Introducing Nag Hammadi and Related Texts

About the Course

Introducing Nag Hammadi and Related Texts, delves into some remarkable ancient Christian texts that were discovered relatively recently in the twentieth century. An extremely important discovery, made near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, the Nag Hammadi collection includes 52 books, and 40 of them were a complete surprise to modern scholars! Nobody knows why they were lost for 1600 years, but these new-old documents expand our knowledge of Jesus and his early followers. In fact, although they expose some prevalent misperceptions about early Jesus followers, the real roots of Christianity, the innovation and insights contained in these documents are quite inspiring. The course specifically focuses on some of the more famous discoveries, such as the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary, as well as a few lesser-known works.

You will learn:

1. When and where these ancient texts were discovered
2. The surprising messages from the selected texts
3. Why controversy swirls around some extracanonical writings

What impact will these writings have on your life and faith? How do they change your understanding of Christian origins? It’s up to you to decide!

What to expect:

The course is divided into six sections, each section containing four lectures. You can watch the recordings at your convenience and enjoy continuing access to it. The full course includes nearly three hours of recorded instruction.

This introductory course will prepare you to take any of the rest of the Bible and Beyond courses.

Shirley Paulson, PhD, is the instructor for the course, and each section features a different scholar who is an expert on the specific topic covered in that section.

How to Enroll in the Self-Study Course

Nag Hammadi and Related Texts Study Guide

We offer a 36-page study guide for this course that includes a wealth of questions created to stimulate engaging discussions and a wide variety of external references to facilitate deeper learning. It’s designed for group use, but can also be very helpful for individuals who want to undertake a more advanced study into Nag Hammadi and other early texts. Available in electronic and/or printed format. Purchase of the study guide includes a complimentary seat at a Nag Hammadi live online hybrid course led by Shirley Paulson (a $59.00 value).

Three Ways to Learn

Bible and Beyond offers three ways to experience this course.

1. Self-study course. This consists of recorded lectures which you can view at your own pace, 24/7. You can enroll in the self-study version of this course and immediately start learning at any time. Access to the course is completely free, though registration is required.

2. Bible and Beyond live online hybrid courses led by Dr. Shirley Paulson. Live online hybrid courses consist of recorded lectures you can watch anytime, and six live Zoom group discussions. Check the schedule here.

3. Church or other group Bible study course. Your Bible study group members can access all the course lectures online for free and watch them at any time. With the help of our affordable and thorough Group Study Guide, your own Bible study leaders will be able to lead discussion sessions on each section, whether live or virtually. Contact us for more information. 

Would you like to host a live online hybrid course group? If you and a group of friends are interested in taking a course together, we are interested in making that happen! All courses are available as live online hybrids, so just get in touch with us to work out the details.

Project funding provided by the Luce-AAR Advancing Public Scholarship Grant Program.