Synopses & Reviews
It is time for a new New Testament.
Over the past century, numerous lost scriptures have been discovered, authenticated, translated, debated, celebrated. Many of these documents were as important to shaping early-Christian communities and beliefs as what we have come to call the New Testament; these were not the work of shunned sects or rebel apostles, not alternative histories or doctrines, but part of the vibrant conversations that sparked the rise of Christianity. Yet these scriptures are rarely read in contemporary churches; they are discussed nearly only by scholars or within a context only of gnostic gospels. Why should these books be set aside? Why should they continue to be lost to most of us? And don’t we have a great deal to gain by placing them back into contact with the twenty-seven books of the traditional New Testament—by hearing, finally, the full range of voices that formed the early chorus of Christians?
To create this New New Testament, Hal Taussig called together a council of scholars and spiritual leaders to discuss and reconsider which books belong in the New Testament. They talked about these recently found documents, the lessons therein, and how they inform the previously bound books. They voted on which should be added, choosing ten new books to include in A New New Testament. Reading the traditional scriptures alongside these new texts—the Gospel of Luke with the Gospel of Mary, Paul’s letters with The Letter of Peter to Philip, The Revelation to John with The Secret Revelation to John—offers the exciting possibility of understanding both the new and the old better. This new reading, and the accompanying commentary in this volume, promises to reinvigorate a centuries-old conversation and to bring new relevance to a dynamic tradition.
Review
"This brilliant contextualization of the familiar New Testament in the context of other early Christian writings illuminates both. It is important both historically and theologically. Readers will not be able to see the New Testament in the same way again." —Marcus Borg, author of
The Heart of Christianity "
A New New Testament does what some of us never dreamed possible: it opens the treasure chest of early Christian writings, restoring a carefully select few of them to their rightful place in the broad conversation about who Jesus was, what he did and taught, and what all of that has to do with us now. This new constellation of early Christian scriptures adds brilliant facets to the diamond of divine revelation, waking up those of us who thought we knew it all. While this book will be a welcome addition to the academic courses in New Testament, Christian origins, and theology, I expect it will have its greatest impact in churches, as people of faith become better acquainted with some of their first forebears in faith." —Barbara Brown Taylor, author of
Leaving Church and
An Altar in the World "A New New Testament offers its readers an expansive opening onto the world of the early Christians. For the first time, modern readers can explore a range of voices and theological perspectives that have not been heard for centuries, set side-by-side with well-known biblical books. Old texts become freshly vibrant, and new texts open ancient avenues for renewed reflection and spiritual practice.
A New New Testament will be a vital resource for the 21st century." —Karen L. King, Hollis Professor of Divinity, Harvard Divinity School "Remarkable...Not meant to replace the traditional New Testament, this fascinating work will be, Taussig hopes, the first of several new New Testaments." —
Booklist, starred "A culminating work of the Jesus Seminar era and of others influenced by it, this collection of manuscripts serves to complete and update the standard Christian New Testament." --
Kirkus
Synopsis
This is the most complete, up-to-date, one-volume, English-language edition of the renowned library of fourth-century Gnostic manuscripts discovered in Egypt in 1945, which rivaled the Dead Sea Scrolls find in significance. It includes the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, and other Gnostic gospels and sacred texts. This volume also includes introductory essays, notes, tables, glossary, index, etc. to help the reader understand the context and contemporary significance of these texts which have shed new light on early Christianity and ancient thought.
This team of collaborators launched modern Gnostic studies and exposed a movement within Christianity whose teachings are in many ways as relevant today as they were centuries ago. The importance of their work has been underscored with the success of books by bestselling authors such as Elaine Pagels, Harold Bloom, and even Dan Brown.
Opening the secrets of a religion which the Gnostics themselves had hoped would be kept sealed until the Last Day, this edition takes into account recent developments including the significance of the Gospel of Thomas and other lost gospels as a source of the authentic sayings of Jesus. This fascinating collection will become a welcome addition to the understanding of the formative years of the early Christian Church.
Synopsis
The Nag Hammadi Scriptures, edited by Marvin Meyer, is the most complete, up-to-date, one-volume, English-language edition of the renowned library of Gnostic manuscripts discovered in Egypt in 1945, which rivaled the Dead Sea Scrolls find in significance. It includes the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, and the recently discovered Gospel of Judas, as well as other Gnostic gospels and sacred texts. This volume also includes introductory essays, notes, tables, glossary, index, etc. to help the reader understand the context and contemporary significance of these texts which have shed new light on early Christianity and ancient thought. The compilation of ancient manuscripts that constitute The Nag Hammadi Scriptures is a discovery that challenges everything we thought we knew about the early Christian church, ancient Judaism, and Greco-Roman religions.
Synopsis
Newly translated and annotated by an international team of leading scholars, this is the definitive edition of the renowned library of fourth-century Gnostic manuscripts. This work includes the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, and the recently discovered Gospel of Judas, as well as other Gnostic gospels and sacred texts.
First discovered in Egypt in 1945 and rivaling the Dead Sea Scrolls in significance, The Nag Hammadi Scriptures have shed new light on the study of early Christianity. Here they are conveniently published in one volume and include introductory essays, notes, tables, and a glossary to help readers understand their context and contemporary significance.
Marvin Meyer is one of the foremost scholars on Gnosticism, the Nag Hammadi library, and texts about Jesus outside the New Testament. He is Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies and director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute at Chapman University, Orange, California. Among his recent books are The Gnostic Gospels of Jesus, The Gospels of Mary, The Gospel of Thomas, The Gnostic Bible and The Gnostic Discoveries.
James M. Robinson was Permanent Secretary of UNESCO's International Committee for the Nag Hammadi Codices, Founding Director Emeritus of the Nag Hammadi Project of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, and professor emeritus at Claremont Graduate University. He is the author of Trajectories through Early Christianity and A New Quest of the Historical Jesus. He was the general editor of The Nag Hammadi Library in English. He lives in Claremont, California.
Synopsis
The Definitive Collection of Gnostic Writings
The year is 1945. At the foot of a cliff along the Nile River, near the city of Nag Hammadi, an Egyptian peasant unearths a large storage jar containing ancient manuscripts. The discovery turns out to be one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the past century. A treasure of fourth-century texts, the manuscripts are the scriptures of the ancient mystical tradition commonly called Gnosticism, from the Greek gnosis, that is, secret knowledge. It is a discovery that challenges everything we thought we knew about the early Christian church, ancient Judaism, and Greco-Roman religions.
The Nag Hammadi Scriptures is the most complete and up-to-date English-language edition of these sacred texts from Egypt. It is full of treatises, testimonies, and secret books that had been lost for centuries. In addition to gospels purportedly by the apostles Thomas and Philip, and the revelations of James, Peter, and Paul, this collection also includes the Gospel of Mary and the controversial Gospel of Judas. The documents have been newly translated by a team of prominent international scholars. This volume also features introductory essays and extensive notes to help readers understand the context and significance of these texts that have revolutionized the study of early Christianity and ancient religious thought.
Synopsis
This is the most complete, up-to-date, one-volume, English-language edition of the renowned library of fourth-century Gnostic manuscripts discovered in Egypt in 1945, which rivaled the Dead Sea Scrolls find in significance. It includes the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, and the recently discovered Gospel of Judas, as well as other Gnostic gospels and sacred texts. This volume also includes introductory essays, notes, tables, glossary, index, etc. to help the reader understand the context and contemporary significance of these texts which have shed new light on early Christianity and ancient thought.
Synopsis
A provocative new edition of the New Testament that includes ten more recently found texts, selected by a council of scholars and spiritual leaders, alongside the classic books, with introductions and contextual background from Hal Taussig.
About the Author
Marvin Meyer is one of the
foremost scholars on early Christianity and texts about Jesus outside the New Testament. He is Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies at Chapman University in Orange, California. Among his recent books are
The Gospel of Judas,
The Gnostic Gospels of Jesus,
The Gospels of Mary,
The Gospel of Thomas, and
The Nag Hammadi Scriptures.
James M. Robinson, consultant for this collection, is widely known for his groundbreaking contribution as the permanent secretary of UNESCO's International Committee for the Nag Hammadi codices, and his many published works on Gnostic texts and the Sayings Gospel Q.
Table of Contents
Foreword xi
Preface xvi
Preface to the Translations xx
Introducing A New New Testament xxiii
How to Read A New New Testament xxviii
The Books of
A New New Testament
An Ancient Prayer from the Early
Christ Movements
The Prayer of Thanksgiving 5
Gospels Featuring Jesuss Teachings
The Gospel of Thomas 15
The Gospel of Matthew 27
The Gospel of Mark 64
The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles 89
The Acts of the Apostles 127
Gospels, Poems, and Songs Between
Heaven and Earth
The First Book of the Odes of Solomon 172
The Thunder: Perfect Mind 183
The Gospel of John 189
The Gospel of Mary 224
The Gospel of Truth 231
The Writings of Paul and an
Introductory Prayer
The Prayer of the Apostle Paul 243
The Letter to the Romans 246
The First Letter to the Corinthians 265
The Second Letter to the Corinthians 283
The Letter to the Galatians 296
The Letter to the Philippians 304
The First Letter to the Thessalonians 369
The Letter to Philemon 314
Literature in the Tradition of Paul
with a Set of Introductory Prayers
The Second Book of the Odes of Solomon 320
The Letter to the Ephesians 328
The Acts of Paul and Thecla 337
The Letter to the Colossians 347
he Second Letter to the Thessalonians 351
The First Letter to Timothy 355
The Second Letter to Timothy 361
The Letter to Titus 365
Diverse Letters with a Set
of Introductory Prayers
The Third Book of the Odes of Solomon 372
The Letter of James 379
The Letter to the Hebrews 386
The First Letter of Peter 401
The Letter of Peter to Philip 409
The Second Letter of Peter 414
The Letter of Jude 418
Literature in the Tradition of John
with an Introductory Set of Prayers
The Fourth Book of the Odes of Solomon 427
The First Letter of John 434
The Second Letter of John 439
The Third Letter of John 441
The Revelation to John 445
The Secret Revelation of John 467
A Companion to
A New New Testament
BASIC HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
FOR THIS NEW BOOK OF BOOKS
A Preamble 483
1 The Discoveries of New Documents from Old Worlds 485
2 The Books of A New New Testament: An Overview 491
3 Two Surprising Stories: How the Traditional New Testament Came to Be; How A New New Testament Came to Be 500
4 Whats New in A New New Testament? 519
5 Giving Birth to A New New Testament
and Retiring the Idea of Gnosticism 529
6 A Rich Explosion of Meaning 537
Epilogue: Whats Next for A New New Testament? 544
The Council for A New New Testament 555
Acknowledgments 559
Appendix I: Sixty-seven Major Writings of the Early Christ Movements 560
Appendix II: The Books of the Nag Hammadi Library 567
Appendix III: Study Guide 569
Appendix IV: Recommended Reading 582
Subject and Author Index 584
Scriptural Index 000