Books of Jeu
Encyclopedia
Efforts at dating
The books are estimated as written during a period spanning 100 A.D to 300 A.D (approximately),in the time of the Roman rule of Egypt. perhaps toward the latter end of this period.Contents
It seems probable that the Gnostic texts were written intended for the involvement of initiatory rituals.The writings are in two books and are stated as taken from the speech of Jesus (of Nazereth)
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
to a unknown number of disciples at a time after the former's rising from the dead
Resurrection of Jesus
The Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus states that Jesus returned to bodily life on the third day following his death by crucifixion. It is a key element of Christian faith and theology and part of the Nicene Creed: "On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures"...
.
Context
The books are a part of the Bruce CodexBruce Codex
The Bruce Codex is a gnostic manuscript acquired by the British Museum. In 1769, James Bruce purchased the codex in Upper Egypt. It was transferred to the museum with a number of other Oriental texts in 1842...
(located within the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
), and were originally written in the Coptic
Coptic
Coptic may refer to:*The Copts: were a major ethnic group in Egypt. This term described all the people living in Egypt under Roman rule during the 4th to 6th centuries A.D., and until the Muslims took over....
language.
Further reading
Books of Jeu and the Untitled Text in the Bruce Codex (Nag Hammadi Studies) by Violet MacDermot (translator)(1978) retrieved 22/10/2011Image
