Christianity Today Book Awards Biblical Studies Award of Merit (2025)

What are the key differences between the canonical Gospels and the apocryphal gospels?

In this concise and engaging book, New Testament scholar Simon Gathercole shows that crucial theological features link Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John together—and also set them apart from other ancient accounts of Christ's life.

Writing in a clear and highly accessible style, Gathercole analyzes the New Testament Gospels alongside some of the earliest and most controversial apocryphal gospels. He shows that the canonical Gospels share key elements of theological content—content that consistently aligns with what the apostles taught about Jesus. Specifically, what distinguishes Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is that they faithfully represent Jesus's messiahship, his saving death and resurrection, and his fulfilment of Scripture. This stands in sharp contrast to the apocryphal Gospels, which either represent such teaching incompletely, ignore it, or actively reject it.

In short, what separates the canonical Gospels from their noncanonical counterparts covered in this book is that the former are faithful portraits of Christ the savior; the latter are less-than-authentic representations. The Genuine Jesus and the Counterfeit Christs will appeal to everyday listeners who want to know more about apocryphal gospels, and to students in biblical studies who are interested in questions of authority and canonicity.