The Laughing Savior: The Discovery and Significance of the Nag Hammadi Gnostic Library

by John Dart

The Laughing Savior is the first comprehensive exploration of the Nag Hammadi Gnostic Library, one of the most important collections of ancient texts ever discovered. The book examines the Gnostic writings and explains their key themes, including the existence of a divine laughter that is at the heart of creation and the human experience.

154 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

John Dart was an American religion journalist and editor, known for his long career at the Los Angeles Times and later as news editor of The Christian Century. He wrote extensively on New Testament research and religion reporting, earning numerous awards, including recognition from the American Academy of Religion. Dart authored and coauthored several influential books such as The Laughing Savior and Decoding Mark. He also contributed to advancing religion journalism through research and teaching, and was widely respected for his insightful, in-depth coverage of complex religious topics.

Reviews

[Salvatore Leone · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Dart's book, published in 1976, offers a good summary of what was known about the codices discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt soon after World War II. These were Gnostic writings buried for over a thousand years. This book describes the history of the codices and then offers a summation of important themes and ideas expressed in them. The author, a religion news reporter, writes the book for 'ordinary' people, not just those who are expert at these kinds of writings. Made for interesting reading.