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The bulk of the work is made up of entries covering familiar and not-so-familiar figures found in Scripture. However, unlike most collections of this kind, the focus falls more on expanding our knowledge about the lesser characters. Losch explains that so very much has been written about the luminaries of Scripture that he chose to focus instead on those who are less well known and on some of the less familiar aspects of well-known characters' lives.

Names of people who are listed only in genealogies or who had no significant effect on history or legend are included solely in the appendix. The appendix's alphabetical listing of every person named in the Bible and Apocrypha includes pronunciation, brief identification, and where he or she appears. Those covered in greater detail in the main body of the book are identified in bold print.

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.