The Secret Book of James is a Jewish-Christian epistle narrated by James, the brother of Jesus and leader of the church in Jerusalem. In this account, James encounters the risen Savior two years after the crucifixion while he and the other apostles are carefully recording Christ's teachings. Drawing James and Peter aside for a final sermon, Jesus exhorts them to renounce evil, embrace martyrdom, and surpass his earthly ministry — even in the face of certain death. Uniquely, the narrative departs from Gnostic traditions by portraying Jesus as buried in the sand rather than entombed. This text offers a rare window into the beliefs and struggles of the Hebrew church.
For more on the text's origin and dating, see Dr. Zinner's scholarly commentary.
Other Gospels proudly presents as part of our Nag Hammadi Initiative. The Coptic text was translated by Samuel Zinner and edited by Mark Mattison via our financial support.
How to cite:
Zinner, Samuel. . Translated by Samuel Zinner, edited by Mark Mattison, technical editing by Rachel Bousfield. Other Gospels. (accessed ).
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The rendering of the above gospel was made possible by Willis Barnstone, who has graciously provided exclusive permission to present it here. All rights including the right of electronic reproduction are reserved by the author. Chapter and verse numbers have been added to aid reference.
For more of Dr. Barnstone's wonderful works, check out his and Marvin Meyer's The Gnostic Bible.