This chapter deals with an aspect of the Nag Hammadi texts often portrayed as one of the reasons why they do not fit into a Christian context: namely, the many passages touting different constellations of vowels and magical letters. These have not been neglected in previous research but have mainly been treated separately, in light of the particular text and their specific context, representing their ‘pagan’ origin. This chapter focuses on the question of why this phenomenon appears in an otherwise chiefly Christian text collection and how they would have been understood and used by those who owned, copied and read the Nag Hammadi texts. The magical vowel features in the texts are read in light of the mystical practices with letters of Pachomius the Great, as described in Pachomius’ Letter 6 and the Greek Vita Pachomi. It is argued that the magical letter feature of the texts would have made them of particular interest for monks in a Pachomian milieu.

This chapter surveys some of the sacred symbols used throughout the codices, such as the nomina sacra and the symbol of the cross. The chapter begins by aligning these sacred Christian symbols with the ancient practice of using artefacts and amulets for protection and healing. It is suggested, in concordance with recent scholarship, that the use of sacred symbols in early Christian texts played an important role in the development of the cross as the symbol of Christianity, and that the codices in the Nag Hammadi collection should become part of this discussion. The chapter argues that the holy symbols spread throughout the texts were used to ‘neutralise’ the content, making it safe to read, even for someone lacking the spiritual resolve of an enlightened sage. This can be seen in the specific places and contexts exhibiting excessive use of nomina sacra and holy symbols.

The last fifty years have seen a considerable boom in the study of ancient book culture, reading and scribal habits. This chapter situates the present study in light of these scholarly developments and raises some critical questions concerning certain viewpoints that have been put forward regarding how to approach the Nag Hammadi codices given what is known about religious materiality in antiquity. In light of the latest scholarship on ancient literacy surveyed in this chapter, it is argued that the texts were most likely produced by and for the direct use of a small educated societal minority. The chapter also addresses some of the old and new scholarly paradigms and ideological setups in the scholarship on the texts: for example, the potential and limits of the trend called ‘New Philology’, as well as the problems attached to concepts like ‘heresy’ and ‘Gnosticism’ and their persistent connection with the Nag Hammadi collection.

This chapter introduces the scholarly conflict over the origin of the Nag Hammadi codices and problematises them from the various perspectives. It argues that there are strong scholarly trends in both camps that have influenced the study and understanding of the texts and, further, that the codices’ material features have been understudied in previous analyses of their provenance. The chapter goes on to provide an overview of previous research and concludes with an outline of the content of the book. It maintains that the texts’ palaeographical, visual and editorial features may offer ways through the polarised scholarly debates concerning the background of the texts. It also suggests that by learning more about this significant, early Christian manuscript find we stand to gain important new insights about a formative period of early Christian history when the boundaries of orthodoxy and heresy were beginning to take shape.

This chapter analyses the find story that has been attached to the discovery of the Nag Hammadi texts, a topic of much scholarly debate of late. Some of the early scholars engaged with the elucidation of the texts have been accused of Orientalism, which has ultimately begun to affect the ways the texts’ ancient background and use have been interpreted. In this chapter the find story is revisited, and it is argued that accusations of earlier scholars’ Orientalism are exaggerated and, furthermore, a much less problematic aspect of the scholarship than contemporary romanticisation of the concept of ‘Gnosticism’.

This chapter studies the implications of the multiple versions of texts in the Nag Hammadi codices. Previously, scholars have viewed the existence of such duplicates as indicating that the texts were not meant to be regarded as a collection, or even that they were not owned by the same people. Who would keep two copies of the same text? This chapter offers a new interpretation and argues that reading two or more text versions parallel to each other could, in fact, be used as a valuable interpretative and theological exercise tool. The various Nag Hammadi duplicates and triplicates are studied, and the differences between them are analysed in light of ancient school exercises practised in Christian monasteries. Keeping multiple versions turned them into useful pedagogic tools when training monks in interpretation and the practice of reformulating gnomic sentences. The chapter draws on the growing field studying textual fluidity in ancient texts.

This chapter introduces the scholarly conflict over the origin of the Nag Hammadi codices and problematises them from the various perspectives. It argues that there are strong scholarly trends in both camps that have influenced the study and understanding of the texts and, further, that the codices’ material features have been understudied in previous analyses of their provenance. The chapter goes on to provide an overview of previous research and concludes with an outline of the content of the book. It maintains that the texts’ palaeographical, visual and editorial features may offer ways through the polarised scholarly debates concerning the background of the texts. It also suggests that by learning more about this significant, early Christian manuscript find we stand to gain important new insights about a formative period of early Christian history when the boundaries of orthodoxy and heresy were beginning to take shape.

This chapter analyses the use of the diplai (>), diple obelismene (>––) and corone signs (/︦ ) that appear in the margins of Codex I and VIII. These scribal markings have not received scholarly attention before but hold important clues as to how the texts were actually read. After demonstrating that the markings cannot be simple paragraph indicators, the chapter goes on to break down the passages marked out with diplai and corone signs and argues that they were used by one/several readers to highlight particular passages of interest. The subjects discussed in these highlighted passages are all mentioned in the Letter of Ammon, written by an Egyptian bishop to one of his bishop colleagues describing the time he spent in a Pachomian monastery. The letter is dated from the time the Nag Hammadi codices were produced, and it is argued that these features support a monastic reading of the texts.

This chapter approaches previously unexplored perspectives on the codicology of Nag Hammadi Codex I, a unique early Christian manuscript. Several hitherto overlooked features regarding scribal style and codicological features are discussed, and it is argued that these can help us understand the background of the codex, both within the history of early Christian book culture and in terms of who produced it. The chapter demonstrates that Nag Hammadi Codex I, one of the first multi-quire codices from antiquity, was most likely produced as an ad hoc solution to sloppy scribal work. Thus, it offers grounds for rejecting the hypothesis that Codex I was constructed on commission by a professional bookseller as a commercial product, as some scholars claim. Finally, it is argued that Nag Hammadi Codex I should be viewed as one of the earliest examples of what was to become the standard technique of ancient book manufacturing.