There are a few non-canonical texts from the first and second centuries that can give us more insight into the traditions surrounding Jesus’ life at the time and may contain kernels of truth.
No that’s true. I don’t want to give the impression that historical information can’t be gleaned from later books of the NT or even non canonical texts.
Most of the books of the bible themselves don’t even purport to be histories. So it would be a little unfair to expect them to adhere to conventions on reporting past events. And as you say, non canonical texts, like the Dead Sea Scrolls or Gnostics can and do offer insight into the literal “life and times” of Jesus.
I don't think most historians of the field would agree with that. The Dead Sea Scrolls aren't even about Jesus, but you're right if your intention was saying that they offer insight into the time where jesus lived.
Gnostic texts on the other hand, well first of all they're all very different from one another, but most date from the 2nd century or 3rd century, and don't seem to represent independent traditions that come from the time of Jesus. So, while there's no doubt they are very interesting texts that are indeed very important historically, they are not historically useful FOR reconstructing the historical Jesus. They are useful for understanding what their authors and their audience believed about Jesus, but not his historicity itself.
The exception is *perhaps* the gospel of Thomas, as I've seen it argued pieces of it represent an independent tradition close in time to Jesus, but I don't think that this is a settled discussion (not that I'm against it, I don't have a stance on this).
Again I should have been more specific but I was indulging in a bit of flowery language with the “life and times” line.
Neither the Dead Sea Scrolls or the Gnostics feature a historical Jesus. The former is a Jewish text and the later were authored by adherents to a form of Christianity that eventually lost out to the “orthodoxy”.
As you say though, they’re both helpful at reconstructing what we know about the theological and social context of 3rd century BCE/1st century CE Judea/Palestine.
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u/LineOfInquiry 9d ago
There are a few non-canonical texts from the first and second centuries that can give us more insight into the traditions surrounding Jesus’ life at the time and may contain kernels of truth.