Acquired by the museum in 1961, it took thirty years before anyone realised what they were, a fault of buying too many items and employing too few staff, rather than any difficulty arising from the fragments themselves.
From various Hellenisms in the vocabulary and grammar, it is believed the manuscript was composed in the 6th century from a lost Greek original, itself written about three hundred years earlier.
The gospel is presented as a dialogue, and the content fits with Gnostic ideas, including the belief that salvation is available only to those who understand the secret knowledge.
It follows "The Gospel of Peter" in playing down the significance of the Crucifixion, seeing it simply as an aspect of the inevitable heavenly journey - the spiritual equivalent, for a god, of needing a taxi, which idea may sound abhorrently cynical to us, but was quite matter-of-fact to the Gnostics.
It follows "The Gospel of Peter" in playing down the significance of the Crucifixion, seeing it simply as an aspect of the inevitable heavenly journey - the spiritual equivalent, for a god, of needing a taxi, which idea may sound abhorrently cynical to us, but was quite matter-of-fact to the Gnostics.
The unnamed Saviour, who is assumed to be Jesus, engages in a dialogue with his apostles that is somewhat more personal than is found elsewhere. At one point the Cross itself is addressed, as if it were a living creature, a companion rather than a device for death.
Such as there is of the text, and some further information about it, can be found by clicking herehttp://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/lostgospel/index.htm.
Such as there is of the text, and some further information about it, can be found by clicking herehttp://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/lostgospel/index.htm.
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