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What and when -

The Gnostic Gospels comprise of 52 texts that were discovered in Egypt in 1945. These texts were inscribed on papyrus and collected in 13 ancient books referred to as codices. They were unearthed by Muhammad 'Ali al-Samman, an Arab peasant, inside a buried jar in December 1945.

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What happened to the books? -

The books were later illicitly sold in Cairo. Despite the confiscation of most books by the Egyptian government, a single codex was discreetly transported out of Egypt and eventually found its way to Europe.

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Where are the texts located now? -

The original texts are presently housed in the Coptic Museum in Cairo under the identification NHC (Nag Hammadi Codices).

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Gnostics and Gnosticism -

The term "gnostic" derives from the Greek word "gnosis," which means "knowledge." Gnostics adhered to the belief that they possessed hidden knowledge concerning God and the divine, hence their name. They possessed varying perspectives on Jesus and his teachings. Unfortunately, due to being branded heretics by the early church, many of their texts were eradicated.

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Gnostics and Gnosticism -

The Gnostics were not an organized single religion, but instead consisted of various religious and philosophical movements that flourished from the 2nd to the 4th century AD.

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Gnostic beliefs -

Gnostics held the belief that the material world was wicked and the spiritual world was virtuous. Explore God explains that Gnostics perceived humans as "good spirits trapped inside of evil material bodies."

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How did Gnostics perceive God? -

Gnostics upheld their belief in a Supreme God, transcendent and incomprehensible. Additionally, they held that a lesser God known as Demiurge, rather than the Supreme God, was responsible for the creation of the universe.

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What was the Gnostic perception of Jesus? -

According to the Gnostics, Jesus was regarded as the "Redeemer" whose purpose was to disclose the truth to mankind. While some viewed Jesus as entirely divine and devoid of human nature (considering the physical body as inherently wicked), others believed in his humanity.

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Salvation in Gnosticism -

Gnostics believed that salvation did not rely on sacraments or forgiveness of sins. They held that humans must obtain 'gnosis,' secret knowledge, to attain salvation.

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God resides within us -

The belief of the Gnostics was that by understanding oneself, one could attain knowledge of God. An excerpt from the book 'The Gnostic Bible,' featured on gnosis.org, explains that Gnostics did not accept the intermediary role of priests, rabbis, or other religious figures.

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What is a Gospel? -

The word "Gospel" originates from the Greek term "euaggelion," which conveys the concept of "good news." Early Christians embraced this term to communicate the message of Jesus and give an account of his life. 

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Gnostic Gospels -

The texts known as gospels in Gnosticism reveal the perspective of the Gnostics regarding Jesus. Well-known examples include Thomas, Mary, and Judas.

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The Gospel of Thomas -

Opus Dei states that the Gospel of Thomas contains 114 quotes from Jesus, but there's no narrative.

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The Gospel of Mary -

Mary recounts her revelation about Christ's ascension in the Gospel of Mary.

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The Gospel of Judas -

According to this controversial text, Judas was actually a good apostle, as argued by The New York Times. It is believed that the gospel states Judas carried out his betrayal of Jesus under Jesus's own orders. 

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Are the gospels reliable? -

The reliability of the texts has been extensively discussed. A Clear Lens highlights three main counterarguments: dates, consistency, and historical context.

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Date -

Although the Bible took many years to compile, the canonical gospels were being circulated well before the Gnostic ones.

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Consistency -

Considering the numerous accounts of Judas in the canonical texts by other apostles, it is natural that the Gnostic interpretation of Judas may arouse suspicion.

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Consistency -

The canonical accounts portray Jesus' message as universally applicable, whereas the Gnostics' rendition suggests that he exclusively shared his wisdom with a chosen few.

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Historical background -

The misconception revolves around the Gnostics' utilization of myths to convey their beliefs, which means that the texts may not provide factual details about Jesus' life.

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Reliability -

Professor Francis Watson of Durham University goes ever further and claims that some of the writings are fake.

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Reliability -

Mark Goodacre, a Duke University Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins, holds a similar perspective.

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The Bible -

According to the International Bible Society, the Bible underwent a lengthy compilation process with several books omitted from the final version.

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The New Testament -

The four Gospels chosen for the New Testament were authored by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, known as the officially accepted canonical gospels.

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What is the canon? -

Biblica, the International Bible Society, defines the canon as the books acknowledged as God-inspired and authoritative for faith and life.

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Why were the Gnostic gospels excluded from the Bible? -

According to Bible scholar Darrell L. Bock during an interview with Beliefnet,"the rootage of these (canonical) gospels either involves an apostolic figure or someone closely associated with an apostolic figure." And that, "The gospels that ended up in the Bible are all from the first century. No gospel of that [Gnostic] list that I’m aware of is actually dated in the first century."

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The Da Vinci Code -

According to the National Geographic, Dan Brown's popular book drew inspiration from the Gnostic gospels, but scholars disagree with Brown’s view.

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Why do these texts matter? -

The Gnostic Gospels offer valuable insight into Gnosticism and early Christianity, shedding light on various debated ideas and the early church's interpretation of them. 

See also: The most disturbing parts of the Bible

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