Codex Tchacos A Coptic papyrus codex, likely dating to the fourth century, that contains the gnostic tractates the Letter of Peter to Philip, the First Apocalypse of James, the Gospel of Judas, and Allogenes.

The codex was discovered near El Minya, Egypt, in the late 1970s. It spent several years on the antiquities market, becoming seriously damaged in the process. The art dealer Frieda Nussberger-Tchacos purchased it in 2000 and had it restored, and its contents were published by the National Geographic Society in 2006.

Codex Tchacos is one of several Coptic codices that originated in Egypt and contains gnostic literature, including the Askew Codex, Bruce Codex, Berlin Codex, and the Nag Hammadi codices. Of the four tractates that appear on Codex Tchacos, the Letter of Peter to Philip and the First Apocalypse of James also appear in the Nag Hammadi codices. The Allogenes found in Codex Tchacos is not the same as the Nag Hammadi tractate with the same name.

For further details on each individual work contained in Codex Tchacos, see these articles: Apocalypse of James, First; Letter of Peter to Philip; Gospel of Judas; Allogenes, Codex Tchacos Text. For further information on Gnosticism and why it was deemed heretical by the early church fathers, see this article: Gnosticism.

Elliot Ritzema