The Nag Hammadi Library

In 367 C.E. the bishop of Alexandria issued an Easter letter in which he demanded that the Egyptian monks who had collected what are now called the Nag Hammadi texts, destroy any writings they had which were deemed to be unacceptable. Someone gathered the dozens of books that were to be burned, removing them from the monastery library and sealing them in a six foot jar – burying them with the intent of hiding and preserving them in a nearby hillside near Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt. There they rested for over a millennium and a half.

Then in December 1945, two brothers uncovered the jar whilst digging up soil for their fields. One of them smashed it open in the hope of finding gold, but instead discovered fragments of the books, which he then carried home. The various texts became separated as they were sold, and one part even burnt because it was deemed to be worthless and perhaps even bad luck. Yet they were eventually brought together again, and translated from the Coptic the scribes had written them in, which themselves were translations from the original Greek. It wasn't until 1978 that the translations were first published, and not until the last decade that the public have really begun to take an interest.

Perhaps the most famous of the works in The Nag Hammadi Library is the Gospel of Thomas, which contains never seen before sayings of Jesus, the first of which begins, “Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death.” Another saying soon follows, “If those who lead you say to you, 'See, the kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty.”

Each of the texts are separate, yet bound by unifying principles, which is why they were kept together. That is, they are Gnostic – teaching in the various treatises and testimonies, how to renounce the world and the things in it, to seek ultimate liberation through faith and shaking off 'drunkenness', ignorance and sleep. The authors, who are still thought to be unknown, though the actual original writings are thought to have taken place as early as 50 – 100 A.D., speak about overcoming fears, jealousies, lusts and desires, and attaining illumination. Many mysterious things are mentioned like the bridal chamber, the Aeons, Plemoras, Light Beings and Vestures, and beings called Archons.

Read The Nag Hammadi Library here

More Christian Gnostic texts

The Pistis Sophia Unveiled
The Gospel of Mary Magdalene
The Gospel of Thomas
The Gospel of Phillip
The Gospel of Truth
The Gospel of Judas