New Testament Apocrypha: Writings Relating to the Apostles Apocalypses and Related Subjects

Rating:
Summary: What the first volume did for the Apocryphal Gospels. . .
Review: . . .this volume does for the Acts and Apocalypses of the Apostles.

This book "New Testament Apocrypha: Writings Relating to the Apostles Apocalypses and Related Subjects" , like the companion volume, is THE definitive scholarly English-language edition of the sub-canonical, post New Testament era Acts of various Apostles, lives of various Apostolic personalities, and Apocalypses and Revelations of all sorts.

Again, like the first volume, each text is expertly translated (with textual variants properly explained) and is preceded by a scholarly introduction discussing issues of critical importance. Appropriate references are also provided, so that the student or researcher has a "jumping-off" point for further study.

Any serious student of the New Testament and post New Testament era cannot affford to be without both of these texts. I highly recommend them both.

Rating:
Summary: A MUST FOR BIBLE SCHOLARS & CHURCH HISTORIANS
Review: NOTE: See my other review on vol. 1 of New Testament Apocrypha

Schneemelcher did it again! This is the second volume in the greatest translation of the important works of Apocrypha existing. It includes all of the different Acts of Apostles, the Apocalypses and 3 writings of the Nag Hammadi codices. I really enjoyed the commentary and history summarization before each document. Whether complete or fragment, this volume offered terrific insight in the post NT writings and offered interesting (yet, still false) additions to the acts of the apostles, in particular, Peter, Thomas, Andrew and Paul, including accounts of their martyrdom (though I believe Thomas was only fragments). Anyone serious about studying church history, or any student or Origen, Eusebius or Justin is definitely going to want to have this and vol. 1 in their library, and I also recommend Robinson's "The Nag Hammadi Library In English" to supplement this in any codices not contained in Schneelmelcher's work. While the Apocrypha, despite what some "scholars" say shouldn't be taken seriously, they are important to study and this is truly the best collection of Apocryphal NT texts out there.

Rating:
Summary: A good effort marred by archaism
Review: Volume II of New Testament Apocrypha represents a comprehensive collection of the pseudo-apostolic writings of early Christianity. The introductions are quite good. The translations, however, are marred by frequent use of achaic, pseudo-biblical language which has thankfully been done away with in most modern translations of ancient texts. Do we really need to read words like "haply", "whilst", and "such-like", or a phrase like "do ye repent you" in the late 20th century? For those just interested in sampling a variety of these works, and more, a good portion of the translations of this book are available at a lower price in "The Other Bible". For the hard core, however, this book does contain material unavailable elsewhere.