Gnostic apocrypha

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 51. Chapters: Apocryphal collections of logia, Cainite texts, Gnostic Gospels, Mandaean texts, Manichaean texts, Sethian texts, Gospel of Thomas, The Sophia of Jesus Christ, Gospel of Judas, Secret Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Mary, Gospel of Philip, The Secret Gospel of Mark and the Synoptic Problem, Nag Hammadi library, Gospel of Truth, Mar Saba letter, Apocryphon of John, Infancy Gospel of Thomas, Pistis Sophia, List of Gospels, Gospel of Marcion, Treatise on the Resurrection, Codex Tchacos, Gnostic texts, Ginza Rba, Second Treatise of the Great Seth, Unknown Berlin Gospel, Cologne Mani-Codex, Berlin Codex, Trimorphic Protennoia, Sentences of Sextus, Gospel of Mani, Ophite Diagrams, Ogias the Giant, Dialogue of the Saviour, Papyrus Oxyrhynchus L 3525, Testimony of Truth, Thought of Norea, Apocalypse of Adam, Papyrus Rylands 463, Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit, Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter, Paraphrase of Shem, Shabuhragan, Psalms of Thomas, Prayer of the Apostle Paul, Coptic Apocalypse of Paul, Books of Jeu, On the Origin of the World, Descent of Mary, Fundamental Epistle, Three Steles of Seth, Maecenas Foundation, Allogenes, Marsanes, Arzhang, Zostrianos, Tripartite Tractate, Gospel of Basilides, Askew Codex, Jung Codex, Qolusta. Excerpt: The Gospel According to Thomas, commonly shortened to the Gospel of Thomas, is a well preserved early Christian, non-canonical sayings-gospel discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945, in one of a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library. The Gospel of Thomas was found among a collection of fifty-two writings that included, in addition to an excerpt from Plato's Republic, gospels claiming to have been written by Jesus' disciple Philip. Scholars have speculated that the works were buried in response to a letter from the bishop Athanasius who for the first time declared a strict canon of Christian scripture. The Coptic language text, the second of seven contained in what modern-day scholars have designated as Codex II, is composed of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus. Almost half of these sayings resemble those found in the Canonical Gospels, while the other sayings were previously unknown. Its place of origin may have been Syria, where Thomasine traditions were strong. The introduction states: These are the hidden words that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas wrote them down. Didymus (Greek) and Thomas (Aramaic) both mean "twin". Some critical scholars suspect that this reference to the Apostle Thomas is false, and that therefore the true author is unknown. It is possible that the document originated within a school of early Christians, possibly proto-Gnostics Some critics further claim, that even the description of Thomas as a "gnostic" gospel is based upon little other than the fact that it was found along with gnostic texts at Nag Hammadi. The name of Thomas was also attached to the Book of Thomas the Contender, which was also in Nag Hammadi Codex II, and the Acts of Thomas. It is important to note, however, that while the Gospel of Thomas does not directly point to Jesus' divinity, it also does not directly contradict it, and therefore neither supports nor contradicts gnostic beliefs. When asked his identity in the Gospel of Thomas, J