What if the story of Jesus did not end with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John?
For nearly two thousand years, Christians have asked questions the New Testament only briefly answers. What was Mary's life like before the angel Gabriel appeared? What was Jesus like as a child? What happened to Joseph? What became of Pilate? What occurred between Christ's death and resurrection? What happened in the spirit world while the Savior's body rested in the tomb?
The earliest Christians asked these same questions. And they wrote books to answer them.
In Ancient Scripture Beyond the Bible, Volume 3: Jesus Remembered and Reimagined, Taylor Halverson, Ph.D., explores fifteen of the most important New Testament Apocrypha, the writings that expanded, interpreted, defended, and sometimes reimagined the story of Jesus after the New Testament era.
Journey through influential works such as:
• Protevangelium of James
• Infancy Gospel of Thomas
• Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew
• Arabic Infancy Gospel
• History of Joseph the Carpenter
• Gospel of Thomas
• Gospel of Philip
• Gospel of Mary
• Gospel of Judas
• Gospel of Peter
• Gospel of Nicodemus
• The Pilate traditions
• The Descent into Hell narratives
• Gospel of Truth
and many other fascinating witnesses to early Christian imagination, devotion, theology, and controversy.
Discover:
• The origins of many traditions about Mary, Joseph, and Jesus' childhood
• Why some early Christians embraced writings later excluded from the New Testament
• How Gnostic Christians understood Jesus, salvation, revelation, and the soul
• What the earliest Christians imagined happened between the crucifixion and resurrection
• How stories about Pilate, the apostles, and the spirit world developed over time
• Why texts such as the Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Mary, and Gospel of Judas continue to generate intense scholarly debate
• How ancient Christians interpreted the gaps left by the canonical Gospels
• Meaningful connections and important distinctions between these writings and Restoration scripture
• A practical framework for separating historical evidence, theological reflection, devotional imagination, and speculative tradition
Throughout the volume, readers are introduced to the book's signature "Imagination Firewall," a method for appreciating the insights these texts offer while carefully distinguishing between ancient Christian reflection and authoritative scripture. Drawing on biblical scholarship, early Christian history, New Testament studies, theology, and Latter-day Saint perspectives, each chapter examines historical background, literary structure, major themes, biblical connections, Restoration resonances, cautions, and practical insights for modern readers.
Volumes 1 and 2 explored ancient Jewish traditions before and around the time of Christ. Volume 3 turns directly to Jesus. Here readers encounter the hopes, questions, debates, and devotional imagination of Christians who longed to know more about the Savior than the New Testament alone records. Some preserved valuable historical memories. Some expanded the story through reverent reflection. Some moved into theological territory far removed from apostolic Christianity.
Together they reveal how generations of believers remembered, interpreted, and reimagined Jesus. Read these texts with discernment. Understand the world that produced them. See how they illuminate the New Testament.
