In 1945 an Egyptian peasant discovered a jar filled with ancient manuscripts. Painstakingly restored and translated, these fragments came to be known as the Nag Hammadi library. Included are 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. Through them we glimpse an alternative perspective on Jesus and his earliest followers, including the influence of Gnosticism on their beliefs. "Gnosticism" designates a series of ancient religious movements which 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. Meyer provides an overview of all the texts and their contents and discussing their meaning and significance for us today.--From publisher description.