Some, it is argued, may be earlier than the four canonical Gospels.

"Now, this is not the Jesus we know from the four canonical gospels!"

His birth is mentioned in two of the four canonical gospels.

However, much greater emphasis is spent on the earlier part of Jesus' life than in the canonical gospels.

This incident is unlike any other in the canonical Gospels.

This saying must have had a wide circulation, though it did not suit the purpose of any canonical Gospel.

It is a different matter with the canonical gospels.

As with the canonical gospels, the vast majority of the manuscripts come from the 10th century or later.

It stays nearly entirely true to the text of the four canonical gospels.

It remains a mystery how such an important document, which was the basis of two canonical Gospels, could be lost.