"These are the hidden sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down." With this opening statement, the Gospel of Thomas, legendary Apostle to the East, introduces a startlingly profound list of Jesus' ancient Wisdom sayings. Similar to the collections of quotations copied by the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Thomas' Gospel contains a hundred and fourteen sayings, half of which don't appear in the New Testament. Once known from only a handful of ancient sources, third-century Greek fragments of this Gospel first turned up at the end of the nineteenth century – but ...

An enlightening exploration of one of the most intriguing and controversial texts of early Christian literature. This book presents the complete text of the Gospel of Mary Magdalene alongside a detailed commentary and analysis.

The long-lost Gospel of Philip, shrouded in mystery since its composition in fourth-century Egypt, reveals ancient mystical teachings of Near Eastern Christians. Completely forgotten until its discovery in 1945, this enigmatic text explains the inner mysteries of the Church’s historic sacraments and key Christian teachings, including the resurrection of the dead, the virgin birth, divine union, and spiritual rebirth. What’s the hidden meaning of “the bridal chamber”? What kind of relationship did Jesus have with Mary Magdalene? What does it mean to become a Christian? Philip’s ...

Before his own martyrdom at the temple in 62 CE, James the Just led the followers of his brother Jesus in Jerusalem. According to several ancient sources, including the New Testament, the risen Jesus met with James personally. What did he tell James? Written early in the second century as Roman soldiers were closing in, the Secret Book of James elaborates on contrasting themes: Spiritual drunkenness and sobriety, lacking and filling, death and life, ignorance and understanding. Before ascending to heaven in a chariot of the Spirit, Jesus invites James, Peter, and countless future followers ...

In this new translation of the Gospel of Thomas, Leloup shows that the Jesus recorded by the "infinitely skeptical and infinitely believing" Thomas has much in common with gnostics of non-dualistic schools. Like them, Jesus preaches the coming of a new man, the genesis of the man of knowledge. In this gospel, Jesus describes a journey from limited to unlimited consciousness. The Jesus of Thomas invites us to drink deeply from the well of knowledge within, not so that we may become good Christians but so we may attain the self-knowledge that will make each of us, too, a Christ.

Forged in the flames of controversy and rejected by the very church authorities it criticized, the Gospel of Judas was once believed to be irretrievably lost to history. Its rediscovery in Egypt in the 1970s and initial publication in 2006 ignited an intense debate about Christian origins and meaning. How could a Gospel about Jesus have been written in the name of his greatest nemesis? What does it really say about Judas, about Jesus, about the church – and what does it mean for us today? Inside the pages of this enigmatic Gospel we can explore unfamiliar terrain, the outer limits of ...

Embark on an extraordinary journey back in time to unearth the secrets of the earliest Christian texts with "The Nag Hammadi Library: A Beginner's Guide". This meticulously crafted guide unlocks the mysteries of ancient scriptures discovered in Egypt in 1945, offering a fascinating glimpse into a profound era of spiritual exploration. Discover the Hidden Wisdom: Delve into the Gnostic gospels, philosophical writings, and mystical scriptures that were hidden away for centuries. Uncover the teachings that challenged the very foundation of early Christian thought and learn why these texts were...

A gospel, as ancient and authentic as any of the gospels that the Christian bible contains, was buried deep in the Egyptian desert after an edict was sent out in the 4th century to have all copies of it destroyed. Fortunately, some rebel monks were wise enough to refuse - and thanks to their disobedience and spiritual bravery, we have several manuscripts of the only gospel that was written in the name of a woman: The Gospel of Mary Magdalene.

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.

Mary Magdalene is one of the most influential symbols in the history of Christianity - yet, if you look in the Bible, you'll find only a handful of verses that speak of her. How did she become such a compelling saint in the face of such paltry evidence? In her effort to answer that question, Cynthia Bourgeault examines the Bible, church tradition, art, legend, and newly discovered texts to see what's there.