The apocryphal gospels are texts that are not included in the canonical New Testament. They are not recognized as part of the official Christian scriptures.
The word apocrypha means "writings or statements of dubious authenticity." It comes from the Greek word for "obscure" or "hidden."
In the early church days, there were other literary works containing stories about Jesus's life and teachings; however, these works were not considered to be God-inspired, authoritative, or even accurate. These works are not accepted today by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, or Protestants. Early works that are non-canonical but claim to cover the life and teachings of Jesus are known as the apocryphal gospels.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the canonical Gospels, part of the biblical canon. They have been recognized since the early church days as being factually accurate, authoritative, and God-inspired accounts of Jesus's life and teachings.
False gospels from heretical groups were already circulating during the early church. Paul warned about the false teachings of the Judaizers (Galatians 1:6-9). Near the end of the first century, the false philosophy of Gnosticism had swept the Roman world and made inroads into the church. Gnostics believed in dualism (opposing forces of good and evil), and they emphasized secret knowledge as the path to salvation. Many New Testament teachings oppose Gnosticism (e.g., John 14:6; Colossians 2:8; 1 Timothy 6:20-21; 1 John 4:2; Jude 1:10).
The so-called Gnostic gospels, discovered in Egypt in 1945, are an example of apocryphal gospels. Some of them, such as the Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Truth and the Gospel of Philip, are marketed as "lost gospels." Although claiming to be written by early church apostles, scholars agree they are not authentic.
The canonical Gospels present a unified record of Jesus's life and teachings, while the apocryphal gospels present divergent views that are not found in other early church writings. This is because they were written significantly later than the canonical Gospels. The historical context and evidence for the authenticity and reliability of the apocryphal gospels is weak compared to the overwhelming evidence for the canonical gospels.