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Summary: Well written, but Pagels fails to convince...
Review: Pagels successfully demonstrates that orthodox victory over Gnosticism was crucial in ensuring the continued growth and strength of the Christian church, but she fails to prove her thesis: that political motivations on the part of the church fathers played the primary role in that victory.1) Pagels' argument that the NT is ambiguous concerning the bodily resurrection of Christ is absurd. 2) It is incomprehensible to argue that the apostles invented the resurrection accounts to secure their own authority in the church. 3) We cannot reduce the early Christian debate over God's nature and characteristics to mere political maneuvering between the church and its opponents. 4) The Gnostic rejection of God as supreme creator and of the Virgin birth of Christ, among their other heresies, moves them completely out of the sphere of Christian thought. 5) Pagels scandalously asserts that the early church fathers had a hidden agenda when they urged Christians to martyr themselves-their desire that the organized church might prosper. 6) Gnosticism was more likely eastern religious though and practice garbed in Christian language than any serious contender to the claim of orthodoxy.
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Summary: Gnosticism and orthodoxy in contrast and context
Review: This work compellingly investigates the relationship between Christian Gnosticism and the nascient orthodoxy in the early centuries of the Christian movement. Pagels explores the political and social implications of the coelescing orthodoxy's religious tenets, providing us something of the secular context for the elements of the Nicene creed. Such an approach could provide (and often has) a facile platform for preachy social discourse or disparagement, but Pagels is too much the scholar for this and I personally found her detachment respectable. After providing us a fascinating history of the Nag Hammadi texts (the "Gnostic Gospels" of the title), Pagels deftly contrasts thier tenets against the orthodox positions, revealing the diversity of early Christian thought. The very concepts of "orthodoxy" and "heterodoxy" inevitably have serious secular implications, but these are rarely explored with the adroitness demonstrated by this fascinating work. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
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Summary: Solid work in a charged field
Review: Pagel's work is always a joy to read, and this, one of her earlier works, is no different. A concise, clear introduction to the difficult field of Gnostic studies, _GG_ is a great place to start. It is easy to see why it is so popular.
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Summary: Another popular, academic attempt at historical revisionism.
Review: Pagels' works understandably warm the cockles of heretical hearts everywhere. Hers is simply another in the line of works attempting to recover the "suppressed voices" of early Christianity. As Dr. Luke Timothy Johnson of Chandler Divinity School at Emory University rightly notes, such writings have become a "boom industry." This academic revisionism, pressing its own politicized and ideological agenda, seeks to undermine the traditionally accepted biblical canon. That it may be done brilliantly does not at all mean that it is done accurately or with ultimate value. As Dr. Johnson points out, "...since many of these Gnostic writings appeared at first sight to have a lot of positive things to say about women and a lot of negative things to say about authority structures, it did not take long for some scholars, like Elaine Pagels...to argue that such texts should be read as the development of voices that the canonical writings had suppressed." It is this aspect of Pagels' writings that has made her so popular with religions, such as Mormonism for example, that have a vested interest in undermining the authority of the canon of biblical scripture as traditionally accepted. For the superficially inclined, the fact that the Book of Mormon claims that many "plain and precious parts" of the Bible have been suppressed by evil priests seems vindicated by Pagels' revisionist work. And so the way is open to make rather silly claims about the need for "continuing revelation" to "restore true Christianity." And, of course, any number of contemporary claimants from Mormons to New Age sects want to insert their own particular "scriptures" or "channeled" revelations as a restoration of the "truth" which the early Catholic Church suppressed for its own evil ends. Thus, Pagels should be read with the full realization of her own ideological agenda, and the appeal of the latter to those who have a vested interest in undermining classical Christian orthodoxy by any means avaliable. I would recommend instead, Johnson's own book, THE REAL JESUS, and, THE REFINER'S FIRE, by John L. Brook. Amazon sells both. --Ronald McCamy, Ph.D., Moorpark College, CA.
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Summary: The way I've always heard it.
Review: Pagel's presentation of the Gnostic view of Christianity was so satisfying because I finally have an interpretation of Jesus' teachings that coincides with the way I "heard" it growing up Catholic (which differed from the way it was taught!) I have more highlighted passages and notes in this book than any other book I own - and I *never* do this to my books!
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Summary: An eye-opening look at the origins of Christianity
Review: Elaine Pagels writes in very readable terms about the Nag Hammadi texts. These are quite obviously goapels that were excluded from the "Catholic" bible. These are the true teachings-the private teachings- of Jesus of Nazareth. Ms. Pagels was my first introduction to gnosticism, and excited my intuitive sense to pursue more on this subject-much more. I highly recommend this wonderful book.
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Summary: Excellent book - must be read
Review: The Gnostic Gospels clearly depicts the struggles of the early Church and its need to present a coherent front in a Roman world. Elaine Pagels will be delighted to see the truly inspiring "The Autobiography of Jesus of Nazareth and the Missing Years" by Richard G. Patton, backing up her viewpoints. Patton shows us a Jesus that is at variance with the "establishment", yet is truly human. Pagels illustrates with historical reference how the 'historical Jesus' was molded to fit the institution of Religion. Lucidly written without being academic. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Another excellent example of Elaine Pagels' abilities.
Review: The Christianity of the first and second centuries of the 'common era' is barely comparable in interest, intrigue and social setting to that of Christianity today. Elaine Pagels' discussion of the intricacies of the formation of church doctrine and the tie-in of the political activities of many Church Fathers is certainly eye-opening. Any person interested in the power-dynamics of the early Christian church should read this book (as well as anything else written by Elaine Pagels).
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Summary: Required reading!
Review: An in-depth analysis of the behind the scenes power struggle between gnostic Christians and the early Catholic Church! Someone else decided that YOU would only be allowed to learn ONE version of Jesus' message - 1600 years ago! Find out why the gnostics believed that most christians are praying to the WRONG GOD!
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Summary: Outstanding and thought-provoking
Review: Christianity has shaped Western civilization much more than we care to believe in these agnostic times. Some of our most basic ways of thinking can be traced back to those chaotic years in the first few centuries of our era when people were trying to form a systematic theology from the teachings of Jesus. The Biblical canon had not yet been formed, and what we now call orthodoxy was just one of many systems. Among the different interpretations in this ferment were those called Gnostic, and I have long tried to understand exactly what Gnosis was. I found Dr. Pagels' short book to be a masterwork of clear and concise scholarly thinking. Gnosis was not so much a doctrine but a way of doing religion that emphasized a very individualistic approach to God, propagated by close mentor-student training. Gnostics tended to exclusive and restricted to intellectuals and ascetics. This was in opposition to the more 'mainstream' church, which wanted to be universal and inclusive, with a well-defined hierachy of priests and bishops. Thus, the struggle was sociological and political as much as it was religious. I have read through Dr. Pagels' work several times, and it is among the best books I have come across on any subject
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