Another well-researched, topically exciting and approachable book by Elaine Pagels. I have thoroughly enjoyed her other books on early Christianity. The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans, and Heretics explained how, from origins traceable to Jewish apocalyptic sources, then applied by the Christian movement, religious groups have demonized their enemies over the centuries, associating them with Satan and similar entities. Her analysis of the development of the ideas of human nature, moral freedom, and sexuality in the first four centuries of Christianity in Adam, Eve, and the Serpent: Sex and Politics in Early Christianity was equally insightful. I have found her discussions always thorough, well-based in facts or where facts are not available, in plausible theories supported by corroborating evidence. This book is no different.
In Gnostic Gospels Pagels takes the reader back to the first two centuries of the evolving Christianity, an ear when the memory of the life of Jesus was still relatively fresh and the interpretations of the meaning of his life and teachings were not yet codified into crede and dogmas. Christianity was in the labour of finding its identity. During this process conflicting ideas emerged about who Jesus was? Was he really God? Who is God? Was he the messiah? What does his death mean for the believers? What should one believe about what happened to him after his death? What does his and his followers' suffering mean? How does one attain the necessary understanding and insight? These and similar questions were in abundance and were freely discussed spawning various schools of thoughts leading to a fragmentation of the early movement. This lead leaders in the early church such as Ireneus to measures to bring unity of the faith to Christians by "standardizing" what should be accepted as correct teaching (orthodoxy) and what should be considered heresy.
Understanding the teachings of Christian orthodoxy is an exciting study. What is, however, equally exciting is the exploration of opposing views, such as those analyzed by Elaine Pagels here, and that were actually by means of force and counter force, shaping orthodoxy's own understanding. The polemics between orthodox (catholic) and gnostic groups were the ground from which the structural, theological, liturgical, moral and spiritual identity of Christianity emerged.
In Gnostic Gospels Pagels takes the reader back to the first two centuries of the evolving Christianity, an ear when the memory of the life of Jesus was still relatively fresh and the interpretations of the meaning of his life and teachings were not yet codified into crede and dogmas. Christianity was in the labour of finding its identity. During this process conflicting ideas emerged about who Jesus was? Was he really God? Who is God? Was he the messiah? What does his death mean for the believers? What should one believe about what happened to him after his death? What does his and his followers' suffering mean? How does one attain the necessary understanding and insight? These and similar questions were in abundance and were freely discussed spawning various schools of thoughts leading to a fragmentation of the early movement. This lead leaders in the early church such as Ireneus to measures to bring unity of the faith to Christians by "standardizing" what should be accepted as correct teaching (orthodoxy) and what should be considered heresy.
Understanding the teachings of Christian orthodoxy is an exciting study. What is, however, equally exciting is the exploration of opposing views, such as those analyzed by Elaine Pagels here, and that were actually by means of force and counter force, shaping orthodoxy's own understanding. The polemics between orthodox (catholic) and gnostic groups were the ground from which the structural, theological, liturgical, moral and spiritual identity of Christianity emerged.
