The Gnostic Gospels

Author : Elaine Pagels
Publisher : Random House
Page : 281 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 2004-06-29
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781588364173

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The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels Pdf

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time The Gnostic Gospels is a landmark study of the long-buried roots of Christianity, a work of luminous scholarship and wide popular appeal. First published in 1979 to critical acclaim, winning the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, The Gnostic Gospels has continued to grow in reputation and influence over the past two decades. It is now widely recognized as one of the most brilliant and accessible histories of early Christian spirituality published in our time. In 1945 an Egyptian peasant unearthed what proved to be the Gnostic Gospels, thirteen papyrus volumes that expounded a radically different view of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ from that of the New Testament. In this spellbinding book, renowned religious scholar Elaine Pagels elucidates the mysteries and meanings of these sacred texts both in the world of the first Christians and in the context of Christianity today. With insight and passion, Pagels explores a remarkable range of recently discovered gospels, including the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, to show how a variety of “Christianities” emerged at a time of extraordinary spiritual upheaval. Some Christians questioned the need for clergy and church doctrine, and taught that the divine could be discovered through spiritual search. Many others, like Buddhists and Hindus, sought enlightenment—and access to God—within. Such explorations raised questions: Was the resurrection to be understood symbolically and not literally? Was God to be envisioned only in masculine form, or feminine as well? Was martyrdom a necessary—or worthy—expression of faith? These early Christians dared to ask questions that orthodox Christians later suppressed—and their explorations led to profoundly different visions of Jesus and his message. Brilliant, provocative, and stunning in its implications, The Gnostic Gospels is a radical, eloquent reconsideration of the origins of the Christian faith.

Author : Willis Barnstone,Marvin W. Meyer
Publisher : Shambhala Publications
Page : 874 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781590301999

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The Gnostic Bible by Willis Barnstone,Marvin W. Meyer Pdf

The most comprehensive collection of gnostic literature ever published, this volume is the result of a unique collaboration between a renowned poet-translator and a leading scholar of early Christian texts.

Author : James McConkey Robinson
Publisher : Brill Archive
Page : 516 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 1984
Category : Gnostic literature
ISBN : 9004071857

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The Nag Hammadi Library in English by James McConkey Robinson Pdf

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 196 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0232526508

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The Secret Book of John by Anonim Pdf

A translation and annotation of the Gnostic religion by the author of "The Gospel of Thomas".

Author : Willis Barnstone,Marvin Meyer
Publisher : Shambhala Publications
Page : 896 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2009-06-30
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0834824140

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The Gnostic Bible by Willis Barnstone,Marvin Meyer Pdf

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.

Author : Alan Jacobs
Publisher : Paul Watkins
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : Apocryphal Gospels
ISBN : 1842930990

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The Gnostic Gospels by Alan Jacobs Pdf

A superb series of compact, beautifully presented editions of sacred texts selected from the major writings of the world's spiritual traditions in reliable and accessible translations. and values, an urge to break free from the orthodoxies of our own cultural heritage and to explore beyond its frontiers in search of fulfilment and enlightenment. This search for truth leads us to the great sacred texts of the world's literature. The four titles this season include the Tao Te Ching, poetry brimming with Taoist wisdom about our need to bend to nature's currents; the inspirational Bhagavad Gita, which addresses the issues of conflict - both internal and external; the deeply mystical texts of the Kabbalah, which has recently become very popular in the West; and the fascinating forgotten scriptures of the Gnostic Gospels. These texts offer us a new compass to steer by in our quest for the truth and poetry of the spirit.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Turner Publishing Company
Page : 178 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2012-12-14
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781594733680

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The Secret Book of John by Anonim Pdf

This ancient Gnostic text can be a companion for your own spiritual quest The Secret Book of John is the most significant and influential text of the ancient Gnostic religion. Part of the library of books found in Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945, this central myth of Gnosticism tells the story of how God fell from perfect Oneness to imprisonment in the material world, and how by knowing our divine nature and our divine origins—that we are one with God—we reverse God’s descent and find our salvation. The Secret Book of John: The Gnostic Gospel—Annotated & Explained decodes the principal themes, historical foundation, and spiritual contexts of this challenging yet fundamental Gnostic teaching. Drawing connections to Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, kabbalistic Judaism, and Sufism, Davies focuses on the mythology and psychology of the Gnostic religious quest. He illuminates the Gnostics’ ardent call for self-awareness and introspection, and the empowering message that divine wholeness will be restored not by worshiping false gods in an illusory material world but by our recognition of the inherent divinity within ourselves. Now you can experience and understand this foundational teaching even if you have no previous knowledge of Gnosticism. This SkyLight Illuminations edition presents the most important and valued book in Gnostic religion with insightful yet unobtrusive commentary. It provides deeper insight into the understanding that in Gnosticism the distinction between savior and saved ceases to exist—you must save yourself and in doing so save God.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Vintage
Page : 161 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2011-09-28
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780307756640

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The Secret Teachings of Jesus by Anonim Pdf

In December 1945, two Egyptian fellahin, digging for natural fertilizer in the Nile River valley unearthed a sealed storage jar. The jar proved to hold treasure of an unexpected sort: a collection of some fifty-two ancient manuscripts, most of which reflect the teachings of a mystical religious movement we call Gnosticism (from the Greek word gnosis, "knowledge"). The texts are also, with few exceptions, Christian documents, and thus they provide us with valuable new information about the character of the early church, and about the Gnostic Christians within the church. In this volume, Marvin W. Meyer has produced a new English translation for general readers of four of the most important and revealing of these early Christian texts -- the Secret Book of James, the Gospel of Thomas, the Book of Thomas, and the Secret Book of John.

Author : Eduard Iricinschi,Lance Jenott,Nicola Denzey Lewis,Philippa Townsend
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2013
Category : Christian literature, Early
ISBN : 3161528344

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Beyond the Gnostic Gospels by Eduard Iricinschi,Lance Jenott,Nicola Denzey Lewis,Philippa Townsend Pdf

This volume gathers contributions from both junior and senior scholars whose studies have developed in dialogue with Elaine Pagels' work on Nag Hammadi literature and ancient heresiology. Published initially in 1979, Pagels' The Gnostic Gospels represents a landmark of scholarship in religious studies. It not only made the Nag Hammadi writings and Gnosticism popular topics in modern culture, it also invited scholars to rethink early Christianity from new perspectives. What were previously seen as dry theological arguments and intricate Gnostic mythologies received new interpretations in the Gnostic Gospels as echoes of political debates about orthodoxy and heresy, clerical authority, martyrdom and gender. After The Gnostic Gospels, Elaine Pagels extended her research in various directions, from perceptions of sexuality in early Christianity and identity politics in the Christian creation of the "Satan figure" to ancient biblical interpretations, ritual in Nag Hammadi texts, and, recently, the Gospel of Judas and ancient apocalypses. The studies included in this volume engage each stage of Pagels' vast trajectory, and provide critical evaluations of the field of "Gnosticism studies" as it has developed over the past four decades, in the subfields of the "Sethian" and "Valentinian" schools, and beyond. The studies include new interpretations of the Nag Hammadi texts and fresh analyses of ancient heresiological literature.

Author : Marvin W. Meyer
Publisher : HarperOne
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2005-02-15
Category : Religion
ISBN : 006076208X

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The Gnostic Gospels of Jesus by Marvin W. Meyer Pdf

For all those readers curious to read the actual texts of the Gnostic Gospels, here is the definitive collection of all the Gnostic Gospels and Gospel–like texts. o Marvin Meyer, premier scholar of Gnostic and other Christian literature outside the New Testament, presents every Gnostic Gospel and Jesus text with a brilliant overall introduction, introductions to each text, and notes that explain everything the reader needs to know to understand the text. He includes his latest translations of not only the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, the Gospel of Mary, but other texts such as the Secret Book of John, which some scholars regard as the second part of the New Testament Gospel of John. The material is largely from the discovery at Nag Hammadi, freshly translated and introduced, but also includes texts found elsewhere. The texts, especially taken together, present an image of Jesus as the ultimate wisdom teacher, a kind of mysterious Jewish Zen master, who scandalized listeners by his radical egalitarianism (regarding women, slaves, the poor, the marginalized as of equal status, or more, with establishment male believers) and his insistence on living the message, spiritual experience, vs. outer observance only. o For those wanting to learn more after reading The Da Vinci Code. This book provides the definitive next book for those looking for expert presentation of the alternative Gnostic stream of Christianity, in which there is no talk of crucifixion and Mary Magdalene is presented as the disciple that Jesus loved best. "Marv is one of the original secret gospels scholars who has done an enormous amount of work to bring these texts to light. All of his research on the Nag Hammadi texts is having an incredible impact on our knowledge of early Christian history––it is virtually redefining it." ––Dr. Elaine Pagels, Princeton University

Author : Katherine John
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 67 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2013-01-28
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781625582539

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The Gnostic Gospels of Thomas, Mary & John by Katherine John Pdf

Collected here are three gnostic writings from Thomas, Mary, and John. These books that were left out of the New Testament shed light on the life and relationships of Jesus Christ and his friends and family, especially his mother Mary.

Author : Joseph Lumpkin
Publisher : Fifth Estate Incorporated
Page : 164 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1933580135

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The Gnostic Gospels of Philip, Mary Magdalene, and Thomas by Joseph Lumpkin Pdf

And the companion (Consort) was Mary of Magdala (Mary Magdalene). The Lord loved Mary more than all the other disciples and he kissed her often on her mouth (the text is missing here and the word mouth is assumed). The others saw his love for Mary and asked him: - Why do you love her more than all of us? The Savior replied, - Why do I not love you in the same way I love her? - (The Gospel of Philip) - Peter said to Mary; -Sister we know that the Savior loved you more than all other women. Tell us the words of the Savior that you remember and know, but we have not heard and do not know. Mary answered him and said; -I will tell you what He hid from you. - (The Gospel of Mary Magdalene) - Seizing on the texts above, writers of both fiction and non-fiction allowed their pens to run freely amidst conjecture and postulation of marriage and children between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The writers of The Da Vinci Code and Holy Blood, Holy Grail took these passages and expanded them into storylines that have held readers captive with anticipation. Did Jesus take Mary to be his wife? Could the couple have produced children? Gnostic theology leaves open the possibility.

Author : Samael Aun Weor
Publisher : Glorian Publishing
Page : 703 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2011-02-24
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781934206645

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The Gnostic Bible: The Pistis Sophia Unveiled by Samael Aun Weor Pdf

“It came to pass, when Jesus had risen from the dead, that he passed eleven years discoursing with his disciples, and instructing them.” The Apostles wrote down what Jesus taught them during those eleven years, resulting in The Pistis Sophia, the most important Gnostic scripture. Includes an extensive commentary by Samael Aun Weor.

Author : Elaine Pagels,Karen L. King
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 236 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2007-03-06
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781101202135

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Reading Judas by Elaine Pagels,Karen L. King Pdf

The instant New York Times bestseller interpreting the controversial long-lost gospel The recently unearthed Gospel of Judas is a source of fascination for biblical scholars and lay Christians alike. Now two leading experts on the Gnostic gospels tackle the important questions posed by its discovery, including: How could any Christian imagine Judas to be Jesus' favorite? And what kind of vision of God does the author offer? Working from Karen L. King's brilliant new translation, Elaine Pagels and King provide the context necessary for considering its meaning. Reading Judas plunges into the heart of Christianity itself and will stand as the definitive look at the gospel for years to come.

Author : Paula Fredriksen
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 286 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2008-10-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780300164107

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From Jesus to Christ by Paula Fredriksen Pdf

"Magisterial. . . . A learned, brilliant and enjoyable study."—Géza Vermès, Times Literary Supplement In this exciting book, Paula Fredriksen explains the variety of New Testament images of Jesus by exploring the ways that the new Christian communities interpreted his mission and message in light of the delay of the Kingdom he had preached. This edition includes an introduction reviews the most recent scholarship on Jesus and its implications for both history and theology. "Brilliant and lucidly written, full of original and fascinating insights."—Reginald H. Fuller, Journal of the American Academy of Religion "This is a first-rate work of a first-rate historian."—James D. Tabor, Journal of Religion "Fredriksen confronts her documents—principally the writings of the New Testament—as an archaeologist would an especially rich complex site. With great care she distinguishes the literary images from historical fact. As she does so, she explains the images of Jesus in terms of the strategies and purposes of the writers Paul, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John."—Thomas D’Evelyn, Christian Science Monitor