Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery
Amazon prime logo
$21.99 with 45 percent savings
List Price: $39.99
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Friday, January 10 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Tuesday, January 7. Order within 21 hrs 9 mins.
In Stock
$$21.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$21.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the authors

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: An Enlightening Compilation of Gnostic Manuscripts Revealing New Perspectives on Early Christianity, Ancient Judaism, and Greco-Roman Religions Paperback – International Edition, May 26, 2009

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 3,981 ratings

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$21.99","priceAmount":21.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"21","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"MiNRqZTMdI7Fem4%2FUKEQSoyR6d9bRQcvmAlT1Z38vc9HullV3dxITxt9VXUv3vDpf49a8a8cHpTanqhOVMQc%2F%2BPqtORYa3tbigh3zPTqky6fzRQw4Dki0xhz8l1eFOrKxZ7woK3%2Fj7g%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The Nag Hammadi Scriptures, edited by Marvin Meyer, is the most complete, up-to-date, one-volume, English-language edition of the renowned library of 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. The compilation of ancient manuscripts that constitute The Nag Hammadi Scriptures is a discovery that challenges everything we thought we knew about the early Christian church, ancient Judaism, and Greco-Roman religions.

The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

This item: The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: An Enlightening Compilation of Gnostic Manuscripts Revealing New Perspectives on Early Christianity, Ancient Judaism, and Greco-Roman Religions
$21.99
Get it as soon as Friday, Jan 10
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$18.14
Get it as soon as Friday, Jan 10
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

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.

About the Author

Marvin Meyer is one of the foremost scholars on early Christianity and texts about Jesus outside the New Testament. He is Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies at Chapman University in Orange, California. Among his recent books are The Gospel of Judas, The Gnostic Gospels of Jesus, The Gospels of Mary, The Gospel of Thomas, and The Nag Hammadi Scriptures.



James M. Robinson, consultant for this collection, is widely known for his groundbreaking contribution as the permanent secretary of UNESCO's International Committee for the Nag Hammadi codices, and his many published works on Gnostic texts and the Sayings Gospel Q.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperOne; First Edition (May 26, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 844 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0061626007
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061626005
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.95 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 3,981 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
3,981 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and understand. They find it instructive and insightful, providing a welcome supplement to their religious texts. Many consider it a good value for the money. The formatting looks fantastic on the paperwhite. The style is described as roundabout descriptive. Overall, customers appreciate the lightness of the book and its insights into the Bible.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

284 customers mention "Readability"237 positive47 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and understand. It's a faithful translation from ancient codices. Readers appreciate the consistent commitment to the text and praise it as an outstanding piece of scholarly work.

"...This ancient anthology is an impressive job of scholarship and clear translation, and it oozes with bunches of helpful footnotes, introductions and..." Read more

"...of the Nag Hammadi Scriptures, is probably the finest available edition for the general reader today and should appeal to a wide range of readers..." Read more

"...It is certainly worth a read." Read more

"This read is excellent. Answered so many questions I had on my spiritual awakening journey" Read more

184 customers mention "Enlightened"176 positive8 negative

Customers find the book instructive and insightful. They say it provides a lot of information in an easy-to-understand way. The authors provide excellent introductions to each piece, explaining its place in the book. There is detailed commentary before each book. Readers mention that the book has helped them with their studies of Gnosticism in early Christianity.

"Lots of information in the book. Must have to anyone who is interested in eairly Christianity." Read more

"...for the general reader today and should appeal to a wide range of readers with varying interests...." Read more

"...but on point, like The Treatise on Resurrection, and others seemingly inspired, such as the first section of The teachings of Silvanus...." Read more

"...This version makes it much more understandable but not without a price..." Read more

83 customers mention "Christianity"72 positive11 negative

Customers find this book a useful addition to their religious texts. It contains insights from the ancient mystical tradition of Gnosticism, including many parables of Jesus that are not found in other sacred texts. Theological and historical introductions by prominent theologians and historians precede each of the scriptures. The full book includes all of the Nag Hammati scriptures.

"...job of scholarship and clear translation, and it oozes with bunches of helpful footnotes, introductions and leads for further study...." Read more

"...ISBN 9780061626005 The present work, as the most complete and up-to-date English-language edition of the Nag Hammadi Scriptures, is..." Read more

"The letters are comfortable size to read and great addition to my collection of scriptures." Read more

"...This book compiles the writings in a complete volume, more complete that any other book ever has, of all the known fragments and complete works of..." Read more

22 customers mention "Value for money"18 positive4 negative

Customers find the book well-constructed and worth the money. They say it's a great book and value for those who wish to pursue the path of knowledge.

"...I would like to think this book was well worth what I paid for it...." Read more

"...It's a lot to unpack, but worth the buy." Read more

"...This book is very worthwhile if you are interested in what the Gnostics had to say about their view of Cosmology and their Religion...." Read more

"...Extremely worth while if you wish to pursue the path of knowledge and see the world religions of today more clearly for the blatant lies that they..." Read more

11 customers mention "Style"11 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's style. They find the formatting fantastic on the Paperwhite, the rendering comprehensive, and the font lovely. The translations are described as roundabout and descriptive, but once you get used to them you enjoy them. Overall, readers praise the book's layout and translations.

"...Yet, even the remnants of the Gospel of Mary are so profoundly beautiful; it is the single most beautiful thing I've read in my life...." Read more

"...and contradiction of the Christian Bible to a beautiful striving for intelligent knowledge, truth and peace...." Read more

"...people who worked on this translation enough, it is truly a beautiful work to behold. Thank you." Read more

"...The Nag Hammadi Scriptures are INCREDIBLY beautiful and it was such a joy to read the words...." Read more

9 customers mention "Lightness"9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's illuminating and eye-opening insights. They find it sheds new light on the Bible and Jesus, painting a more complete picture.

"...It shines a new light on Jesus and paints him in a way as to portray him as a light being of incredible purity and knowledge, but not a god that..." Read more

"To Complete all of the 'Lost Gospels', a MUST HAVE! What a eye opener!!!..." Read more

"Well written, fantastic reading and very illuminating...." Read more

"Paints a more complete picture." Read more

12 customers mention "Print size"6 positive6 negative

Customers have different views on the print size. Some find the text comfortable to read, while others find the font too small and the pages too short.

"The letters are comfortable size to read and great addition to my collection of scriptures." Read more

"...Gospel of Mary Magdalene- 🤯 small 2-4 pages and broken...." Read more

"...While the actual size of the text is fine, the print is too light. It makes for an incredible amount of eye strain and fatigue!..." Read more

"...But the paper has slight gray tinge and the font is the smallest possible for a book and the color of the font is a light gray...." Read more

11 customers mention "Authenticity"5 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed views on the authenticity of the book. Some find it honest and faithful, describing it as one of the greatest compilations of truth ever assembled. However, others mention that some stories are fabricated, making them more difficult to believe and diminishing the story.

"...And I can see some blatant fabrications in the stories, as there are claims that are archeologically impossible or self-contradicting statements, etc..." Read more

"This book is written as an honest and faithful translation (not transcription) of the Nag Hammadi Scriptures...." Read more

"...For example some of the stories are more wild and mythical sounding even than the traditional story of the Garden of Eden...." Read more

"...Marvin Meyer's editing is astonishing in its honesty and intelligence...." Read more

After Mary said these things, she was silent, since it was up to this point that the Savior had spoken to her.
5 out of 5 stars
After Mary said these things, she was silent, since it was up to this point that the Savior had spoken to her.
I began reading the Nag Hammadi scriptures in the early 80's when the James Robinson The Nag Hammadi Library: A Translation of the Gnostic Scriptures was first published. It was a hard read, mostly because there was so much missing (lacunae). This version makes it much more understandable but not without a price (see the excellent review by John Aaron regarding a little too much translation). Oh well, nobody is/was perfect except one.When I began reading this version, I imagined a round table of scholars who picked apart the essense of these ms's with the metaphorical microscope as a team and debated each and every translation problem. For how could only a few decide what the texts were saying with so many missing fragments and even whole pages/chapters? They used correlations with all available manuscripts to extract the essence of each manuscript and "fill in the blanks" to make it readable to the average person like me. Yes, it must have been like that.In some cases like The Gospel of Mary (of Magdala), we may not know all of what the High Priest said after he returned from death with just this manuscript because the first three chapters are missing. Maybe they wound up as fire-starter material for some poor people in Egypt? I don't blame them; we all need light/heat/food to dispel the darkness. A perfect solution. There are other works that are said to be the teaching of The Christ after he returned like Pistis Sophia: The Gnostic Tradition of Mary Magdalene, Jesus, and His Disciples.Yet, even the remnants of the Gospel of Mary are so profoundly beautiful; it is the single most beautiful thing I've read in my life. I need to find an older version to see where they deviate but, again, the essence must be there and only made clearer in this version. For anyone unfamiliar with the Gospel of Mary, imagine the scene given in Luke 24:10-11..."10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense."Why did their words seem like nonsense? Perhaps because they were so profound as to be not believable? Or perhaps for a more "practical" reason; the editors of the Bible did not want these more in depth details to be known. Teachings like this..."Peter Asks Mary to Teach: Peter said to Mary, “Sister, we know that the Savior loved you more than all other women. Tell us the words of the Savior that you remember, the things you know that we don’t because we haven’t heard them.” Mary responded, “I will teach you about what is hidden from you.” And she began to speak these words to them...."Mary Discusses Vision and Mind: She said, “I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to him, ‘Lord, I saw you today in a vision.’ “He answered me, ‘Blessed are you for not wavering at seeing me. For where the mind is, there is the treasure.’ ~ The Nag Hammadi Scriptures (p. 743)I'd like to say more about the Gospel of Mary but it's hard without giving examples and Amazon would probably say it's copyright infringement and not put up my review.For another good example of how the NH not only clarifies but expands and elucidates, see Mark 8:27-30 - Jesus asked them, "who do people say I am?" In the Bible, Peter (and others) respond "You are the Messiah" "one of the prophets" etc. But is that all of it? There were some other replies like that of Thomas..."Jesus said to his disciples, “Compare me to something and tell me what I am like.” Simon Peter said to him, “You are like a just messenger.” Matthew said to him, “You are like a wise philosopher.” Thomas said to him, “Teacher, my mouth is utterly unable to say what you are like.” Jesus said, “I am not your teacher. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring that I have tended.” And he took him, and withdrew, and spoke three sayings to him. When Thomas came back to his friends, they asked him, “What did Jesus say to you?” Thomas said to them, “If I tell you one of the sayings he spoke to me, you will pick up rocks and stone me, and fire will come from the rocks and consume you." ~ The Gospel of Thomas, 13So did Jesus say "who do the people say I am?" He already knew what people said before they said or thought it. Isn't it more plausible that Jesus asked his desciples, who were closest to him, who they thought he was?There is so much more in the NHS especially regarding the Old Testament. That the word "Elohim" is both singular and plural is a clue. El is really the singular of Elohim. The names of God in the OT have been reduced to meaningless interchangable words. Yahweh, Jehovah, Elohim; do these names all mean the same thing? Are they interchangable like a car, a vehicle, an automobile? I think not. The belief of early Christian Gnostics was that the "God" of the OT was not the one true God. The one that Jesus called "Father." This is the key to understanding the OT. The "demigurge" or archon(s) are themselves temporary and subordinate to God the Father and Christ. If only Christians would put aside what they were TOLD by their Mystery Babylon occult rulers and read/research for themselves."For what goes into your mouth will not defile you; rather, it is what comes out of your mouth that will defile you.” ~ The Gospel of Thomas 14, Matthew 15:11"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." ~ John 21:25I suppose He said many other things as well.
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2024
    Lots of information in the book. Must have to anyone who is interested in eairly Christianity.
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2013
    This isn't a book! It's actually a magic portal through which the reader tumbles from one dimension to another. Sometimes the results are unsettling, but one is always left believing that, however much new got found in the next dimension, a lot is still there waiting to be discovered.
    The blah cover of Nag Hammadi Scriptures makes it look like just another dry, boring now-let's-study-the-Bible type book. Instead it's a ticket for fascinating time travel out of the present and back to a murky, confusing past; from one civilization to another; from one rigid belief system to another; from one religion to another. You get bounced from reality to myth, and then all the way back again -- provided you still want to return.
    This ancient anthology is an impressive job of scholarship and clear translation, and it oozes with bunches of helpful footnotes, introductions and leads for further study. If it has a flaw, I think it is that, found here and there throughout the volume, are faint hints of traditional Christian ideas. Sometimes one senses the editors may be trying a little too hard to reconcile some orthodox Christian belief or other with what they assume the ancient authors were saying or thinking. And the book certainly wants to make you believe that everyone with a point of view needs to have earned a degree from some obscure school of theology or religion. But ignore all that. If you buy the book, you've got the right to make up your own mind about what it says. And if there ever was a topic about which everyone's entitled to their own slant, this must be it.
    As all readers will, I have a bias. I am a very devout Buddhist, steeped primarily in the religious traditions of Sri Lanka. The revelations I derived from the Nag Hammadi Scriptures were that passage, after passage, after passage is at least compatible with (and sometimes nearly identical to) Theravadan Buddhist teaching, and that both Gnostic ideas and Buddhism seem closer to one another than either one does to today's Christian practices.
    All of which suggests to me that, though the world doggedly perpetuates and exalts countless images of, names for and ideas about "gods", you don't have to be a great scholar or professional theologian to recognize that, in the end, there is after all only one. To me this book argues most eloquently that, whoever or whatever that god may be, a wise search for him/her starts by a dive deep within the human psyche.
    63 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2010
    The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The Revised and Updated Translation of Sacred Gnostic Texts - The International Edition. Edited by Marvin Meyer. New York: Harper Collins, 2008. Paperback, 844 pages. ISBN 9780061626005

    The present work, as the most complete and up-to-date English-language edition of the Nag Hammadi Scriptures, is probably the finest available edition for the general reader today and should appeal to a wide range of readers with varying interests.

    Judging by the reviews, most readers seem to come to these texts with a strong Biblical background and are surprised to see how strikingly different they can be to the Bible.

    In my own case I come to them with a background in Asian thought and am amazed at how strikingly similar they can at times be to the sacred texts of the East.

    This is understandable since, as Duncan Greenlees pointed out in his excellent anthologyThe Gospel of The Gnostics (page xxvi): "We have not yet worked out the actual influence of India upon the Western ... Gnostics; yet it is clear to the sympathetic, and therefore to the honest, student it must have been very great. At times we can almost recognize a direct quotation from some Indian scripture."

    To realize that he is right we need only turn, for example, to logion 24 of the Gospel of Thomas where we find Jesus saying (page 143):

    "There is light within a person of light, and it shines on the whole world. If it does not shine, it is dark."

    Turning next to the Astavakra Samhita II.8, which Dr. Satkari Mookerjee in his Introduction explains "is a very early and pure Advaitic text which gives us the essentials of the Advaita Vedanta position," we find King Janaka announcing to the sage Ashtavakra:

    "Light is my very nature; I am no other than light. When the universe manifests itself, verily then it is I that shine."

    The translator comments: "The nature of the Self is Effulgence itself. Whatever is manifested is nothing but the Self. The manifestation of the world really implies the manifestation of the Self."

    We should note that in Vedanta this Light (Skt. prakasha) is a property, not of a God-man such as Jesus, but of ordinary men such as King Janaka, or you and me.

    We are dealing here with something very deep, far too deep to go into here. Readers whose curiosity may have been aroused should check out my Listmania List: The Ashtavakra Gita - A Very Early and Pure Advaita Text. This will set them on the path to understanding what logion 24 is really all about, and possibly much else in The Nag Hammadi Scriptures.
    148 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Zaid
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best translation out there
    Reviewed in Mexico on November 11, 2024
    For gnostic adherents or scholars, this is it.
  • Jeff ward
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting
    Reviewed in Canada on January 5, 2024
    Lots of stuff that likely really tics off mainstream religion. I love it. I'm not rock solid on how much of it I believe or not but either way it's a really neat read you won't get in the standard bedside table at a motel bible.
  • Luiz Antonio Vital Teixeira
    5.0 out of 5 stars Livro imprescindivel na historia do pensamento religioso.
    Reviewed in Brazil on July 30, 2022
    Quem quer conhecer mais a fundo o gnosticismo tem que ler esse livro.
  • Jamal al Din
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most astounding, illuminating and fascinating books i have ever read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 23, 2024
    Contained in the fragments of this book is the explanation of Life, the human race, our place in existence and our creator. Its supremely difficult to comprehend but It answered every question i have ever had about the human race, our origins, our end, our religions, philosophy, death, life and why we exist and what will become of us when we die. Its incredibly deep in places, even for a philosopher or scholar.
    Its certainly not a simple read and i had to stop reading to reflect on many sentences and think deeply on their meaning before i could proceed to the next sentence or paragraph.
    Its probably way beyond most people to even begin to comprehend a fraction of it. Any question i ever had about the concept or reality of what we call God is answered in the lines of these scriptures. I also felt after reading and studying The Bible and The Quran in depth that we truly already have all the answers to anything we wish to know, all the keys to happiness and ultimate knowledge but like these Nag Hammadi scriptures the ultimate truth has been hidden from us in a cave for centuries and not become a freely available part of our lives. It has been hidden, obscured and changed to suit the purposes of Rulers and Kings for centuries. For example; the Book of Esther is in The Bible but not one of the Nag Hammadi scriptures is. The question is.....why?
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars They did a good job on putting this together
    Reviewed in Germany on July 29, 2024
    I actually had visions about this book and its teachings. It's the most valuable book on my bookshelf and every page, makes me richer in knowledge. This book guides me to find the depths of truth and find a way to resurrect before I die, according to Jesus.