The Gnostic Gospels

Rating:
Summary: Gnostic but not Gospel
Review: The word Gospel means God's Word. It comes from two anglo-saxon words. The first word is Go, which was the word used for God. The second word is spel, which means word or to spell.

Therefore "The Gnostic Gospels" by Elaine Pagels, cannot really be Gospels because The Gnostic Gospels are diametrically opposed to the four true Gospels found in Holy Scripture.

As a matter of fact the Apostle Paul in the letter to the Colossians was writing to refute the heresy of Gnosticism.

The following is an excerpt from the Apostle Paul's, God inspired epistle, warning against the Gnostics and Gnosticism:

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him..." (Col. 1: 8-10a)

If you are searching for God's truth you should read the Authorized (King James) Version Bible to find out how you can receive eternal life from the risen from the dead Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you need a real Bible, Amazon.com has an excellent selection of Authorized (King James) Version Bibles to choose from that are published by Cambridge University
Press at discounted prices.

Rating:
Summary: Gnostics interesting - Speculation not
Review: The Gnostic writings are quite interesting. It is a mistake however to go for presenting these for people to read, to making assumptions about 'what might have been.' The author pretends to know what this alternate wolrd may have evolved as.

The fact that no great movement has existed down to this day is not due to persecution - the Islamic powers in the middle east were quite happy to shelter Christian dissidents, but more to the fact that no single Gnostic church came into being. The simple point is that the Gospels as presented by the Church are inspiring.

Anyone who has read the fiction in either of the two so-called 'Infancy Gospels of Thomas' are immediately reminded of such low-brow comedies as 'Zapped' (These Gospels present a child-Jesus who zaps people with his Godly powers when they annoy Him).

This author suggests that Christianity might be more softer had these Gospels been the centre of Christianity? What could be more soft than "Blessed are the Peacemakers" or "Turn the other cheek"? Obviously the author has an axe to grind and is using these lamentable works as an attack on existing institutions.

The fact that they weren't accepted by the Church is not grounds for believing that there's something to them. It's like saying most people won't drink poison... maybe they're hiding something, maybe I should try drinking poision! There's no logic in the authors premise.

These 'Gospels' remain of interest though because they give alternate views or perspectives of Christianity. This does not mean they are correct, and you don't need to make your own guess as to what religion they spawned, for they spawned dozens (all destined to vanish); Manicheans, Bogomils, Albergensians, etc.

Rating:
Summary: An Easy Read! Spiritual without all that religious baggage
Review: Talk about an easy read! Really easy stuff!
If you're like me and want to spiritual without being bogged down with religous dogma, this book is must read.
This book is perfect for those of us that lead busy lives and have a limited amount of time to spend on being spiritual.
Gnostisism rocks!

Rating:
Summary: A "New" look at old Gnosis
Review: Elaine Pagels, having come from a posistion of such importance, is clearly one of the authorities on Gnostic traditions, and the effec they have on us in this century. Having been one of the people who was lucky enough to translate the Nag Hammadi Codicies, Pagels has possibly the best insight into these esoteric writtings.

Her book, although taking some quotes from Nag Hammadi, largely focuses on the points of comparisson between the early Christian Gnostics and the Orthodox Gnostics in the early days of the Roman Empire. Using what was learned from the Nag Hammadi Codicies, she is able to more cohesively argue both sides of the formally one sided argument against the Gnostics. Using numerous quotions from an old book called "Ibid" by Ireneaus, where the Gnostic movement was strongly bashed as heresey. Although, many of these arguments are refuted, and it clearly makes a mainstream Christian reader at the very least question his or her faith, it doesn't delve enough into the actual philosophy about Gnosis that was given in the Nag Hammadi Codicies until the very end. This perhaps was the major flaw of the book, although it showed the Social aspects of Gnosis, she didn't delve deeply into the really esoteric philosophies. Perhaps, this is because she is coming from an objective standpoint of that of a researcher.

Overall, this book is extremely strong in explaining the Gnostics, and is even at least the first primer a person should read before diving into the Nag Hammadi Library.

Rating:
Summary: So this is what Christianity could have been!
Review: This book gives readers a chance to delve into the "other side" of Christianity--the gnostic view that was almost lost to the mists of history. Thankfully, someone found the gnostic writings, so we have an idea of what their view was from the people themselves. The gnostics had different views on the resurrection, church hierarchy, the role of women, and how one comes to know God. Some of their ideas show up today--many ultra-liberal Christians take the resurrection as more of a symbolic event, and more and more churches are including women in their leadership roles. We are probably more gnostic than we realize. I don't agree with everything the gnostics held, but their ideas should be considered by every thinking Christian. I hope to read more about the gnostic Gospels.

Rating:
Summary: Not Quite What I Expected
Review: This book was not quite what I thought it would be however it was still very good. I was hoping for a printing of the Gnostic Gospels themselves. But what I got was a study of The Gnostic Religion versus the Roman Catholic Church and other orthodox Christian sects. Offering compelling information on the differences of their beliefs in the writings of The New Testament.

The book also explains what Gnosis is, is God male or female? Is there more than one God, proven in the Bible? It talks of how the two Christian Churches were formed in the beginning and how and why the present version won out. Also of interest is a chapter on the Christians suffering under the Roman Empire.

This book was thought provoking and kept my interest throughout. It touched on a lot of subjects for such a short project. While I don't think this book should be considered the final word on any debate about Christianity or the Gnostic Religion I believe that it certainly should be on any list when it comes to understanding Gnostics.

Read with an open mind and this book will lead you down paths you had not considered. Explain an alternate way to read some of the versus in the Bible. Talk of recently found teachings from the days of Jesus and before. Don't miss this one.

Rating:
Summary: Intelligent Layman introduction
Review: What an illuminating read... Previous reviewers have stated that this isn't the best single book introduction out there, and I have to agree, though not to the extent some save. No doubt, it is vital to have at least a basic understanding of who the gnostic christians were and why the orthodox christians opposed them. But you can learn this information fairly easily online. Look up a few web pages, maybe read a couple of the Nag Hammadi texts (which, let's face it, is the best possible way to learn just what the gnostics were all about). But after that, this is simply the best book to go to. No, it is not perfect. It focuses, perhaps, a bit too much on the 'feminist' aspects of the gnostic controversies, giving them more time then they really deserve. But, keepin that in mind, it's possible to read the book and just realize that Pagels isn't focusing on the MOST important parts. Either way, this book will completely reverse any preconcieved notions you may have about the gnostics or the early orthodox church.

Rating:
Summary: Not compelling
Review: I read Elaine Pagels' book entitled "The Origin of Satan" and greatly enjoyed it. That book allowed a non-expert in the subject matter to easily follow and understand her points and arguments. She accomplished that without being overly simplistic. So I eagerly anticipated reading "The Gnostic Gospels." However, this book fails the reader, especially one who is a novice to the Gnostic gospels. Unlike her pervious novel, little background is provided on the Gnostic gospels making it difficult, at times, to fully understand and appreciate her points.

She writes little about the actual gospels and what they say (and mean). I literally have no idea how many of these gospels there were or how long they were. But, it is clear from her book that the writers of the Gnostic gospels were heretics and had opinions about the nature of God, the Trinity, and martyrdom, to name a few, that diverged from Christian Orthodox views. While it is clear that there was a battle between the Gnostics and Orthodox Christians, I learned very little about the Gnostic gospels. Pagels does very little to tell the reader why these gospels are compelling, or are credible or non-credible. And that is an important point since the Gnostic gospels are that different from the standard New Testament gospels. I was looking for perspective and insight on the gospels and she failed to deliver.

While it is interesting to learn about why the views these non-Orthodox gospels offer were squashed, you will gain little perspective and insight on what the texts where about. So, I would not recommend this book if you are interested in learning about the Gnostic gospels. With that said, Pagels is a wonderful writer who is unbiased and, almost always, completely compelling.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent and enlightening book
Review: This book is an excellent and enlightening book; however, I recommend before purchasing this book you choose another introductory book or source about Gnosticism. It is imperative you have a good, basic understanding of who the Christian Gnostics were and how they differed from the early Christians. Once you have that understanding, purchase this book and keep it permanently in your library. This book delves into the fascinating specifics of why these two groups held opposing opinions about Jesus' mission, teachings, and life.

Rating:
Summary: The Gnostic Gospels
Review: Well written and informative. Good explanation of the political intrigue of the early church.