Long buried and suppressed, the Gnostic gospels contain the secret writings attributed to the followers of Jesus. In 1945 fifty-two papyrus texts, including gospels and other secret documents, were found buried in the Egyptian desert. These so-called Gnostic writings were Coptic translations from the original Greek dating from the time of the New Testament. The material they embodied was later declared heretical, as they offered a powerful alternative to the Orthodox Christian tradition.