This is the most complete, up-to-date, one-volume, English-language edition of the renowned library of fourth-century Gnostic manuscripts discovered in Egypt in 1945, which rivaled the Dead Sea Scrolls find in significance. It includes the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, and the recently discovered Gospel of Judas, as well as other Gnostic gospels and sacred texts. This volume also includes introductory essays, notes, tables, glossary, index, etc. to help the reader understand the context and contemporary significance of these texts which have shed new light on early Christianity and ancient thought.

Zeus and the other gods of shining Olympus were in reality divine only by popular consent. Over the course of time Olympian luster diminished in favor of religious experiences more immediate to the concerns of people living in an increasingly cosmopolitan ancient world. These experiences were provided by the mysteries, religions that flourished particularly during the Hellenistic period and were secretly practiced by groups of adherents who decided, through personal choice, to be initiated into the profound realities of one deity or another. Unlike the official state religions, in which people were expected to make an outward show of allegiance to the local gods, the mysteries emphasized an inwardness and privacy of worship within a closed band of initiates.In this book, Marvin W. Meyer explores the sacrifices and prayers, the public celebrations and secret ceremonies, the theatrical performances and literary works, the gods and goddesses that were a part of the mystery religions of Greece in the seventh century B.C. to the Judaism and Christianity of the Roman world of the seventh century A.D.

This thought-provoking collection of magical texts from ancient Egypt shows the exotic rituals, esoteric healing practices, and incantatory and supernatural dimensions that flowered in early Christianity. These remarkable Christian magical texts include curses, spells of protection from "headless powers" and evil spirits, spells invoking thunderous powers, descriptions of fire baptism, and even recipes from a magical "cookbook." Virtually all the texts are by Coptic Christians, and they date from about the 1st-12th centuries of the common era, with the majority from late antiquity. By placing these rarely seen texts in historical context and discussing their significance, the authors explore the place of healing, prayer, miracles, and magic in the early Christian experience, and expand our understanding of Christianity and Gnosticism as a vital folk religion.

Synopsis: The Gospel of Judas: On a Night with Judas Iscariot presents a fresh translation of the Gospel of Judas, with introduction, commentary, and notes. Originally published with considerable international fanfare in 2006, the Gospel of Judas has prompted a vibrant discussion among scholars and other interested readers about the meaning of the text and the place of Judas Iscariot in the story of Jesus and the history of the church. Meyer, a member of the original research team assembled by the National Geographic Society to edit, translate, and publish the Gospel of Judas and the remaining texts in what is now called Codex Tchacos, here offers an up-to-date and thoroughly accessible translation of the Gospel of Judas, expanded with new fragments of the text and informed by the latest scholarship. He adds reminiscences of the work on the Coptic text when it first was coming to light in 2005 and 2006. This book also includes reflections on the extensive literature, beyond the Gospel of Judas, on the figure of Judas Iscariot, with suggestions for a literary interpretation of Judas--an interpretation that may have a dramatic impact upon our understanding of the role of Judas Iscariot in the story of Jesus's passion. Endorsements: "Marvin Meyer can justly be considered the premier translator of ancient Gnostic writings in North America and one of the world's leading experts on the Gospel of Judas. Now he provides a vivid and compelling translation of this most important text along with an insightful introduction and copious notes. Most intriguing of all, he narrates a theatrical engagement with issues that emerge from recent reflections on the world's most infamous and intriguing 'villain, ' Judas Iscariot. This is intense scholarship and creative imagination at the highest level." -Bart D. Ehrman University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill "Marvin Meyer has a track record of a series of serious academic publications that are both readable and reliable, which distinguished tradition The Gospel of Judas continues on the same high plane." -James M. Robinson Claremont Graduate University "Beginning with the Nag Hammadi library, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Gospel of Judas, we have a trinity of essential holy scriptures that radically enrich and alter our knowledge of Judaism, Christianity, and Gnosticism. Now with his definitive version of Judas and its latest fragments, Marvin Meyer bequeaths the world a benevolent Judas. Meyer provides a crisp literary translation and introduction to the fully annotated Judas text--as well as a surprise: 'A Night with Judas Iscariot.' In his profoundly funny and thoughtful mystery play, Judas stars as the redemptive figure. Hurrah for this revolutionary book with its poetic enlightenment " -Willis Barnstone author of The Restored New Testament and The Other Bible Author Biography: Marvin W. Meyer is Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies at Chapman University and Director of the Chapman University Albert Schweitzer Institute. He is the author of numerous books and articles on Greco-Roman and Christian religions in antiquity and late antiquity, and on Albert Schweitzer's ethic of reverence for life. Among his recent books are Judas: The Definitive Collection of Gospels and Legends about the Infamous Apostle of Jesus (2007), The Gnostic Discoveries (2005), and The Gnostic Gospels of Jesus (2005), and he has edited or co-edited Essential Gnostic Scriptures (2010), The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The International Edition (2007), and The Gospel of Judas (2006).

En "El Evangelio de Maria," Marvin Meyer, el experto mas destacado en Evangelios Gnosticos, nos presenta la traduccion -- por primera vez en espanol -- de los textos mas antiguos y confiables que arrojan luz sobre el misterio de Maria Magdalena. Estos textos revelan su importancia como bienamada discipula de Jesus, al igual que apostol y evangelista por derecho propio. Tambien revelan una vibrante tradicion oral en la cual Maria Magdalena no solo es una seguidora de Jesus, sino su companera y discipula mas cercana, una figura cuya relevancia para la cristiandad apenas hoy esta emergiendo de las sombras de la historia.

Este libro incluye extractos de los Evangelios del Nuevo Testamento, al igual que de los Evangelios Gnosticos y de otros textos, entre ellos el Evangelio de Maria, el Evangelio de Tomas y el Evangelio de Felipe.

Esther De Boer, una experta ampliamente respetada en Maria Magdalena y el Evangelio de Maria, ubica las traducciones de Meyer en el contexto actual de los ultimos estudios sobre el tema. Ella analiza el papel que desempena Maria en cada uno de los Evangelios en los cuales aparece, y la muestra como una mujer capaz y fuerte que representa una amenaza para la Iglesia primitiva, la cual estaba dominada por hombres.

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.