Many of the Nag Hammadi writings are considered' heretical' and therefore not valid sources for traditions about the founder, Jesus. Majella Franzmann, however, shows that it is a mistake to believe that Christianity was a homogeneous entity from the first and that only valid traditions about the founder are preserved by those early Christians who became the dominant, mainstream group.The whole range of early Christian movements, including the Gnostic Christian movements, cannot be separated and identified simply as orthodox or heretical from the beginning. The Nag Hammadi texts were discovered in 1945 near Luxor in Egypt. From these writings Majella Franzmann presents a fascinating and radically different portrait or series of portraits of Jesus and of the world into which he came. Majella Franzmann's work advances our whole understanding of the origins, development and present identity of Christians and Christianity. --- from book's dustjacket Majella Franzmann is Professor of Comparative Religion at the University of New England, Australia. Used Book in Good Condition