Due to its superior numerical notational system, popularity, academic acceptance, and comprehensiveness “The Nag Hammadi Library” by James M. Robinson is a must for every researcher of these texts. As one of the editors of the cross references for “The Comprehensive New Testament,” I greatly appreciated the superior numerical notational system created by Robinson’s team.
The NHL consists of complete and fragmentary parts of thirteen codices in Coptic. Originally composed prior to C.E. 400, the Nag Hammadi Library was discovered in 1945 buried in a large jar outside the Egyptian city of Nag Hammadi. The Nag Hammadi Library (NHL) is the single largest source of the writings of those Gnostics who are referred to in 1Timothy 6:20-21 and Irenaeus’ “Against Heresies.” In addition to such texts as the gospel of Thomas, the NHL also contains texts from other traditions including hermetic texts and portions of Plato’s republic.
The works in the Nag Hammadi Library explore topics such as the Word or Logos, the Christ, Jesus, the Incarnation, the Son of God, and the Virgin Birth. A comparison of the portions of the NHL text concerning the Logos and the description of the Logos in the first chapter of the Gospel of John leads to the interesting question – which came first? Did John compose his description of the Logos as counter polemic to heretical Gnostic texts as some traditional sources seem to imply or is the opposite true?
The tracts that I found to be of the most interest for researching alternative opinions on more orthodox gnosis were: A Valentinian Exposition, Gospel of Philip, Hypostasis of the Archons, Trimorphic Protennoia, Tripartite Tractate. These tracts gave good indication that while they didn’t have the answer they at least knew what was being discussed and debated. Or to put it figuratively, while they didn’t have the key they at least knew the location of the lock that they were trying to pick. From that standpoint, these tracts to some degree agree with the Pharisees, the Qumran Sect, and Christians concerning the location of the “lock.” However their proposed method of opening the “lock” by using information that has been secretly handed down, rhetorical analysis, and/or without the need for the Holy Spirit is more akin to that of the advocated by the Pharisees. Whereas the Qumran Sect and Christianity maintain that the “lock” can’t be opened by anyone who is not inspired by the Holy Spirit.
The NHL is not a book for the novice. It is helpful if a person first has a thorough understanding of the debate between the Pharisees and their oral Torah and the Qumran Sect and its hidden or nistar torah (see Exodus 34:33-35) and the implications of this debate in Christianity with regard to 1Corinthians 2:7-16, 2Corinthians 3:12-4:6, Hebrews 8:5, Luke 24:44-46, John 5:46.
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1 comments:
Agreed. This is no book for the novice, and very difficult to comprehend, even for a person relatively familiar with other works of the early Christian era.
Had I not paired my study of the texts with Elaine Pagel's "The Gnostic Gospels," I would have been utterly lost.
Still, I believe it behooves every serious Christian to be at least somewhat familiar with the challenges that Christianity has faced during its history -- and Gnosticism was one of them.
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