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Does our church consider any of the Nag Hammadi Coptic texts, found in Egypt, in 1945, to be "canonical"? Some of them are hard to believe to be true. For example, some of the verses in the Gospel of Thomas are similar to the ones found in the four Holy Gospels, while others are almost the exact opposite. What is Your Grace's comment?

I want to encourage you to visit the Diocese Magazine link, the Mighty Arrows, and read Vol 2 No.3, June 2002 issue, article "The Old Testament Apocrypha". This article tells of accepted Scriptural Readings canonized by the Coptic Church. The article further tells of the history of these canonized books.

The Nag Hammadi Library discovered in l945 contains some forty plus previously unknown documents together with certain copies of texts previously known. Most scholars agree that this library significance, dated to the second century, is comparable with that of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The library derives its name from the town of Nag Hammadi on the Nile north of Luxor, which was the modern day town nearest to the discovery. Although once smuggled out of Egypt, the collection of the twelve codices in their original bindings and eight leaves of the thirteenth codex (more than 1000 pages in varying states of preservation) now reside in Cairo in the Coptic Museum.

Despite the titles of the writings: The gospel of Thomas, the gospel of Truth, the Acts of Peter and Paul, and the twelve alypses of James, etc. the texts are not comparable to the canonical New Testament. The gospels for example do not relate to the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. Nor do the termed "gospels" relate to His death and resurrection.  

Some of the titles: gospel of the Egyptians and Apocalypse of Adam has been claimed by Biblical scholars as non-Christian documents. While the gospel of Thomas is a collection of sayings attributed to the Lord Jesus Christ, some parallel to sayings in the canonical Holy Gospels while others are completely new and appear somewhat out of context.  

Some of these gospels such as the gospel of Philip, is not the one known to Epiphanious, and the gospel of the Egyptians is not quoted by St Clement of Alexandria.

Most  scholars view the materials found as Gnostic material certainly; and have gleaned insight into what Gnosticism meant to a Gnostic. It is further speculated with this discovery that Jewish origin gave rise to Gnosticism rather than only as being thought of as a heresy within early Christianity.

To fully understand the writings of the Nag Hammadi one must do in-depth study into the writings, understand the era in which they were written, comprehend Gnosticism and Apocrypha studies.

I encourage you to continue your study of ancient writings, especially those of the early church fathers.
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