(b) Apocryphal Aets of Apostles. The begin ning of this literature appears to have been the work of one Lucius, of Charinus, in the second half of the Second Century. He composed the Acts, or Travels (Ileploam) of the Apostles Peter, John, Thomas, A ml re w, and Paul (each apostle treated separately). His sources were the New Testament Acts and Epistles, current oral tradition, and his own imagination. In these Acts certain Gnostic tendencies were mani fest, such as a mystic doctrine of the Cross and those ascetic teachings that exalt celibacy as a form of higher life. Later works of like char acter were the Acts of Matthew. of Bartholomew. and of Philip. On this originally Gnostic basis. by expurgation or abbreviation of objectionable material, or by rewriting, yet using the same outlines, a series of Catholic Acts was produced, written from a more orthodox standpoint. A secondary form of the same literature is the so called Ahdias collection of Martyrdoms (Pas siones and Virtutes) of the several apostles and their companions (Sixth Century). The most important and extensive of these Acts arc The Acts of John, and The Acts of Judas Thomas, the Apostle to the Indians.
(e) Of Apocryphal Epistles. the most famous is the correspondence between Abgar, King of Edessa, and Jesus. Apocryphal Pauline epistles wee: (1) An Epistle to the taodieeans, on the basis of the hint in Col. iv. 16. (2) An Epistle to the A lesandrians, mentioned as early as c.170 A.D. (3) A Third. Epistle to the Corin thians. These arc simply compilations from the genuine Pauline letters in the New Testa ment. (4) Correspondence between Seneca and Paul in fourteen letters (at least as early as the Fourth Century).
(d) Apocryphal Apocalypses. Of these The Apocalypse of Peter is the most important, a small fragment of which was discovered with the fragment of the Gospel of Peter. The work was in existence as early as A.D. 175. and highly esteemed in some quarters. The .4 pocalypsc of Paul, The Vision of Paul, The Apocalypse of the Mary, and other like works are late and less important.
(e) Didactic Works. The Preaching (K7jpv'yaa).
of Peter was written very early, possibly before A.D. 100. It was perhaps also known as the Dida sealia or Doctrine of Peter. Tho existence of a Preaching (Prwilicatio) of Paul is very doubtful. For other works somethnes classed as New Testa Tnent Apocrypha. see APOSTOLIC FATHERS; CLEm ENTINA; BARNARAS, ACTS AND EPISTLE OF: DERMAS. SHEPHERD OF; REVELATION OF SAINT JolaN; TEACHING OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES.
BrrimonnApny. For the Old Testament, see for texts the Septuagint version, hest ed. Swete (London, second edition, 1899) ; 0. F. Fritzsche, Libri A poerypht Vctcris Testamenti Grwei (Leipzig, 1871) ; for English translation, C. J. Ball, The Variorum Apocrypha (London. undat ed) ; E. C. Bissell, The Apocrypha of the Ohl Tes tament (New York, 1880, with commentary and summary of pseudepigrapha) : H. Wail, Apoc rypha (London, 1888, 2 vols., with commen tary) ; for complete German translation. see E. Kautzsch, Die Apokryphen und Pseudepigraphen des alters Testaments (Tiibingen, 1900) ; Chin tow, tracanonieal and Apocrypha S'eript urea (1884) ; The Uneanonical Writings of the Old Testament Found in the Armenian NHS. of the Library of Saint Lazarus, translated into Eng lish by Jacques Issaverdens (Venice, 1901). For the New Testament, see, for texts, Tischendorf, Evangclia Apocrypha. (Leipzig. 1854), Aeta A postolorum Apocrypha (Leipzig, 1851), and Apocalypses Apoeryphw (Leipzig, 1866) ; R. A. Lipsius and Bonnet, Ada Apostolorum Apoc rypha (Leipzig, 1883) ; Zahn. Arta Johannis (Erlangen. 1880); A Hilgenfeld, Noeum Testa lilentlIllt, extra Canonem Reception (Leipzig, (1884) ; and Evangeliorum (et ertero•unt) quip sapersunt (a collection of fragments), Editio Okra. Discussions: The most extended are H. A. Lipsius, Die apokryphen Apostelgesehichten (Brunswick, 1883-90) ; and Zahn, Gesehiehte des neutestamentliehen Kanons (2d ed. Leipzig and Erlangen, 1889). For further literature, consult G. Kruger, History of Early Christian Literature (New York, 1897). For translation, see Walker in the Ante-Nicene Library.