Synopses & Reviews
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 a treasury of fourth-century texts, including the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, the Gospel of Truth, and many other writings—the scriptures of the mystical tradition commonly called Gnosticism, from the Greek gnosis, that is, esoteric or secret knowledge.
There had been malicious references to these works by early church fathers, but these were among the first copies seen in modern times. Since this discovery of the renowned Nag Hammadi library, our picture of the world of the historical Jesus, Judaism, Greco-Roman religions, and the early varieties of Christianity has begun to look remarkably different.
The Nag Hammadi Scriptures is the most complete and up-to-date English-language edition of these sacred texts from Egypt. Also included are the Gospel of Mary (from the Berlin Gnostic Codex), the controversial Gospel of Judas, and the previously unknown Book of the Stranger (both from the recently discovered Codex Tchacos). The documents have been newly translated with clarity and grace by a team of prominent international scholars. In addition, this volume features introductory essays and extensive notes to help readers understand the context and significance of texts that have revolutionized the study of early Christianity and ancient religious thought.
The Nag Hammadi Scriptures is essential to any reader who wishes to understand the history of Gnostic thought and mystical spirituality and the impact of such thought upon the Christian church from its formative period to the present day.
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
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 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.
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.