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The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The International Edition

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This book finds an honoured place on my shelves, next to the older edition of the Nag Hammadi scriptures assembled under the direction of James M. Robinson, who provides the preface (and much underlying research). According to Robinson, `The Nag Hammadi Scriptures is a collection of thirteen papyrus codices - bound books, not scrolls - that were buried near the city of Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt most likely in the second half of the fourth century CE.' The texts contained here are a fascinating collection, bringing to light literally dozens of texts that had previously been unknown for over a millennium, although about ten of them are in such fragmentary form that it still cannot be said that these have been recovered. It is supposed by many scholars that this is a collection that was buried by Gnostics, but this is not without controversy.

This text has as a leader over the title the phrase `The International Edition', for good reason. There have been three different projects, one in English, one in French, and one in German, over the past generation, the fruits of which have been brought together here in one volume. The representatives from each team are James M. Robinson, Wolf-Peter Funk, and Paul-Hubert Poirier, for the English, German, and French research projects respectively. The introduction is provided by Marvin Meyer and Elaine Pagels, both names known to people who study Gnostic and early biblical texts.

In the introduction, Meyers and Pagels offer the caution that the title `Nag Hammadi Scriptures' cannot imply a canon of scriptures similar to the Bible or Quran - these are texts that were less a sacred (and closed) collection and more of a general gathering of pieces that were considered inspired and inspirational. The original language of the texts is Coptic, although these may have been translated originally from Greek.

Coptic is the Egyptian language written with the Greek alphabet; there are different dialects of Coptic, and the Nag Hammadi library shows at least two. They were found in codex form (book form rather than scroll form), discovered in the mid 1940s, just a few years prior to the discovery of the first Dead Sea Scrolls (another reason for the combination of the texts in the public imagination). However, even this discovery led to others - there was an earlier find that made its way to Berlin (rather like the earlier `Dead Sea Scroll' that had been found in Cairo), and a third collection discovered in the 1970s, and passed from hand to hand until retrieved by scholars (now known as the Codex Tchacos).

Included in these texts are The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Philip, The Gospel of Truth, The Gospel of Mary and other gospel contenders (alas, in fragmentary form--this edition carries as much of the text in translation as was recovered). The Gospel of Thomas has perhaps been the highest profile text from Nag Hammadi; it has been translated and commented upon extensively, particularly in modern scholarship which discusses gospel development. The most recent `star' among the non-canonical gospels is the Gospel of Judas, the publication of which Meyer was involved in not long ago (taken for the first time from the Codex Tchacos discovery).

Some of the texts were known by title prior to the discovery of these manuscripts - some titles were found on heretical texts lists, and yet, the idea of heresy is a slippery one, which the authors discuss in context of the non-canonical gospels and texts found in the collection that still had a following within early Christian communities.

For purposes of scholarship, there are limitations to this volume. `As in Nag Hammadi Deutsche, here also only Coptic page numbers are given, and not line numbers from the manuscripts. The Nag Hammadi Scriptures is not presented as an edition of Coptic manuscripts but a publication of texts in English translation, and for this reason the continuation of the use of references based upon line numbers in Coptic manuscripts seems inappropriate.' There are, however, generous notes and references that can provide much of what the average and even scholarly reader will need save for those few specialists who will no doubt know how to use this information to go further.

As an epilogue after the texts, there are four essays that discuss the different ideas within the scholarly community about the texts and Gnosticism more generally. Some have proposed abandoning the term as inappropriate (or too vague to be useful), and others follow the lead of Ireneaus, who apparently used the terms to describe certain groups as they themselves had used it in self-reference.

This is a fascinating text, useful for those who want more insight into the kinds of spiritual writing that were circulating in addition to the canonical scriptures of the early Christians. This also provides information about what the early Christians were reacting to - and opens up new possibilities of interpretation of early Christian history and practice.

Dr. Marvin Meyer has done a masterful job in producing a volume that will serve for many decades as the standard source. Scholarly understanding of the Gnostic texts found at Nag Hammadi has vastly matured since their original publication as the Nag Hammadi Library in 1977. This new edition fully reflects that refinement in "the scholarly ear" for both the forgotten ancient tongue and the spiritual tradition preserved in the Gnostic Coptic texts. In every possible way, publication of The Nag Hammadi Scriptures represents a milestone in modern understanding of Gnostic tradition. Elaine Pagels, the author and professor who introduced a generation of readers to the Gnostic Gospels, appropriately pens the introduction to this landmark edition. Every student of Gnosticism will want to own this book, but before jumping into the big volume, we still highly recommend a study of briefer introductory readings -- a good place to start is Dr. Meyer's "The Gnostic Discoveries: The Impact of the Nag Hammadi Library".

I want to make one short point in this review. I believe this is the only volume you need for Gnostic source material.

The title is misleading. This book (as of 2007) contains the _entire_ collection of "Gnostic" texts available, whether included in the Nag Hammadi codices or not. This includes the Gospel of Judas, first published in English in 2006. These are also the most modern translations, taking advantage of the latest finds and research.

That said, prior volumes such as The Nag Hammadi Library, The Gnostic Bible, and The Gnostic Scriptures: A New Translation with Annotations and Introductions by (The Anchor Bible Reference Library) all contain editorial material that is well worth reading.

In this book you will find excellent translations of the ancient Gnostic manuscripts that were hidden in jars by the Nile in Egypt some time in the first few hundred years of the common era. These manuscripts include scriptures that were not supported by the Roman Catholic Church and early Church fathers which might have been what lead to there being hidden. They were discovered in 1945 by a group of young peasants digging for fertilizer in Nag Hammadi Egypt. While they were mishandled and some were even burned before reaching the hands of antiquity dealers they turned out to be a discovery equal to the dead sea scrolls.
This volume includes all the documents that were found, writings supposedly from the apostle Paul, never before senn gospels attributed to Phillip and Thomas, Sethian writings, Valentian writings, and much more. The editor ensures that each translation is preceded by an explanation of the document and puts in context to when and why it was written. This is very helpful because it can be very confusing to read these 1800 year old documents with out a guide. Marvin Meyer has gathered an all star group to present this volume Peter Funk, Paul Poirier, and James Robinson with an introduction by Elaine Pagels wo brought Gnosticism mainstream. If you are a Gnostic, this is as close as will will ever have to your own "Bible" if you are interested in understanding Gnosticism who have the correct palce to start your study, with the original writings. Hear you will find the ancient Gnostics speaking for themselves through their myths and beliefs about the here and now and their true nature.

I've had Robinson's "Nag Hammadi Library" for some years. The paperback cover is all beat up. The pages are dog-eared, and I've scribbled a few notes here and there as I have struggled to understand these obscure texts.

Then I noticed this new (2007) edition has come out. I decided to see what sort of progress has been made in the study of these texts.

I'm immediately impressed. First of all, this is a hardcover version, as opposed to my old paperback edition of the NHL.

Second, the translation and layout of these texts are much more readable.

If you get really interested in these texts, you can compare various translations, or even learn Coptic. I think you're more likely to get interested in these texts if you start with readable translations such as those found here.

There are places in my old Nag Hammadi Library where it's very difficult to make any sense of what the text says. Seems to me the problem isn't the original writer's inability to write or my inability to read, but something that happened somewhere in between. This new volume reads more clearly in some of these difficult sections. The Second Discourse (Treatise) of the Great Seth, for example, is much more readable in this volume.

As another reviewer has said, several texts not found at Nag Hammadi are included in this volume, including the Gospel of Judas. Um, are these all the gnostic texts? I wouldn't say so. "Gnostic" is a pretty hard-to-define category anyway. It's a label stuck on these people by their adversaries in the late second century.

The Nag Hammadi Scriptures is a good place to start if you want to understand the roots of, the the connections between, the world's religions. I'm not a particularly religious, or for that matter, a spiritual person, but if you open your mind you'll find amazing correlations that have shaped the face of history! Very well written!

If you have any interest whatsoever in lost gospels, regardless of your religion, this edition of the Nag Hammadi scriptures is an essential addition to your personal library. It incorporates all of the widely known Gnostic gospels like The Gospel of Thomas and also has the more infamous Gospels like that of Judas and Mary. This book is also very informative on the very nature of "Gnosticism". The epilogue gives a brief history that helps to explain the distinctions the scholars use to differentiate between what's considered the Sethian school of Gnostic thought, Thomas Christianity, and the Valentinian school of Gnostic thought. In addition, every translation is preluded by it's own preface. I can't say enough about how impressed I am with this book.

If you are looking for a complete collection of the gnostic works, I can definitely recommend this book. As it also includes the gospel Judas. It is a good complement to the bible and many of its writings challenges what is commonly believed in Christianity today. In the these scriptures Jesus is urging people to become like him (instead of just believing in him). There seems to be much more profoundness to Jesus teachings than what is grasped by religion. Jesus did not come to earth to form a new religion, he came here to show and lead people to truth and knowledge, Gnosis.

Nag Hammadi Scriptures, The: The International Edition

Could not put this book down! There are no words to describe it, except maybe....enlightening.

This collection contains recent translations of the Gnostic, Christian, and Hermetic writings recovered at Nag Hammadi, Egypt in 1945. In contrast to what a reviewer below maintained, however, this collection does NOT include all the Gnostic writings. The Books of Jeu, the Pistis Sophia, and various other writings are not here, possibly because they would have tripled the length of this already plentiful book.

This collection is one of those splendid combinations of able scholarship with clear and informative writing. The footnotes are also handy, if somewhat difficult to read (small print). Short essays at the end provide an erudite context for understanding the Sethian, Thomasian, Valentinian, and Hermetic sources of the writings in this volume.

Those unfamiliar with Gnostic studies might find that these works offer an entirely different perspective on the early Christian movements--because there was not just one. What we now think of as orthodox Christianity represents a legalist-literalist wing of early believers who responded to persecution by attempting to codify Christian doctrine. Irenaeus of Lyons, a prominent opponent of the Gnostics (in part because women left his congregation to join a group where they would be treated as equals), attempted to counter the threat he saw in Gnostic "heretics" by selecting four of perhaps thirty early gospels: namely, the four that generally avoided esotericism while laying out strict codes of behavior for believers. The writings he rejected went literally underground until they began to resurface in the 1700s, with the Nag Hammadi find the most comprehensive to date.

Once they did, perceptions of the spiritual legacy of the West began to change forever....