The Gnostic Gospels: Including the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene (Sacred Texts) Hardcover – November 15, 2016

From a poetic perspective I was highly entertained. I can see though why it was not included in the Canon and I don't think it's conspiracy or desire to suppress. I think you will see too as there are certainly much more heretical writings out there. In my opinion its the spacey aspect of the Gnostics, like they'd been smoking the burning bush if you know what I mean.It starts off strong with the idea that God lives within us and to find him in yourself you need to eliminate sin, particularly sins of the flesh, and turn your focus inward so the real you can awaken! This sounds great and I think most Christian denominations would love that. But it takes a HUGE u-turn when they start talking about cosmology, matter, energy, celestial beings with different names. It becomes apparent that the initial philosophy was logic based and then some strong emotional influence came in with an abstract set of beliefs not really rooted in anything you can discern for yourself but arbitrary deities and entities like in all the other religions of that time. THis aspect of the gnostics has a very polytheistic feel to it beyond dualism. It doesn't feel like the same message in my opinion. I'm hoping the Cathars don't devolve into the same "spacey" poetry as that seems to be my next stop in the forbidden Christian sects. God bless

So, here's the thing. Those of us that were conditioned by the Guardians of the Politically Correct Education System in an attempt to keep any of us from thinking for ourselves probably shouldn't read this book. Books like this that try to get us to realize that we have been lied to for the past 2,000 years or so about the true message of Jesus should be on every Loyalist's To Burn List. We have been taught a fabricated history by the winners of past Religious and Political Wars. The winners to date unfortunately tend to be those willing to do anything for their own vested interests. I will kill you in the name of the God of Love if you don't cowtow to the World System. The Gnostic Gospels are not a part of the Constantine Canon nor the King James Version of doctored historical fact. The Gnostic Gospels are Taboo according to the Mainstream Agenda. The separation of Church and State has been greatly exagerated for both are in the Control Business.The mainstream New Testament is a story primarily written by a Roman Jew, the self-appointed Apostle Paul. Someone that did not even know Jesus. Someone that believed in the inferiority of women and other forms of slavery as well. Someone that had a clever idea but not a true Gnostic Experience on the Road to Damascus. On the Road to kill some true Gnostic Christians Saul of Tarsus, also known as the Apostle Paul, had a vision of how to do even more harm to the Liberation Movement started by Jesus than just a few more beheadings. A Roman Jew with a very high status within what Jesus himself called the Synagogue of Satan became the Apostle to the Gentiles. The rest is history my friend. Not the history of Jesus, but the history of Saul of Tarsus.If you really want to know the truth then the Gnostic Gospels is a good place to start. More lies about the Gnostics have been told about them than any other Denomination. The Demonized Denomination is not the Denomination of Demons but the one and only true Denomination of Truth. A truth not revealied through words but through a direct expereince of the presence of God within one's own heart. For Jesus taught the masses through parables and myths for they have eyes but they cannot see and ears but they cannot hear. To his closest disciples, followers, he taught with words something that was beyond words. He taught about a way of knowing more real than words can express. A way of coming into the direct presence of God not through this or that but within one's own heart. The keys to the Kingdom of Heaven are found within. This is the true Gnostic Experience. Any doctrine that is not about this greatest of all love stories first and foremost is the true heresy in all its many forms and story lines. There is only one true Chuch of God. The Church of the Great Within. The Church of an inner experience greater than any and all outer experiences. A Church that is open to anyone and everyone from every time and place. The Church of Love. For as the true Apostle John noted, "God is love"! Any other God is a false god. A Loving God wants us to know the Truth.The message of Jesus was and is not about what one should or should not believe, but about what one should know. The Truth. And the only way to know the Truth is to experience the Truth for ourself. Directly, and not just through words. The Truth is greater than any fiction.

First off, the book is small but I think that's great. I love having smaller books as they are easier to carry around and when one starts accumulating numerous books, the smaller size does save on space. The text is spaced out and is very easy to read. I enjoy having different translations of these gospels, so this is a welcomed book. I did not see it listed anywhere, so here is a list of the gospels that are included in this collection:The Fable of the PearlThe Gospel of ThomasThe Gospel of Mary MagdaleneMelchizedekThe Gospel of PhilipPoimandresThe Apocalypse of the Great PowerThe Sophia of Jesus ChristHuman SufferingThe Gospel of TruthThe Greatest Human Evil is Forgetfulness of GodThe Secret Book According to St. John I, II & IIIThunderThe Gospel of JudasThe book just offers translations, no commentaries.HIGHLY recommended!

To make it clear, this book does not contain all others texts that would consider Gnostic or apocryphal , but rather just some famous text that represent Gnosticism. With that being said, I like this book for being compact and easy to read. And the text selection definitely represents the general idea of Gnostic idea of hidden knowledge in the dualistic world view. Given for what it is, it’s doing a good job and I can bring this book everywhere.My only complaint is about the shipping quality from Amazon, as they put this book along with other packages and without protection. I seen in the image, this lack of care lead to some bruises and scratches on the cover, which is a shame.

The dimensions of this book are rather small but that makes it easier to carry around too. At 274 pages, there's also quite a bit of content. The author Alan Jacobs has captured the essence of several key Gnostic texts from the Nag Hammadi discovery and presents them in beautifully executed prose. I felt a sense of connection and strange familiarity with the words.As I read each apocryphal book, I found myself reimagining the meanings of The Christ's teachings, abandoning all dogma and embracing the mind of a mystic. Anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Gnosticism, early Christianity, and/or Monotheistic Spirituality will find a real gem here.

Translation was terrific and the text was perfectly presented. For anyone who considers themselves spiritual or a Christian, this is a must read!

This book is very inspirational. I will be forwarding this to other people who are interested in reading this book.