What's the deal with the recovered lost books of the bible? Why don't we acknowledge these ancient manuscripts or teach from their wisdom? Why are they different?
The discovery of lost books of the Bible is certainly fascinating, but these books have raised questions. Why are they not canonized in the Old or New Testaments? Why are these books not recognized included in Bible Studies or Sermons? Here's why the recovered lost books of the Bible are not taught as God's word.
What makes a book canonical?
Accepted criteria to canonize a book in the Bible are:
Written by a prophet of God
Come with the authority of God
Shows that God's power rests on the book
It must tell the truth about God, man, history, etc.
Biblical Christians must accept it as being inspired of God
The 66 books contained in the Old and New Testaments have been collectively accepted as meeting the above criteria, thus they were canonized and accepted as Scripture.
What's wrong with the lost books that have been recovered?
Simply put, many lost or recovered books of the Bible appear to be inspired by man rather inspired by or the word of God. Additionally, several studies of these books have found inaccuracies, therefore ineligible for canonization. For example, it was discovered that the Epistle of Barnabas was not written by Barnabas but an imposter. Another inconsistency is found in the Book of Wisdom 11:17 which contradicts Genesis 1:1-2, John 1:1-3 and Hebrews 11:3 by asserting that God created the universe from existing matter.
Overall, the lost books or the Apocrypha can not be determined as accurate and inspired by God, thus excluding them from the Bible and teachings of Scripture.
Contact us with thoughts or questions the lost or recovered books of the Bible.