The Gnostic Bible: Revised and Expanded Edition [Paperback]

Willis Barnstone (Editor), Marvin Meyer (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1590306317 | ISBN-13: 978-1590306314 | Publication Date: June 30, 2009 | Edition: Revised

Gnosticism was a wide-ranging religious movement of the first millennium CE—with earlier antecedents and later flourishings—whose adherents sought salvation through knowledge and personal religious experience. Gnostic writings offer striking perspectives on both early Christian and non-Christian thought. For example, some gnostic texts suggest that god should be celebrated as both mother and father, and that self-knowledge is the supreme path to the divine. Only in the past fifty years has it become clear how far the gnostic influence spread in ancient and medieval religions—and what a marvelous body of scriptures it produced.

The selections gathered here, in poetic, readable translation, represent Jewish, Christian, Hermetic, Mandaean, Manichaean, Islamic, and Cathar expressions of gnostic spirituality. Their regions of origin include Egypt, the Greco-Roman world, the Middle East, Syria, Iraq, China, and France. Also included are introductions, notes, an extensive glossary, and a wealth of suggestions for further reading. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rx7uvwrdCrE" width="640" frameborder="0" height="390"> </iframe>

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book may well be the most comprehensive collection of gnostic materials ever gathered in one volume. What is clear from the sourcebook is the tremendous diversity of thought that exists under the 'gnostic' umbrella including Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, Zoroastrian, and Greco-Roman themes. A valuable resource for students and scholars."—Publishers Weekly

“The selection of texts ranges across two millennia and various cultures.  Each work, some translated into English for the first time, is accompanied by a clear introduction and synopsis.  This is an important sampler of relatively unknown spiritual literature.”—Library Journal

“To read The Gnostic Bible is to witness something astonishing. . . . I read it with dizzy excitement.”—Ian Cant, Ascent Magazine

“A Godsend for anyone interested in alternative Christianity, the history of Christianity, or spirituality in general.”—Turk’s Head Review

"An enormously rich collection of sources—a wonderful achievement!"—Elaine Pagels, author of The Gnostic Gospels and Beyond Belief



"Willis Barnstone and Marvin Meyer's Gnostic Bible joins Bentley Layton's Gnostic Scriptures as one of the true critical sourcebooks for gnostic texts. Here, from China to Catalonia, from the first to the fourteenth centuries, gnosticism is seen as a global meditation."—Harold Bloom, author of Genius: A Mosaic, Hamlet: Poem Unlimited, and The Western Canon



“I feel as if I had been waiting for this book all my life.”—Carolyn Kizer, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet

“Everyone interested in the tumultuous origins of Christianity and in a mysticism of direct, unmediated communion with God should fall on this brilliant and ground-breaking book.  In it, for the first time, are assembled all the major texts of gnosticism, with illuminating notes and introductions, and in translations that radiate clarity.”—Andrew Harvey, author of Sun at Midnight, Son of Man, and The Direct Path

“These ancient texts have not lost any of their power to awaken higher consciousness.  Seekers of knowledge owe an enormous debt to Barnstone and Meyer for presenting these works to us in a fresh, clear, and accessible form.”—Richard Smoley, author of Inner Christianity: A Guide to the Esoteric Tradition

“In this wonderfully readable anthology the authors have brought together a large number of interesting selections from a wide chronological, geographical, and cultural range of traditions that nevertheless illustrate fascinating overlapping patterns in religious symbolism and worldviews.”—Michael Williams, author of Rethinking Gnosticism

“These two wise men have written an amazing book—the best of its kind, ever.  They bear lit matches in our dark tunnel—sometimes they are the matches themselves.”—Gerald Stern, author of American Sonnets and What I Can’t Bear Losing

Product Details

• Paperback: 896 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; Revised edition (June 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590306317
• ISBN-13: 978-1590306314
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Gnostic Bible, Call It : What Was Left Out Of The Bible"., June 19, 2010

By 

M. Mariba "the teacher" (pretoria, south africa) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gnostic Bible: Revised and Expanded Edition (Paperback)

This is the most comprehensive collection of Jewish (e.g. Book of Baruch by Justin), Christian (e.g. Songs Of Pearl), Hermetic, Mandaean, Manichaean (Mani's incomplete works, but still great works. You will be amazed by Mani's 'similarities' with Jesus & at some point he was quite very popular!), Zoroastrian, Pagan, Gnostic Gospels (e.g. Gospel of John, Gospel Of Thomas, Gospel Of Mary Magdalene, Gospel Of Philip, etc), other Nag Hammadi Books (e.g. On The Origin Of The World, The Letter Of Peter To Philip, etc), Islamic & Cathar books all in one volume by far. These various books span from first century & some are being translated here into English for the first time! Professors Willis Barnstone & Marvin Meyer do make a very strong case that "The Gospel Of John" differs significantly from the Gospels of Mark, Luke & Matthew [In its framework, individual episodes it relates to & particularly in the way it represents the voice of Jesus] and hence its inclusion in "Gnostic Bible". This is an eye opener book on the great variety of religious views & theology : translated in English with extensive helpful introductions (who wrote the book or gospel, when was it written & under what circumstances it was written), footnotes & interpretations of these different books! Tit for tat attacks against each other in the Gnostic Gospels is also very interesting (Cathars against the sacrament of Eucharist, 'the doubting Thomas' in Synoptic Gospels against Jesus's 'twin brother' in Gospel of Thomas writing the Gospel, etc) [putting a human face in the whole religion thing!]. The afterword section is also quite excellent : professors Willis Barnstone & Marvin Meyer summarize the variety of religion & theology contained in books in the "Gnostic Gospels", their perspectives & differences that they have. They also indicate that some groups e.g. Cathars. & Mandaeans have been misunderstood for a very long time. This is a highly recommended resource on ancient wisdom, Jewish, Christian, Gnostic, Islamic & much more books/religions in one compilation of a very high standard aimed at the general public! A must buy resource if you are interested in "The Nag Hammadi Library", "Gnostic Gospels", "Islamic", "Pagan" & much more religions that did not make it into the Old Testament (Jewish/Torah), New Testament (Gnostic Gospels) & much much more!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent translations of several important Gnostic texts., January 1, 2012

By 

MrBrown - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gnostic Bible: Revised and Expanded Edition (Paperback)

It is a massive collection so I have not read it all yet, but I have a VERY positive impression so far! The translation is far more readable than other versions I have looked at, and this is an excellent collection. For anyone who has a serious interest in Gnosticism, I'd say this should be at the top of your reading list. It's one thing to read Elaine Pagels, or Bart Ehrman for a scholarly analysis or to read Stephan Hoeller or Timothy Freke for a contemporary approach to an ancient tradition, but at some point, if you're serious about understanding Gnosticism, you need to go directly to the source and read the Gnostic scriptures for yourself. Compared to the other major collections and translations I've seen, this is the best on both counts. I've never seen another collection with this many Gnostic texts from so many sources, and I've never seen a translation that's such a pleasure to read.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, July 1, 2011

By 

Jess R Davis (High Point, NC, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Gnostic Bible: Revised and Expanded Edition (Paperback)

Great reading, a massive in depth comprehensive collection of gnostic Literature I ever found on line! Including Hermetic, Valentinian, and Islamic Mystical writings amongst others. If you're searching for answers in the traditional canonical scriptures, but feel you getting nowhere, this book is for you. Ancient christian mysticism on the form of gnostic gospels isn't for everyone, but for those seeking the hidden connection between nature, one-self and your creator regardless of religious denomination. I seriously recommend this book...