The gnostic Gospels

Introduction. 1 The controversy over Christ's resurrection -- historical event or symbol?. 2 "One god, one bishop" -- the politics of monotheism. 3 God the father/God the mother. 4 The passion of Christ and the persecution of Christians. 5 Whose church is the "true church"?. 6 Gnosis -- self-knowledge as knowledge of God. Conclusion

'Some thirty years ago, near Nag Hammadi in the upper Egyptian desert, an Arab peasant made an astonishing discovery. What he found, buried in an ancient earthenware jar, were fifty-two papyrus texts, including gospels and other secret writings, some dating from the beginning of the Christian era--the period when the New Testament gospels themselves were written...This book by Professor Pagels...is the first account written by a scholar for the general reader about these profoundly revealing documents.'

Hardcover