Hermetic Texts of the Nag Hammadi Library

The Nag Hammadi library is a collection of early Christian gnostic texts discovered near the Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945. Contained in 13 leather-bound papyrus books, or "codices," buried in a sealed jar, the find is considered the most important archaeological discovery in the modern period relating to the history of early Christianity.

The Nag Hammadi writings comprise 52 mostly gnostic gospels, apocalypses, and esoteric treatises. They also include three monastic works belonging to the Corpus Hermeticum and a partial translation of Plato's Republic. The codices are believed to be a "library," or collection, hidden by monks from the nearby monastery of Saint Pachomius after the possession of such banned writings became a serious offense. The zeal of the powerful fourth-century bishop Patriarch Athanasius of Alexandria in suppressing heretical writings is likely to have motivated the hiding of such dangerous literature. Another factor may have been the Theodosian decrees of the 390s, which significantly strengthened the legal authority of orthodoxy.

Because of the success of the mainstream church in destroying heretical works, many of the books discovered at Nag Hammadi had previously been known only by references to them in the works of orthodox writers, who condemned them. The most well-known of these works is the Gospel of Thomas, of which the Nag Hammadi codices contain the only complete text. It is considered by many scholars to be quite early, only semi-gnostic in character, and was apparently widely read in certain Christian communities. Another Nag Hammadi book—the Gospel of Philip—figured prominently in the popular novel and movie The DaVinci Code because of its teaching of a special relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

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