| Preface |
9 |
| Note on the Translations |
11 |
| Introduction: Savior Gods in the Mediterranean World |
13 |
| Part 1: The Christian Savior |
23 |
| The Coptic Gospel of Thomas |
25 |
| The Acts of the Holy Apostle Thomas |
36 |
| Jesus after the resurrection |
55 |
| The Gospel of Philip |
59 |
| The Gospel of Peter |
83 |
| A Letter from Pilate to Claudius and The Trial of Pilate in Rome |
87 |
| Jesus' Medical Correspondence with King Abgar |
91 |
| The Infancy Gospel of Thomas |
92 |
| The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew |
98 |
| The Birth of Jesus |
104 |
| The Gospel of James |
107 |
| Part 2: Greek, Jewish, and Roman Parallels Illustrating the Milieu of the Gospels |
119 |
| Prefaces |
|
| The Sacred History of Asklepios |
121 |
| Two Prefaces from Flavius Arrian |
125 |
| Isocrates, Evagoras |
126 |
| Birth and Youth |
|
| The Birth of Plato (1) |
129 |
| The Birth of Plato (2) |
130 |
| The Birth of Alexander the Great |
131 |
| The Birth of Augustus |
132 |
| The Birth and Childhood of Pythagoras |
134 |
| The Birth of Herakles |
135 |
| Teachings |
|
| Aesop's Fables |
137 |
| Rabbinic Parables |
140 |
| Sayings of Thales, Aristippos, and Aristotle |
141 |
| Sayings of Alexander and Others |
143 |
| Epictetus |
145 |
| Two Stories from Epictetus |
148 |
| Miracles |
|
| Asklepios |
151 |
| Pythagoras |
154 |
| Vespasian |
156 |
| A Syrian Exorcist |
157 |
| Chanina Ben Dosa |
158 |
| A Jewish Boy Calms the Sea |
160 |
| The Rabbis Reject Miracles |
160 |
| The Murder of Julius Caesar |
163 |
| The Wine Miracle of Dionysos |
165 |
| Sacraments |
|
| The Salvation of Lucius |
167 |
| The Messianic Banquet at Qumran |
171 |
| Apocalyptic Predictions |
|
| 2 Esdras 11; 13 |
173 |
| A Roman "Messianic" Prophecy |
177 |
| The Footsteps of the Messiah |
180 |
| Martyrdom |
|
| Zeno |
181 |
| Eleazar |
182 |
| Rabbi Akiba |
184 |
| Ascension |
|
| Romulus |
187 |
| The Dream of Scipio |
190 |
| Apotheosis of Antinous |
197 |
| Herakles |
201 |
| Part 3: Greek and Jewish "Gospels" |
|
| The Life of Apollonios of Tyana; Flavius Philostratus |
205 |
| Poimandres; The Hermetic Tractates |
243 |
| The Life of Moses; Philo of Alexandria |
253 |
| Alexander the False Prophet; Lucian of Samosata |
293 |