The Secret Teachings of Jesus: Four Gnostic Gospels

by Marvin W. Meyer

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394744330
• ISBN13: 9780394744339
• Release Date: May 1986
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Length: 129 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.2" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

About As Good As It Gets

I'd like to start by talking to some previous reviewers; I can understand (somewhat) why a lot of us are reluctant to give this book a listen I suppose. Down in Texas it seems we have a "Professor of Religion" or something, knowing more than this author about the books of the Bible. But it's all relative my friend from Texas, for it all depends on which denomination of Christianity you practice. These texts have been declared heretical, a denotation which refers to Satan. It's difficult for Christians to embrace the so called "pluralism" present here or, better yet, to open up to the religions of others. The Gnostic Gospels were more aimed at finding God within, and not by pointing some compass outward to the sky.Now the one criticism I have of this particular book is that the commentary provided is somewhat cryptic and ambiguous; but I cut him some slack for that, it's a tough text to absorb. The translation is fairly concise, with some forgivable and hardly noticeable POSSIBLE mistranslations. All in all, as another reviewer said, it's a great book for those "casually interested" in the Gnostic Gospels; but I'll also take it a step further: It's for absolutely everyone. Enjoy it.

Glenn Kimball

There are those that suggest that the Gospel of Thomas and all other Gnostic writings contradict the Bible. If that is true then the Bible falls short of telling us the entire story. The Bible was created by the Nicene Council to vindicate Peter as the survivor of the legacy of Jesus. There are numerous texts, not the least of which is "James the Brother of Jesus" by Eisenman" which hammers that suggestion to dust. When asked who would survive him (Jesus) as his heir by all the collective apostles, Jesus responded "My Brother James for which reason the heavens and earth came into being". Peter follows in his Homolies of Peter with the candid statement that if "anyone disagrees with James, including me, they are wrong", indicating that James was indeed the head of the surviving Christians. This book by Meyer is not only legitimate, but a pivotal book in the history of the truth about Jesus. It doesn't contradict the Bible unless you think that the Bible is the only book of history that is valid. To excuse all texts discovered in our era of discovery because of a religious preconception is folly and childish. The truth vindicates Jesus, though it surely will not vindicate those who know nothing about Jesus outside the Bible. Meyer helps us come out of the closet with regards to Jesus. My hat is off to you. Gnosticism means to know. The ignorant ones who don't acknowledge discovery are certainly not qualified to know the truth. What will happen when these book burners find out that Jesus is quoted in hundreds of other places as well? You are my hero Doctor. I would kiss your ring.

Four amazing early Christian Gnostic texts from Nag Hamadi

Ancient Gnostic texts reveal a long-forgotten form of relationship with between humanity and the divine, and a surprisingly unique perception of the divinity among these circles.This book presents the latest translations of four texts from the Nag Hammadi library of Gnostic texts. The four texts chosen are classic Gnostic scriptures of particular importance to early Christianity. They are, "The Secret Book of James" (written by Jesus' brother), "The Gospel of Thomas" (the most prominent classic of Gnostic Christian spirituality, by Jesus' twin, Judas Thomas), "The Book of Thomas", and "The Secret Book of John" (by Jesus' disciple, John the fisherman).Amazingly, each of these four authentic texts are specifically identified by the mysterious ancient authors, in the first verses, as containing secret information from Jesus Christ himself! These texts in particular make an essential contribution to our understanding of Gnosticism and its role in early stages of the development of Christianity, seeming to shed welcome new light on some previously uncertain aspects of the Christian religion.We should be extremely grateful for the opportunity to read these fascinating documents, which were until recently all but lost forever. The Gnostic movement was systematically oppressed, and its legacy systematically destroyed, long ago by its powerful opponents. The Gnostics were triumphant in this epic story, because, in their wisdom, they deliberately sealed away their sacred knowledge to be re-discovered at a time in the distant future when they would be respected and appreciated. The Nag Hammadi library comprises 52 documents in 13 books, most of which were entirely unknown to until the Nag Hammadi artefacts were discovered.In this book an informative introduction, including the intriguing story behind the texts, prepares a clear passage for the reader's journey into this repository of ancient wisdom. The notes at the end of the book provide a concise commentary, with useful explanation and reference to other scriptures including the Bible, to complete the reader's learning experience. The relatively thin size of this volume makes it highly accessible - most people could easily read the whole book in a single weekend!If you have the slightest interest in history or religion - especially Gnosticism or Christianity, then you will certainly enjoy this book.The texts in this book really are an amazing and important part of human history, and everyone should at least have a look at them.

Early Christian beliefs as revealed by the Gnostic Gospels

In 1945 a couple of Egyptians digging in the Nile River valley found a sealed storage jar that contained a collection of fifty-two ancient manuscripts, most of which were devoted to the teachings of Gnosticism, early Christians who believed that matter is evil and that emancipation comes through "gnosis" (the Greek word for "knowledge"). The Gnostic inner quest for spiritual understanding put them at odds with the authority of the Church in the first, formative centuries of Christianity. It is not surprising that the Gnostic writings were suppressed by the early Church and were really only known to us through the writings of their opponents. The discovery of these manuscripts allows us to read what these early Christians were thinking and to judge for ourselves the value of their beliefs.Marvin W. Meyer provides new English translations 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. The Gospel of Thomas includes dozens of sayings of Jesus, such as Saying 75: "I am the light that is over all things. I am all: all came forth from me, and all attained to me. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Pick up a stone, and you will find me there." The Secret Book of John talks about the four principle demons of pleasure, desire, grief and fear. These are only two choice examples, but I think they provide an indication of what you will find in these writings. Meyer also includes detailed notes that offer specific textual comparisons between the Gnostic writings and the Gospels. These are primary documents from early Christians and should be appreciated as such. Whether in the end you consider these teachings to be sadly "lost" or rightfully "abandoned," they will definitely get you to thinking about what people believe and why. "The Secret Teachings of Jesus" is (are?) well worth reading.Final note: The cover art is of a mosaic of Christ in Glory from the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. So often book covers add nothing to the value of the book, but this is a beautiful and totally appropriate work of art for this book.

Not Just For Entertainment

Some of the reviews here suggest that the Nag Hammadi texts are not as authoritive as the cannonical ones because they are second century, lack historicity, and are hopelessy tainted by gnosticm. Firstly, the gospels that you read in the Bible are not 1st century, but are rather BASED on 1st century works, and the oldest piece of one of the cannonical gospels currently known, dates from around 150AD and is a tiny fragment containing less than a dozen words. The oldest copies in existence of these gospels are in fact 6th century, making Nag Hammadi much closer to history. As for lacking in historicity, truth is a pathless land, and it is the message itself which is important. There is no religion higher than truth. The cannonical gospels, are four gospels offering a similar perspective on Jesus. Nag Hammadi texts offer another perspective, a gnostic one. In order to obtain a full picture on Jesus one must not be blinkered and rely solely on one perspective, whichever one that may be. After all the cannonical texts are hopelessy tainted by paganism. True Christianity was overwritten with many pagan themes from the ancient mystery cults of Dionysis, Mithras and others. Contrary to believe that the Romans were Christianised, in fact the Christians were Romanised. Why else were the original emporers of Rome also the popes,(Constantine etc)and why was the Church based in Rome?Gnosticm offers another viewpoint which should be understood, but should not form the sole viewpoint any more that the Bible should.