Why Weren’t Books Like the Gospel of Thomas Included in the Bible? | St. James Lutheran Church • Greenfield, IN 46140

Why Weren’t Books Like the Gospel of Thomas Included in the Bible?

By Rev. Dr. Richard Lee Blue, Jr. September 4, 2025 ~9–10 min read

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From time to time, folks point to the Gospel of Thomas or Gospel of Mary Magdalene and wonder why they aren’t in our Bibles. The short answer: the early church recognized these late writings as Gnostic—built on “secret knowledge,” denying core truths of creation, incarnation, and resurrection—and therefore rejected them. That wasn’t suppression; it was shepherding.

What Is Gnosticism?

Gnosticism taught that salvation came through gnōsis—hidden, elite knowledge—and that the physical world was a mistake to escape. In practice, it denied the goodness of creation and often the real incarnation of Christ. The apostles were already facing the seeds of this: “every spirit that does not confess Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God” (cf. 1 John 4:2–3).

“Did God really say…?” (Genesis 3:1) — The enemy’s oldest trick: twist God’s Word to plant doubt. Gnosticism simply repackaged that lie in spiritual language.

Why Thomas & Mary Were Rejected

Late and non-apostolic: These texts surface mid-2nd century or later, long after the eyewitness era.
Different genre and message: Thomas is a sayings collection, often cryptic, lacking the narrative of incarnation, cross, and resurrection.
Contradictory content: Thomas 114 suggests women must “become male” to enter life—at odds with the gospel’s testimony that men and women alike are one in Christ (Gal 3:28).

The church didn’t hide these writings; it recognized they did not bear the apostolic witness to Jesus Christ crucified and risen.

How the Church Renounced Gnosticism (Timeline)

A quick visual of key moments & voices:

Canon & Councils Anti-Gnostic Fathers

Irenaeus (c. AD 180)

In Against Heresies, he defended the fourfold Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and exposed Gnostic myths. He argued from the apostles’ public proclamation, not secret sayings.

Tertullian & Hippolytus (early 200s)

They cataloged and refuted Gnostic systems, showing how these teachings contradicted the rule of faith—the core summary of apostolic doctrine.

Muratorian Fragment (c. 170–200)

An early list that includes most NT books and excludes late, spurious writings like Thomas—evidence that the church already knew its Scriptures.

Hippo (393) & Carthage (397)

Regional synods that recognized the 27-book New Testament we confess today. This wasn’t invention; it was recognition of what the churches had received.

Good Heresy Never Dies—It Reinvents Itself

The tactic is old: bend God’s Word until it says what we want. We see echoes of Gnostic patterns wherever Christ’s person and work are reduced, redefined, or supplemented with “something more.”

Islam (7th c.): denies the Trinity, the Sonship of Jesus, and the crucifixion—cutting the heart out of the gospel (cf. 1 John 2:22–23).
Mormonism (19th c.): adds new scriptures and secret temple rites; redefines God and Christ; leans into works and esoteric knowledge—rhyming with Gnostic instincts.
Jehovah’s Witnesses (19th c.): deny the full deity of Christ, treating Him as a created being; undermines the biblical confession of the Word made flesh.

“See that no one leads you astray.” —Jesus (Matthew 24:4)

Export this SVG as a social image. It summarizes the Eden → Gnostic → modern pattern.

Why the Canon Matters

The church did not manufacture Scripture; it recognized the Spirit-breathed apostolic writings already given to it. The canon guards us from private “revelations” and secret systems by tethering us to public, eyewitness proclamation:

Resurrection in history: “He appeared to more than five hundred…” (1 Cor 15:3–8).
Real incarnation: Teachers denying the flesh of Christ are not from God (1 John 4:2–3).
Guard the deposit: Avoid “what is falsely called knowledge” (1 Tim 6:20–21).

Apostolic Gospel

Public events: incarnation, cross, empty tomb
Eyewitnesses & churches testifying
Grace received by faith
Good creation; redemption of body

Gnostic “Gospels”

Private sayings & secret insight
Late authorship; no eyewitnesses
Elitism & spiritual ladder-climbing
Suspicion of creation & embodiment

FAQ

Did a council “choose” the books of the Bible?

No. Local synods such as Hippo (393) and Carthage (397) recognized the New Testament books already received and read in the churches. They did not invent a canon; they affirmed it.

What about Nicaea (AD 325)?

Nicaea addressed Christ’s full divinity against Arianism. It was not a “canon-choosing” council. The recognition of the 27 books is witnessed later in North African synods and widespread usage.

Is it wrong to read Thomas or Mary?

They can be read as historical curiosities, but not as Scripture. Their theology and timing do not match the apostolic gospel.

Pastoral Application

If a neighbor in Greenfield asks, “Why isn’t Thomas in your Bible?” you can answer with kindness: our Scriptures are the public, apostolic testimony to Jesus—incarnate, crucified, risen. Secret sayings that deny those realities don’t give life. Jesus does.

Why This Still Matters Today

Heresy recycles. Whether in second-century Gnostic salons or modern systems that deny who Jesus is and what He has done, the move is the same: “God’s Word is not enough—take our path.” Jude calls us to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Paul warns of “itching ears” (2 Tim 4:3). Our call is steady, hopeful fidelity to Christ.

The Good News

The so-called “lost gospels” were never lost—they were discarded because they don’t lead us to Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord. Scripture leads us out of secrecy and confusion into the light of the Savior who truly came in the flesh, bore our sins, rose bodily, and will make all things new.

There’s no hidden track, no elite club—only the wide-open grace of God in Christ. And that is enough.

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Sources & Notes

Irenaeus, Against Heresies (c. 180) — defends the fourfold Gospel; critiques Gnostic systems.
Muratorian Fragment (c. 170–200) — an early list showing widespread recognition of most NT books.
Synod of Hippo (393) & Council of Carthage (397) — regional synods recognizing the 27 NT books.
On Christ’s full divinity: see the Nicene Creed (A.D. 325; expanded at Constantinople 381).
Biblical anchors: 1 Cor 15:3–8; 1 John 4:2–3; 1 Tim 6:20–21; Jude 3; 2 Tim 4:3; Gal 3:28.

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