Public Domain Translations of the Nag Hammadi Codices
The Nag Hammadi Codices were produced in Egypt in the fourth century, subsequently buried, and then rediscovered in 1945. The following new English translations have been committed to the public domain and may be freely copied and used, changed or unchanged, for any purpose. The tractates translated by Samuel Zinner have been commissioned by Other Gospels.
(For online French translations that are not in the public domain, see Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi).
Codex I (The Jung Codex)
NHC I, 1 The Prayer of Paul, the Apostle (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC I, 2 The Secret Book of James (Translated by Mark M. Mattison)
NHC I, 3 The Gospel of Truth (Translated by Mark M. Mattison)
NHC I, 4 The Treatise on the Resurrection (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC I, 5 The Tripartate Tractate (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
Codex II
NHC II, 1 The Secret Writing According to John (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC II, 2 The Gospel of Thomas (Translated by Mark M. Mattison and Samuel Zinner)
NHC II, 3 The Gospel of Philip (Translated by Mark M. Mattison)
NHC II, 4 The Substance of the Archons (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC II, 5 On the Origin of the World
NHC II, 6 The Exegesis on the Soul (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC II, 7 The Book of Thomas the Contender (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
Codex III
NHC III, 1 The Secret Writing According to John (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC III, 2 The Sacred Book of the Great Unseen Spirit (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC III, 3 Eugnostos the Blessed (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC III, 4 The Sophia of Jesus Christ (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC III, 5 The Dialogue of the Savior (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
Codex IV
NHC IV, 1 The Secret Writing According to John (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC IV, 2 The Sacred Book of the Great Unseen Spirit (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
Codex V
NHC V, 1 Eugnostos (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC V, 2 The Apocalypse of Paul (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC V, 3 The First Apocalypse of James (Translated by Mark M. Mattison)
NHC V, 4 The Second Apocalypse of James (Translated by Mark M. Mattison)
NHC V, 5 The Apocalypse of Adam (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
Codex VI
NHC VI, 1 The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC VI, 2 The Thunder, Perfect Mind (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC VI, 3 The Authentic Logos (a.k.a. The Authoritative Teaching, Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC VI, 4 The Idea of Our Great Power (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC VI, 5 Plato’s Republic
NHC VI, 6 The Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth
NHC VI, 7 The Prayer of Thanksgiving (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC VI, 8 Asclepius 21-29
Codex VII
NHC VII, 1 The Paraphrase of Shem
NHC VII, 2 The Second Treatise of the Great Seth
NHC VII, 3 The Apocalypse of Peter (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC VII, 4 The Teachings of Silvanus
NHC VII, 5 The Three Steles of Seth
Codex VIII
NHC VIII, 1 Zostrianos (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC VIII, 2 The Letter of Peter to Philip (Translated by Mark M. Mattison)
Codex IX
NHC IX, 1 Melchizedek (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC IX, 2 The Thought of Norea (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
NHC IX, 3 The Testimony of Truth (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
Codex X
NHC X Marsanes (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
Codex XI
NHC XI, 1 The Interpretation of Knowledge
NHC XI, 2 A Valentinian Exposition
NHC XI, 2a On the Anointing
NHC XI, 2b On Baptism A
NHC XI, 2c On Baptism B
NHC XI, 2d On the Eucharist A
NHC XI, 2e On the Eucharist B
NHC XI, 3 Allogenes
NHC XI, 4 Hypsiphrone (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
Codex XII
NHC XII, 1 The Sentences of Sextus
NHC XII, 2 The Gospel of Truth
NHC XII, 3 Fragments
Codex XIII
NHC XIII, 1 Trimorphic Protennoia
NHC XIII, 2 On the Origin of the World
Related Codices
The Tchacos Codex
TC, 1 The Letter of Peter to Philip (Translated by Mark M. Mattison)
TC, 2 James (Translated by Mark M. Mattison)
TC, 3 The Gospel of Judas (Translated by Mark M. Mattison)
TC, 4 The Stranger’s Book (Translated by Mark M. Mattison)
TC, 5 Corpus Hermeticum XIII, On Rebirth (Translated by Mark M. Mattison)
For more on the Tchacos Codex, see Overcoming Personal Demons: A new translation of the Tchacos Codex.
The Berlin Codex (Papyrus Berolinensis 8502 or BG 8502)
BG 8502, 1 The Gospel of Mary (Translations by Mark M. Mattison and Samuel Zinner)
BG 8502, 2 The Secret Writing According to John (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
BG 8502, 3 The Sophia of Jesus Christ (Translated by Samuel Zinner)
BG 8502, 4 The Act of Peter, translated by James Brashler and Douglas M. Parrott in James M. Robinson, ed., The Nag Hammadi Library, revised edition (HarperCollins, 1990); not in the public domain.
