In 1945, an Egyptian peasant named Muhammad 'Ali al-Samman dug up a sealed jar near Nag Hammadi containing 13 leather-bound papyrus codices. Inside were 52 Gnostic texts — including the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, the Apocryphon of John — copied in Coptic in the 4th century from earlier Greek originals. The collection had been hidden, likely by Pachomian monks responding to Athanasius's 367 letter restricting reading to canonical scripture.
Why this matters
Validates the picture early orthodox writers (Irenaeus, Tertullian) gave of the Gnostic movement, putting their writings directly in our hands. Lets us see exactly what teachings the church rejected as canonical scripture coalesced — and why.
Scripture references
1 John 4:1-32 Peter 2Jude 1:3-4
Location
Coptic Museum, Cairo