With the phenomenon of The Da Vinci Code and growing interest in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Kabbalah, Gnostic Gospels, and the Nag Hammadi library, popular curiosity about non-canonical scriptures is at an all-time high. The contents of all these re-discovered documents are, in most cases, obscure to modern readers. To answer our hunger for understanding, Kenneth Hanson, Ph.D., a university professor and lifelong student of these "Lost Bible" texts, summarizes their fascinating history and decodes them for the non-scholarly audience. He distills the essential wisdom in these ancient scriptures - wisdom sorely needed in our 21st Century world. HiddenMysteries
Ancient scriptures, hidden from the world for centuries, have recently attracted unprecedented popular attention. Some were found among the ancient library of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Others include assorted mystical writings known as Kabbalah, and a host of books that never made it into the Bible, called the Apocrypha (which means "hidden") and the Pseudepigrapha (called "false writings" by those who suppressed them). Additionally, there are the Gnostic texts of Nag Hammadi - a location in Egypt where a treasure trove of lost books was discovered in the middle of the twentieth century. Collectively, they comprise the "Lost Bible." For centuries, these manuscripts were systematically suppressed because their liberating messages of individual power and worth challenged the authority and pet philosophies of political and religious leaders.
In Secrets from the Lost Bible, Hebrew scholar Kenneth Hanson discovers common truths within these sacred books, truths that humankind appears destined to learn at this stage of our development. Hanson uncovers parallels and offers readers a clear interpretation of these sacred writings, hidden truths that, once grasped, can help us reach our fullest potential.
Publisher Comments:
In this trade paperback edition of the book (published in hardcover in 2004), Judaica scholar Kenneth Hanson, PhD uncovers the parallels within a collection of lost and suppressed sacred books (Kabbalah, apocrypha, Gnostic gospels, the Dead Sea scrolls, pseudepigrapha). He offers readers a clear interpretation of their hidden truths, which, once grasped, can help us ?get in touch with the creative marrow of the universe.? ?Welcome to the world of the Lost Bible, ? writes Dr. Hanson, ?an entire library of hidden wisdom, a treasury of ancient writings that never found their way into our Bibles. They were suppressed by religious leaders across the centuries who consigned to the blackest pit any writings that did not conform to their narrow notions of piety. Today, if we are bold enough to learn the right lessons, these suppressed books can become for us a key to unlock the transcendent mysteries of life. They can open us to the world of spirit and transform us. These texts?scores and scores of them once declared unworthy?very nearly perished from the earth, only to re-emerge in our day and time.? An added feature for this trade paperback edition is a brand new chapter about the Gospel of Judas. Hanson will quote from the recently rediscovered text, using his own translation of the original Coptic manuscript, and will show how an understanding of the book's hidden wisdom can enhance our lives today.
Synopsis:
Ancient scriptures, hidden from the world for centuries, have begun to receive unprecedented attention. Some were found among the ancient library of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Others include assorted mystical writings known as Kabbalah, and a host of books that never made it into the Bible, called the Apocrypha (which means "hidden") and the Pseudepigrapha (called "false writings" by those who suppressed them). Additionally, there are the Gnostic texts of Nag Hammadi--a location in Egypt where a treasure trove of lost books was discovered in the middle of the twentieth century. Collectively, they comprise the "Lost Bible." For centuries, these manuscripts were systematically suppressed because their liberating messages of individual power and worth challenged the authority and preferred philosophies of political and religious leaders. In Secrets from the Lost Bible, Hebrew scholar Kenneth Hanson discovers common truths within these sacred books, truths that humankind seems destined to learn at this stage of our development. Hanson uncovers parallels and offers readers a clear interpretation of these sacred writings, hidden truths that, once grasped, can help us "get in touch with the creative marrow of the universe."
About the Author:
Dr. Ken Hanson is a dynamic author, lecturer, and founder of "Treasures in Time," an organization devoted to disseminating knowledge of the Biblical and classical world. He has dug on archaeological sites in the Middle East, lived in a politically volatile region of northern Galilee, and taught Hebrew on an Israeli agricultural settlement. He also worked with a television news-gathering operation in a war zone in southern Lebanon, at the height of the civil war that left the jewel of the Mediterranean in ruins.
Having been "up close and personal" with the face of terrorism, Dr. Hanson lends a timeless perspective to the challenges of the future. He currently serves at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, where he teaches courses on Jewish history, from ancient times through the twentieth century, including the rise of Israel and the Holocaust.
Softcover, 6" x 9", 250+ pages