Do you think that there were a lot more God inspired christian writings than the ones we have, but that they got lost at some stage?
I believe all we have is but a tiny fraction of all such writings and also that the authors (apostles, their associates, prophets) of the writings that survived had no idea that their writings would be collected into a book ie the New Testament.
Lost inspired scriptures
by greendawn 10 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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greendawn
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Satanus
It could be that among the greek classics there were inspired writings. We won't know though, as christianity was successful at destroying/suppressing most of it. The fire at the great library in alexandria, egypt wiped out a treasure trove of ancient knowledge and learning of all kinds up to that time.
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greendawn
Wasn't the Alexandrian library burned down by the Romans shortly before the Christian era?
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Satanus
While some fingers point to ceasar as having a hand in the burning of the alexandrian library, that is not strongly supported. After discussing all the possibilities and the strength of each, here are the conclusions of wikipedia web site.
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Conclusions
There is a growing consensus among historians that the Library of Alexandria likely suffered from several destructive events, but that the destruction of Alexandria's pagan temples in the late 4th century was probably the most severe and final one. The evidence for that destruction is the most definitive and secure. Caesar's invasion may well have led to the loss of some 40,000-70,000 scrolls in a warehouse adjacent to the port (as Luciano Canfora argues, they were likely copies produced by the Library intended for export), but it is unlikely to have affected the Library or Museum, given that there is ample evidence that both existed later.
Civil wars, decreasing investments in maintenance and acquisition of new scrolls and generally declining interest in non-religious pursuits likely contributed to a reduction in the body of material available in the Library, especially in the fourth century. The Serapeum was certainly destroyed by Theophilus in 391, and the Museum and Library may have fallen victim to the same campaign.
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You may read the whole article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria
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Legolas
Did you ever read the gospel of Thomas?
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yaddayadda
Assuming you believe in God, then that's a bit contradictory because if other books truly were 'God inspired' then God would surely have ensured that they would have remained until today for all mankind to read. God wouldn't allow books he 'inspired' to totally disappear.
I have read some of the gnostic gospels and they are so full of pooh it is amazing (eg, they nearly all describe a burning hell where the wicked are tormented). The difference between them and the 4 canonized gospels is pretty stark.
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Double Edge
check out this site:
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zagor
Did you ever read the gospel of Thomas?
How about The Gospel According to Mary Magdalene?
In fact, there was a documentary on the history Channel about that very topic, I've got an impression that there were hundreds of different writing that never made it into the official bible. I think there was even Revelation According to Peter which was even more popular that the time than John's
Interesting
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jgnat
Me, too, I've read translations about some of the rejected books and pooh-boy, am I glad they were excluded. The one I looked at was anti-Semetic.
How about inspired writings today? Surely creativity and spirituality didn't end 2000 years ago. And I'm NOT talking the Book of Mormon here.
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Navigator
You raise an excellent point jgnat. Spirituality and inspiration did not end 2000 years ago. I have read a good many works of late that I consider to be inspired. The works of Eckart Tolle, Joel Goldsmith, Walter Starke, and A Course In Miracles would rate at the top of the list. The poems of James Dillet Freeman would also be up there.