The Secret Book of James

How to be Whole

Before his own martyrdom at the temple in 62 CE, James the Just led the followers of his brother Jesus in Jerusalem. According to several ancient sources, including the New Testament, the risen Jesus met with James personally. What did he tell James?

Written early in the second century as Roman soldiers were closing in, the Secret Book of James elaborates on contrasting themes: Spiritual drunkenness and sobriety, lacking and filling, death and life, ignorance and understanding. Before ascending to heaven in a chariot of the Spirit, Jesus invites James, Peter, and countless future followers to embark on the same path he did.

“Mattison makes this fascinating but little-known ancient text appealing for a contemporary audience. His comments focus on the questions uppermost in the public thought, and his new translation surprises readers with spiritual insights. Mattison’s additional, more literal public domain version adds to the ancient text’s accessibility, while his text notes and footnotes reassure scholars of his contemporary research.”

Shirley Paulson, PhD

What a treat

I’m thankful to find any commentary on this text so this was great. Gives you a slight run down of the themes in the text as well as the audio of the text itself. I only wish there was more

Content

Numbers get in the way of the dialogue but still a very, very interesting book.