The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Gnostic Gospels

by J. Michael Matkin

The birth of the Christian Church—and what it means for modern religion and philosophy. This engaging guide presents an accessible overview of the birth of the Christian church, using the historical works found at the famous Nag Hammadi site in Egypt. With chapters discussing each of the major and minor documents found at Nag Hammadi, this volume also includes an overview of Gnosticism and the major players, revealing not only what the texts say, but also what they mean.
-Renewed interest in Gnosticism and the Gnostic gospels is driven by interest in the Nag Hammadi documents, The DaVinci Code , the Matrix movies, the Kabbalah, renewed interest in the divine feminine ideal, and the fact that many who’ve left the Church are looking for new answers in the early church
-Author is a scholar and expert who’s studied with some of the top people in the field

Genres: Religion, Gnosticism, Reference

336 pages, Paperback

First published August 26, 2005

Reviews

[Zack]

Cute.

[Kathy]

The book satisfied my curiousity about the gnostic gospels. I've tried Elaine Pagels the original "authority" but she just confused me. Matkin starts with the history and explains the climate of the early Church, particularly in the second century, when the gnostics flourished. I read 2/3 of it and then skimmed the rest because as he gets into the minor books, it things get heavy - like trying to understand Revelations. At the end he explains the hoax which was the basis for the Divinci Code. The book leaves me feeling encouraged that yet today there is more than one way to interpret and follow Jesus's teachings, none more historically accurate than another.

[Deena Scintilla]

Slow read so I must be more than an "idiot" but it's interesting.
Update: Very interesting but read very much like a textbook. I've often wondered why some books made it into the Bible and others did not.

[Carla]

This book was informative yet it really read like a text book- I found some interesting "stuff" in it however, it was a boring read mostly.

[Stephanie]

This book was extremely informative. I feel well educated about Gnosticism now.

[María Cevallos]

Great starter book and simple explanation to such a complex subject.