The Gnostic Discoveries

As readers will realise, a good deal of new material is appearing on gnosticism and related topics, following the success of The Da Vinci Code, some (like this one) seeking to set the scholarly record straight. The main concern of this book is to present the impact of the Nag Hammadi library. To that end the author tells the story of its discovery and scholarly decoding. He also presents the wisdom of Jesus from the Gospel of Thomas and the Secret Book of John as well as the teaching of Valentinus. Such scholarly treatises provide a counterpoint to the more imaginative reconstructions conveyed by some contemporary writers. An appendix contains full listing of the texts of the library.