In December 1945, Gnostic books containing many secrets of the early Christian
religion were found near the town of Nag Hammadi in upper Egypt. Undisturbed
since their concealment almost two thousand years ago, these manuscripts
from Gnosticism rank in importance with the Dead Sea Scrolls. Brian A.
Bain, M.A., says: "Long considered to be heretical, ancient Gnostic
Christian texts unearthed this century display compelling similarities
between Gnostic conceptions of life and death and modern near-death experiences.
The Gnostic texts devoted extensive tracts to what readers could expect
to encounter when they died. Other passages make numerous allusions
to nde-like experiences that can be realized in this life, most notably
the human encounter with a Divine Light. The Gnostic Christian literature
gives us one more example of near-death experiences and similar experiences
in the ancient world." |
