Gnostic texts preserved before 1945 Prior to the 1945
discovery at Nag Hammadi, only the following texts were available to students of Gnosticism. Reconstructions were attempted from the records of the
heresiologists, but these were necessarily coloured by the motivation behind the source accounts. • Works preserved by the Church: •
Acts of Thomas (Especially
Hymn of the Pearl or
The Hymn of the Robe of Glory) •
The Acts of John (Especially
The Hymn of Jesus) • The
Bruce Codex (purchased in 1769 by
James Bruce): •
Books of Jeu, also known as
The Gnosis of the Invisible God • The
Untitled Text • The
Askew Codex (
British Museum, bought in 1784): •
Pistis Sophia: Books of the Savior • The
Berlin Codex or The Akhmim Codex (found in
Akhmim,
Egypt; bought in 1896 by Carl Reinhardt): •
Gospel of Mary •
Apocryphon of John • an
epitome of the
Acts of Peter •
The Wisdom of Jesus Christ • Unknown origin: •
The Secret Gospel of Mark •
The Hermetica Complete list of codices found in Nag Hammadi • Codex I (also known as
The Jung Codex): •
The Prayer of the Apostle Paul •
The Apocryphon of James (also known as the Secret Book of James) •
The Gospel of Truth •
The Treatise on the Resurrection •
The Tripartite Tractate •
Codex II: •
The Apocryphon of John •
The Gospel of Thomas a sayings gospel •
The Gospel of Philip •
The Hypostasis of the Archons •
On the Origin of the World •
The Exegesis on the Soul •
The Book of Thomas the Contender • Codex III: •
The Apocryphon of John •
The Gospel of the Egyptians •
Eugnostos the Blessed •
The Sophia of Jesus Christ •
The Dialogue of the Savior • Codex IV: •
The Apocryphon of John •
The Gospel of the Egyptians • Codex V: •
Eugnostos the Blessed •
The Apocalypse of Paul •
The First Apocalypse of James •
The Second Apocalypse of James •
The Apocalypse of Adam • Codex VI: •
The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles (includes
The Hymn of the Pearl) •
The Thunder, Perfect Mind •
Authoritative Teaching •
The Concept of Our Great Power •
Republic by
Plato – The original is not Gnostic, but the
Nag Hammadi library version is heavily modified with then-current Gnostic concepts. •
The Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth – a
Hermetic treatise •
The Prayer of Thanksgiving (with a hand-written note) – a
Hermetic prayer •
Asclepius 21–29 – another
Hermetic treatise • Codex VII: •
The Paraphrase of Shem •
The Second Treatise of the Great Seth •
Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter •
The Teachings of Silvanus •
The Three Steles of Seth • Codex VIII: •
Zostrianos •
The Letter of Peter to Philip • Codex IX: •
Melchizedek •
The Thought of Norea •
The Testimony of truth • Codex X: •
Marsanes • Codex XI: •
The Interpretation of Knowledge •
A Valentinian Exposition,
On the Anointing,
On Baptism (A and B) and
On the Eucharist (A and B) •
Allogenes •
Hypsiphrone • Codex XII •
The Sentences of Sextus •
The Gospel of Truth •
Fragments •
Codex XIII: •
Trimorphic Protennoia •
On the Origin of the World •
Fragments The so-called "Codex XIII" is not a codex, but rather the text of
Trimorphic Protennoia, written on "eight leaves removed from a thirteenth book in late antiquity and tucked inside the front cover of the sixth." (Robinson, NHLE, p. 10) Only a few lines from the beginning of
Origin of the World are discernible on the bottom of the eighth leaf.
Mandaean texts •
Ginza Rabba (
The Great Treasure, also known as
The Book of Adam) (DC 22) •
Qulasta (
Canonical Prayerbook) (DC 53) (see also
list of Qulasta prayers) • Sidra d-Nišmata (
Book of Souls) (first part of the Qulasta) • (
The Responses) (part of the Qulasta) • Drašâ d-Jōhânā (
Mandaean Book of John, also known as
The Book of Kings) •
Diwan Abathur (
Scroll of Abatur) (DC 8) •
Harran Gawaitha (
Scroll of Great Revelation) (DC 9, 36) • Diwan Maṣbuta d-Hibil Ziwa (
The Baptism of Hibil Ziwa) (DC 35) • Alf trisar šuialia (
The 1012 Questions) (DC 36 [complete, with all 7 books], DC 6 [incomplete]) • Šarh d-qabin d-Šišlam Rabbā (
The Wedding of the Great Šišlam) (DC 38) • Šarh d-Traṣa d-Taga d-Šišlam Rabbā (
The Coronation of the Great Šišlam – describes a ritual for the ordination of the Mandaean clergy) • Asfar Malwāšē (
The Book of the Zodiac) (DC 31) • Diwan Malkuta ʿLaita (
Scroll of Exalted Kingship) (DC 34)
Heresiography •
Against Heresies •
Refutation of All Heresies •
Panarion Other •
Acts of Peter •
Clementine literature •
Odes of Solomon •
Gospel of Judas •
Gospel of the Saviour Quoted or alluded These texts are mentioned or partially quoted in the writings of the Church Fathers. •
Gospel of Basilides mentioned by
Origen,
Jerome,
Ambrose,
Philip of Side, and
Bede. •
Basilides'
Exegetica mentioned in
Hippolytus of Rome (
Refutatio Omnium Haeresium VII, ixv and X, x) and
Clement of Alexandria (
Stromata IV, xii and IV, xxiv–xxvi) •
Epiphanes'
On Righteousness, mentioned in Clement of Alexandria (
Str. III, ii). •
Heracleon, Fragments from his Commentary on the Gospel of John, mentioned in Origen (
Commentary on the Gospel of John) •
Naassene Fragment mentioned in Hippolytus (
Ref. 5.7.2–9). •
Ophite Diagrams mentioned in
Celsus and Origen •
Ptolemy's Commentary on the Gospel of John Prologue, mentioned in
Irenaeus. • Ptolemy's
Letter to Flora, mentioned in
Epiphanius. • Theodotus:
Excerpta Ex Theodoto mentioned in Clement of Alexandria. ==Manuscripts==