Before I pose the question please understand that like you I adhere to the 66 canonical books of the Old and New testament as well as to a lesser degree the other 7 books known as the Apocrypha, which are not as authoritative as the 66, I often wonder about eh books that were rejected. In this I understand that it was the work of the Holy Spirit to cause Jerome and his team to compile those books which best conveyed the Lord's message, but what of the others? Is there ay wisdom which Orthodox (and by that i mean mainstream, not Eastern orthodox) Christianity can benefit from. I ahve found much enlightenning knowledge in the Gospels of Nicodemus and of Bartholomex, as well as the Apocolypse of Peter and the Life of Adam and Eve, but i don't really know what to think of it because I find it hard to just dismiss it especially where it fills in gaps.
So what I'd like to know is, is there anything that Chrsitians today, be they evangelical, charismatic or sacramental can learn from such works or are we to simply regard them as heretical?
So what I'd like to know is, is there anything that Chrsitians today, be they evangelical, charismatic or sacramental can learn from such works or are we to simply regard them as heretical?