Three Fundamental Reasons Extracanonical Writings Are Deemed Insignificant…

First, lets quickly define few terms: “non-canonical,” “extracanonical,” and just plain ole “canonical”… 

Canonical (adjective): According to or ordered by canon law.”the canonical rites of the Roman Church”; included in the list of sacred books officially accepted as genuine. ex. “the canonical Gospels of the New Testament”

Noncanonical (adjective): Not included within a canon or group of rules. 2. not belonging to the canon of Scripture. Origin of noncanonical. non- + canonical.

Extracanonical (adjective): Being outside the body of officially accepted writings: not included in a list of authorized books; specifically: being outside a canon of books held to be sacred. an extracanonical writing.

Secondly, This is Primarily the Fundamentalist Christian Approach to the Bible and Jesus…

Simply put fundamentalists take on a perspective of the Bible that says this is the only collection of documents you’ll ever need in order to give accurate and reliable historical accounts of not just Christ but, the very nature and character of who God is. It paints this picture of both God and Jesus, through a collection of manuscripts in which they’ve selected utilizing a hermeneutic maintained through mobilizing pastors via seminaries and their eventual pulpits.

In the words of Bart Ehrman:

“And that’s one reason you will not find fundamentalists at the forefront of critical scholarship….”

When it comes to scholarship both, “Canonical and extra-canonical sources are in principle of equal value in the study of Jesus…” And, this would also include, the historical context surrounding him within the first century (more on this later).