“good works” teachings, 99, 110, 194–198
Goodspeed, Edgar, 252, 254, 258
Gospel of Nicodemus, 150–152, 172–173
Gospel of Peter, 52–60; account of Jesus’s death and resurrection, 17, 55–59; blaming Jews for crucifixion, 55–57, 149–150; early source information on, 52–54; fabrication in, 233; as forgery, 54, 59–60, 233; as fragmentary, 55, 59; as heretical, 88; intention of author, 38; rediscovery of, 52, 54–55
Gospel of Philip, 17, 31, 212, 213
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, 236–237, 248
Gospel of the Holy Twelve, The, 259
Gospel of Thomas, 17, 31, 213
Gospels, New Testament. See canonical Gospels
Gospels, noncanonical, 17
Grafton, Anthony, 33
Great Lion of God (Caldwell), 79–81
Greek language proficiency, 71–76, 138–139, 198
Greek Septuagint, 67, 75, 76
Guthrie, Kenneth Sylvan, 258–259
Handing Over of Pilate, 157–159
Harris, William, 71
Harrison, A. N., 98
Hebrew Bible. See Old Testament
Hebrew language, 72–73, 75, 198
Hebrews, book of, 22, 23, 115, 221, 229
Heliodorus, 41
hell, 7, 18, 65
Hemis monastery, 252–253, 254
Heraclides of Pontus, 16–17, 27, 247
heresiologists, 221
heretical views. See false teachings
Herod, King, 27, 29, 40, 56, 149, 239
Herod Antipas, 153–154
Herodotus, 39
Hesiod, 247
Hezser, Catherine, 72–73
historical writing, 44–45, 47–49, 232–234
Hitler diaries, 13–15
Holy Spirit, gifts of the, 100–101
Holy Spirit-inspired forgery, 123–125
Homer, 247
Homilies, 190–192, 204
homonymous writing, 23
homosexual acts by Jesus, 261
hope, forgery to inspire, 29–31
Hosea, 145, 200
human body/flesh, 88–90, 96, 211–212, 214–217
humiliation of rival, 27
humility of disciple, writing to demonstrate, 129–133
Iamblichus, 131–133
India, accounts of Jesus in, 253–254
Infancy Gospel of Thomas, 237–239
influence, forgery increasing, 8–9, 31–32
intention to deceive, 25–26, 38–39, 122
Irenaeus, 207, 212, 213, 225–226
Isaiah, 30, 127–128, 145, 146, 162
Israel, king of, 146–147, 224
Issa stories, 252–254
James, book of, 192–198
James, brother of Jesus, 60, 61, 62, 187, 193, 197–199, 203, 205, 206, 209, 213, 234, 236
Jenkins, Jerry, 105
Jeremiah, 145
Jerome, 21
Jerusalem’s destruction, 56–57, 59, 68, 149–150
Jesus: and the adulterous woman, 160, 242; birth of, 89, 235–236, 239; bringing the sword, 143; childhood miracle accounts, 236–239; divine revelation through, 7; docetists views of, 53–54, 57, 59–60, 86, 89; early church schisms and, 61–63, 182, 183; as engaging in homosexuality, 261; in forged apocalypse, 18; Gnostic views of, 96, 182, 210, 211–212, 214; Golden Rule, 265; in Gospel of Nicodemus, 150–152, 172–173; James’s relationship to, 193–194; as Jewish messiah, 145–149, 224–225; “lost years” stories, 252–254; as misinterpreted, 87; in modern-day hoaxes, 252–254, 259–261; pagan views of, 166, 169; and Paul’s conversion, 79–81, 191–192, 202; questioned about the afterlife, 64–65; salvation through, 61, 81, 85, 99, 100, 109–111, 200; in the Sibylline oracles, 175–176; teachings in Gnostic forgeries, 161, 212–215; transfiguration of, 68–69; as truth, 3; as vegetarian, 259; writings attributed to, 8, 18, 31, 159–163. See also second coming beliefs
Jesus, crucifixion of: blaming Jews for the, 55–57, 148, 149–152, 163, 171; Crucifixion of Jesus, by an Eye-Witness, The, 254–256; Gnostic account of, 213–214; Pilate’s Death Sentence hoax, 257–258; Roman Empire in accounts of, 55–58, 151, 152, 156. See also Pilate Gospels
Jesus, resurrection of: account in Gospel of Peter, 17, 57–59; adding to the account in Mark, 242–243; as of the flesh, 211–212, 217; in Gospel of Nicodemus, 152; modern forgery discounting, 254–256
Jesus Seminar, 246
Jewish/Christian conflicts, 145–159; alleged cover-up of Jesus’s resurrection, 58, 59; blaming Jews for crucifixion, 55–57, 148–152, 163, 171; Christian forgeries in answer to, 149–152, 163, 177; Jewish reaction to Christian claims, 145–149, 176–177; maligning Judaism in Barnabas, 149, 229–231. See also Pilate Gospels
Jewish law and Christians: Barnabas discrediting, 149, 230; early church schism over, 60–63, 181, 218; forgeries addressing, 109–110, 112, 189–190, 195–198, 203–205, 208; James’s commitment to, 193; Marcion’s views on, 85, 231–232; Paul on salvation through Jesus over, 80–81, 85, 99, 191, 195–196, 231
Jews/Judaism: apocalyptic writing in, 29–30; king of Israel, 146–147, 224; linking Gospels with, 224–225; literacy and language skills, 72–75; pagan views of, 165, 169; as united with Gentile Christians, 109; varied messianic beliefs, 146–147; writing forgeries to support, 28–29, 174–175
John, Apostle (son of Zebedee), 21, 23, 227, 229
John, author of Revelation, 21, 23
John, Gospel of, 9, 10, 23, 56, 150, 160, 162, 193, 223–229, 242, 244, 250
John the Baptist, 153, 154
Jonah, 42
Joseph, husband of Mary, 234–239
Joseph of Arimathea, 255
Josephus, 27, 40, 73
Joshua, 86, 224
Jude, 21, 69, 186–188, 247–248
Judges, 224
justification of forgery. See scholarly justification of forgery
Justin Martyr, 149, 169, 176, 225, 226
Justus of Tiberius, 73
knowledge of the divine, 96, 210, 211, 214, 215
Kujau, Konrad, 13, 14, 15, 26
LaHaye, Timothy, 105
last days. See second coming beliefs
Late, Great Planet Earth, The (Lindsey), 105
Left Behind series (Jenkins and LaHaye), 105
Letter of Aristeas, 28–29, 67
Letter of Herod to Pilate, 153–155
Letter of Pilate to Claudius, 155–156
Letter of Pilate to Herod, 154–155
Letters of Paul and Seneca, 18, 90–92, 114, 171
libraries, ancient, 26–27
lies and deceptions: ancient views on, 41–42; beyond literary forgery, 219–220, 249–250; Christianity’s legacy of, 40–42, 261–265; falsifications, 240–245; forgery as, 9, 10, 25, 36, 37–38, 40; George Washington illustration, 44–45; “noble/medicinal lie,” 41, 42, 263; nuances of falsehood, 45–46; plagiarism, 220, 245–249; to promote “truth,” 144, 216, 217, 218, 250, 265. See also early Christian forgery; fabrications; false attribution; modern forgeries and hoaxes
Lindsey, Hal, 105
literary genre, 46
Long-Lost Second Book of Acts, 258–259
Longinus, 154, 155
Lucian of Samosata, 28, 48
Luke, Gospel of, 23, 55, 86–87, 206, 220–221, 223, 225–228, 239, 248
Luke the physician, 206–209
Luther, Martin, 196
lying. See lies and deceptions
MacDonald, Dennis, 103, 104
Marcion, 84–89, 104, 182, 211, 216, 231–232
Marcion’s canon, 86–87
Marcus Aurelius, 134, 136, 137, 167
Mark, Gospel of, 23, 55, 57, 70, 223–228, 242–244, 248, 250, 260–261
marriage, 18, 82–83, 94, 99–100, 103–104, 105
Martial, 29, 37, 39, 247
Mary, mother of Jesus, 89, 234–239, 258–259
Mary Magdalene, 17, 259
Matthew (“Matthaias”), 215
Matthew, Gospel of, 9, 10, 23, 24,
55–58, 63, 69, 143, 151–152, 162, 193, 223–228, 239, 248
Maximin Daia, 173
Meade, David, 126–127, 129
Melito, 149
messianic claims, 145–149, 224–225
Metzger, Bruce, 4, 123
Micah, 145
military forgeries, 27
Minucius Felix, 167–168
miracles: accounts of Jesus’s childhood, 236–239; in forgeries about Peter, 49–52, 62; of Jesus, 152, 156, 157, 158, 172
misattribution, 24, 140, 221–222, 249–250
modern forgeries and hoaxes, 252–261; The Confession of Pontius Pilate, 259; The Crucifixion of Jesus, by an Eye-Witness, 254–256; The Gospel of the Holy Twelve, 259; Long-Lost Second Book of Acts, 258–259; The Passover Plot, 260; Pilate’s Death Sentence, 256–258; Smith’s “Secret Gospel” of Mark, 260–261; The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ, 252–254
Moody Bible Institute, 2, 3, 5
Moses, 229–230
motivation for forgery, 25–32; credibility and being heard, 8–9, 31–32; defending religion, 28–29; humiliation of rival, 27, 29; inspiring hope by apocalypse, 29–31; and intention, 25–26, 38–39, 122; political or military ends, 27–28; profit, 15, 26–27; pulling a ruse, 15–17, 27
Müller, Max, 254
Muratorian Canon, 87–88
mythology, 45, 233
Nag Hammadi library, 161, 212–213, 215
Narrative of Joseph of Arimathea, 161
Natural History of the Great Prophet of Nazareth (Venturini), 256
Nero, Emperor, 67, 68, 70, 91, 92, 155
New Testament: anonymous works of the, 10, 23, 220, 229; Apocalypse of Peter and, 63–64; containing fabrications, 239–240; discrepancies in, 5; falsifications in the, 242–245; forged out of conflict, 183; four literary genres, 17; overview on forgeries in, 9–10, 65–70, 118, 262. See also canonical Gospels
Nicodemus, 255
“noble lie,” 41, 42, 263
noncanonical books, 17–19
nothos (illegitimate child), 37, 38, 48
Notovitch, Nicolas, 252–254
Numbers, 115
objective truth, 3–4, 5
Old Testament: apocalypse in, 30; attempts to link Gospels with, 224–225; Barnabas on broken Jewish covenant, 149, 229–231; deception by God in, 42; forgeries in the, 117, 126–128, 131; Marcion rejecting the, 85–89, 231–232; on the messiah, 145–149; Septuagint, 67, 75, 76; varied early church views on, 182
Onomacritus of Athens, 39
Origen, 42, 169, 234
orthonymous writing, 22–23
pagans, 163–176; beliefs of, 6, 164–165; as bowing to Jesus, 151, 237; Christian forgeries to fend off, 145, 170–173, 177–178; converting to Christianity, 169–170, 202; opposition to Christians, 67, 145, 165–170, 177; and the Sibylline oracles, 173–176
Palestine, 72
Papias, 226–227
Parthenopaeus (play; Dionysius), 16–17, 27
Passover Plot, The (Schonfield), 260
pastoral letter forgeries, 93–105; absent from Marcion’s canon, 86–87; 1 and 2 Timothy copyist view, 97–98; first scholarly suspicions about, 95–96; Harrison’s statistics of word usage, 98; looking at historical context, 100–102; overview on, 93–97; possible reasons for, 103–105; and reactualizing the tradition, 128–129; verisimilitude in 1 and 2 Timothy, 102–103; word comparisons, 99–100, 278n14
Paul, Apostle: as aligned with Peter, 199–204, 209; ancient fabrications about, 81–83, 155; associating Barnabas with, 231–232; attribution of Luke and, 228; authentic letters by, 22–23, 93; beliefs on the flesh, 90; coauthoring by, 77, 114; controversy surrounding / opposition to, 60–63, 180–182, 188–189, 199–202; conversion of, 79–81, 191–192, 202; death of, 70, 92; on faith, 99, 195–198; falsification of writings of, 244–245; forgeries in support of, 87, 199–202; forgery of Jesus writing to, 161; linked to sexual abstinence teachings, 18, 82, 103–105, 233; modern fictions of, 79–81, 258; Peter and authority of, 190–192, 206; philosophers linked with, 18, 91–92; salvation through Jesus over Jewish law, 80–81, 85, 99, 191, 195–196, 231; second coming beliefs of, 90, 99–102, 106–108, 110–111. See also Acts of the Apostles
Paul, forgeries in opposition to, 188–198; book of James, 192–198; noncanonical Epistle of Peter, 189–190; overview, 188–189; the Pseudo-Clementine Writings, 190–192
Pauline forgeries, 84–93; Apocalypse of Paul, 213; Colossians, 112–114, 129–130, 185; deutero-Pauline letters, 92–93; as disciples writing in name of Paul, 129–133; Ephesians, 108–112, 129–130, 143–144; Hebrews, 22, 221; Letters of Paul and Seneca, 18, 90–92, 114, 171; overview on New Testament, 92–93, 188; perpetrated by Marcion, 84–88; scholars’ reluctance to label forgeries, 118, 119; 2 Thessalonians, 19–21, 105–108, 120; secretary hypothesis and, 108, 114, 134–135; 3 Corinthians, 88–90, 216. See also pastoral letter forgeries
Pausanias, 29
pen names, 23–24
persecution, 66–67
Peter, Apostle: in Acts of Peter and Paul, 155; Acts of Peter fabrication, 18, 50–52, 233; ancient literacy and education, 70–73; attribution of Mark and, 223, 226, 227, 228; authority and Paul, 190–192, 206; death under Nero, 68, 70; forgeries aligning Paul with, 199–204, 209; forgery of Jesus writing to, 161; Gentile Christians and Jewish law, 60–63, 189–190, 203, 204; as illiterate, 75, 138; miracles allegedly performed by, 49–52, 62; possibility of Greek proficiency, 73–75, 138–139; stories about, 49–52; supposedly appointing Clement, 222
Petrine forgeries, 52–70; Apocalypse of Peter, 18, 30, 63–65; Coptic Apocalypse of Peter, 213–214; as disciples writing in name of Peter, 131–133; early church schism and, 60–63; Epistle of Peter, 62–63; 1 and 2 Peter, 65–70, 75–77, 199–202; and the secretary hypothesis, 118, 134–139. See also Gospel of Peter
Philemon, 93, 200, 207
Philippians, 80, 81, 93, 110, 113
philosophers: associating Paul with, 18, 91–92; converting to Christianity, 169–170; forgeries of works by, 26–27, 37; on lying, 41; plagiarism by, 247; story of Dionysius, 16; theory of disciples writing in name of, 129–133
Pilate Gospels, 152–159; Handing Over of Pilate, 157–159; Letter of Herod to Pilate, 153–155; Letter of Pilate to Claudius, 155–156; Letter of Pilate to Herod, 154–155; overview on, 152–153; purpose of, 159, 171; Report of Pontius Pilate, 156–157, 158
plagiarism, 220, 245–249
Plato, 26, 27, 31, 37, 39, 41, 42, 71
Plutarch, 34, 39, 269n13
poetry, epic tragic, 45–46, 48
political forgeries, 27–28
Polybius, 48, 246
polytheistic religions, 6
Pontius Pilate, 3, 55–56, 58, 150–153, 169, 172–173, 257–258, 259. See also Pilate Gospels
Procla, 154–155
profit motive, 15, 26–27
Proto-Gospel of James, 234–236, 248
Psalms, 145, 146, 236
pseudepigraphal writing, 24–25. See also forgery, literary
Pseudo-Clementine Writings, 62–63, 190–192
pseudonymous writing, 23–24, 140
pseudos (falsehood), 37–38
Pythagoras, 130–133, 247
Rahab, 42
rapture beliefs, 105–106
reactualizing tradition, 125–129
Reed, Jonathan, 74
reincarnation, 258–259
religion, ancient, 5–7
religious conflict, 143–145, 176–178
religious forgery, 28–29
Report of Pontius Pilate, 156–157, 158
resurrection of Jesus. See Jesus, resurrection of
resurrection of the faithful. See second coming beliefs
Revelation, 21, 30, 64, 105
Rhossus congregation, 53–54
Richards, E. Randolph, 134–138
Roman Empire: Christianity unique in, 6–7; consulting Sibylline oracles,
173–174; destruction of Jerusalem, 56–57, 68, 149–150; and Jesus’s trial and crucifixion, 55–58, 151, 152, 156; lack of records on Jesus, 256–257; literacy in, 72–73; Paul unknown in, 91; treatment of Christians in, 67, 163–164; use of secretaries, 134–138
romances, 45–46
Romans, book of, 86, 93, 99, 134, 138, 200
Rome, 68, 92
Salome, 235
salvation: Gnostic transcendence of the flesh, 96, 211, 214; through Jesus, 61, 81, 85, 99, 100, 109–111, 200
Salvian, 31–33, 262
Sarah, 42
Schleiermacher, Friedrich, 95–96
scholarly justification of forgery, 119–140; coauthoring theories, 77, 114, 136–137; disciples writing as act of humility, 129–133; nondeceptive intent view, 119–123, 126; overview on, 118, 139–140; pseudepigraphy in the Spirit, 123–125; reactualizing the tradition, 125–129. See also secretary hypothesis
Schonfield, Hugh, 260
scribes, 87, 240–244, 250
scribes, forgeries by. See secretary hypothesis
second coming beliefs: docetist, 89; Gnostic, 211–212; messianic predictions and, 148; mocked by scoffers, 69–70; modern rapture beliefs, 105–106; Paul’s views, 90, 99–102, 106–108, 110–111; as spiritual / already occurring, 111, 112, 113
2 Corinthians, 93
2 John, 23, 221, 223, 229
2 Kings, 86, 224 2
Peter, 21–22, 68–70, 75, 76, 127, 128, 131, 134, 135, 138, 201–202, 204, 247–248, 275n23
2 Samuel, 224 2
Thessalonians, 19–21, 22, 35, 37, 105–108, 120
2 Timothy, 22, 86, 93–98, 102–103, 115, 188
Second Treatise of the Great Seth, 161
Secret Book of John, 213
Secret Gospel of Mark, 27, 260–261
secretary hypothesis, 133–139; arguments against, 138–139; four uses of secretaries theory, 135–138; overview of, 133–134; and Pauline/Petrine forgeries, 108, 114, 134–139
self-knowledge, 96, 210, 211, 215
Seneca, 18, 91–92, 114, 171
Septuagint, 67, 75, 76
Serapion, 53, 54, 57, 59–60, 233
sexual abstinence teachings: apologists supporting, 170; divided views on, 82–83, 103–105; in forgeries about Peter, 49–50; forgers linking to Paul, 18, 82, 103–105, 233; of the Gnostics, 96
Sibylline oracles, 173–176
Silvanus, 76, 200