📕 1. Banned Books of the Bible

1. 📕 Banned Books of the Bible
2. 🕰️ Timeline of the Bible’s Evolution
3. 🆚 Tyndale vs. King James Comparison

Also called the “Apocrypha” or “Lost Gospels,” these texts were excluded from the Bible over centuries for political, theological, or control-based reasons. Many contain mystical, radical, or non-doctrinal teachings.

✝️ Early Christian Texts (New Testament Apocrypha)

Book	Why It Was Banned
Gospel of Thomas	Purely sayings of Jesus — mystical and Gnostic. No crucifixion or resurrection.
Gospel of Mary Magdalene	Presents Mary as Jesus’s closest disciple and reveals a spiritual interpretation of resurrection.
Gospel of Judas	Portrays Judas as obeying Jesus’s secret request to betray him — flips the narrative.
Infancy Gospel of Thomas	Stories of Jesus as a child with miraculous powers — some disturbing or odd.
Acts of Paul and Thecla	Depicts a female disciple of Paul preaching and baptizing — contradicts patriarchal doctrine.
Apocalypse of Peter	Visions of hell and punishment — more graphic than Revelation; excluded for fear and inconsistency.

📜 Jewish Texts (Old Testament Apocrypha or Pseudepigrapha)

Book	Notes
Book of Enoch	Huge in early Christianity; talks of fallen angels, Nephilim, and end times. Still part of the Ethiopian Bible.
Book of Jubilees	A retelling of Genesis and Exodus with more detail and heavenly calendar systems.
Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, 1 & 2 Maccabees	Included in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles, but cut from Protestant Bibles after the Reformation.
2 Esdras	Apocalyptic visions — includes the famous phrase “Let the multitude perish.”

🔥 Why Were They Removed?

• Too mystical or Gnostic
• Contradicted Church doctrine
• Empowered women, inner divinity, or alternative interpretations
• Didn’t support centralized Church control

🕰️ 2. Timeline: Evolution of the Bible

Era	Key Event	Notes
~1200–100 BCE	Hebrew Scriptures written	Pentateuch, Prophets, Psalms
3rd–2nd BCE	Septuagint created	Hebrew Bible translated into Greek in Alexandria
50–100 CE	New Testament written	Gospels, letters, Revelation
140–400 CE	Many gospels circulating	Early Christians read multiple versions
325 CE	Council of Nicaea	Nicene Creed; began defining orthodoxy
382 CE	Vulgate Latin Bible	Translated by St. Jerome under Pope Damasus I
405–500 CE	Canon settled	27 New Testament books confirmed
800s–1400s CE	Church bans translation	Only Latin Bibles permitted
1526 CE	Tyndale’s English NT	First English New Testament from Greek
1530 CE	Tyndale’s Pentateuch	First five OT books in English
1535–1537	Coverdale & Matthew Bibles	Based on Tyndale’s work; legalized
1611	King James Version	Based heavily on Tyndale, authorized by the crown

🆚 3. Tyndale vs. King James: Verse Comparison

Let’s look at key passages to see how much the King James Version (KJV) relied on Tyndale’s bold and clear language:

📖 John 3:16

Tyndale (1526)	King James (1611)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son: that none that believe in him, should perish, but should have everlasting life.	For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

🧠 Nearly identical. KJV kept Tyndale’s structure and even phrasing.

📖 Matthew 6:9–13 (The Lord’s Prayer – Excerpt)

Tyndale	King James
Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Let thy kingdom come. Thy will be fulfilled as well in earth, as it is in heaven.	Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

🧩 KJV only tweaks small words like “fulfilled” → “done”, but Tyndale’s voice is clearly dominant.

📖 Genesis 1:1

Tyndale	King James
In the beginning God created heaven and earth.	In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

🧐 Even here, the difference is minimal — Tyndale’s translation became the backbone of Biblical English.

📌 Key Differences:

• KJV adds more poetic formality (e.g., “whosoever” instead of “none that…”).
• KJV reflects monarchical influence — more references to “church”, “servants,” or “kingdom.”
• Tyndale used simpler language for the common person — and that’s why he was killed.

🧠 Summary Snapshot

Topic	Summary
📕 Banned Books	Dozens were excluded for being too mystical, feminist, or non-doctrinal
🕰️ Timeline	The Bible evolved over 2,000+ years, shaped by empires, councils, and translators
🆚 Tyndale vs KJV	~90% of KJV’s New Testament is lifted directly from Tyndale’s brave original work