A curated collection of 21 ancient religious writings related to but not included in the standard Protestant biblical canon. Each text lives in its own directory under books/ with public domain translations in multiple formats (PDF, Markdown, HTML) and a detailed README covering sources, history, summary, themes, and legacy.
Included in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles. Start here.
| # | Text | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wisdom of Solomon | Philosophical meditation on wisdom and righteousness; bridges Hebrew and Greek thought |
| 2 | Sirach | Practical wisdom literature; the longest deuterocanonical book |
| 3 | Tobit | Narrative of faith, family, and angelic intervention; accessible storytelling |
| 4 | Judith | Heroic narrative of a woman saving her people |
| 5 | Baruch | Short prophetic text attributed to Jeremiah's scribe |
| 6 | 1 Maccabees | Historical account of the Maccabean revolt (175-134 BCE); essential for understanding Second Temple Judaism |
| 7 | 2 Maccabees | Theological interpretation of the same period; introduces resurrection theology |
| 8 | Additions to Esther | Greek expansions adding prayer and divine action to the Esther narrative |
| 9 | Additions to Daniel | Three additions: Prayer of Azariah, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon |
Shaped early Jewish and Christian cosmology.
| # | Text | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 Enoch | Foundational apocalyptic text; the Watchers, heavenly visions, Son of Man prophecies. Quoted in Jude. |
| 11 | 2 Enoch | Enoch's ascent through the heavens; more mystical than 1 Enoch |
| 12 | Jubilees | Retelling of Genesis-Exodus with a 364-day solar calendar and expanded angelic lore |
| 13 | Life of Adam and Eve | Post-Eden narrative; Satan's origin story and the promise of resurrection |
| 14 | Testament of Solomon | Solomon commanding demons; origin of Solomonic magical tradition |
Reveal the diversity of early Christianity.
| # | Text | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Gospel of James | The Protoevangelium; Mary's childhood and the nativity. Very influential in Christian art and Mariology. |
| 16 | Gospel of Thomas | 114 sayings of Jesus; no narrative, pure logia. Compare with the Synoptic Gospels. |
| 17 | Gospel of Mary | Mary Magdalene as spiritual leader; early debates about women's authority |
| 18 | Gospel of Philip | Gnostic sacramental theology; the "bridal chamber" mystery |
| 19 | Gospel of Judas | Sethian Gnostic cosmology; Judas as Jesus' most trusted disciple |
| 20 | Acts of Paul and Thecla | Early Christian adventure narrative; a woman as apostolic figure |
| 21 | Apocalypse of Peter | Visions of heaven and hell; influenced Dante and medieval eschatology |
All texts are public domain. Translations sourced from:
- Project Gutenberg -- Douay-Rheims translations (from Latin Vulgate)
- eBible.org -- KJV and World English Bible translations (PDFs)
- Sacred-texts.com -- R.H. Charles and other scholarly translations
- Internet Archive -- Various scholarly editions and PDFs
- earlychristianwritings.com -- Roberts-Donaldson (Ante-Nicene Fathers) translations
- gnosis.org / gospels.net -- Nag Hammadi and Gnostic text translations
Each book directory contains:
- README.md -- Source manuscripts, historical context, canonical status, full summary, key themes, and influence/legacy
- Translation files -- Multiple public domain translations in PDF, Markdown, or HTML. Markdown files are best for reading and search; PDFs preserve scholarly formatting.
The Wisdom of Solomon directory also contains sample retranslations of Chapter 1 in four styles: modern plain English, literary modern English, narrative storytelling, and annotated modern English.