noun
- Sayings or teachings attributed to Jesus Christ that are not found in the canonical Gospels but are preserved in other early Christian sources.
Usage: plural form; singular is 'agraphon'; religious/theological term; from Greek meaning 'unwritten'
Examples
- Scholars have studied the agrapha to understand early Christian traditions outside the New Testament.
- The agrapha include various sayings found in the Church Fathers and apocryphal texts.
- Some agrapha appear in the Gospel of Thomas, a non-canonical source.
- Historians debate the authenticity of certain agrapha attributed to Jesus.
- The agrapha represent an important resource for understanding the development of Christian doctrine.