12 books were discovered in 1945 by 2 peasant brothers near Nag Hammadi, Egypt. These books are called the Nag Hammadi Library. The books were hidden in a sealed jar. They were taken to a priest's home for safety because of a blood vengeance. The Department of Antiquities took the books. They are now preserved in the Coptic Museum in Cairo, Egypt. The most famous book uncovered was the Gospel of Thomas.

The Gopsel of Thomas is written in Coptic. Coptic is late Egyptian language written in Greek letters. Early Christianity in Egypt wrote in Coptic. There are still Coptic Churches in Egypt that use Coptic today.

Some may refer to the Gospel of Thomas as the fifth gospel. This is a Gnostic writing, though some scholars may see some of the sayings of Jesus in this gospel as genuine. There are 114 sayings of Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas. See The Gospel of Thomas see also The Nag Hammadi Library.

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