The Gnostic Bible: Revised and Expanded Edition

Gnosticism was a wide-ranging religious movement of the first millennium CE — with earlier antecedents and later flourishings — whose adherents sought salvation through knowledge and personal religious experience. Gnostic writings offer striking perspectives on both early Christian and non-Christian thought. For example, some gnostic texts suggest that god should be celebrated as both mother and father, and that self-knowledge is the supreme path to the divine. Only in the past fifty years has it become clear how far the gnostic influence spread in ancient and medieval religions  —and what a marvelous body of scriptures it produced. The selections gathered here in poetic, readable translation represent Jewish, Christian, Hermetic, Mandaean, Manichaean, Islamic, and Cathar expressions of gnostic spirituality. Their regions of origin include Egypt, the Greco-Roman world, the Middle East, Syria, Iraq, China, and France. Also included are introductions, notes, an extensive glossary, and a wealth of suggestions for further reading.This expanded edition of "The Gnostic Bible" includes the Gospel of Judas — the recently discovered and translated gnostic text — in its most accessible translation yet. Also included are such important and topical texts as the Gospel of Mary Magdalene and the Gospel of Thomas. CONTENTS:AcknowledgementsGnosticism, Gnostics, and the Gnostic BibleLetting in the Light: Translating Holy Texts PART ONE: EARLY WISDOM GOSPELSIntroduction1. The Gospel of Thomas 2. The Gospel of John PART TWO: LITERATURE OF GNOSTIC WISDOMIntroduction3. The Book of Baruch SETHIAN LITERATURE4. The Secret Book of John5. The Reality of the Rulers6. The Revelation of Adam7. Three Forms of First Thought8. The Three Steles of Seth9. The Vision of the Foreigner10. The Sermon of Zostrianos11. The Baptismal Ceremony of theGospel of the Egyptians12. Thunder13. The Letter of Peter to Philip VALENTINIAN LITERATURE14. The Gospel of Truth15. The Gospel of Philip16. The Letter to Flora17. Commentary on the Gospel of John18. The Treatise on Resurrection.19. The Prayer of the Messenger Paul20. Valentinian Liturgical Readings21. The Secret Book of James22. The Round Dance of the Cross THOMAS AND OTHER SYRIAN LITERATURE23. The Songs of Solomon24. The Song of the Pearl25. The Book of Thomas ADDITIONAL LITERATURE ON GNOSTIC WISDOM26. The Exegesis of the Soul27. The Origin of the World28. The Paraphrase of Shem29. The Second Treatise of the Great Seth30. The Gospel of Mary31. The Nassene Sermon PART THREE: HERMETIC LITERATUREIntroduction32. Poimandres33. The Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth34. The Prayer of Thanksgiving PART FOUR: MANDAEAN LITERATUREIntroduction35. The Ginza36. Hibil's Lament from the Book of John37. Songs from the Mandaean Liturgy PART FIVE: MANICHAEAN LITERATUREIntroduction38. On the Origin of His Body39. The Story of the Death of Mani40. Kephalaia41. The Coptic Manichaean Songbook42. Parthian Songs43. The Great Song to Mani PART SIX: ISLAMIC MYSTICAL LITERATUREIntroduction44. The Mother of Books PART SEVEN: CATHAR LITERATUREIntroduction45. The Gospel of the Secret Supper46. The Book of the Two Principles47. A Nun's Sermon EPILOGUE: HISTORICAL MEDITATIONS ON THE INNER LIGHT OF GNOSISGLOSSARYBIBLIOGRAPHYFURTHER READINGSOURCES CITEDINDEX OF PROPER NAMES Willis Barnstone (1927-Present), was born in Lewiston, Maine, and educated at Bowdoin, Columbia, the Sorbonne, and Yale. He taught in Greece at the end of the civil war (1949-51), and in Buenos Aires during the Dirty War. During the Cultural Revolution he went to China where he was later a Fulbright Professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University (1984-85). Former O'Connor Professor of Greek at Colgate University, he is Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature and Spanish at Indiana University. Marvin Meyer PhD (1948-2012), was Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies in the Department of Religious Studies at Chapman University in Orange, California. His books include The Gospel of Thomas and, with James Robinson, The Nag Hammadi Scriptures.