Nag Hammadi Library
Thirteen Coptic codices of Gnostic and other writings — the 'other side' of early Christian debates
Found 1945 — Muhammad Ali al-Samman, a local farmer digging for fertiliser near Jabal al-Tarif; acquired by the Coptic Museum with help of Jean Doresse and others (1946–1952)
Where Jabal al-Tarif, near Nag Hammadi (Egypt)
Dates from codices 4th century CE; texts 2nd–3rd century · Late Roman · Context for warnings about false teaching (Colossians, 1 John, Jude)
Now at Coptic Museum, Cairo
How Nag Hammadi Library was found
A sealed jar containing thirteen leather-bound papyrus books was found at the foot of the cliffs. Some leaves were burned for fuel before the rest reached Cairo; one codex passed through Zurich (the Jung Codex) before returning.
What it is
Twelve codices and part of a thirteenth, over 1,100 pages in Coptic, holding 52 texts including the Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Philip, Gospel of Truth, Apocryphon of John, and a piece of Plato's Republic. Dated waste paper in the bindings puts the books in the mid-4th century.
Why it matters for the Bible
The New Testament letters warn against teachers who denied that Messiah came in the flesh or who claimed secret knowledge (gnosis). Before 1945 these groups were known mostly through their opponents. Nag Hammadi lets readers hear them directly and see how far they stood from the apostolic writings. It is context, not Scripture, and it shows why the early assemblies fixed a canon.
The Hebrew word: DAH-aht
דַּעַת
דַּעַת is pronounced DAH-aht and means knowledge (Greek gnosis), the 'knowledge falsely so called' of 1 Timothy 6:20 (Strong's H1847 / G1108).
People this discovery connects to
- John — יוֹחָנָן (yo-chah-NAHN) — YHVH is gracious
Events
Rise of Gnostic teaching in the 2nd century · Canon formation in the 4th century
Nag Hammadi Library in Scripture
1 Timothy 6:20 'Knowledge (gnosis) falsely so called' — the movement whose books were found here.
1 John 4:2-3 Testing spirits by whether Messiah came in the flesh, against teaching like that in Nag Hammadi.
Colossians 2:8 Warning against 'philosophy and empty deceit' with a Gnostic flavour.
Questions people ask
What is Nag Hammadi Library?
Twelve codices and part of a thirteenth, over 1,100 pages in Coptic, holding 52 texts including the Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Philip, Gospel of Truth, Apocryphon of John, and a piece of Plato's Republic. Dated waste paper in the bindings puts the books in the mid-4th century.
When was Nag Hammadi Library discovered?
It was found in 1945 by Muhammad Ali al-Samman, a local farmer digging for fertiliser near Jabal al-Tarif; acquired by the Coptic Museum with help of Jean Doresse and others (1946–1952), at Jabal al-Tarif, near Nag Hammadi.
Where is Nag Hammadi Library today?
Coptic Museum, Cairo.
Which Bible verses does Nag Hammadi Library relate to?
1 Timothy 6:20, 1 John 4:2-3, Colossians 2:8.
Related discoveries
- אֱמֶתPapyrus P52 (Rylands Greek 457)The earliest surviving scrap of the New Testament — John 18 on a card-sized fragment
- בְּשׂוֹרָהBodmer Papyri P66 and P75Near-complete early codices of John, and of Luke with John, from a Christian library in Upper Egypt
- פּוֹשֵׁרLaodicea: Lukewarm Water and the Early ChurchCalcified pipes, the Hierapolis hot springs, and a 4th-century church in the city that was 'neither hot nor cold'
- הִתְגַּלּוּתPatmos and the Cave of the ApocalypseThe exile island of Revelation and its traditional grotto of vision
- אֱלִילִיםRed Basilica (Temple of the Egyptian Gods), PergamonHadrian's giant brick temple to Serapis and Isis, later a church of St John
- מֹרAgora of Smyrna and the Basilica GraffitiThe civic centre of a church of Revelation, with the world's largest set of ancient Greek wall graffiti
Sources
- J. M. Robinson (ed.), The Nag Hammadi Library in English (3rd ed., 1988)
- Claremont Colleges Digital Library, Nag Hammadi Archive
- Wikipedia, "Nag Hammadi library"