Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

This is one of a number of references in the Bible to various non-canonical works that have not (to my knowledge) been preserved. (For example, the accounts of the kings of Israel and Judah contain references (such as 2 Chronicles 9:29) to other acts that a particular king performed that are recorded in books that are named, but that have not been included in the Scriptural canon, or are otherwise available.)

From a Christian standpoint, I regard the preservation and compilation of the canon of Scripture, and the decisions that have been made throughout history as to whether individual books should be accepted or excluded (even though performed by fallible humans) to have been done from the beginning of the process in Old Testament times under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, just as He inspired those who wrote the words of the books themselves, and assured that the Bible as we have it today contains all the information that God Himself meant or intended humans of whatever era to have with regard to His dealings with humanity, and to the question of how to receive eternal life in His presence.

Thus, while non-canonical works may hold interest from a historical perspective, I do not see a need to doubt or fear that information vital to our salvation has somehow been omitted, or to devote extensive effort to finding such sources, especially those that have apparently been totally lost, with no known portion existing today.

July 22 2016 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report