What's on your desk?

I've been office cleaning this week and still in the process. Thought it would be fun to share five things that I found on my desk that I either forgot about or have been looking for but couldn't find previously beneath the massive paper mounds.

William Hartner, "The Pseudoplanetary Nodes of the Moon's Orbit in Hindu and Islamic Icongraphies," Ars Islamica 5 (1038) 112-154.

Howard M. Jackson, "The Meaning and Function of the Leontocephaline in Roman Mithraism," Numen 32 (1985) 17-45.

Bryan Wilson, Religion in Sociological Perspective (Oxford: Oxford University 1982).

Michael Frede, "Numenius," ANRW 36.2: 1034-1075.

Elliot Wolfson, "Seven Mysteries of Knowledge: Qumran E/sotericism Recovered," The Idea of Biblical Interpretation (2003) 177-215.

What is buried on your desk?

Last Minute Shopping

Need some ideas for stocking stuffers or gifts for book lovers? If the person is interested in Gnosticism, other gospels, second-century Christianity, esotericism and so forth, here are some books published fairly recently that might work for a gift. I am focusing here on books that are accessible to non-specialists. Although I may differ in my own opinions and approaches, I think that these books are engaging and informative.

Birger Pearson, Ancient Gnosticism
Jeffery Kripal, The Serpent's Gift: Gnostic Reflections on the Study of Religion
Alastair H.B. Logan, The Gnostics: Identifying an Early Christian Cult
Christopher Markschies, Gnosis: An Introduction
Richard Valantasis, Gnosticism and Other Vanished Christianities
Florian Ebeling, The Secret History of Hermes Trismegistus: Hermeticism from Ancient to Modern Times
Paul Foster (editor), The Writings of the Apostolic Fathers
Fred Lapham, An Introduction to the New Testament Apocrypha
Hans-Josef Klauck, Apocryphal Gospels: An Introduction
Bart Ehrman, Lost Christianities

If you are looking for the actual texts themselves (Nag Hammadi Codices, Tchacos Codex, NT Apocrypha) they are found in these volumes:

Marvin Meyer (editor), The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The International Edition
J.K. Elliott (editor), The Apocryphal New Testament
Rodolphe Kasser and Gregor Wurst (editors), The Gospel of Judas together with the Letter of Peter to Philip, James, and a Book of Allogenes from Codex Tchacos: Critical Edition

Feel free to leave your own suggestions in the comments.