apocalypse of Adam
9) Enoch (another version)
10) Joseph and Aseneth
11) The Book of Jubilees
12) The Letter of Aristeas
13) The Martyrdom of Isaiah
14) The Revelation of Esdras
15) The Second Treatise of the Great Seth
16) The Testament of Abraham
17) Testament of Solomon
18) Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs
3. Apocryphal Gospels
1) The Infancy Gospel of Thomas (Greek Text A)
2) The Infancy Gospel of Thomas (Greek Text B)
3) The Infancy Gospel of Thomas (Latin Text)
4) An Arabic Infancy Gospel
5) The Gospel of James
6) The Gospel of the Nativity of Mary
7) The Gospel of Mary (Magdalene)
8) The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew
9) The Gospel of Nicodemus (Acts of Pilate)
10) The Gospel of Bartholomew
11) The Gospel of Peter
12) The Gospel of Thomas
13) The Gospel of Philip
14) The Gospel of the Lord (by Marcion)
15) The Secret Gospel of Mark
4. Apocryphal New Testament Acts
1) The Acts of Andrew
2) The Acts and Martyrdom of Andrew
3) The Acts of Andrew and Matthew
4) The Acts of Barnabas
5) Martyrdom of Bartholomew
6) The Acts of John
7) The Mystery of the Cross-Excerpt from the Acts of John
8) The Acts of John the Theologian
9) The History of Joseph the Carpenter
10) The Book of John Concerning the Death of Mary
11) The Passing of Mary
12) The Acts and Martyrdom of Matthew
13) The Martyrdom of Matthew
14) The Acts of Paul
15) The Acts of Paul and Thecla
16) The Acts of Peter
17) The Acts of Peter and Andrew
18) The Acts of Peter and Paul
19) The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles
20) The Acts of Philip
21) The Report of Pontius Pilate to Tiberius
22) The Giving Up of Pontius Pilate
23) The Death of Pilate
24) The Acts of Thaddaeus
25) The Acts of Thomas
26) The Book of Thomas the Contender
27) The Consummation of Thomas
5. Apocryphal Writings
1) The Teachings of Addeus the Apostle
2) The Epistle of the Apostles
3) Community Rule
4) The Apocryphon of James
5) The Correspondence of Jesus and Abgar
6) The Sophia of Jesus Christ
7) John the Evangelist
8) The Apocryphon of John
9) The Narrative of Joseph of Arimathaea
10) The Epistle to the Laodiceans
11) The Correspondence of Paul and Seneca
12) The Prayer of the Apostle Paul
13) The Letter of Peter to Philip
14) The Letter of Pontius Pilate to the Roman Emperor
15) The Report of Pilate to Caesar
16) The Report of Pilate to Tiberius
17) Excerpts from Pistis Sophia
18) The Avenging of the Savior
19) The Three Steles of Seth
20) The Book of Thomas the Contender
6. Apocryphal Apocalypse
1) The Apocalypse of Adam
2) The Revelation of Esdras
3) The First Apocalypse of James
4) The Second Apocalypse of James
5) The Revelation of John the Theologian
6) The Revelation of Moses
7) The Apocalypse of Paul
8) The Revelation of Paul
9) The Apocalypse of Peter
10) The Vision of Paul
11) The Revelation of Peter
12) The Apocalypse of Peter (fragments)
III. Writings from the Church Fathers
"Can any who spend several years in those seats of learning, be excused if they do not add to that reading of the Fathers? The most authentic commentators on Scripture, as being both nearest the fountain, eminently endued with that Spirit by whom all Scripture was given. It will be easily perceived, I speak chiefly of those who wrote before the council of Nicea. But who could not likewise desire to have some acquaintance with those that followed them? With St. Chrysostom, Basil, Augustine, and above all, the man of a broken heart, Ephraim Syrus?"
- John Wesley
1. The Twelve Apostles
The Didache or Teaching of the Apostles, by the Apostolic Fathers
2. Clement of Rome
First Clement (c. 96)
Second Clement (c. 150)
3. Barnabas
The Epistle of Barnabas (c. 130)
4. Papias
Fragments of Papias
5. Mathetes
The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus
6. Hermas
The Shepherd of Hermas (c.150)
7. Polycarp
The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians (c. 130)
The Martyrdom of Polycarp
8. Miscellaneous Writings
The Epistle of Adrian on behalf of the Christians
The Epistle of Antoninus
The Epistle of Marcus Aurelius to the Senate
9. Ignatius (? - c. 108)
a/ The Generally accepted Epistles of Ignatius
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians
The Epistle of Ignatius to Polycarp
b/ Spurious Epistles in the name of Ignatius
The Epistle of Ignatius to Mary at Neapolis
The Epistle of Maria the Proselyte to Ignatius
The Epistle of Ignatius to St. John the Apostle
The Second Epistle of Ignatius to St. John the Apostle
The Epistle of Ignatius to Hero, A deacon of Antioch
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Antiochians
The Third Epistle of Ignatius
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Tarsians
The Second Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Philippians
Another Version of Ignatius to Polycarp
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Virgin Mary
The Reply of the Virgin Mary to Ignatius
10. Justin Martyr (c. 100 - c. 165)
The First Apology of Justin
The Second Apology of Justin
Fragments from the Lost Writing of Justin
Justin's Discourse to the Greeks-1
Justin's Hortatory Address to the Greeks
Justin on the sole government of God
Justin on the Resurrection
11. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130 - c. 200)
Against Heresies (5 volumes)
Fragments of Irenaeus
Works of the Elders Preserved by Irenaeus
12. Tertullian (c.150-c. 212)
Patience
Prayer
Spectacles
The Apparel of Women
To the Martyrs
13. Eusebius of Caesarea (260-340)
Church History
14. Athanasius (296-373)
On the Incarnation
15. Basil the Great (330-379)
The Second Epistle of Basil the Great
The Seventh Epistle of Basil the Great
The Eighth Epistle of Basil the Great
16. St. Jerome (331-420)
Letters and Selected Works
17. John Chrysostom (350-407)
Homilies on Matthew
Homilies on John and Hebrews
Homilies on Acts and Romans
Commentary and Homilies on Galatians and Ephesians
Homilies on Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians
Homilies on 1st & 2nd Timothy, Titus, and Philemon
Miscellaneous other homilies, letters and treatises
18. Augustine (354-430)
Confessions
Enchiridion
Dialectica
On Christian Doctrine
The Letters of St. Augustine
The Anti-Manichaean and Anti-Donatist
Miscellaneous other writings
19. Theodore of Studium
Selected Poems, with the Letter to Casia
Twenty-Seventh Discourse
Sixty-First Discourse
20. Methodius of Olympus
Oration On Simeon And Anna
21. Gregory of Nazianzen (the Theologian)
Second Paschal Oration
22. Anastasius the Librarian
Life of St. Peter of Alexandria
IV. Greek Orthodox Church
1. Philokalia (300 C.E.)
An anthology of hesychast (contemplative) writings from the Fathers of the Early Christian Church and later saints.
V. Gnostic Writings
1. Qumran ("Dead Sea Scrolls") (150 B.C.E.)
The following were found in the Dead Sea Scrolls:
The Book of Secrets
The Thanksgiving Psalms
The Divine Throne Chariot
The Parable of the Bountiful Tree
A Baptismal Liturgy
The Coming of Melchizedek
Tongues of Fire
2. Other Gnostic writings
Essene Gospel of Peace (4 volumes)
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