The End of Gnosticism?

By RICHARD BYRNE

Lost texts of Christianity have created scholarly excitement and news-media buzz. So why do some researchers say we're using the wrong name for them?

From the moment that Karen L. King entered Brown University's graduate program in religion, in the 1970s, she wanted to study Gnosticism. She was one of several religious-studies students of that era whose interest in the Gnostics was sparked by increased access to a treasure trove of ancient writings that had been discovered