The founding of the early Christian Church had as much to do with politics and intrigue as it did with theology and religion. This history and the documents uncovered at the Nag Hammadi site in Egypt have formed the basis of some of the most interesting and mysterious questions today. Was Mary Magdalene a disciple of Jesus? What role did Jesus mother Mary play? What does the Gospel of Thomas tells us? Enter The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Gnostic Gospels. Expert author J. Michael Matkin has provided easy and understandable overviews to all these major works and more. With chapters discussing each of the major and minor documents found at Nag Hammadi, the book also includes an overview of Gnosticism and its most influential people. Readers get an easy, understandable view of the early Church, these relatively new documents, and their meaning to modern religion and philosophy today.