List of Gnostic texts

Gnosticism used a number of religious texts that are preserved, in part or whole, in ancient manuscripts, or lost but mentioned critically in Patristic writings. Prior to the discovery at Nag Hammadi, only the following texts were available to students of Gnosticism. Reconstructions were attempted from the records of the heresiologists, but these were necessarily coloured by the motivation behind the source accounts. Works preserved by the Church: Acts of Thomas (Especially Hymn of the Pearl or The Hymn of the Robe of Glory) The Acts of John (Especially The Hymn of Jesus) The Bruce Codex (purchased in 1769 by James Bruce): Books of Jeu, also known as The Gnosis of the Invisible God The Untitled Text The Askew Codex (British Museum, bought in 1784): Pistis Sophia: Books of the Savior The Berlin Codex or The Akhmim Codex (found in Akhmim, Egypt; bought in 1896 by Carl Reinhardt): Apocryphon of John an epitome of the Acts of Peter The Wisdom of Jesus Christ Unknown origin: The Secret Gospel of Mark The Hermetica Codex I (also known as The Jung Codex): The Prayer of the Apostle Paul The Apocryphon of James (also known as the Secret Book of James) The Gospel of Truth The Treatise on the Resurrection The Tripartite Tractate Codex II: The Apocryphon of John The Gospel of Thomas a sayings gospel The Gospel of Philip The Hypostasis of the Archons On the Origin of the World The Exegesis on the Soul The Book of Thomas the Contender Codex III: The Apocryphon of John The Gospel of the Egyptians Eugnostos the Blessed The Sophia of Jesus Christ The Dialogue of the Savior Codex IV: The Apocryphon of John The Gospel of the Egyptians Codex V: Eugnostos the Blessed The Apocalypse of Paul The First Apocalypse of James The Second Apocalypse of James The Apocalypse of Adam Codex VI: The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles (includes The Hymn of the Pearl) The Thunder, Perfect Mind Authoritative Teaching The Concept of Our Great Power Republic by Plato – The original is not Gnostic, but the Nag Hammadi library version is heavily modified with then-current Gnostic concepts.

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related concepts (9)

Dialogue of the Saviour

The Dialogue of the Saviour is a Gnostic Christian writing. It is the fifth tractate in Codex III of Nag Hammadi library. The only existing copy, written in Coptic, is fragmentary. Its final form was likely completed c. 150 AD. The textual style resembles other Gnostic dialogues between the Savior and the disciples, such as the Gospel of Thomas, but lacks a literary framework, has dramatic episodes interspersed, and includes eschatology. This style may be the result of a combination of "at least four different written sources.

Acts of Peter and the Twelve

The Acts of Peter and the Twelve or the Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles is a Christian text from about the 4th century. It is the first treatise in Codex VI of the Nag Hammadi library texts, taking up pages 1–12 of the codex's 78 pages. The writing extends the Parable of the Pearl from Matthew 13:45–46. In the text, Peter the Apostle meets a pearl merchant named Lithargoel, who is later revealed to be Jesus. Jesus commands the apostles to care for the poor. Before its discovery in Nag Hammadi, Egypt in 1945, the text was completely unknown.

Hypostasis of the Archons

The Hypostasis of the Archons, also called The Reality of the Rulers or The Nature of the Rulers, is a Gnostic writing. The only known surviving manuscript is in Coptic as the fourth tractate in Codex II of the Nag Hammadi library. It has some similarities with On the Origin of the World, which immediately follows it in the codex. The Coptic version is a translation of a Greek original, possibly written in Egypt in the third century AD. The text begins as an exegesis on Genesis 1–6 and concludes as a discourse explaining the nature of the world's evil authorities.