The Gnostic Gospels

By: Elaine Pagels

Narrated by: Lorna Raver

The Gnostic Gospels provides engaging listening for those seeking a broader perspective on the early development of Christianity. Author and noted scholar Elaine Pagels suggests that Christianity could have developed quite differently if Gnostic texts had become part of the Christian canon.

Without a doubt: Gnosticism celebrates God as both Mother and Father, shows a very human Jesus's relationship to Mary Magdalene, suggests the Resurrection is better understood symbolically, and speaks to self-knowledge as the route to union with God. Pagels argues that Christian orthodoxy grew out of the political considerations of the day, serving to legitimize and consolidate early church leadership. Her contrast of that developing orthodoxy with Gnostic teachings presents an intriguing trajectory on a world faith as it "might have become."

©1979 Elaine Pagels (P)2006 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The first major and eminently readable book on gnosticism benefiting from the discovery in 1945 of a collection of Gnostic Christian texts at Nag Hammadi in Egypt." --The New York Times Book Review

Just the beginning

Beautifully narrated, and a good introduction to the subject matter. Now I have more questions, of course, so I know this was just the beginning for me. Grateful to both author and narrator for giving me back some things I couldn't learn effectively at the hands of lofty theology professors once upon a time.

Informative

I am new to early Christianity and I like to hear the many accounts of the early churches or belief. Gnostic gospels are something important to know about and how they’ve changed the course of history.

Great Information, Incredible Reading!

As someone with only cursory knowledge of Gnosticism this book was an excellent starting point.
It’s examination of early Christianity was humanizing.

I could listen to Lorna Raver read a Car Owner’s Manual and I would be in heaven. She’s incredible, warm, and authoritative all at the same time.

Review

Provide great information in both religions and gnostic history. Recommend it for any student if faith.

Feed your mind

This book is a well written, academic analysis on the birth of Christianity. If you only know what the church tells you, or the poorly translated and hand selected passages of the orthodox new testament, then you're just a sheep. The Immortality Key by Brian Muraresku is a great, and more fun, read for before or after this book.

So glad...

... I've finally read/heard this book! I consider myself pretty adept at studying/analyzing, but fully grasping the history and reasoning behind the Church and how it seems EVERYTHING was heresy at some point, and my own logical questions concerning the philosophical tenets AND holes in orthodox Christianity... but in this single book, it all makes me sense!

Biblical history

If you are wanting to hear the gnostic gospels read you won’t find that here, however you will find a writer who has done her homework on the history of Christianity, I found this very informative as I have read the Bible many times and just took it on faith to be “the” truth, not understanding that history is extremely important to correctly understanding. It’s very interesting how bias belief and politics have shape how the Bible came to be and what was and wasn’t included in the canonical scriptures.

Very informative

I really enjoyed this listening experience. I learned a lot of interesting things. The book is very objectively written.

Timeless education on Gnosticism and Power

This book absolutely changed the way that I view the Bible and Jesus. I was formally taught on Catholic and protestant viewpoints, and to now know the basis of Gnosticism, I am at awe of their teachings

does not include gospels but glad I bought it!

thinking it included the gospels I bought it by accident but wow... no regrets! I recomend reading or listening to all the apocryphal writtings you can find before listening to this one cause she covers all of them as well as the history behind the writings, the contemporaries of the time, the government, political agenda... she REALLY did her homework. it is an amazing overview of what happened right after Jesus dies, to when the catholic church was officially formed. wow