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A review by yawningtiger
The Gnostic Gospels: Including the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene by Vrej Nersessian, Alan Jacobs
4.0
Note: I received a copy of this book as part of the Goodreads giveaway.
If you want an in-depth study and analysis into the Gnostic Gospels, then this is not the book for you. However, if you want a nicely presented compiled edition of a sample of the Gnostic Gospels, then this is a good starting point with some key texts to help you understand the Gnostic religion and question and inform your own beliefs.
The Gnostic Gospels offer an interesting insight to anyone interested in religion, in particular Christianity, and offers an alternative and refreshing way of examining and questioning our knowledge of God, and how we should act if people are trying to live in the footsteps of Jesus i.e. by trying to promote an inclusive community.
This collection doesn't go into an in depth anaylsis on the Gnostic gospels, but it does provide you with an insight into their thinking, and can help you inform your own thinking. For example, ever wondered why we refer to God as male, despite the biblical teching that both women and men made in the image of God, could God be both male and female then? How does Jesus retain the mystery and awe of a spiritual being when embodied in human form? How did Jesus treat women? The New Testament offers brief insights on Jesus as treating women equally to men (the passage of Mary and Martha hosting a dinner is a good example of this), and the Gnostic Gospels helps provide insight more into Jesus' behaviour towards men and women through Gnostic beliefs. It is a shame that these were not uncovered at the time the Bible was compiled, as it would have been interesting to see how the New Testament would be interpreted in light of these readings (I've often thought that views on women in Christianity are outdated and/or misunderstood due to the way the canonical text was compiled, with many people confused or misunderstanding Paul's writings in the New Testament (scholars are split on whether he's a misogynist, or a feminist before his time!) and the Gnostic beliefs help to highlight this confusion of inclusivity in the Christian community), but it does make it an interesting read now.
Having not studied Greek or the original translation, I cannot attest to the accuracy of the text and translation. However, it is presented really beautifully with a brief introduction to get you started. The book is slightly smaller in height than a novel, which means it doesn't quite fit with the uniformity of my bookshelves, but it allows it to be transported around quite easily for those snippets you might like to read and contemplate upon (aside note: the height helps give it the aura of a 'secret book' that you might find hiding somewhere, so is quite fun when thought like that regarding the fact it is compiled of secret gospels).
If you want an in-depth study and analysis into the Gnostic Gospels, then this is not the book for you. However, if you want a nicely presented compiled edition of a sample of the Gnostic Gospels, then this is a good starting point with some key texts to help you understand the Gnostic religion and question and inform your own beliefs.
The Gnostic Gospels offer an interesting insight to anyone interested in religion, in particular Christianity, and offers an alternative and refreshing way of examining and questioning our knowledge of God, and how we should act if people are trying to live in the footsteps of Jesus i.e. by trying to promote an inclusive community.
This collection doesn't go into an in depth anaylsis on the Gnostic gospels, but it does provide you with an insight into their thinking, and can help you inform your own thinking. For example, ever wondered why we refer to God as male, despite the biblical teching that both women and men made in the image of God, could God be both male and female then? How does Jesus retain the mystery and awe of a spiritual being when embodied in human form? How did Jesus treat women? The New Testament offers brief insights on Jesus as treating women equally to men (the passage of Mary and Martha hosting a dinner is a good example of this), and the Gnostic Gospels helps provide insight more into Jesus' behaviour towards men and women through Gnostic beliefs. It is a shame that these were not uncovered at the time the Bible was compiled, as it would have been interesting to see how the New Testament would be interpreted in light of these readings (I've often thought that views on women in Christianity are outdated and/or misunderstood due to the way the canonical text was compiled, with many people confused or misunderstanding Paul's writings in the New Testament (scholars are split on whether he's a misogynist, or a feminist before his time!) and the Gnostic beliefs help to highlight this confusion of inclusivity in the Christian community), but it does make it an interesting read now.
Having not studied Greek or the original translation, I cannot attest to the accuracy of the text and translation. However, it is presented really beautifully with a brief introduction to get you started. The book is slightly smaller in height than a novel, which means it doesn't quite fit with the uniformity of my bookshelves, but it allows it to be transported around quite easily for those snippets you might like to read and contemplate upon (aside note: the height helps give it the aura of a 'secret book' that you might find hiding somewhere, so is quite fun when thought like that regarding the fact it is compiled of secret gospels).