The Gospel of Philip was one of the fifty-two texts discovered at Nag Hammadi. It attributes to Jesus acts and sayings quite different from those in the New Testament. Some sayings in this collection criticize the virgin birth and the bodily resurrection as naïve misunderstandings. It tells of the rivalry between the male disciples and Mary Magdalene, and describes a much more intimate relationship between her and Jesus:

…the companion of the Savior is Mary Magdalene. But Christ loved her more than all the disciples and used to kiss her often on her mouth. The rest of the disciples were offended by it…. They said to him, “Why do you love her more than all of us?” The Savior answered and said to them, “Why do I not love you as I love her?”

-- Pagels, Elaine, The Gnostic Gospels, Random House, New York, 1979, vintage books edition, 1989. Pages xv-xvi and 64.