Camp Gagnon: “EVERY Gospel The Church BANNED From The Bible”

Host: Mark Gagnon
Date: February 8, 2026
Episode Theme:
A deep dive into the Nag Hammadi Library — a cache of ancient, banned Christian texts unearthed in Egypt, revealing wildly different conceptions of God, Jesus, and early Christianity than those accepted by the mainstream church.

Episode Overview

Mark Gagnon explores the Nag Hammadi Library, a collection of early Christian and Gnostic writings that church authorities later banned as heretical. The episode uncovers the dramatic story of the texts’ accidental discovery, their secret beliefs about God, Jesus, and reality, and how their recovery challenges the conventional narrative of Christian origins. Gagnon approaches the discussion as a curious, open-minded layman—a comedian raised Catholic, not a theologian—inviting listeners to discover ancient religious diversity alongside him.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Discovery of the Nag Hammadi Library

• Origin Story (07:44–15:38):
  • In 1945, Muhammad Ali al-Saman, an Egyptian farmer, and his brother discovered a sealed glass jar while digging for fertilizer near Nag Hammadi, Egypt.
  • Superstitions about jinn (supernatural beings) made them wary, but curiosity prevailed. Inside, they found 13 antique, leather-bound books (codices), written in Coptic.
  • Tragically, some pages were burned as cooking fuel by the family, meaning portions of the collection were lost forever.
  • The books were passed through priests, teachers, and black markets before finally being recognized by scholars.
  • Quote (08:51):
    “She grabs a handful of these loose pages and, and tosses them into the fire...Some people say it might have been missing letters from Paul, maybe sayings of Jesus that we've never heard or never read… It's just gone.” (Mark)

2. What are the Nag Hammadi Texts?

• The collection contains 52 separate texts, including “secret gospels,” poems, and speculative cosmological writings—most distinctively representing Gnostic Christianity.
• Gnostic texts present a view of Christianity that radically departs from what became mainstream.

3. Core Gnostic Beliefs

• Radically Different Cosmology (19:20–25:47):
  • The true God is an utterly transcendent, invisible spirit—too pure to create the flawed physical world.
  • A divine being, Sophia (“Wisdom”), attempted to create a child without the permission of the highest God, resulting in the birth of a monstrous being named Yaldabaoth (the "demiurge").
  • This demiurge, cast out and alone, creates the material world and declares himself the only God—a view Gnostics use to reinterpret the wrathful Old Testament deity.
  • Humanity, according to Gnostics, receives a “divine spark” from Sophia, making our bodies creations of the demiurge but our souls fragments of the true God.
  • Quote (22:55):
    “The Gnostics are basically saying that the God of Genesis wasn’t the true God. It was a creation of a lesser god. And this is literally just a cosmic mistake created by this Sophia girl that wanted a kid.” (Mark)
  • Salvation is achieved not through faith or works, but through awakening hidden knowledge (“gnosis”)—recognizing the divine within and escaping ignorance.

4. Key Gnostic Gospels from Nag Hammadi

• a. Apocryphon of John
  • Outlines the Gnostic cosmology above in detail.
• b. Gospel of Thomas
  • Not a narrative, but 114 “secret sayings” of Jesus—often mystical and open-ended.
  • Jesus teaches that the kingdom of God is already here, if only people would see it.
  • Quote (30:18):
    “Jesus said, ‘the kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth and men do not see it.’”
  • Famous pantheistic saying:
    (32:10):
    “Split a piece of wood, I am there. Lift up the stone, you will find me there.”
  • Echoes Eastern religious ideas of divinity present in all things.
• c. Gospel of Philip
  • Elevates Mary Magdalene—portrays her as Jesus’s close companion; possibly even his wife or intimate partner.
  • Quote (36:40):
    “But Christ loved her more than all the disciples and used to kiss her more often on the mouth.” (text; with caveat about a hole in the papyrus making the word "mouth" uncertain)
  • The other disciples envy Mary, and Jesus responds with a riddle suggesting her greater spiritual insight.
  • This elevates women’s roles in early Christianity, in contrast to their later demotion by the institutional church.
• d. Apocalypse of Peter
  • Features a “docetic” view of Jesus: at the crucifixion, Jesus’s immortal, spiritual self laughs above the scene as the Romans crucify only a physical shell.
  • Quote (40:40):
    “The real Jesus was standing right there laughing at how stupid they were. Because you can kill flesh, but you can’t kill the spirit.” (Mark)
• e. Thunder, Perfect Mind
  • A poetic monologue from a female divine power, full of paradoxes and archetypes (mother and daughter, whore and holy, silence and remembrance), suggesting a boldly inclusive vision of the divine feminine.
  • Quote (43:20):
    “For I am the first and the last. I am the honored one and the scorned one. I am the whore and the holy one...”

5. Why Were These Books Buried and Banned?

• Early Christianity was a patchwork of different beliefs and gospels, with no central authority for centuries (46:05–50:24).
• The rise of Emperor Constantine and church leaders like Athanasius saw moves to enforce doctrinal uniformity.
• In 367 A.D., Athanasius issued the first list matching today’s New Testament, fiercely condemning other texts as heretical.
• Heresy became a dangerous label, with harsh repercussions.
• Theory: Monks who treasured these “forbidden” books chose to hide them in jars, fearing persecution, rather than destroy them.

6. What the Nag Hammadi Discovery Changed

• Until 1945, knowledge of Gnosticism came only from its opponents. Now, scholars could read Gnostic texts directly.
• The discovery revealed the rich diversity and tumult of early Christianity, challenging notions of an uncontested “original” faith.
  • Quote (53:05):
    “Before 1945, we only knew about the Gnostics because their enemies would write about them... But now we actually have the text themselves.” (Mark)
• Gnosticism offers a version of faith focused on personal spiritual knowledge, not institutional rules—a concept both threatening and fascinating for contemporary readers.

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Opening teaser (00:02):
  “What if I told you that for 1,600 years, a radically different version of Christianity was just buried in a jar under a cliff in the middle of nowhere?... The creator of this world is actually an arrogant monster. The Garden of Eden was all a setup. And that Jesus didn't suffer on the cross. He stood off to the side, floating in spirit form, and laughed at the Romans...”
• On the Gnostic “divine spark” (26:02):
  “Our bodies are made by the false God, our souls come from the true God. And this is what Gnostics call the divine spark.”
• Pantheistic Jesus, Gospel of Thomas (32:10):
  “I am the light that is over all things. I am all. From me all came forth, and to me, all attained. Split a piece of wood, I am there. Lift up the stone, you will find me there.”
• Radical views on gender (59:00):
  “For every woman who makes herself male shall enter the kingdom of heaven.”
  • Mark wonders if this is proto-trans thought, and muses on how modern church critics interpret such texts.
• Host’s summation (54:20):
  “You don’t have to believe what they wrote—I mean, I don’t... but the Nag Hammadi library to me just shows a really interesting view about the different ideas that were circulating in the region at the time.”

Notable Moments & Listener Engagement

• Mark shows off a hand-scribed replica of the Nag Hammadi Codex 2, crafted by Wes Huff—a symbol of modern intrigue with these ancient texts. (11:25)
• Discussion of gender-bending sayings sparks reflection on controversies over “the trans and the LGBTs” in ancient and modern contexts. (59:00)
• Host reads and responds to a fan comment about overcoming addiction, linking ancient texts to present-day purpose and resilience. (1:03:30)
  • Quote:
    “For anyone else going through anything similar, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Read Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning...” (Mark)

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–03:00 | Introduction, teaser stories about Gnostic ideas | | 07:44–15:38 | The “accidental” discovery of the Nag Hammadi codices | | 19:20–25:47 | Gnostic cosmology (Apocryphon of John, demiurge, etc.) | | 30:18–33:00 | Gospel of Thomas: sayings, pantheism, present kingdom | | 36:40–39:20 | Gospel of Philip: Mary Magdalene, gender, intimacy | | 40:40–43:00 | Apocalypse of Peter: docetic Christ, crucifixion scene | | 43:20–45:50 | Thunder, Perfect Mind: the divine feminine | | 46:05–50:24 | Standardization of Christian canon, Athanasius letter | | 53:05–55:00 | What the Nag Hammadi texts changed scholarship-wise | | 59:00–1:01:00| Gender in Gospel of Thomas, modern reactions | | 1:03:30–end | Listener interaction, wrap-up, words of encouragement |

Tone, Style & Host Perspective

Mark’s tone is lively, irreverent, and intellectually curious. He emphasizes he is “just a comedian” exploring these texts with his audience rather than an expert or evangelist. This results in explanations that are accessible, entertaining, and rich with relatable analogies (“like the plot of the Matrix”). He frequently addresses and demystifies controversial material, always returning to the value of curiosity and open-minded exploration.

Summary Takeaway

This episode offers an enthralling guided tour of the secret scriptures that the early institutional church tried to erase. Through storytelling and key excerpts, Mark paints a picture of a Christianity once far less uniform, where ideas like the demiurge, divine femininity, personal gnosis, and radical egalitarianism swirled and competed for influence. As he puts it: “It destroyed this linear thought of a completely uncontested original Christianity.”

Highly recommended for anyone curious about religion, ancient history, or the explosive diversity of early religious ideas.

Listener prompt:
Mark closes by inviting feedback and further questions from listeners, teasing future deep dives and affirming the show as “a tent where all are welcome” to explore history’s and humanity’s wildest mysteries.