The Nag Hammadi Codices Library ~ Full Collection for Research and Study (including Audiobooks)

The Nag Hammadi Codices

Gnosticism (from Ancient Greek: γνωστικός gnostikos, "having knowledge") is a collection of ancient religious ideas and systems which originated in the first century AD among some early Christian and Jewish sects.

The term gnosticism is often used as a sort of umbrella term to cover the people that the leaders of the church didn't like. However The Concept of the Gnostic beliefs contrary to Modern Christianity, was "knowing" of the divine within each of us, and working towards the higher Light, and not of a savior saving us, from our own errors.

This collection of Ancient writings are What is considered the "actual" Teachings of The one we know as Jesus/Yeshua. These teachings are much different then what is taught in modern Christian churches today.

Until the discovery of the Nag Hammadi codices in 1945, the Gnostic view of early Christianity had largely been forgotten. The teachings of Gnostic Christianity—vilified especially since they were declared heretic by orthodox Christianity in the fourth century—had been virtually erased from history by the early church fathers, their gospels banned and even burned to make room for the view of Christian theology outlined in the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

But when two peasants discovered the Nag Hammadi texts, a 13-volume library of Coptic texts hidden beneath a large boulder near the town of Nag Hammadi in upper Egypt, the world was reintroduced to this long-forgotten and much-maligned branch of early Christian thought, Gnostic Christianity, from the Greek word gnosis, “knowledge.” The Nag Hammadi codices are 13 leather-bound volumes dated to the mid-fourth century that contain an unprecedented collection of more than 50 texts, including some that had been composed as early as the second century.

Introduction to this Collection: Several of the major texts in the Nag Hammadi collection have more than one translation listed; where multiple translations are provided, we have listed the translators' names in parenthesis below the title of the text. Texts marked with {*} had more than one Coptic version extant within the Nag Hammadi codices; often these several versions were used conjointly by the translators to provide a single translation of the text. All of these ancient manuscripts had some areas of damage, some of the pages were very fragmentary. Sections of lost or unreadable text are usually indicated in the translations with ellipses [...]. All translations presented below have undergone modification, formatting, and minor revision for use in this internet edition. Many of the translations are based on original work done by members of the Coptic Gnostic Library Project of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont Graduate School. The Coptic Gnostic Library Project (CGLP) was funded by UNESCO, the National  Endowment for the Humanities, and other Institutions. Several scholars have granted us permission to present their original translations of Nag Hammadi texts here in the Gnostic Society Library. We are particular indebted to the assistance and contributions of Dr. Willis Barnstone, Dr. John Turner, Dr. Stevan Davies, and the late Dr. Marvin Meyer. Contributors to this collection retain all copyright to their works. For academic citations, always read and reference standard print editions. The International Edition of The Nag Hammadi Scriptures, edited by Marvin Meyer, provides authoritative translations and extensive introductory notes on the Nag Hammadi texts. We als