Quote:
Originally posted by lurkette
The canonization of the New Testament was full of political intrigue, and many books were discarded because they didn't suit the purposes of those present at Nicea. (I think there's a book called The Lost Books of the Bible that describes other works that were left out and why - I heard the author on NPR. If anyone knows the actual title I'd be grateful.)
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Both the
old testament and the new testament are literary canons. There's been in each sect much debate as to what books are part of the canon and what books do not. Some sects include books others do not.
Those books generally not accepted into the canon are known commonly as
apocryphal texts. Some of these texts were well respected in centuries past but have fallen in stature. Often the apocryphal texts will starkly oppose books with in the canon.
You can find annotated bibles containing apocryphal texts in most book stores. Additionally, there are many hundreds of religous studies that concerning the meaning, authors, time period, political significance, etc. of these texts.