Codex I: The Jung Codex
Containing the Prayer of the Apostle Paul and the Apocryphon of James.
Nag Hammadi Library: the recovered codices of Egypt, 1945.
📜 About the Nag Hammadi Library
The Nag Hammadi Library is a collection of Coptic manuscripts discovered near the town of Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt in 1945. Comprising thirteen codices and more than fifty individual treatises, it represents one of the most significant recoveries of early Christian and Gnostic literature.
As part of Codex Reborn within The Vault, this collection presents digital editions of the Nag Hammadi texts for study and reference. The manuscripts preserve a wide range of theological, cosmological, and philosophical perspectives that developed alongside, and often in tension with, traditions that later became orthodox.
The writings include texts such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Apocryphon of John, the Gospel of the Egyptians, and many others. Themes explored within the manuscripts include revelation, the nature of creation, the role of intermediary powers, and the liberation of the soul through knowledge.
These texts are preserved here without doctrinal endorsement. They are presented to make visible the diversity of early Christian thought and to support careful reading, comparison, and historical inquiry into traditions long excluded from official canons.
How to Enter the Nag Hammadi Library
The codices are not interchangeable. Start with the doctrinal cluster, manuscript density, or type of material you want to study first.
| Codex | Start here if you want | What it gives you | Current scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Codex I: The Jung Codex | A clear first doorway | Valentinian and resurrection-focused texts, including the Gospel of Truth and Treatise on the Resurrection. | 5 texts |
| Codex II | The densest core cluster | The Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Philip, Apocryphon of John, and companion cosmology texts. | 6 texts |
| Codex III | Revelation and Sophia material | Eugnostos, the Gospel of the Egyptians, the Sophia of Jesus Christ, and the Dialogue of the Savior. | 4 texts |
| Codex V | Visionary and apocalyptic ascent texts | Paul, James, Adam, and revelatory apocalypse material. | 4 texts |
| Codex VI | The most mixed manuscript | Apostolic, Hermetic, philosophical, and visionary material gathered in one codex. | 8 texts |
| Codex VII | Sethian hymn and revelation material | The Second Treatise of the Great Seth, Three Steles, Trimorphic Protennoia, and related works. | 6 texts |
| Codex VIII | A shorter late codex | Letter of Peter to Philip and Zostrianos in a compact two-text witness. | 2 texts |
If you want the strongest first route, start with Codex I or Codex II. They establish the symbolic grammar the later codices keep widening.
Codex II
Includes the Gospel of Thomas, the Apocryphon of John, and the Gospel of Philip.
Codex III
Includes the Gospel of the Egyptians, Eugnostos the Blessed, the Sophia of Jesus Christ, and the Dialogue of the Savior.
Codex V
Visionary and apocalyptic revelations: ascents of Paul and James, Adam's secret testament, and cosmic fragments.
Codex VI
The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles: the pearl, endurance, and the healing of the soul.
Codex VII
Sethian hymns and revelations: the Second Treatise of the Great Seth, the Three Steles, and Trimorphic Protennoia.
Codex VIII
Contains Letter of Peter to Philip and Zostrianos, with apostolic transmission and visionary ascent material.
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