Marvin W. Meyer

In December 1945, two Egyptian fellahin, digging for natural fertilizer in the Nile River valley unearthed a sealed storage jar. The jar proved to hold treasure of an unexpected sort: a collection of some fifty-two ancient manuscripts, most of which reflect the teachings of a mystical religious movement we call Gnosticism (from the Greek word gnosis, "knowledge"). The texts are also, with few exceptions, Christian documents, and thus they provide us with valuable new information about the character of the early church, and about the Gnostic Christians within the church. In this volume, Marvin W. Meyer has produced a new English translation for general readers of four of the most important and revealing of these early Christian texts the Secret Book of James, the Gospel of Thomas, the Book of Thong, and the Secret Book of John.

Judas Iscariot has been portrayed as the quintessential traitor, the infamous disciple who betrayed his teacher for thirty pieces of silver. But the discovery of the long lost Gospel of Judas, with its portrayal of Judas as the disciple closest to Jesus, raises serious new questions. In Judas, Marvin Meyer, one of the worlds leading experts on the Gospel of Judas presents a fuller portrait of this enigmatic figure. Meyer presents period texts that deal with Judas, including New Testament writings, Gnostic documents, and other early Christian literature. Later writings provide glimpses of the vilification of Judas and the emergence of anti-Semitic themes. Meyer also explores the possibility that the story of Judas and his betrayal of Jesus could be simply a piece of fiction. Marvin Meyer is Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies and director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute at Chapman University, Orange, California. Among his recent books are The Gnostic Gospels of Jesus: The Definitive Collection of Mystical Gospels and Secret Books About Jesus of Nazareth; The Gospels of Mary: The Secret Tradition of Mary Magdalene, the Companion of Jesus; The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus; and The Gnostic Bible.This book offers a thrilling journey through early Christian texts about Judas, asking the question if the devilish figure of this disciple is founded on historical elements or if it is merely a literary creation ... You wont be able to stop reading this book. Madeleine Scopello, Directeur de Recherche au Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Universite de Paris IV-Sorbonne, and author of Femme, Gnose et Manicheisme

In The Gnostic Gospels of Jesus, world-renowned Gnostic literature expert Marvin Meyer presents every known Gnostic Gospel and Jesus text gathered together in one book. Included are the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, and the Gospel of Mary, along with lesser-known texts like the Secret Book of John, which some scholars regard as the second part of the New Testament Gospel of John. Detailed notes from Meyer explain everything the reader needs to know to understand the text.The texts in The Gnostic Gospels of Jesus present an image of Jesus as the ultimate wisdom teacher, who scandalized listeners by his radical egalitarianism and his insistence on living the message he taught.Marvin Meyer is the foremost expert on the Nag Hammadi texts and texts about Jesus outside the New Testament. He is Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies, Co-Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, and Director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute, at Chapman University, Orange, CA.Marv is one of the original secret gospels scholars who has done an enormous amount of work to bring these texts to light. All of his research on the Nag Hammadi texts is having an incredible impact on our knowledge of early Christian history--it is virtually redefining it. --Dr. Elaine Pagels, Princeton University

The Gnostic Discoveries opens with a thrilling adventure story: the discovery of the ancient Papyri at Nag Hammadi. Hidden in sealed jars and lost for centuries, the papyri have revealed much about early Christianity, including alternative views that were suppressed by the early Church. Author Marvin Meyer traces the history and impact of this great find on the Church, right up to our current beliefs and popular cultural fascination with this officially suppressed secret knowledge about Jesus and his followers.Marvin Meyer is one of the foremost scholars on Gnosticism, the Nag Hammadi library, and texts about Jesus outside the New Testament. He is Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies and director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute at Chapman University, Orange, California. Among his more recent books are The Gospels of Mary, The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus, The Gnostic Bible, and Secret Gospels: Essays on Thomas and the Secret Gospel of Mark.The authors concise presentation will appeal to many readers. Meyer writes clearly, bringing both the people and the times of the early Gnostic writings to life and making them accessible to scholar and layperson alike. - Publishers Weekly

In December 1945, two Egyptian fellahin, digging for natural fertilizer in the Nile River valley unearthed a sealed storage jar. The jar proved to hold treasure of an unexpected sort: a collection of some fifty-two ancient manuscripts, most of which reflect the teachings of a mystical religious movement we call Gnosticism (from the Greek word gnosis, "knowledge"). The texts are also, with few exceptions, Christian documents, and thus they provide us with valuable new information about the character of the early church, and about the Gnostic Christians within the church.In this volume, Marvin W. Meyer has produced a new English translation for general readers of four of the most important and revealing of these early Christian texts -- the Secret Book of James, the Gospel of Thomas, the Book of Thomas, and the Secret Book of John.

This revision of Marvin Meyers masterful translation is the most complete, up-to-date, and literary version of the Gospel of Thomas. Meyer, universally respected as the authority on Thomas, has refined his translation in light of the latest research and updated the Notes and Bibliography. A new section has been added on the Oxyrhynchus 1224 Gospel, the Greek fragment of Thomas, which reproduces and translates the Greek text. The full Coptic and Greek texts are included, along with their translations. Harold Blooms brilliant commentary adds a unique and distinguished dimension to this definitive version.Marvin Meyer is the foremost expert on the Nag Hammadi texts and the texts about Jesus outside the New Testament. He is Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies and Co-Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, and Director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute, at Chapman University, Orange, CA.Thomas tells us more about the historical Jesus than all of the Dead Sea Scrolls put together. A superb presentation of the most important early Christian text discovered in this century. - John Dominic Crossan, author of The Historical Jesus

The Gospels of Mary presents English translations of the earliest and most reliable texts that shed light on Mary Magdalene-texts that unveil her importance as Jesuss beloved disciple and an apostle and evangelist in her own right, a figure whose importance for Christianity is only now emerging from the shadows of history after years of suppression by the early Church.Marvin Meyers translation of the Gospel of Mary and several other Mary-related texts (including passages from the New Testament Gospels) reveals a vibrant oral tradition in which Mary Magdalene is not only a follower of Jesus, but also his companion and closest disciple.An interpretive essay by Esther de Boer, a respected scholar of the Gospel of Mary, places Meyers translation in context.Marvin Meyer is the foremost expert on the Nag Hammadi texts and the texts about Jesus outside the New Testament. He is Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies and Co-Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, and Director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute, at Chapman University, Orange, CA. He is also the author of The Gospel of Thomas and The Gnostic Gospels of Jesus.An excellent compilation of all the earliest texts, both gospels and apocrypha, in which Mary Magdalene appears, showing her importance to the early Church, and highlighting her powerfulroles as disciple, apostle, and companion of Christ. -Susan Haskins, author of Mary Magdalene: Myth and Metaphor

Es esta la primera publicación del manuscrito que fue encontrado a mediados de los años setenta por unos campesinos egipcios en Al- Minya. Durante estos años, fue comprado y vendido por anticuarios, escondido y trasladado por tres continentes que redujeron gran parte de el a fragmentos. En 2001, llego a manos de un equipo de expertos que ha trabajado con minuciosidad en la restauracion del codice. El Evangelio de Judas, traducido del copto a una prosa clara, aparece aqui acompañado de comentarios sobre la fascinante historia de la Iglesia de los primeros años.

Aquesta es la primera publicació de L'Evangeli de Judes des que fos condemnat per heretge pels pares de l'Esglesia, especialment per sant Ireneu l'any 180. El manuscrit va ser trobat a mitjan anys setanta per uns camperols egipcis a Al-Minya. Durant aquests anys va ser comprat i venut per antiquaris, amagat i traslladat per tres continents que van reduir-ne gran part a fragments. El 2001, va arribar a mans d'un equip d'experts que ha treballat minuciosament en la restauracio del codex. L'Evangeli de Judes, tradut del copte a una prosa clara, apareix aqui acompanyat de comentaris sobre la fascinant historia de l'Esglesia dels primers anys. Un text que, sens dubte, ajuda a comprendre el missatge de Crist.

Este volumen contiene cuatro sorprendentes y bellos evangelios gnósticos: el Libro secreto de Jaime, el Evangelio de Tomás, el Libro de Tomás y el Libro secreto de Juan. Estos cuatro textos, traduccion de los manuscritos de Naj' Hammadi, nos ofrecen lo que en ellos mismos se denomina "las enseñanzas secretas del Salvador" y nos ayudan a entender la desaparicion del gnosticismo. Disidentes del mundo antiguo, defensores del acercamiento intimo a Dios y, sobre todo, rebeldes a la autoridad de sacerdotes y obispos, los gnosticos fueron perseguidos sin piedad por la iglesia oficial, que destruyo la mayoria de sus documentos y alento los escritos hostiles de filosofos y teologos ortodoxos. Estos hermosos textos nos devuelven, 2000 años despues, el testimonio de una fe inquietante.