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When people ask about “missing” books in the Bible, they are usually referring to three main categories: the Apocrypha/Deuterocanon (accepted by some denominations but not others), texts quoted in the Bible but now lost, or Gnostic gospels that were rejected by early church leaders.
1. The Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical Books
These are 7 complete books and parts of two others that are included in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles, but traditionally omitted from Protestant Bibles.
- Tobit
- Judith
- Wisdom of Solomon
- Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)
- Baruch
- 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees
- Additions to Esther and Daniel
2. Extant Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha
These are ancient religious writings dating between 200 B.C. and the early centuries A.D. that were widely read but never officially adopted into the mainstream biblical canon.
- The Book of Enoch (Highly valued in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church)
- The Shepherd of Hermas
- The Epistles of Clement
- The Gospel of Thomas (a collection of sayings)
- The Infancy Gospel of James (details the early life of Mary and Jesus)
3. Lost Books Mentioned in the Bible
Several historical and prophetic documents are directly referenced in the canonical text of the Old and New Testaments, but the original manuscripts have been completely lost to history. []
- The Book of the Wars of the Lord (Numbers 21:14)
- The Book of Jasher (Joshua 10:13, 2 Samuel 1:18)
- The Acts of Solomon (1 Kings 11:41)
- The Letter to Laodicea (Colossians 4:16)
- The first, real letter to the Corinthians (often called 1 Corinthians A, referenced in 1 Corinthians 5:9)
If you want to read these texts, you can explore the collections in the Wikipedia: The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden or review the Biblical Apocrypha for deeper historical context.
