The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: A Study of Gnostic Scriptures and Early Christian Thought

This isn't a book! It's actually a magic portal through which the reader tumbles from one dimension to another. Sometimes the results are unsettling, but one is always left believing that, however much new got found in the next dimension, a lot is still there waiting to be discovered. The blah cover of Nag Hammadi Scriptures makes it look like just another dry, boring now-let's-study-the-Bible type book. Instead it's a ticket for fascinating time travel out of the present and back to a murky, confusing past; from one civilization to another; from one rigid belief system to another; from one religion to another. You get bounced from reality to myth, and then all the way back again -- provided you still want to return. This ancient anthology is an impressive job of scholarship and clear translation, and it oozes with bunches of helpful footnotes, introductions and leads for further study. If it has a flaw, I think it is that, found here and there throughout the volume, are faint hints of traditional Christian ideas. Sometimes one senses the editors may be trying a little too hard to reconcile some orthodox Christian belief or other with what they assume the ancient authors were saying or thinking. And the book certainly wants to make you believe that everyone with a point of view needs to have earned a degree from some obscure school of theology or religion. But ignore all that. If you buy the book, you've got the right to make up your own mind about what it says. And if there ever was a topic about which everyone's entitled to their own slant, this must be it. As all readers will, I have a bias. I am a very devout Buddhist, steeped primarily in the religious traditions of Sri Lanka. The revelations I derived from the Nag Hammadi Scriptures were that passage, after passage, after passage is at least compatible with (and sometimes nearly identical to) Theravadan Buddhist teaching, and that both Gnostic ideas and Buddhism seem closer to one another than either one does to today's Christian practices. All of which suggests to me that, though the world doggedly perpetuates and exalts countless images of, names for and ideas about "gods", you don't have to be a great scholar or professional theologian to recognize that, in the end, there is after all only one. To me this book argues most eloquently that, whoever or whatever that god may be, a wise search for him/her starts by a dive deep within the human psyche.

Those students of religions will enjoy reading these scriptures that will fill in a lot of blanks.

This book is written as an honest and faithful translation (not transcription) of the Nag Hammadi Scriptures. It gives the history of the multitude of texts that were used in this translation. Mangled by time and human stupidity, these codices required not only physical restoration. To be as accurate as possible, scientists and historians throughout the world had to work together at an unprecedented level in order to put together the meanings lost in one codex but revealed in another. I applaud the dedication to truth and the love of history that inspired these men and women to complete their life-work. Throughout history, it has been common to dismiss all but the canonical gospels as "heresy", as defined by Irenaeus of Lyon as early as 180 CE in his book: Adversus Haereses. In the ensuing centuries, differing thoughts and philosophies were ruthlessly crushed by the full weight of the all-powerful Catholic Church. During the darkest of these ages, the fear of loss of power pushed its unlearned and uneducated leaders to throw medicinal, astronomical, and mathmatical knowledge deep into the pit of ignorance that came to define the Church itself. In the ultimate irony, the Son of Humanity who was sent to bring Light and Knowledge to our world inspired the cruelest, most ignorant, and blood-thirsty religion (by sheer volume) known to man. The Catholic Church has burned literally countless scrolls, codices, and books; slaughtered millions of people throughout the world; destroyed dozens of civilizations; and continue to this day in the relentless rape and torture of young children. To believe the Catholic Church's word that these ancient scriptures are heretical, one would have to believe that the Catholic Church is the living representation of Jesus on earth. Due to overwhelming evidence to the contrary, I personally reject that assertation. As a believer, and one with ears to hear, I have been searching for other Words from the Redeemer since I was a child. I was fascinated by the discoveries of these codices, and eagerly awaited the various translations; hanging on each new Word. After years of drips and drops of knowledge, this is like coming upon Jacob's well. Finally, humanity has been gifted with this ancient and new understanding and hope. Personally, I am discovering a new love for the ancient philosophers and followers of Jesus the Christ and Redeemer. I hope that anyone who has an interest in more knowledge and a love of history will consider purchasing this book. It is a wonderous and insightful window into the past, unsullied by the fingerprints of greed and ignorance.

Quem quer conhecer mais a fundo o gnosticismo tem que ler esse livro.

Fantastic

The book is very interesting but, unfortunately, the print is small and will strain your eyes after a while.

Great! Love it and the understanding you get. Beautifully worth it!

Contained in the fragments of this book is the explanation of Life, the human race, our place in existence and our creator. Its supremely difficult to comprehend but It answered every question i have ever had about the human race, our origins, our end, our religions, philosophy, death, life and why we exist and what will become of us when we die. Its incredibly deep in places, even for a philosopher or scholar. Its certainly not a simple read and i had to stop reading to reflect on many sentences and think deeply on their meaning before i could proceed to the next sentence or paragraph. Its probably way beyond most people to even begin to comprehend a fraction of it. Any question i ever had about the concept or reality of what we call God is answered in the lines of these scriptures. I also felt after reading and studying The Bible and The Quran in depth that we truly already have all the answers to anything we wish to know, all the keys to happiness and ultimate knowledge but like these Nag Hammadi scriptures the ultimate truth has been hidden from us in a cave for centuries and not become a freely available part of our lives. It has been hidden, obscured and changed to suit the purposes of Rulers and Kings for centuries. For example; the Book of Esther is in The Bible but not one of the Nag Hammadi scriptures is. The question is.....why?