Showing results by author "Mark Mattison" in All Categories

Lost and forgotten for more than a thousand years, the only ancient Gospel named after a woman apostle emerged from the sands of Egypt just over a century ago. Originally written in Greek early in the second century and later translated into Coptic, Mary Magdalene’s Gospel comes to vivid life in this fresh translation with contemporary reflections on the ancient wisdom of this recovered treasure. Note on the cover artwork: The title format on the front cover is patterned after the inscription at the conclusion of the fifth-century Coptic text of the Gospel According to Mary.

"These are the hidden sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down." With this opening statement, the Gospel of Thomas, legendary Apostle to the East, introduces a startlingly profound list of Jesus' ancient Wisdom sayings. Similar to the collections of quotations copied by the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Thomas' Gospel contains a hundred and fourteen sayings, half of which don't appear in the New Testament. Once known from only a handful of ancient sources, third-century Greek fragments of this Gospel first turned up at the end of the nineteenth century – but ...

Forged in the flames of controversy and rejected by the very church authorities it criticized, the Gospel of Judas was once believed to be irretrievably lost to history. Its rediscovery in Egypt in the 1970s and initial publication in 2006 ignited an intense debate about Christian origins and meaning. How could a Gospel about Jesus have been written in the name of his greatest nemesis? What does it really say about Judas, about Jesus, about the church – and what does it mean for us today? Inside the pages of this enigmatic Gospel we can explore unfamiliar terrain, the outer limits of ...

Written in Greek in the second century, two Gospels describing the birth and childhood of Jesus were preserved and copied into many languages for centuries. Often dismissed as second-rate stories, these Gospels nevertheless profoundly shaped the development and traditions of the Church — for better and for worse. The Infancy Gospel of James narrates the birth and life of Jesus’ mother Mary in a way that limits women’s freedom but venerates Jewish tradition. The Infancy Gospel of Thomas narrates Jesus’ childhood in a way that disparages Judaism while exploring how Jesus could have ...

The long-lost Gospel of Philip, shrouded in mystery since its composition in fourth-century Egypt, reveals ancient mystical teachings of Near Eastern Christians. Completely forgotten until its discovery in 1945, this enigmatic text explains the inner mysteries of the Church’s historic sacraments and key Christian teachings, including the resurrection of the dead, the virgin birth, divine union, and spiritual rebirth. What’s the hidden meaning of “the bridal chamber”? What kind of relationship did Jesus have with Mary Magdalene? What does it mean to become a Christian? Philip’s ...

Before his own martyrdom at the temple in 62 CE, James the Just led the followers of his brother Jesus in Jerusalem. According to several ancient sources, including the New Testament, the risen Jesus met with James personally. What did he tell James? Written early in the second century as Roman soldiers were closing in, the Secret Book of James elaborates on contrasting themes: Spiritual drunkenness and sobriety, lacking and filling, death and life, ignorance and understanding. Before ascending to heaven in a chariot of the Spirit, Jesus invites James, Peter, and countless future followers ...

Daelaron the warrior has nothing in common with the crimson-haired pixie named Torch. But they soon find common cause when they meet at the Temple of Eluán, a dangerous portal through which otherworldly goblins threaten their world. Their quest to secure the key to closing the portal -- a crystal relic known as the Dragon Talon -- leads them to faraway lands, unexpected dangers, and surprising but shifting alliances. Can they turn the tide of war before it’s too late?