when he made an astonishing accidental archeological discovery in a cave near the base of the mountain Jabaal-Tārif, a mountain honeycombed with hundreds of caves used as grave sites for the last 4,500 years.
He had found a large red earthen wine jar containing the "Nag Hammadi" codices or the "Gnostic Gospels" the lost Gospels of Christ written on papyrus leaves. Thinking gold was in the jar he smashed it, only to find 13 books bound in leather.
He took them home, where his mother "Umm-Ahmad" proceeded to use the pages as kindling for her fire. She had burned a few pages before it was taken to an antiquities dealer in Cairo and sold on the black market.
What makes these manuscripts so special is they were the recorded words of Jesus, as told to Judas Thomas. The Gospel of Thomas is only one of fifty-two texts discovered. It is revealed that Jesus loved Mary Magdalene more than the 12 disciples. It goes on to describe the virgin birth, death and the resurrection of Jesus.
Also included in the discovery was the:
- Gospel of Philip
- Gospel of Truth
- Gospel of the Egyptians
- Secret Book of James
- Apocalypse of Paul
- Letter of Peter (to Philip)
- and the Apocalypse of Peter
The dates for these manuscripts is around 140 BC and tell the origin of mankind differently than that of Genesis. One such difference is Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The manuscripts were written from the view point of the snake where the serpent asks Adam and Eve to partake in a wee bit of knowledge, while the Lord threatens them with death, trying to keep them away from knowledge.
By the time Christianity became an official religion these manuscripts were banned as heresy by orthodox Christians for promoting blasphemy. So they were hidden. Once Christians were harassed by police, now they had become the police, so they made possession of any heretical books a criminal offence.
These early Christians that seeked knowledge are now called Gnostics, the ones that understand, eh?
These early Christians that seeked knowledge are now called Gnostics, the ones that understand, eh?
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