The Nag Hammadi Library | James M. Robinson | For the Scholar and Searcher

The Nag Hammadi Library | James M. Robinson | Now We Hear From The Other Side

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The Nag Hammadi Li...

	The Nag Hammadi Library James M. Robinson HarperOne, 1990 - 576 pages average customer review:based on 69 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

For the Scholar and Searcher

For those individuals interested in the evolution of Christian thought, Gnosticism in particular, embarking on a major research project, simply curious about alternative perspectives on the teachings of Jesus Christ, this single volume of fourth-century manuscripts discovered in Egypt in 1945, is absolutely essential.

Gnostic thought has always been extremely controversial. Its history and various movements throughout the last millennium are fraught with mystery, censorship, intrigue and bloodshed. As some of the manuscripts pose an entirely different view of the Saviour and His teachings, most traditional Christians dismiss these books entirely. Interestingly, these books have been called "heretical"; taking the word heresy in the literal sense, meaning to take the position in opposition to the orthodoxy of the time, the Nag Hammadi texts are indeed heretical.

Throughout theological history, the teachings of the Gnostics, and our knowledge of them as a movement, has really only been provided by the "heresy-hunters", (the first Church Father, Irenaeus of Lyons, and his five book treatise, "Aversus Haereses", translated as, "Against Heresies", is the most noted) giving scholars a seriously one-sided perspective of Gnostic theology, practices and belief. It was only when the Nag Hammadi manuscripts were discovered in 1945 in Upper Egypt, and then painstakingly translated, that we have a greater insight into Gnostic belief, its history and practice.

This edition of the Library has been revised and expanded since it was first published in 1978. General editor, James M. Robinson's Introduction to this volume, in my view, is worth the price of the entire text. He provides for the scholar and curious reader a clear and concise history of these gospels, their at times dubious translations, and general explanation of the library as a whole.

The Nag Hammadi library also contains manuscripts or treatises other than religious traditions from the Judeo-Christian heritage. For example, "The Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth", is a previously unknown Hermetic text, that presents a fascinating dialogue between the deities Hermes Trismegistus and his son Tat. As Robinson points out, a number of texts contained in the library are debatable in terms of being truly Gnostic in nature, depending on the individual interpreter, and how they define Gnosticism. Personally, I'll leave that debate to the scholars, however, the text themselves make captivating reading.

Many hours have been spent reading the various manuscripts contained in this volume. It has taken a tremendous amount of energy and concentration on my part to gain an understanding of the spiritual message(s) that some of these texts provide. This is not a quick read, but a long process of study that for me, will continue for years to come. Having said that, this library is an absolute must as a reference, for any student of theology, Christian history, archaeology and antiquity in general. It is well worth the investment.

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Now We Hear From The Other Side

The Nag Hammadi Library is a collection of ancient religious texts which were discovered in Egypt in 1945. The people who collected and buried the library are believed to have been Gnostic Christians. The various scriptures are considered to be examples of texts used by them before Christianity achieved favored status during the reign of Constantine.

James Robinson's book is divided into chapters which include English translations of individual scriptures plus discussions of each by noted biblical scholars. A table is also provided to show the appropriate identifications for the texts comprising the thirteen Nag Hammadi Codices and Papyrus Berolinensis 8502. Among the contributors are Elaine Pagels and Karen L. King. For supplementary reading I recommend especially THE GNOSTIC GOSPELS and BEYOND BELIEF by Pagels as well as THE GOSPEL OF MARY OF MAGDALA by King.

I find the subject of Gnosticism to be extremely interesting and suspect that the study of it is just in its infancy. We know that Gnosticism is similar in some respects to primitive Christianity and various eastern religions. Gnosticism is also different in many ways from the orthodox Christianity which ultimately gained the upper hand in the fourth century.It is hard to overestimate the significance of Gnosticism.For anyone wishing to explore this topic, I believe that THE NAG HAMMADI LIBRARY is a good place to start the journey.

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Literary Armageddon

Nearly all knowledgeable Biblical scholars realize there have been a wide range of writings attributed to Jesus and his Apostles..... and that some of these were selected for compilation into the book that became known as the Bible.....and that some books have been removed from some versions of the Bible and others have been re-discovered in modern times.

The attention focused on Gnosticism by Dan Brown's DaVinci Code may be debatable, but the fact is that increased attention on academics tends to be predominately positive, so I welcome those with first-time or renewed interest. At least first-timers to Gnosticism are not pursuing the oh-so-popular legends of the Holy Grail, Bloodline of Christ, and Mary Magdalene.

This is great......I seldom quote other reviewers, but there is one reviewer of Pagels' books who confided that he had been a Jesuit candidate and had been required to study a wide range of texts but was never was told about the Nag Hamadi texts. He said:

"Now I know why. The Gospel of Thomas lays waste to the notion that Jesus was `the only begotten Son of God' and obviates the need for a formalized church when he says, `When your leaders tell you that God is in heaven, say rather, God is within you, and without you.' No wonder they suppressed this stuff! The Roman Catholic Church hasn't maintained itself as the oldest institution in the world by allowing individuals to have a clear channel to see the divinity within all of us: they need to put God in a bottle, label the bottle, put that bottle on an altar, build a church around that altar, put a sign over the door, and create rubricks and rituals to keep out the dis-believing riff-raff. Real `Us' versus `them' stuff, the polar opposite from `God is within You.' `My God is bigger than your God' the church(s)seem to say. And you can only get there through "my" door/denomination. But Jesus according to Thomas had it right: just keep it simple, and discover the indwelling Divinity `within you and without you.'"

Here are quickie reviews of what is being bought these days on the Gnostic Gospels and the lost books of the Bible in general:

The Lost Books of the Bible (0517277956) includes 26 apocryphal books from the first 400 years that were not included in the New Testament.

Marvin Meyers' The Secret Teachings of Jesus : Four Gnostic Gospels (0394744330 ) is a new translation without commentary of The Secret Book of James, The Gospel of Thomas, The Book of Thomas, and The Secret Book of John.

James M. Robinson's The Nag Hammadi Library in English : Revised Edition (0060669357) has been around 25 years now and is in 2nd edition. It has introductions to each of the 13 Nag Hammadi Codices and the Papyrus Berioinensis 8502.

The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (0140278079) by Geza Vermes has selected works....a complete work is more difficult to achieve than the publisher's marketing concept indicates. His commentary generates strong reactions.

Elaine Pagels has 2 books (The Gnostic Gospels 0679724532 and Beyond Belief : The Secret Gospel of Thomas 0375501568) that have received considerable attention lately. For many, her work is controversial in that it is written for popular consumption and there is a strong modern interpretation. She does attempt to reinterpret ancient gender relationships in the light of modern feminist thinking. While this is a useful (and entertaining) aspect of college women's studies programs, it is not as unethical as some critics claim. As hard as they may try, all historians interpret the past in the context of the present. Obviously there is value in our attempts to re-interpret the past in the light of our own time.

If you want the full scholarly work it is W. Schneemelcher's 2 volume New Testament Apocrypha.

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Traducciones excelentes en formato práctico pero endeble

The Nag Hammadi Library in English es la recopilación más práctica y manejable de los escritos de Nag hammadi que conozco. Publicada en un único tomo, no muy voluminoso, presenta todos los escritos de la biblioteca de Nag Hammadi clasificados en orden, es decir, según el códice en el que están contenidos y el lugar que ocupan dentro de ese códice, a diferencia del criterio que suelen seguir otras ediciones de los escritos de Nag Hammadi que prefieren clasificaciones de tipo temático o por géneros literarios (evangelios, cartas, tratados...). Para mí esa clasificación por orden es un acierto y a la postre resulta más fácil y comoda de manejar.

La calidad de esta edición está fuera de toda duda; sólo hay que ver la lista de autores o colaboradores, todos ellos conocidos y reputados especialistas en la materia, para darse cuenta de ello. Ciertamente, no creo que el editor general, J.M. Robinson, pudiera haber reunido un equipo mejor. Como los especialistas son de primera, el resultado del trabajo es extraordinario: las traducciones inglesas de los textos no sólo son sumamente fiables, sino también claras y de estilo sencillo, facilitando, en la medida de lo posible,la comprensión de muchos de los pasajes estos escritos, cuyos textos originales son de por si un tanto oscuros y dificiles. Desde luego, a comparación de otras ediciones de los escritos de Nag Hammadi en otras lenguas (por ej. en español), esta edición inglesa de Robinson me parece superior, mas lograda y clarificadora, y, por ello, más recomendable.

También me parece un acierto haber incluido en esta edición estudios introductorios, tanto sobre la biblioteca de Nag Hammadi en general, como sobre cada libro de la misma en particular. La introducción general de Robinson a la Biblioteca de Nag Hammadi es sencilla pero esta muy bien hecha. La misma valoración positiva se puede hacer de las introducciones especiales a cada escrito: son sencillas y breves (alguna que otra en exceso), pero ofrecen sintesis muy logradas y clarificadoras sobre el carácter y contenido de cada escrito. Lo único que se hecha en falta en cada una de estas introducciones es una bibliografia selectiva dirigida a orientar a aquellos que deseen profundizar más en el estudio de los escritos de Nag Hammadi.

Junto al dato negativo de la falta de bibliografias, hay otro todavía peor: la escasa calidad de la edición paperback. La pasta del libro es sumamente endeble, el papel de mala calidad y con olor; conservar el libro sin que se doble, estropee o deteriore es un auténtico problema. Parece una edición de usar y tirar. Ciertamente, HarperSanFrancisco no se ha esmerado mucho con este libro, y ello es una pena, porque una obra de gran calidad como esta merece otro cuidado y tratamiento, aún cuando se pretenda hacer con ella una edición económica. La falta de bibliografias, pero sobre todo la negligencia de HarperSanFrancisco a la hora de diseñar esta edición es la causa de que haya valorado este libro con 4 estrellas en vez de 5. Espero que HarperSaFrancisco tome nota de estos problemas para futuras ediciones, una de las cuales podría ser una edición de estudio que incluyese unas introducciones más amplias y detalladas, notas de diferente caracter (lingüístico, textos paralelos, exegético...) dentro de cada libro o escrito, bibliografias, tablas, etc. Una edición de estas características sería un recurso insustituible y maravilloso para cualquier estuidoso del cristianismo de los primeros siglos.

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this book is aight

The truth should be measured by what can be proven in a comparative analysis. So, the bible isnt any better than any other book.

I own the Nag Hammadi, but, I will not consider it a flawless book because it is different than other books that claim to be the correct path. The truth is something that is undeniable when compared to its objectives, men being created first has no validity when you look at the evidence, especially since, in the first three months all mammals are female. lol Notice how men put themselves above everything else, but yet, nature shows just the opposite, there is no evidence of a supreme god being a male, just as their is no evidence of a adam and eve ever existing, besides scientist have now discoverd why women were so revered in ancient matriarch societies, you dont need a sperm cell to make a female, once they discover how to manipulate the traits they will make a male. I think ppl get to caught up in wanting to believe in something so they would fall for whatever approves of their knowledge or what they can understand.

Racism is a male invention, polygamy is a male invention, women being 2nd class citizens, a male invention. So, how can anyone take everything a man write as the truth, its obvious that certain men, then and now, got a agenda for their methodical madness.

The Nag hammadi isnt touching on new ground, its just recycling old news. The old news is, men will always have a complex about reality and their place in it, me being a man as well, Im just glad I woke up from my ignorance, for the record there were a lot of men who were revolutionaries in ancient days, fighting against human ignorance, but, besides the bible, of those days, there is nothing written about a jesus or a yeshua ben yosef by famous authors of those times.

Sometime knowledge can be harmful, just read some of these reviews. lmao!

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, page 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

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