The Ancient Mysteries. Marvin W. Meyer

The Ancient Mysteries. Marvin W. Meyer

I'm enjoying "The Ancient Mysteries" edited by Marvin W. Meyer.


Zeus and the other gods of shining Olympus were in reality divine only by popular consent. Over the course of time Olympian luster diminished in favor of religious experiences more immediate to the concerns of people living in an increasingly cosmopolitan ancient world. These experiences were provided by the mysteries, religions that flourished particularly during the Hellenistic period and were secretly practiced by groups of adherents who decided, through personal choice, to be initiated into the profound realities of one deity or another. Unlike the official state religions, in which people were expected to make an outward show of allegiance to the local gods, the mysteries emphasized an inwardness and privacy of worship within a closed band of initiates.
In this book, Marvin W. Meyer explores the sacrifices and prayers, the public celebrations and secret ceremonies, the theatrical performances and literary works, the gods and goddesses that were a part of the mystery religions of Greece in the seventh century B.C. to the Judaism and Christianity of the Roman world of the seventh century A.D.

https://amzn.to/3zCWaaz

The Gnostic Discoveries. The Impact of the Nag Hammadi Library. Marvin Meyer

The Gnostic Discoveries. The Impact of the Nag Hammadi Library. Marvin Meyer

I'm enjoying "The Gnostic Discoveries" by Marvin Meyer. He passed away about 10 years ago and is still one of my favorites among Religion scholars.


The archaeological find of the twentieth century was the astounding discovery by an Egyptian peasant in December 1945 of a large storage jar filled with ancient papyrus manuscripts. Painstakingly restored and translated, these fragments came to be known collectively as the Nag Hammadi library. Through them we glimpse a fascinating alternative perspective on Jesus and many of his earliest followers, including the influence of Gnosticism on their beliefs.
"Gnosticism," a term alluding to special mystical knowledge, designates a series of religious movements that have existed since ancient times. This philosophy permeated Judaism, Greco-Roman religion, and what now appear to be different varieties of Christianity. Some of these alternative views, including Jesus’s relationship to Mary Magdalene, have revolutionized biblical scholarship and were recently sensationalized by Dan Brown in his bestseller, The Da Vinci Code.
The struggle to publish these ancient manuscripts has at times seemed like an ancient story of Egyptian magic -- filled with curses and drama. Included in these discoveries are several gospels of Jesus’s life that never made it into the modern Christian Bible as well as a treasury of lost, esoteric wisdom that portrays a side of Christianity suppressed by the institutionalized church. Meyer provides an overview of all the texts and their contents, grouping the codices by their respective genres, schools of thought, or attributed author, and discussing their meaning and significance for us today. He also provides an appendix that for the first time offers a quick survey of all the texts of the Nag Hammadi library and the Berlin Gnostic Codex, summarizing the contents of each of the texts and offering select quotations to illustrate their character and style.
The Gnostic Discoveries is the best available guide to the history and significance of the find at Nag Hammadi- an amazing archaeological link to the founding of the largest religion in the world.


The Meaning of the Nag Hammadi, now in paperback opens the with the thrilling adventure story of the discovery of the ancient Papyrii at Nag Hammadi. Muhammad Ali, the fellahin, discovered the sealed jar, he feared that it might contain a jinni, or spirit, but also had heard of hidden treasures in such jars. Greed overcame his fears and when he smashed open the jar, gold seemed to float into the air. To his disappointment, it was papyrus fragmenst, not gold, but for scholars around the world, it was invaluable.
Meyer then discusses the pre–Christian forms of wisdom that went onto influence what Christians believe today. In addition, some Nag Hammadi texts are attributed to Valentinus, a man who almost became Pope, and whose rejection changed the church in significant ways. Text by text, Meyer traces the history and impact of this great find on the Church, right up to our current beliefs and popular cultural fascination with this officially suppressed secret knowledge about Jesus and his followers.

The Secret Teachings of Jesus. Four Gnostic Gospels. Translated by Marvin Meyer

The Secret Teachings of Jesus. Four Gnostic Gospels. Translated by Marvin Meyer

It feels like a Gnostic kind of evening...
This little book, translated by Marvin Meyer, contains the Secret Book of James, the Gospel of Thomas, the Book of Thomas and the Secret Book of John.


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.

The Gospels of Mary. The Secret Tradition of Mary Magdalene the Companion of Jesus. Marvin Meyer

The Gospels of Mary. The Secret Tradition of Mary Magdalene the Companion of Jesus. Marvin Meyer

I'm enjoying this little book by Marvin Meyer (who passed away about 10 or so years ago). He is one of my favorites among Religion scholars. Note that Gospels is plural in the title. This book is a convenient compilation of all the snippets in ancient texts, both Gospels and Apocrypha, which relate directly to Mary Magdalene. All in all the earliest references to her total about 40 to 50 pages of material. That's it.

There is an actual Gospel of Mary Magdalene dating to the 1st or 2nd Century. It is very fragmentary, with pages missing from the beginning and the end as well as a lost chunk in the middle. It well worth a read, very esoteric, speaking of the inner self and the ascension of the soul. Parts of it are included here, but the complete text has been translated and published elsewhere several times.


Mary Magdalene, Jesus's Closest Disciple
Marvin Meyer, one of the foremost scholars of the Gnostic Gospels:

-translates and introduces the Gnostic and New Testament texts that together reveal the story and importance of Mary Magdalene

-includes new translations of the Gospels of Mary, Thomas, Philip, and related texts about Mary Magdalene

-discloses, with Esther A. De Boer, the long-suppressed story of Mary's vital role in the life of Jesus and in the formative period after his crucifixion
presents as authentically as possible the real Mary Magdalene