The Nag Hammadi Codices

⏱ 1 min read Updated Jun 5, 2026
Quick Answer

The Nag Hammadi Codices are the 13 leather-bound books discovered in Egypt in 1945, containing 52 Gnostic texts in Coptic. Each codex is a separate papyrus book; together they constitute the most important collection of primary Gnostic sources to survive antiquity.

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Quick Facts

  • 13 codices, containing 52 separate texts (some texts appear in more than one codex)
  • Written in Coptic, translated from earlier Greek originals, c. 3rd–4th century AD
  • Discovered near Nag Hammadi, Upper Egypt; now held at the Coptic Museum, Cairo
  • The full library was first published in English translation in 1977, edited by James Robinson

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