I don't think there is much controversy regarding the existence and
authenticity of the Nag Hammadi library, or that the documents it
contains are representative of Gnostic thought at the time they were
written. But I don't think the finding of the books has radically
changed scholarly understanding of Gnosticism or its relation to early
Christianity. Many sources for scholarly understanding of Gnosticism
existed prior to the discovery of Nag Hammadi (see Hans Jonas'
discussion of the relation of these sources to the Nag Hammadi texts in
"The Gnostic Religion," Beacon Press, 1958). That this is true is
underscored by Elaine Pagels' regard for the Jonas book as a "classic
introduction" to Gnosticism even though it was written before the Nag
Hammadi texts were discovered (the second edition, referred to above,
does discuss the texts however).
Orthodox Christians still regard Gnosticism as a Christian heresy. My
sense is that non-Christians (especially those of the agnostic variety)
are often more sympathetic to Gnostic thought than to Orthodox Christian
thought, because Gnosticism appeals to the common sense notion that
great cosmic truths (assuming they exist) are obviously well hidden and,
if they are know to men, have been passed on as well-kept secrets.
Historically Gnosticism represented the major dissenting view on the
dogma of Christ's bodily resurrection, and I think the mere fact of this
dissent makes it attractive to many moderns soured on Christianity.
Omar Kusturica wrote:
I realize that some here are busy studying Ayatollah Khomeini's instructions on masturbation, but I have a question for those with less practical interests. What is the current Christian and/or scholarly opinion on the so-called Gnostic scriptures found in the so-called Nag Hammadi Library ?
http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl.html
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