The Monastic Origins of the Nag Hammadi Codices

by Hugo Lundhaug and Lance Jenott

Book cover: The Monastic Origins of the Nag Hammadi Codices

Extent: 332 pages

Publisher: Mohr Siebeck

Subjects: Classical Studies, Religious Studies

Series: Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum / Studies and Texts in Antiquity and Christianity

Series volume number: 97

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(October 2015)

ISBN: 9783161541728

6.06 x 9.06 inches

Price: $143.00

In stock

Hugo Lundhaug and Lance Jenott examine the provenance of the Nag Hammadi Codices and defend the view that they were produced and read by Christian monks of Upper Egypt in the fourth and fifth centuries. Eschewing the modern classification of these texts as “Gnostic,” the authors analyze the codices in the context of the diverse monastic culture of late antique Egypt, with special attention to monasticism in the Thebaid and controversies over extra-canonical books and the theological legacy of Origen. The question of ownership is examined by means of a detailed study of the Nag Hammadi Codices’ scribal notes and colophons, the cartonnage papyri from the leather covers, and scribal habits and codicology, seen in comparison with contemporary Coptic and Greek biblical manuscripts, as well as a range of sources for Upper Egyptian monasticism.

  • By (author) Lance Jenott
  • By (author) Hugo Lundhaug

"The Monastic Origins of the Nag Hammadi Codices is a model of clarity, careful research, and well-articulated argument. [...] In addition, the book contains a number of helpful images, maps, and tables, as well as a comprehensive bibliography and an excellent set of indices. It is highly recommended." --Timothy Pettipiece, University of Ottawa, Review of Biblical Literature 12.1.16
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