The Nag Hammadi Library, a collection
of thirteen ancient codices containing over fifty texts, was discovered in
upper Egypt in 1945. This immensely important discovery includes a large
number of primary Gnostic scriptures -- texts once thought to have been
entirely destroyed during the early Christian struggle to define "orthodoxy"
-- scriptures such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, and the
Gospel of Truth.
The discovery and translation of the
Nag Hammadi library, completed in the 1970's, has provided impetus to a major
re-evaluation of early Christian history and the nature of Gnosticism.
Readers unfamiliar with this history may wish to review the brief
Introduction to Gnosticism and the Nag Hammadi Library
provided here, as well as an excerpt from Elaine Pagels' excellent popular
introduction to the Nag Hammadi texts,
The Gnostic Gospels.
(Visit the
Bookstore
to purchase the The Nag Hammadi Library and The Gnostic Gospels
or to find information on other important introductory works that will
help explain this material -- or click now to buy
The Nag Hammadi Library.)
Several of
the major texts in the Nag Hammadi collection have more than one English
translation; where more than one translation is made available, we have listed
the translators' names in parenthesis below the name of the text. Texts marked
with the {*} have more than one version extant within the Nag Hammadi codices;
often these were used conjointly by the translators to provide the single text
presented here. In 1997 all files presented here were re-edited for accuracy
by Michael Grondin,
whose many hours of effort we gratefully acknowledge.
Other
important primary Gnostic texts -- texts available prior to discover of the
Nag Hammadi Library collection -- are also available; these are indexed in the
Gnostic
Scriptures
section of the The Gnostic
Society Library.
An Overview of the Nag Hammadi Texts
When analyzed
according to subject matter, there are six separate major categories of
writings collected in the Nag Hammadi codices:
This leaves a
small number of scriptures of the Nag Hammadi Library which may be called
"unclassifiable." It also must be kept in mind that the passage of time and
translation into languages very different from the original have rendered many
of these scriptures abstruse in style. Some of them are difficult reading,
especially for those readers not familiar with Gnostic imagery, nomenclature
and the like. Lacunae are also present in most of these scriptures -- in a few
of the texts extensive sections have been lost due to age and deterioration of
the manuscripts. The most readily comprehensible of the Nag Hammadi scriptures
is undoubtedly The Gospel of
Thomas,
with The Gospel of
Philip
and the The Gospel of
Truth
as close seconds in order of easy comprehension. (These texts were all also
thankfully very well preserved and have few lacunae.) There are various
translations of most of these scriptures available; the most complete being
the one volume collection The Nag Hammadi Library in English, edited
by James Robinson, from which the translations presented here are principally
quoted.
Commentary on the Nag Hammadi Collection
To help place
the Nag Hammadi materials into a better focus of understanding, the in
association with BC Recordings, the Library has developed a series of
introductory lectures and commentaries upon NHL materials. You will find an
extensive collection of these lectures by Dr. Stephan Hoeller introducing
Gnosticism and the Nag Hammadi Library at BC Recordings.
In addition to that extensive collection, we have these free lectures
available:
Christ: The Misunderstood Redeemer
-- An understanding
of the Gnostic perception of Christ is crucial to any meaningful reading of
texts in the Nag Hammadi collection. In this lecture Dr. Stephan Hoeller
uses several of the works in the Nag Hammadi Library to introduce the
Gnostic Christ. (RealAudio format, 75 min.)
Redemption and Redeemer in the
Gospel of Thomas
-- The Gospel of Thomas is one of the most important Gnostic texts
discovered at Nag Hammadi. In this lecture, Dr. Hoeller explores the "soteriology"
-- the concept of a redeemer and the process of redemption -- as developed
in the text of the Thomas Gospel. (RealAudio format, 75 min.)
The Sorrow of Sophia: Feminine
Divine Image of Suffering--
Gnosticism developed a unique understanding of the feminine aspects
within divinity. In this lecture Dr. Hoeller explores the Gnostic image of
the suffering and the alienation of the divine feminine, using as his text a
reading from The Exegesis on the Soul (NHL II,6). (RealAudio
format, 80 min.)
