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
