Four ancient texts have traditionally been employed in recounting the sayings and deeds of Jesus of Nazareth. The Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have together enjoyed the priveleged status of sacred scripture since the late second century when they began to receive the consensus approval of the early catholic church. The four gospels now found in the New Testament, however, were not the only sources of information about Jesus available in early Christian communities. Initially word about Jesus was passed on orally, but before long many written accounts of the life of Jesus were also in circulation. These early Christian gospels enjoyed widespread influence for centuries before interest in them waned and they were lost and forgotten.

During the last two centuries, archaeologists, New Testament scholars, and historians of the early church have made considerable progress in recovering many of the lost gospels. Unfortunately, most of the ancient texts brought to light have been buried anew within a pile of massive treatises and biased commentaries. Scattered throughout a diverse range of scholarly literature, they have remained largely unknown. This web site is designed to make all the primary texts pertinent to the life of Jesus available to anyone interested. Direct access to all gospels known to have been written within 200 years of Jesus' birth - every manuscript, in its original language and English translation, in print and online - can easily be obtained here.

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