The theme of "The Apocryphal Gospels" is Christ's non-exclusive love and forgiveness.

This theme is frequently referenced as Jesus says the phrase: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" in almost every single work included in the book. This phrase comes directly verbatim from Matthew 11:15, and means that Jesus wants everyone to hear the good news of his teachings, and graciously loves everyone, letting all hear the saving message of God.

Evidence: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Gathercole, 49, 53, 61, 62).

Analysis: "The Apocryphal Gospels" is a collection of different false or uninspired accounts of Jesus' life and therefore character. While some Gospels' goal is to recount a more truthful, yet uninspired, story about Jesus' life, some others are outright totally incorrect about Jesus' true character. While a good handful of Apocryphal Gospels describe Jesus' life as we know it today and recounted in the Bible, other Gospels (I.e. "The Infancy Gospel of Thomas") describe Jesus' younger years in a horrifying light, recounting quite inappropriate things about Jesus.

Evidence: "Marcion's Gospel" is quite accurate to the true Gospel story, particularly in this example when it records Jesus saying: "'If anyone wants to be a disciple of mine,' [...] 'he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me" (Gathercole, 105). However, "The Infancy Gospel of Thomas" records an inaccurate event of a young Jesus striking a boy dead for bumping into him: "'Cursed be the soul that guides you,' Jesus said. And immediately the boy died" (Gathercole, 32).

Explanation: Historically, as most notably recorded in "The Gospel of Thomas," Jesus used parables to more easily explain complicated parts of Christian theology to the masses. These parables are short stories using easily digestible symbols that interact in a certain way to explain how Christians should behave. "The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value" appears in the Biblical book of Matthew, however it also appears in "The Gospel of Thomas." Simply put, the Parable describes a man purchasing a pearl of great value by selling all of his possessions. Jesus describes that everyone should give all they can like the man to receive the priceless gift of salvation, like the pearl.

Evidence: "Jesus said, 'What the kingdom of the father resembles is a merchant who owned some merchandise, and then learned about the existence of a certain pearl. That merchant was shrewd, sold the merchandise, and bought the single pearl. You, too, seek the ceaseless and enduring treasure, where moth does not approach to eat nor worm to destroy'" (Gathercole 63-64).