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Beyond Belief by Elaine Pagels

Beyond Belief

The Secret Gospel of Thomas

Elaine Pagels

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group · Print & ebook · May 4, 2004

In Beyond Belief, renowned religion scholar Elaine Pagels continues her groundbreaking examination of the earliest Christian texts, arguing for an ongoing assessment of faith and a questioning of religious orthodoxy.

TheologyNew Testament InterpretationGnosticismbiography
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Who it’s for
A compact guide to a text that rewards close reading and a little doctrinal courage.
Genres
Gnosticism, New Testament Interpretation, Theology
Published
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, May 4, 2004

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About this book

In Beyond Belief, renowned religion scholar Elaine Pagels continues her groundbreaking examination of the earliest Christian texts, arguing for an ongoing assessment of faith and a questioning of religious orthodoxy. Spurred on by personal tragedy and new scholarship from an international group of researchers, Pagels returns to her investigation of the “secret” Gospel of Thomas, and breathes new life into writings once thought heretical.

Continue reading

As she arrives at an ever-deeper conviction in her own faith, Pagels reveals how faith allows for a diversity of interpretations, and that the “rogue” voices of Christianity encourage and sustain “the recognition of the light within us all.”

Close Reading

A compact guide to a text that rewards close reading and a little doctrinal courage.

Come here for

  • Gospel-of-Thomas scholarship
  • rigorous historical-theological framing

Expect

  • specialist-level detail
  • classroom or devotional use

Where it sits

Gnosticism67%
New Testament Interpretation62%
Theology24%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • New Testament Interpretation
  • Christian History
  • History of Christian Thought
Authors
Elaine Pagels
Publisher
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published
May 4, 2004
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
New Testament Interpretation