The Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostics: An Introduction to the Gnostic Coptic Manuscripts Discovered at Chenoboskion [Paperback]

Jean Doresse (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1986

A collection of sacred Gnostic texts, believed by many scholars to surpass the Dead Sea Scrolls in importance, discovered in the late 1940s after being concealed for sixteen centuries. Includes the famous Gospel According to Thomas.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation)

Product Details

• Paperback: 445 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions International (June 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892811072
• ISBN-13: 978-0892811076
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,280,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than a Scholarly Appraisal of the Nag-Hammadi Texts, May 16, 2000

By 

Bernhard W. Hoff "benhoff" (NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostics: An Introduction to the Gnostic Coptic Manuscripts Discovered at Chenoboskion (Hardcover)

Jean Doresse's book was originally published in 1958 as the first authoritative description of the now famous cache of Egyptian Gnostic writings known as the Nag-Hammadi Library or, as Doresse calls it, the Chenoboskion Library. Despite the forty plus years since publication, a more readable and thorough introduction to the material is not to be found.

Until the Nag-Hammadi discovery, the Gnostics were thought to be no more than a heretical splinter group of early Christianity with particularly bizarre cosmologies and licentious sexual practices. Hardly surprising given that most of what we knew about the various sects of Gnostics came from their rivals, the Christians. Doresse thoroughly reviews what was known of Gnosticism before these writings of theirs were unearthed. As one of the original discoverers of these texts, his first person account of their unearthing, acquisition, and identification is quite engaging. A physical description of the books then is given. Finally he launches into a discussion of the texts themselves, and what they reveal to us of Gnostic belief and practice.

Doresse's excitement over these discoveries is palpable and renders the book lively and engaging to read where it easily could have been dry and academic. He outlines and discusses each of the texts with evident joy and wonder at now having so many ancient writings previously known only by title, if at all, and long thought to be lost. Part of his astonishment is due to the broad range of sources the Gnostics relied on. The library includes, Hermetic, Egyptian (of course), and Persian (Zoroastrian) material as well as a great deal of the expected, but previously lost apocryphal Christian material with Hebrew influence. This leads Doresse to wonder whether much of what we call Gnosticism is older than Christianity, perhaps being a component of the "soil" of ancient belief into which the seed of Christianity was planted. This would also explain some of the more obscure, Gnostic sounding passages of the New Testament that Doresse points out.

Some of the Nag-Hammadi writings were previously known to scholars, although no one expected that these texts would show up in a Gnostic collection. It was also a surprise to find adaptations of earlier known works selectively edited for Gnostic use, renamed, and attributed to authors with more authority. This practice does make it difficult to take at face value the Library's apparently Christian works attributed to the Apostles and even Jesus. At the same time, it also makes me wonder how much of the same thing went on when the "official" New Testament was put into its final form. Some things we may never know!

This is a book *about* the Nag-Hammadi Library, not - with one exception - a translation of the Library itself. It might be useful to keep a copy of the library at hand while reading the book. (The Library is available on line.) The single text from the Library included in this book is the sayings of Jesus titled the "Gospel of Thomas", which is accompanied by a table comparing each saying from "Thomas" with the sayings from the canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John). I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding the religious milieu of the early Christian era.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening, April 14, 2000

By 

Donald de Mont - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostics: An Introduction to the Gnostic Coptic Manuscripts Discovered at Chenoboskion (Hardcover)

The secret words of Jesus, as spoken to his disciples, are fascinating in that the ideals and parabels of Christ are given an enhanced meaning. Christ teaches that spiritual knowledge is gained through prayer, meditation, and of course faith. For Gnostics, faith is just the beginning, whereas for "traditional" Christians, faith in Jesus is the end. The Gnostics also accepted the spiritual equality of women and many were early leaders of congregations. This, to the orthodox, is heresy! Yes Gnosticism is poison to the Vulgate (all works accepted as legitimate by the Catholics), but a necessary poison. This is an eye opening book, and is heartily recommended to anyone who seeks not to limit their spiritual knowledge.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Book, September 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostics: An Introduction to the Gnostic Coptic Manuscripts Discovered at Chenoboskion (Hardcover)

This is possibly the best book on Gnosticism out there, along with Gnosis by Kurt Rudolph. But it should be made clear that this author was a Christian and was not trying to undermine Christianity or present any alternative form of it. He did not believe in the spiritual authority of the Gnostic scriptures; he was simply presenting them as what they are -an incredible scholarly find.
As already stated in another review, Doresse's enthusiasm makes this book an enjoyable read. With the yearly on-slaught of books being written to deride Christianity and claim the superiority of Gnosticism, this is a book written by someone who was instrumental in the first study of the Nag Hammadi library, who can appreciate the value of the writings with no ulterior motives behind his interest.
There is also no polemic against Gnosticism. He makes it plain that there are a lot of Gnostic ideas to be found in the New Testament. This author goes far to show his objectivity and allows the reader to see the beauty of these writings with no anti-Christian diatribes. If only more authors writing on this subject would do the same.