Which Books Are in The Great Rejected Texts? Contents, Enoch, and Where to Start
Updated: 21 hours ago
Joseph Lumpkin's Lost Books of the Bible: The Great Rejected Texts contains eighteen writings arranged in three sections. It includes 1 and 2 Enoch, but its published contents list does not include 3 Enoch. Choose this anthology for a broad selection of writings; choose a three-book Enoch collection if reading 1, 2, and 3 Enoch together is your main goal.
Looking for the book itself? See our Lost Books of the Bible edition for the contents, edition identifiers, and purchase options.
The title can attract readers with quite different interests: Enoch, the Gospel of Thomas, biblical interpretation, apocalyptic visions, or questions about how scripture is defined. Knowing the actual contents makes it much easier to decide whether the book fits the question you want to investigate.
Which eighteen texts are included?
The selected edition is ISBN 9781933580661. Its published contents on Amazon divide the anthology as follows. Fifth Estate's catalog description also identifies it as an eighteen-text collection with translations and commentary by Joseph Lumpkin.
Section one: Lost Scriptures of the Old Testament
First Book of Adam and Eve
Second Book of Adam and Eve
First Book of Enoch
Second Book of Enoch, also called Secrets of Enoch
Jubilees
Jasher
The Story of Ahikar
Section two: Apocalyptic Writings and the End of Days
Apocalypse of Abraham
Apocalypse of Thomas
4 Ezra
2 Baruch
War Scroll, also identified as Sons of Dark versus Sons of Light
Section three: Lost Scriptures of the New Testament
Gospel of Philip
Gospel of Mary Magdalene
Apocryphon of John
Gospel of Thomas
Gospel of Judas
Acts Chapter 29
Use this list to check your interests against the edition. A longer title, a larger page count, or a promise of “lost books” does not tell you which writings a different collection actually contains.
Does it include all three books of Enoch?
No. The listed contents include the First and Second Books of Enoch. Third Enoch is not included in that contents list.
That makes the anthology different in scope from Joseph Lumpkin's The Books of Enoch: The Angels, The Watchers and The Nephilim, the paperback identified by ISBN 9781936533077. That collection brings together 1, 2, and 3 Enoch.
Neither arrangement should be judged solely by which volume contains more named works. An anthology offers breadth across several texts. A focused Enoch collection lets you read the three Enoch works together. The useful question is which arrangement serves your purpose.
Our guide to the three Enoch works explains why those titles should not be treated as interchangeable.
Is this the same as a Bible with the Apocrypha?
No. Do not assume that an anthology called Lost Books of the Bible supplies the same contents as a Bible labeled “with Apocrypha,” or that it represents the complete canon of a particular church.
Terminology depends on context. The Orthodox Church in America's explanation of its canon, for example, identifies books such as Tobit and Judith as part of its longer Old Testament canon. That is a statement about a church's scriptures. It is different from the editorial contents of this eighteen-text anthology.
If you are buying a Bible for worship or a course requiring a particular canon, start with that requirement. If you want to explore the eighteen writings listed above, evaluate this anthology on its contents and editorial approach.
This distinction prevents a common disappointment: purchasing a substantial book that does not contain the specific text you needed.
Were all these writings “removed from the Bible”?
The title should not be interpreted as a universal historical explanation for all works. Before questioning why a book was excluded, determine the specific religious community, time period, and scripture collection you a
re referring to. Lumpkin's Lost Books of the Bible: The Great Rejected Texts provides introductions to each book, aiding readers in understanding the historical and spiritual context of these works.
A writing can circulate outside a community's accepted scriptures without having first belonged to one universally agreed Bible. A book may also have a different status in different traditions. The history of a particular text therefore needs its own evidence.
As you read, separate three questions: Does the writing survive? What does it say? What authority did a particular community give it? The answers need not be the same for each of the eighteen works.
You do not have to settle a theological judgment about inspiration before beginning a historical comparison. Reading gives you a better basis for identifying what needs to be explained.
Where should a beginner start?
Choose one question rather than beginning with the ambition to solve the whole history of the Bible.
If Enoch is your starting point, read the introduction to First Enoch and a short run of chapters before moving to Second Enoch. Keep the full work name in your notes so a chapter reference remains clear.
If you came for the Gospel of Thomas, begin with that text's introduction. Note the form of the writing and how it organizes its material. Then compare it with another work in the New Testament section, allowing differences in voice and structure to remain visible.
If apocalyptic writing interests you, choose one work from the middle section. Keep track of who receives a revelation, what is shown, and how the text relates present suffering or disorder to the future it describes.
These are suggested routes through the collection, not a requirement to read every section in a fixed order.
How can the commentary help?
Commentary is most useful when you bring a specific question to it. Identify the passage that puzzled you, read the note or introductory discussion, and record whether it explains a term, offers historical context, compares another text, or proposes an interpretation.
Then return to the passage itself. A successful reading should leave you better able to explain what the writing says and where the commentator has added an argument.
Keep references to individual works rather than only page numbers. Page numbers help within one edition; a work name and chapter reference make discussion possible with someone using another edition.
For a reading group, assign a short passage and ask each participant to bring one observation and one question. That often produces a more useful discussion than asking everyone for a general reaction to an entire anthology.
Who is The Great Rejected Texts best suited to?
It is a practical candidate for readers who want the listed eighteen works available together and who value a volume combining texts with commentary. It also offers a way to discover which individual writings deserve more focused study.
Readers who need a specific critical edition, a complete denominational Bible, or all three Enoch books should check those requirements separately. Knowing the anthology's scope makes its strengths easier to use.
Fifth Estate Publishing offers this volume. View the selected edition of The Great Rejected Texts.
Frequently asked questions
Does The Great Rejected Texts contain 3 Enoch?
Its published contents list includes 1 and 2 Enoch, but not 3 Enoch. Choose a collection explicitly listing all three if that is your priority.
Does it contain the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Judas?
Yes. Both are included in the published contents of the selected edition, ISBN 9781933580661.
Is it the same book as The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden?
Do not assume that similarly named anthologies are identical. The edition discussed here is Joseph Lumpkin's The Great Rejected Texts, identified by ISBN 9781933580661. Compare the contents and editor of any other volume.
Do I have to read the eighteen works in order?
No. Start with a writing connected to your main question, read its introduction, and keep its setting and literary form distinct from the other works.
For a focused alternative, see our Book of Enoch edition comparison.
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