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Nag Hammadi Scriptures, The: The International Edition
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Average Rating:  out of 8 Reviews
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Price: $34.95
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Sale: $19.50
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Manufacturer: HarperOne
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EAN (European Article Number): 9780060523787
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Hardcover
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Author: Marvin Meyer::James M. Robinson
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Publisher: HarperOne
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Edition: 1st
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Dewey Decimal Number: 299.932
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Publication Date: 2007-06-01
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Reading Level: 864
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Description: This is the most complete, up–to–date, one–volume, English–language edition of the renowned library of fourth–century Gnostic manuscripts discovered in Egypt in 1945, which rivaled the Dead Sea Scrolls find in significance. It includes the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, and other Gnostic gospels and sacred texts. This volume also includes introductory essays, notes, tables, glossary, index, etc. to help the reader understand the context and contemporary significance of these texts which have shed new light on early Christianity and ancient thought. This team of collaborators launched modern Gnostic studies and exposed a movement within Christianity whose teachings are in many ways as relevant today as they were centuries ago. The importance of their work has been underscored with the success of books by bestselling authors such as Elaine Pagels, Harold Bloom, and even Dan Brown. Opening the secrets of a religion which the Gnostics themselves had hoped would be kept sealed until the Last Day, this edition takes into account recent developments including the significance of the Gospel of Thomas and other lost gospels as a source of the authentic sayings of Jesus. This fascinating collection will become a welcome addition to the understanding of the formative years of the early Christian Church.
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: Being in the gnosis... |
Date: 2007-05-29 |
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Details: This book finds an honoured place on my shelves, next to the older edition of the Nag Hammadi scriptures assembled under the direction of James M. Robinson, who provides the preface (and much underlying research). According to Robinson, `The Nag Hammadi Scriptures is a collection of thirteen papyrus codices - bound books, not scrolls - that were buried near the city of Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt most likely in the second half of the fourth century CE.' The texts contained here are a fascinating collection, bringing to light literally dozens of texts that had previously been unknown for over a millennium, although about ten of them are in such fragmentary form that it still cannot be said that these have been recovered. It is supposed by many scholars that this is a collection that was buried by Gnostics, but this is not without controversy.
This text has as a leader over the title the phrase `The International Edition', for good reason. There have been three different projects, one in English, one in French, and one in German, over the past generation, the fruits of which have been brought together here in one volume. The representatives from each team are James M. Robinson, Wolf-Peter Funk, and Paul-Hubert Poirier, for the English, German, and French research projects respectively. The introduction is provided by Marvin Meyer and Elaine Pagels, both names known to people who study Gnostic and early biblical texts.
In the introduction, Meyers and Pagels offer the caution that the title `Nag Hammadi Scriptures' cannot imply a canon of scriptures similar to the Bible or Quran - these are texts that were less a sacred (and closed) collection and more of a general gathering of pieces that were considered inspired and inspirational. The original language of the texts is Coptic, although these may have been translated originally from Greek.
Coptic is the Egyptian language written with the Greek alphabet; there are different dialects of Coptic, and the Nag Hammadi library shows at least two. They were found in codex form (book form rather than scroll form), discovered in the mid 1940s, just a few years prior to the discovery of the first Dead Sea Scrolls (another reason for the combination of the texts in the public imagination). However, even this discovery led to others - there was an earlier find that made its way to Berlin (rather like the earlier `Dead Sea Scroll' that had been found in Cairo), and a third collection discovered in the 1970s, and passed from hand to hand until retrieved by scholars (now known as the Codex Tchacos).
Included in these texts are The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Philip, The Gospel of Truth, The Gospel of Mary and other gospel contenders (alas, in fragmentary form--this edition carries as much of the text in translation as was recovered). The Gospel of Thomas has perhaps been the highest profile text from Nag Hammadi; it has been translated and commented upon extensively, particularly in modern scholarship which discusses gospel development. The most recent `star' among the non-canonical gospels is the Gospel of Judas, the publication of which Meyer was involved in not long ago (taken for the first time from the Codex Tchacos discovery).
Some of the texts were known by title prior to the discovery of these manuscripts - some titles were found on heretical texts lists, and yet, the idea of heresy is a slippery one, which the authors discuss in context of the non-canonical gospels and texts found in the collection that still had a following within early Christian communities.
For purposes of scholarship, there are limitations to this volume. `As in Nag Hammadi Deutsche, here also only Coptic page numbers are given, and not line numbers from the manuscripts. The Nag Hammadi Scriptures is not presented as an edition of Coptic manuscripts but a publication of texts in English translation, and for this reason the continuation of the use of references based upon line numbers in Coptic manuscripts seems inappropriate.' There are, however, generous notes and references that can provide much of what the average and even scholarly reader will need save for those few specialists who will no doubt know how to use this information to go further.
As an epilogue after the texts, there are four essays that discuss the different ideas within the scholarly community about the texts and Gnosticism more generally. Some have proposed abandoning the term as inappropriate (or too vague to be useful), and others follow the lead of Ireneaus, who apparently used the terms to describe certain groups as they themselves had used it in self-reference.
This is a fascinating text, useful for those who want more insight into the kinds of spiritual writing that were circulating in addition to the canonical scriptures of the early Christians. This also provides information about what the early Christians were reacting to - and opens up new possibilities of interpretation of early Christian history and practice.
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Review Summary: The standard source for decades to come... |
Date: 2007-04-09 |
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Details: Dr. Marvin Meyer has done a masterful job in producing a volume that will serve for many decades as the standard source. Scholarly understanding of the Gnostic texts found at Nag Hammadi has vastly matured since their original publication as the Nag Hammadi Library in 1977. This new edition fully reflects that refinement in "the scholarly ear" for both the forgotten ancient tongue and the spiritual tradition preserved in the Gnostic Coptic texts. In every possible way, publication of The Nag Hammadi Scriptures represents a milestone in modern understanding of Gnostic tradition. Elaine Pagels, the author and professor who introduced a generation of readers to the Gnostic Gospels, appropriately pens the introduction to this landmark edition. Every student of Gnosticism will want to own this book, but before jumping into the big volume, we still highly recommend a study of briefer introductory readings -- a good place to start is Dr. Meyer's "The Gnostic Discoveries: The Impact of the Nag Hammadi Library". |
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Review Summary: Complete(?) Gnostic Sourcebook |
Date: 2008-01-28 |
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Details: I want to make one short point in this review. I believe this is the only volume you need for Gnostic source material.
The title is misleading. This book (as of 2007) contains the _entire_ collection of "Gnostic" texts available, whether included in the Nag Hammadi codices or not. This includes the Gospel of Judas, first published in English in 2006. These are also the most modern translations, taking advantage of the latest finds and research.
That said, prior volumes such as The Nag Hammadi Library, The Gnostic Bible, and The Gnostic Scriptures: A New Translation with Annotations and Introductions by (The Anchor Bible Reference Library) all contain editorial material that is well worth reading.
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Review Summary: Excellent compilation of Gnostic scriptures |
Date: 2007-10-04 |
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Details: In this book you will find excellent translations of the ancient Gnostic manuscripts that were hidden in jars by the Nile in Egypt some time in the first few hundred years of the common era. These manuscripts include scriptures that were not supported by the Roman Catholic Church and early Church fathers which might have been what lead to there being hidden. They were discovered in 1945 by a group of young peasants digging for fertilizer in Nag Hammadi Egypt. While they were mishandled and some were even burned before reaching the hands of antiquity dealers they turned out to be a discovery equal to the dead sea scrolls.
This volume includes all the documents that were found, writings supposedly from the apostle Paul, never before senn gospels attributed to Phillip and Thomas, Sethian writings, Valentian writings, and much more. The editor ensures that each translation is preceded by an explanation of the document and puts in context to when and why it was written. This is very helpful because it can be very confusing to read these 1800 year old documents with out a guide. Marvin Meyer has gathered an all star group to present this volume Peter Funk, Paul Poirier, and James Robinson with an introduction by Elaine Pagels wo brought Gnosticism mainstream. If you are a Gnostic, this is as close as will will ever have to your own "Bible" if you are interested in understanding Gnosticism who have the correct palce to start your study, with the original writings. Hear you will find the ancient Gnostics speaking for themselves through their myths and beliefs about the here and now and their true nature. |
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Review Summary: The hot new item on the book shelf |
Date: 2008-04-11 |
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Details: I've had Robinson's "Nag Hammadi Library" for some years. The paperback cover is all beat up. The pages are dog-eared, and I've scribbled a few notes here and there as I have struggled to understand these obscure texts.
Then I noticed this new (2007) edition has come out. I decided to see what sort of progress has been made in the study of these texts.
I'm immediately impressed. First of all, this is a hardcover version, as opposed to my old paperback edition of the NHL.
Second, the translation and layout of these texts are much more readable.
If you get really interested in these texts, you can compare various translations, or even learn Coptic. I think you're more likely to get interested in these texts if you start with readable translations such as those found here.
There are places in my old Nag Hammadi Library where it's very difficult to make any sense of what the text says. Seems to me the problem isn't the original writer's inability to write or my inability to read, but something that happened somewhere in between. This new volume reads more clearly in some of these difficult sections. The Second Discourse (Treatise) of the Great Seth, for example, is much more readable in this volume.
As another reviewer has said, several texts not found at Nag Hammadi are included in this volume, including the Gospel of Judas. Um, are these all the gnostic texts? I wouldn't say so. "Gnostic" is a pretty hard-to-define category anyway. It's a label stuck on these people by their adversaries in the late second century. |
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