Jesus in the Nag Hammadi Writings

Many of the Nag Hammadi writings are considered “heretical” and therefore not valid sources for traditions about the founder, Jesus. Majella Franzmann, however, shows that it is a mistake to believe that Christianity was a homogenous entity from the first and that the only valid traditions about the founder are preserved by those early Christians who became the dominant, mainstream group. The whole range of early Christian movements, including the Gnostic Christian movements, cannot be separated and identified simply as orthodox or heretical from the beginning. This volume presents a fascinating and innovative portrait of Jesus and of the world into which he came. Franzmann’s work advances our whole understanding of the origins, development and present identity of Christians and Christianity.