Rating: 
Summary: Meyer's gospel of thomas
Review: I have not actually read Meyer's work cover to cover, yet I have read exerpts and passages for research. I actually bought the complete Nag Hammadi works, for this is a massive collection of early gnostic material. I actually work in classical studies, but I find this Near Eastern religious activity of the 1st century BC to 3rd century AD quite fascinating. It has been suggested by other reviews on this site that the gnostic scriptures are mindless nonsense and they do not carry the weight of the traditional gospels. I suppose they would not like to hear that the gospel of John was actually a gnostic gospel. It was adopted by orthodoxy and then edited to fit its political/theological agenda. Anyone able to read Greek can see that heavy editing took place in the text of John. True Christians should not be daunted by this fact, for the original idea of Christianity was a subjective spiritual relationship with God through the Christ. Scripture was an element preserved and coveted by a later church. The earliest manuscripts we have concerning the New Testament as we know it are papyri dating back to 3rd century that contain some of Paul's letters. The earliest complete work of the New Testament dates to 4th century with the Sinaian Uncial Script. This would account for the 90,000-100,000 variations in the content of the New Testament. So don't be to quick to throw away the spiritual significance of these gnostic texts. They are reflective of the new movement of spiritual thought. To better understand the gnostic mind I recomment those to read The Gnostic Religion, by Hans Jonas. Jonas is a German Scholar (which Germans tend to be the best scholars in this field due to their diligent research).
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I read this book in anticipation of learning something new about the early Christians and the teachings of Jesus Christ. All I found were bits and pieces of familiar quotes. Any reader interested in learning something heretofore unpublished about the teachings of Christ might as well consult their favorite Bible and leave this work on the shelf.
Rating: 
Summary: About As Good As It Gets
Review: I'd like to start by talking to some previous reviewers; I can understand (somewhat) why a lot of us are reluctant to give this book a listen I suppose. Down in Texas it seems we have a "Professor of Religion" or something, knowing more than this author about the books of the Bible. But it's all relative my friend from Texas, for it all depends on which denomination of Christianity you practice. These texts have been declared heretical, a denotation which refers to Satan. It's difficult for Christians to embrace the so called "pluralism" present here or, better yet, to open up to the religions of others. The Gnostic Gospels were more aimed at finding God within, and not by pointing some compass outward to the sky.Now the one criticism I have of this particular book is that the commentary provided is somewhat cryptic and ambiguous; but I cut him some slack for that, it's a tough text to absorb. The translation is fairly concise, with some forgivable and hardly noticeable POSSIBLE mistranslations. All in all, as another reviewer said, it's a great book for those "casually interested" in the Gnostic Gospels; but I'll also take it a step further: It's for absolutely everyone. Enjoy it.
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Summary: gimme a break
Review: i'll take UNTOUCHED writings from the 2nd century over DECEPTIVELY REWRITTEN 1st century gospel anyday. our friend, the reader from chicago, should take note: your bible does NOT tell the story of jesus as it occurred, only as the church has spent 2,000 perfecting it for its own ends. to our other friends, the gnostic gospels shed an excellent light on jesus and the feelings of the day about him and his disciples and, especially, jesus' feelings about mary magdalene.
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Summary: Early Christian beliefs as revealed by the Gnostic Gospels
Review: In 1945 a couple of Egyptians digging in the Nile River valley found a sealed storage jar that contained a collection of fifty-two ancient manuscripts, most of which were devoted to the teachings of Gnosticism, early Christians who believed that matter is evil and that emancipation comes through "gnosis" (the Greek word for "knowledge"). The Gnostic inner quest for spiritual understanding put them at odds with the authority of the Church in the first, formative centuries of Christianity. It is not surprising that the Gnostic writings were suppressed by the early Church and were really only known to us through the writings of their opponents. The discovery of these manuscripts allows us to read what these early Christians were thinking and to judge for ourselves the value of their beliefs. Marvin W. Meyer provides new English translations 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. The Gospel of Thomas includes dozens of sayings of Jesus, such as Saying 75: "I am the light that is over all things. I am all: all came forth from me, and all attained to me. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Pick up a stone, and you will find me there." The Secret Book of John talks about the four principle demons of pleasure, desire, grief and fear. These are only two choice examples, but I think they provide an indication of what you will find in these writings. Meyer also includes detailed notes that offer specific textual comparisons between the Gnostic writings and the Gospels. These are primary documents from early Christians and should be appreciated as such. Whether in the end you consider these teachings to be sadly "lost" or rightfully "abandoned," they will definitely get you to thinking about what people believe and why. "The Secret Teachings of Jesus" is (are?) well worth reading. Final note: The cover art is of a mosaic of Christ in Glory from the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. So often book covers add nothing to the value of the book, but this is a beautiful and totally appropriate work of art for this book.
Rating:
Summary: Good book but BEWARE
Review: In a nutshell, here is the insight from this book: Gnostic believers felt (and presumably still feel) that a relationship with God is a personal matter and that attainment of a better self is possible and something for which to strive. Gnosticism is accused of heresy because it presumes to assume that, as beings infused with the spark of God, we have in us the power to become God-like. Christian Orthodoxy ("straight-minded" Christianity) believes that you *need* the Church to understand and communicate with God and that you can never hope to evolve beyond the simple worship of God and Jesus Christ. The underlying point that is communicated is that the Church used this premise to establish a political monopoly on the path to God. The numerous examples in this book highlight these two different viewpoints using manuscripts unearthed nearly 60 years ago. It is interesting because those manuscripts, when combined with the political rhetoric of early Church hierarchy, give a unique insight into the political background of the early church. This book is interesting; even its opponents will give it that. Also, the author does a good job of presenting the data rather than her own opinion. The warning, however, is that you should be careful to check your prejudices (literally: pre-judgments). If you are an ardent and dedicated Christian, you will likely find this work offensive and inaccurate. If you are a dedicated atheist or agnostic, your tendency to blow this book out of proportion. I would have given 5 stars but the book has a tendency to ramble without direction at times.
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Summary: Politically Incorrect
Review: In is his introduction on page xxi, dr Meyers writes, " Thus, I use where possible, non-sexist terms and phrases. By doing so, not only the child (he) erroneous misinterpret the text. You would expect find this kind of blatant error from a fourth grader but from a person who hold is a doctorates in unthinkable. By being politically incorrect the child's (his) translation of the four Gnostic Gospels becomes invalid, inaccurate, unreliable and very confusion. You are constantly looking back to the introduction to find what word he substituted. For example, he is uses child instead of the he and Son of Humanity instead of Son of Man. If Jesus wanted to uses Son of Humanity he would have used it. Also, the term Son of Man in the Jew culture has a specific meaning and Jesus purposely used Son of Man to make a point. If only Dr. Meyers would do his research instead of letting is insecurities dictate how he translate the gospels. I would not recommend anyone to buy this book. I am going to return mine for a full refund.
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Summary: "misleading inspired utterances"!
Review: In the first century, and now, many are not content with what Jesus actually taught, so they go there own way. Some flee to the unScriptural traditions of the Church, some to atheism, others to mystic foolishness like this. If one actually believes in Jesus, and cherishes what they said, then that one will find these texts horribly offensive. If you want to do your own thing, do your own thing. If you want to come to Jesus, come to JESUS! THE REAL Jesus!
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Summary: There are no "Secret (i.e., Gnostic) Teachings of Jesus"
Review: It is true that Gnosticism has been around since the time of early Christianity. But the true Church/Christians, i.e., real born again believers in the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ have always rejected the false teaching of Gnosticism and will continue to reject Gnosticism. It is oxymoronic for one to claim that he or she is a Gnostic Christian because Biblical Christianity and Gnosticism are diametrically opposed to one another. You are either Christian or Gnostic, you cannot be both at the same time. Therefore, the so called "early Christian Gnostics" were nothing more than heretics that have there counterpart in today's world as well. Today's contemporary Gnostics also claim to be receiving extra-Biblical (special) revelations from God that continue to contradict the true sixty-six books of true Holy Scripture. The following is God's own exhortation to His true children: "For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers...Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, ( i.e., apocryphal/gnostic writings) and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. (Titus 1: 10a, 13b,c, 14) Instead of reading The Secret Teachings of Jesus: Four Gnostic Gospels or any other Gnostic writings, I highly recommend reading God's true and preserved Word, the Authorized (King James) Version Bible to find out how you can receive the gift of eternal life by putting your faith in God our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. If you need a Bible, [Amazon.com] books has a good selection of trustworthy Authorized (King James) Version Bibles to choose from that are published by Cambridge University Press.
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Summary: A Message for Mr. Swinford
Review: Mr. Swinford I am sorry to have to say this but you are incorrect on the number of books that are in the bible. There are actual 73 books that were canonized by the early church. After the reformation, started by a dissenter named Martin Luther, the Protestant Churches removed (yes, removed) 7 books from the canonized Old Testament and portions of Daniel and Esther, because 1000 years after the Bible was canonized the Protestant religions decided those books, and portions, were not inspired. My question is how can a religious group (that would be ALL the Protestant denominations) be able to define what is inspired and what is not inspired 1500 years later? A good book to read on the history of the Bible is 'Where We Got the Bible' by The Right Rev. Henry G. Graham. ISBN: 0895551373 PS, The seven books that were removed from the Bible are Wisdom, Sirach, Judith, Baruch, Tobit, and 1 & 2 Maccabees. Also the Old Testament Bible that is popularly used today is the same Old Testament that the Jews use now; the same Judaism that rejected Jesus and his teachings. You can find these books, in their proper order, in any Catholic Bible; but the preferred one is the Douay-Rheims Bible. You can find it at www.tanbooks.com. If you look at the original King James First Edition you will see that it contains all 73 books as well. May you except the Graces of God, and be lead to the Holy Kingdom of Heaven.
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