The Nag Hammadi Jesus

The Nag Hammadi texts probably do not, with the exception of the Gospel of Thomas, provide new material for a reassessment of the life and teaching of the historical Jesus. However, they are an important new link in following the development of the Jesus tradition. The collection contains many different types of documents which differ from each other in their concepts of Jesus and his significance.

The Nag Hammadi writings provide a broad spectrum of interpretation of the figure of Jesus. For example, in the Gospel of Truth and the Letter of Peter to Philip, the death of Jesus on the cross is understood as having an atoning significance. This interpretation contradicts the impression given by the Church Fathers that the gnostics thought that Jesus had not in reality died on the cross.

On the other hand, such a docetic Christology can be found within the Nag Hammadi writings. In the Apocalypse of Peter, Jesus' death on the cross is emptied of meaning by a description of how Jesus left his body before his execution and laughingly watched from the sidelines. If the Gospel of Truth is close to the orthodox understanding of the death of Jesus, then the Apocalypse of Peter contains a clear polemic against the orthodox interpretation.

Many Nag Hammadi writings do not mention the death of Jesus at all. Instead Jesus is presented as a teacher of saving knowledge. It is typical for these texts that discussions between Jesus and the disciples are set in the period after the resurrection.