May 08

The Lost Gospels

Jill Carroll, Ph.D.

The term “gospel” calls to mind the four works found in the Christian New Testament written under the names of four of Jesus’ disciples - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These gospels present portraits of Jesus that emphasize his extraordinary birth, his ministry of healing and miracles, and especially his death and resurrection. These four canonical gospels have presented the definitive, orthodox stories of Jesus for well over 1500 years. What is lesser known is that these are not the only gospels written in the first generation or two after Jesus’ death, nor are they the only ones that people in the early movement considered “worthy” or “true” about Jesus. Many other gospels circulated in the early Christian community, but many of them were deemed “heretical” by what became official church “authorities” and were often destroyed, while the communities centered around them vanished. Scholars knew of the existence of these gospels, but very few fragments of them were available until beginning in the 1950s. Then finally in the 1970s a discovery in Egypt of a trove of manuscripts sealed for centuries in a clay jar provided the world a glimpse of these “lost" gospels. These now “found” gospels present a strikingly different portrait of Jesus, his disciples, and the early teachings of the movement around him.

In this short class, we will read some of these gospels, learn their history as well as that of some of the foundational “orthodox” Christian doctrines rooted in the canonical gospels, and address the significant challenges the “found” gospels present to traditional Christianity today. The text we will use is: The Nag Hammed Library: The Definitive Translation of the Gnostic Scriptures Complete in One Volume by James M. Robinson (Harper San Francisco, 1978).

Thursdays, 4 weeks, May 8 - May 29 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM In person and simulcast


Semester

$150.00

Class Tuition

72 in stock

Price is per student. Class tuition is non-refundable.