Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time The Gnostic Gospels is a landmark study of the long-buried roots of Christianity, a work of luminous scholarship and wide popular appeal. First published in 1979 to critical acclaim, winning the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, The Gnostic Gospels has continued to grow in reputation and influence over the past two decades. It is now widely recognized as one of the most brilliant and accessible histories of early Christian spirituality published in our time. In 1945 an Egyptian peasant unearthed what proved to be the Gnostic Gospels, thirteen papyrus volumes that expounded a radically different view of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ from that of the New Testament. In this spellbinding book, renowned religious scholar Elaine Pagels elucidates the mysteries and meanings of these sacred texts both in the world of the first Christians and in the context of Christianity today. With insight and passion, Pagels explores a remarkable range of recently discovered gospels, including the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, to show how a variety of “Christianities” emerged at a time of extraordinary spiritual upheaval. Some Christians questioned the need for clergy and church doctrine, and taught that the divine could be discovered through spiritual search. Many others, like Buddhists and Hindus, sought enlightenment—and access to God—within. Such explorations raised questions: Was the resurrection to be understood symbolically and not literally? Was God to be envisioned only in masculine form, or feminine as well? Was martyrdom a necessary—or worthy—expression of faith? These early Christians dared to ask questions that orthodox Christians later suppressed—and their explorations led to profoundly different visions of Jesus and his message. Brilliant, provocative, and stunning in its implications, The Gnostic Gospels is a radical, eloquent reconsideration of the origins of the Christian faith.

In December 1945, two Egyptian fellahin, digging for natural fertilizer in the Nile River valley unearthed a sealed storage jar. The jar proved to hold treasure of an unexpected sort: a collection of some fifty-two ancient manuscripts, most of which reflect the teachings of a mystical religious movement we call Gnosticism (from the Greek word gnosis, "knowledge"). The texts are also, with few exceptions, Christian documents, and thus they provide us with valuable new information about the character of the early church, and about the Gnostic Christians within the church. In this volume, Marvin W. Meyer has produced a new English translation for general readers of four of the most important and revealing of these early Christian texts -- the Secret Book of James, the Gospel of Thomas, the Book of Thomas, and the Secret Book of John.

Why Were the Teachings of the Original Christians Brutally Suppressed by the Roman Church? • Because they portray Jesus and Mary Magdalene as mythic figures based on the Pagan Godman and Goddess • Because they show that the gospel story is a spiritual allegory encapsulating a profound philosophy that leads to mythical enlightenment • Because they have the power to turn the world inside out and transform life into an exploration of consciousness Drawing on modern scholarship, the authors of the international bestseller The Jesus Mysteries decode the secret teachings of the original Christians for the first time in almost two millennia and theorize about who the original Christians really were and what they actually taught. In addition, the book explores the many myths of Jesus and the Goddess and unlocks the lost secret teachings of Christian mysticism, which promise happiness and immortality to those who attain the state of Gnosis, or enlightenment. This daring and controversial book recovers the ancient wisdom of the original Christians and demonstrates its relevance to us today.

The author of Conspiracy Theory in America presents a radical new view of the person of Jesus and the message of social reform underlying his teachings. Based on the premise that Jesus could not speak his thoughts openly without running afoul of the authorities, political philosopher Lance deHaven-Smith demonstrates how Jesus sought to dismantle worldly systems of command and status and replace them with a society governed by a spirit of holiness. The Hidden Teachings of Jesus also explores how Jesus’ prophecies are being fulfilled in the modern era. Huge systems of power, privilege, and acquisition have arisen, but so too has a global public opinion which bristles at oppression and demands love and respect for every living thing. In this work, Lance deHaven-Smith points to a spirit of holiness emerging worldwide to dismantle power and status in abusive families, autocratic corporations, tyrannical governments, and many other areas of life. This spirit, he suggests, can bring about the real kingdom of God, the divine order Jesus urged his followers to establish here on earth.

Happiness. It's what we all long for, what all human beings seek in our jobs, our relationships, our activities. We try so hard to be happy, and all too often we end up empty and unsatisfied. Why? Because, says Billy Graham in this classic work, we are looking for happiness in all the wrong places. We haven't learned the secret Jesus taught in the Beatitudes – that true, lasting happiness simply isn't to be found by seeking it directly. Happiness is a by-product, a bonus that comes when we seek what is really important. And the things that will bring us the satisfaction we long for are not necessarily what the world considers meaningful. Jesus did not have to have an outward stimulus to make Him happy, Billy Graham points out. "He had learned a secret that allowed Him to live above the circumstances of life and fear of the future. He moved with calmness, certainty, and serenity through the most trying circumstances – even death! What was His secret? He gave it to us in the Beautitudes." Presented with Billy Graham's characteristic vigor and simplicity in this landmark book, it is a secret that can transform your life.