The Essential Gnostic Gospels: Including the Gospel of Thomas & the Gospel of Mary

by Alan Jacobs

Book Overview

In 1945 several secret gospels, hidden since the first century, were discovered in the Egyptian Desert at Nag Hammadi. They caused a sensation in the religious world as they revealed the mysteries of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1842932039
• ISBN13: 9781842932032
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Paul Watkins
• Length: 324 Pages
• Weight: 1.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Gnostics in Hand

The physical structure of the volume is ideal for reading, and the size of the print is proper for scholarship.

nice book

I bought this for my son for Christmas, and he loves the feel of the little book. The subject matter seems to be straightforward and clear, although I have only skimmed it. Some books are a tactile treat as well as an intellectual one.

Less is More

Alan Jacobs has made a life-long study of the subject of mysticism and the way in which it manifests throughout all religions and philosophies around the world. His latest offering is no exception and is a personal transliteration of the Gnostic Gospels, which form one of a series of Sacred Texts taken from around the globe, published by Watkins Publishing. In this volume, Jacobs includes The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, The Gospel of Philip, The Sophia of Jesus Christ and The Gospel of Truth, amongst others. Although he is true to the essence of the nondualist philosophy of the gospels, Jacobs adds his own poetic flavour by composing free verse in keeping with modern diction and linguistic style. Moreover, by presenting the gospels in an accessible and elegant format, their mystical message is all the powerful and moving. I highly recommend this literary gem, particularly as it is produced as a pocket book, one which can be slipped away somewhere and then read at leisure or on the move, as a reminder of our essential nature in the hubbub of our daily lives.

This book is an eye opener

When the Bible was rewritten in approximately 200 B.C., certain books were eliminated and supposidly destroyed. These were the lost chapters or the Gnostics. At the same time with delivery of this book, I received a catalog from The Great Courses. They had one item which questions: were the scriptures rewritten by creative writers. Ralph Waldo Emerson spoke out against religion as he saw it at that time, stating that it keeps all men and women in slavery. There are some of us who, thinking outside the box, are always seeking the truth. Whether this book will answer all of your questions remains to be seen, but it opens the reader to new and more provocative questions. It is, unfortunately, a difficult read.

Content/ Packaging

Been wanting this material for nearly 20 years and in this form it is the more easily picked up and put down as time allows. Excellent edition and extremely well-packed.