Reddit mentions: The best historical fiction books for christians

"Apocryphal gospels" are a number of gospel writings by early Christians that give accounts of Jesus and his teachings, the nature of God, or the teachings of his apostles and of their lives. Some of these writings have been cited as scripture by early Christians, but since the 5th century, a widespread consensus has emerged limiting the canonical gospels to the four we have in the modern canon. Ever since then Christians do not view these 'apocrypha' as part of the Bible or aren't considered canonical.

See Ehrman, Bart D. (2003). Lost Christianities: Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew. Oxford University Press. pp. 230–231.

Here's an article from Oxford Bibliographies which explains it well:

>The title “apocryphal gospels” conventionally applies to certain early Christian or Gnostic texts that are written either in imitation of the genre “gospel” as applied to the New Testament canon or in telling of events and sayings in the life of Jesus and his immediate circle of family and disciples. The pluralism of the centuries of Christianity, the absence of a clearly established canon, the role of orality and intertextuality in the shaping of the new texts, and the existence of different “editions” of even the future canonical texts also doubtless encouraged the writing of Christian apocrypha. Modern critical editions of the texts are collected into compendia under umbrella titles such as New Testament Apocrypha or the Nag Hammadi Library. Some texts, such as the Gospel of Thomas, have been extensively studied and have spawned a vast secondary literature. Others are only recently undergoing scholarly examination. Some of the texts, for example the Gospel of Judas, have come to light only recently. Others, such as the Protevangelium of James, have survived in numerous manuscript copies, some of great antiquity, and those have been known to scholars for centuries. Some texts are fragmentary; the smallest examples raise the question whether they are indeed chance survivors of a larger gospel-type writing or should really be classed as something else, perhaps part of a patristic writing or homily. The texts selected here are largely orthodox. Only a few are Gnostic: the Gospel of Philip, the Gospel of Judas, and the Gospel of Mary; the famous Gospel of Thomas has been considered Gnostic by many readers. Most of the remaining Gnostic gospels have been included in a final section on their own.

https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195393361/obo-9780195393361-0006.xml

>I know that Simon isn’t an apocryphal Gospel but why is that. Also, why are Mary, Thomas and Judas apocryphal?

From what I could understand on the Internet, the "gospel of Simon" is from a fictional novel written by John Smelcer:

https://www.amazon.com/Gospel-Simon-John-Smelcer/dp/1935248847

http://thegospelofsimon.com/

If you mean the gospel of Peter, that's a "passion gospel", which was a type of gospel concerned specifically with the "Passion" (from Greek pathos (suffering) i.e.: the arrest, execution, and resurrection) of Jesus.

You're incorrect with regards to the gospel of Peter. It is considered a non-canonical gospel and was rejected as apocryphal by the Catholic Church's synods of Carthage and Rome, which established the New Testament canon. It was the first of the non-canonical gospels to be rediscovered, preserved in the dry sands of Egypt.

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(1) Speaking of 'a canon' in the early Church, is, well, a little rough on the early church and it's not clear if it's appropriate. There were a lot more Church writings going around than we now have. It's not clear how early these started to percolate into 'collections', as opposed to 'here's everything we got, boy howdy', but definitely by the time that emperor Constantine asked for 50 bibles there was SOME idea of 'core books'... because if nothing else, his request created a need to identify 'core books'.

(2) Debate about the Bible lasted for a long time. Some of the Pauline epistles were accepted far later than the rest of the books (more on that below.)

(3) 'Orthodoxy' and 'heresy' were pretty fluid in the early centuries of Christianity. Things weren't quite 'settled', so one man's orthodoxy is another's heresy. Bauer is the main proponent of this idea; I also like how Boyarin took that idea and ran with it, arguing that the idea of 'heresy' (specifically in the context of Judeo-Christian relations) was evolving and involved a dialogue.

There is evidence of an early consensus on some of the books of the New Testament because of Irenaeus, but even there there is significant variation in the texts of those books, as this work attempting to figure out the exact source of Irenaeus' bible quotes makes clear. For more on Irenaeus, this section of Against Heresies has some good quotes. I especially recommend searching for 'four zones'.

So the 'canon' is relatively fixed by 200 AD, because we can see it in Irenaeus' works but is still missing some books (notably, some Pauline Epistles and the Apocalypse of John, the latter of which was rejected by Eusebius). We're not quite sure when it began but the current trend is to view it as a relatively fluid process, instead of one person (Irenaeus/Marcion) laying down the law and saying 'these are the books I trust.'

• Books could have never made it in simply because they were written later than 'our' biblical books. The Acta Pilati/Gospel of Nicodemus may fall into this category.
  
• They may have been of 'secondary' import, and not directly a testimony on Jesus, so it just wasn't important enough to make the cut. Some of the early works with exalted Mariology or of early saints may fall into this category. They were good, people liked them -- but the New Testament is about the early Church, Jesus, and, weirdly, the end of the world.
  
• It sort of duplicated something already deemd important. The Acts of Paul and Thecla, while slightly controversial (to Tertullian), might fall into this category. Because Acts already has Paul's entire missionary career (in brief), do we need to include Thecla?
  
• It existed, but was niche (sort of like Thecla, which is really "let me tell you about the nobility of virginity, at length") or not well-known. You can't consider something important if you don't know it exists.
  
• It was deemed heretical and, more importantly, stayed heretical. A lot of the works mentioned by Irenaeus fall into this category.
  
• It was deemed non-authentic or of suspect value. The term for this is "Antilegomena", and included books that are not in the canon, as well as books that eventually made it into the canon (notably, some Pauline Epistles and the Apocalypse of John/Revelation). Early church authorities had differing ways to judge the authenticity of a text, and I'm not well-equipped to talk about their methods.

Surely you don’t mean to imply that the noted Christian author Johnny Cash might be irrelevant to Our Lord and His gospel! But we proceed to the spiritual senses of the text provided.

Allegorical: though the singer was himself an accomplished poet, he did not blush at the notion of adopting the good and beautiful works of another for the sake of true beauty! So also we adopt for ourselves the story of Christ in our baptism, though it be not of our own minds, it is truly our story to proclaim!

Moral: it is surely good and right to pursue truth wherever it be found, even from the pen of another. We must however be aware of the grievous error of plagiarism, and attribute the true author whenever possible! That we know this fun fact at all is evidence that brother Johnny is walking in the light, and we ought to follow is example!

Anagogical: in the world to come, we will join the chorus of the angels in singing the praises of our King! That we will have such poets as Silverstein (and many others) in our midst, with their glorified minds, must give us joy that we will never empty the wells of beautiful songs of praise, though the chorus will continue for all eternity!


I feel like I should write a new version of Jesus On Every Page called Jesus On Every Page: of literally everything ever written

He's good but no way I am I going to recommend him to someone new to philosophy. I actually really like Fr. Spitzer's The Souls Upward Yearning for a good holistic approach for intellectually approaching God. He uses anthropology, literature, and a few philosophical arguments to build a very convincing picture of why God is more likely than not. David Bentley Hart's The Experience of God is very good as well. While Anglican, I find C.S. Lewis to be very enjoyable and persuasive as well, so you should definitely check out The Screwtape Letters and The Abolition of Man.

But don't just read philosophy all day either or you will want to claw your eyes out. There's Catholic literature that did as much to shore up my faith than any argument. The best two are J.R.R Tolkiens The Silmarillion and Dante's Divine Comedy. A great book by a Russian orthodox author that came out last year is Laurus.

Hmm. Tough question. The Alchemist is the first one I ever read and it is very good. It's the one that most people have heard of and is all about following your dreams and how if you want something badly enough that the entire universe conspires in helping you to get it, so long as you aren't afraid of it when it comes. It's really quite extraordinary and I think the message and inspiration from that one is my favorite. But just for the sake of reading its not my favorite. There is a short description in that link.

I think my favorite is either Eleven Minutes or By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept. Eleven Minutes is about sex and love and its the setting is wondrous and the characters are fascinating. The story is a bit more modern than the story in the Alchemist so its a bit more fun to read, just to read. I think my favorite might be By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept though. It is a story about forgiveness and the writing is beautiful and the places he takes you are beautiful and the characters are all likeable most of the time and the story is interesting. I'd highly reccommend any of those. But they're all good.

Despite being more religious than most of his, I actually really loved The Fifth Mountain. Its one I bought without knowing anything about it and the story is almost biblical (still not preachy though) but it was more about choices and duty and honor and I really liked it. Not my favorite, but very good.

Sorry, I'm long winded when talking about his books lol.

The Space Trilogy by C.S Lewis (same guy that wrote Narnia) is a good series. My favorite is the first book.

Laurus is big in Russia. I enjoyed it.

Icon. I have never read it, but I heard that it is good.

A Crown of Life: A Novel of the Great Persecution has some romance, but it also has other stuff. Good piece of historical fiction.

The Great Divorce by C.S Lewis a a short book.

All these other very worthy suggestions would fill in the time nicely and provide many hours of enjoyment but I was just thinking about those books that stuck in my mind as being just a bit different. Could be the age I was or the place I was in my life but I think I'd be happy to pick all of the following for a sojourn on a desert island
The Collected Tales - Nikolai Gogol. Surreal, humorous, short story supremo, I'm especially fond of The Nose!
Frankenstein - Mary Shelly. You think you know the story. Think again.
A Rebours - Huysmans. Decadance defined.
Maiden Voyage - Denton Welch. Great observational writing from a tragically short life
The Samurai - Shusaku Endo. Duty and honour strained for a lost cause.
The Complete Sherlock Holmes - A. Conan Doyle. Because every home should own one and the mix of short stories and novels are perfect for long flights.
There are more of course but the real joy is in coming across your own favourites, not other peoples so be brave!

I'm currently reading the last book in the Northumbrian Thrones series by Edoardo Albert. It's historical fiction set in early Medieval England, which at this point isn't united but is made up of many small petty kingdoms, much like the seven kingdoms in ASOIAF. There are three books in the series, each focusing on the reign of a king of Northumbria. It's themes are political intrigue, warfare, and the clash of Christianity and Paganism. The series has been endorsed by numerous other successful authors of historical fiction, such as Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden.

I think people who enjoy ASOIAF may like it as it's historical fiction, so it's grounded in reality, but it's set in a time in which myth and magic were very much a part of people's beliefs, and this is conveyed in a realistic way. It's also told from the perspective of multiple characters, and they are all very well written. The writer is also clearly a fan of ASOIAF, as there are a few little references.

Here's a link to the first book on Amazon. Any fan of ASOIAF won't be disappointed.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IXNI9MW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

I would absolutely agree on the NIV as a good general purpose bible, however there are some alternatives out there depending on what you are looking for. I would highly recommend either The Book of God by Walter Wangerin or The Message by Eugene Peterson, both of which are a re-imagining (read: they should not be used as a reference!) of the biblical stories, the former as a novel and the latter as a bible where the stories are told using language you or I would.

I also greatly support using a study bible, the good ones will give helpful context or reference to the stories you read, or you can just go all the way academic and grab a copy of the Oxford Annotated Bible (but from the sounds of it you wouldn't want that).

Although workingmouse, I would disagree that the KJV is the go-to bible these days for protestants, largely for the reasons you gave. Speaking of definitely not kosher, has anyone read the book Lamb? It's a pretty humorous read, but you really need to be ready to hold nothing sacred for a few hundred pages. =)

Good luck in your search OP!

FWIW, Orson Scott Card wrote a book in the early 1980s that tells a pretty gritty version of life in Nauvoo, including polygamy. Interestingly (and ironically?) it's called "Saints" and I used to describe it as "The Work and the Glory for grown-ups."

Saints

It's definitely worth a read if you're interested in that period of Church history.

This is a free, not-so-wonderful copy of my 2013 novel "Early One Morning". Apparently, if your book gets enough attention on Inkitt, they will attempt to market it to a traditional publishing house, and they encourage you to promote your entry on Reddit, so here I am.

The Amazon page is here: http://www.amazon.com/Early-One-Morning-Priestess-Book-ebook/dp/B00G8GJ0R4/ | You can also buy it on B&N, Kobo and iBooks

If you like it, feel free to review on Amazon or GoodReads. (Or anywhere you regularly review books.) If you hate it, don't tell me...I'm not going to get rid of it. If you want some more of it, here's the sequel: http://www.amazon.com/Exilium-Priestess-Book-D-S-Ryelle-ebook/dp/B00TSZ7JUM/

If you want a prequel, please be patient. :)


(I rate this 17R: ages 17+ with a trigger warning for rape. 17R is my highest personal rating.)

Not exactly about this guy, but I've found out that he was the source material for The Samurai by Shusaku Endo. I had heard about this book before, but am now even more interested to read knowing there was a real-life inspiration for the novel.

If you're in for some fiction I recommend The Brothers Karamazov which is a classic read and highly influenced by Dostoevsky's faith. Laurus by Eugene Vodolazkin is a short, modern work and also a great work of fiction influenced by faith.

Yes, but not in that series. The Lost Letters of Pergamum: A Story from the New Testament World by Bruce Longenecker is very good. Ben Witherington, Priscilla (review here) and Paula Gooder, Phoebe (review here). Phoebe is only about half novel, the other half are "notes" on the story.

Hope this helps...

There are some books like this, you can check amazon books by story character (say Esther or David) or you can check out the bible as a novel--which is fairly well written. I read it before I became an atheist. Ezekiel is the best chapter though.

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

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Just received two new books for my Jewish learning: the newly-translated edition of The Secret Book of Kings by Yochi Brandes, and The King David Report by Stefan Heym. I'm getting really into the language of the Torah, and the history/anthropology of our heritage, and these two books come pretty highly recommended (most immediately from Judaism Unbound, but from others in my life, too).

I started The King David Report and am pretty stoked to read it!

My two favorites are :

The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson

and

Byzantium by Stephen Lawhead


Two of my favorite novels about Vikings. Frans Bengtsson is a renowned Swedish historian, and thus does a fantastic job with his book. Lawhead is pretty decent, but makes up for it by making his book about twice as long as Bengtssons book. Either way, you won't be disappointed by either.

The book gets into mysticism of the Russian variety (the physician is in 16th century Russia)... but Laurus by Eugene Vodolazkin is probably one of the greatest international works on the art of physicianship.

https://www.amazon.com/Laurus-Eugene-Vodolazkin/dp/178074871X

I don't really read enough mystery/thriller to give recommendations, but here are some Japanese "normal" books I recommend (all Amazon links):

Night on the Galactic Railroad
ICO: Castle in the Mist
The Book of Heroes
I Am a Cat
Silence
The Samurai
Kokoro

While he's not Orthodox, I've read and enjoyed several books by Stephen R. Lawhead. His works are all thoroughly influenced by his Christianity. Byzantium is one of my favorites.

If you get a chance, read Shusaku Endo's The Samurai, which is a great novelization of this story.

For Christian fiction, I've enjoyed a lot of Stephen Lawhead's stuff - Byzantium is probably my favorite of his, but it's more historical fiction. On the fantasy side there's The Song of Albion series and for Sci-Fi Empyrion (2 books series). But he's got a ton of different stuff that would be worth checking out.

It's not my own personal list. Just the first list I found.

Also, Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? is a wonderful book from my adolescent days.

Laurus is excellent.

I haven't read this though it has been recommended to me....

https://www.amazon.com/Book-God-Walter-Wangerin/dp/0310220211

It's very literally what you're asking for lol.

Some of the quotes are from The Fifth Mountain: A Novel Paulo Coelho. I read that book multiple times. Also I would recommend 7 habits.

Kind of an answer to #1, The Lost Letters of Pergamum is a fictional account of correspondence between Luke and Antipas (the martyr mentioned in Rev. 2).

No doctrinal issues that I noticed, though I think he overlooked the commonality of pastors in the early church. From his description of the gatherings, it made it sound like no one was in charge.

https://www.amazon.com/Patent-Leather-Really-Reflect-Classics/dp/0829421432

These might be outside of the typical fantasy but I would recommend:
Loki - Retelling of the Norse myth cycle much from Loki's point of view.
Byzantium - No magic here, just an alternate history of an Irish Monk kidnapped by Vikings and pulled along on a mistaken attempt by the Vikings to sack Byzantium.

You didn't even read the comments, since that first paragraph not only does it put words in my mouth that I never said. It tells me you just refused a proven idea. Read the books.

You need to read if you want an argument. stop being lazy. If you want to understand my point of view you have to enter to the discussion with knowledge of why I believe what I believe. It's not only the God presented in Christianity, it's more than that; that's why I sent you to read Leo Tolstoy and Gandhi too.

If I notice you miss information that unproves your dialog, I gave you the ways to find that missing information. I won't babysit you; no wonder you just repeat everything. I answered and explained everything you asked for; you didn't like the responce, I told you where you can find more information, you say "nope, i dont' want to".

You show no interest in learning or even thinking on others opinions. You simply refuse them without validation, you just stayed in your own mentality and think that anything that challenges your ideals is not worth the effort. That's being closed minded and ignorant. So I guess you're right, the conversation lost it's value when you decided to ignore the points being discussed.

I answered all of your questions. That you don't accept them is not my problem.

I'll leave the books here for people that find this thing and aren't afraid to challenge their knowledge.

The kingdom of God is within you

Gandhi an Authobiography

The fifth mountain

When God doesn't make sense