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Nag Hammadi Library

By K. Kris Hirst, About.com Guide

Definition: In 1945, a group of scrolls of religious and philosophical import to the judeo-christian religions was found tucked into a large jar. Called the Nag Hammadi Library after the nearby Egyptian city of the same name, the scrolls are four centuries younger than the more famous Dead Sea Scrolls and were written in the Coptic script and dated to the 4th century AD and include 45 texts, the most important of which are translations from the Greek of the Gospel of Thomas and Plato's Republic.

This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.

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