The Nag Hammadi Library: a Reader's Companion to Thirteen Books from Sealed Jar

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000156 EndHTML:0000027386 StartFragment:0000000469 EndFragment:0000027378 What was hidden in a sealed jar for nearly sixteen centuries changed the way we understand early Christianity. The Nag Hammadi Library: A Reader's Companion to Thirteen Books from a Sealed Jar guides readers through one of the most remarkable manuscript discoveries of the twentieth century. Unearthed near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945, the collection preserved thirteen ancient codices containing fifty-two tractates, including the Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Philip, Apocryphon of John, Gospel of Truth, and other writings that reveal the diversity, arguments, rituals, and spiritual imagination of the ancient world. Rather than reproducing modern translations, Ambrose Kerr provides a clear companion to the entire collection. Each codex is treated as a physical book, while every tractate is introduced with essential information about its manuscript, date, original language, affiliation, structure, contents, and significance. Inside, discover: - How the codices were discovered, dispersed, recovered, and published - The meaning and limitations of the label "Gnostic" - Sethian, Valentinian, Thomasine, Hermetic, and other traditions - Competing ideas about creation, salvation, resurrection, revelation, and spiritual knowledge - How these writings challenge simple accounts of early Christian history - A codex-by-codex guide, chronology, glossary, table of the codices, and further reading Accessible without oversimplifying the evidence, this companion is ideal for curious readers, students, and anyone reading a scholarly translation who wants to understand what these difficult texts are saying and why they matter. Open the jar. Enter the debate. Discover the world behind the Nag Hammadi codices.