Beyond Belief

The Secret Gospel of Thomas

By: Elaine Pagels

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Spurred by personal tragedy, Elaine Pagels turns to a consideration of the Gnostic Gospels, in particular, the Gospel of Thomas. As opposed to the Gospel of John, which asserted that Jesus was an eternally existing aspect of God who came to earth to save humankind, the "secret" Gospel of Thomas agrees that Jesus was in some sense divine, but says that a streak of divinity can be found in all of us. The Church Fathers did not like Thomas' ideas, and attempted to suppress his Gospel as heretical. Pagels believes that Thomas' words lead to a more open, welcoming, and equitable kind of Christianity. If Beyond Belief is at odds with conservative theological certainties, it nonetheless speaks to Jesus' humanity, and to our own.

©2003 Elaine Pagels (P)2004 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"Exhilarating reading, Pagels's book offers a model of careful and thoughtful scholarship in the lively and exciting prose of a good mystery writer." (Publishers Weekly)
"A fresh and exciting work of theology and spirituality." (Booklist)
"With the winning combination of sound scholarship, deep insight and crystal-clear prose style that distinguishes all her work, Pagels portrays the great variety of beliefs, teachings and practices that were found among the earliest Christians." (Los Angeles Times)

Exceptional exploration of the Bible

Loved the historical point of view and perspective.
Really opened my eyes to many possibilities.

Not what I thought.

It promised to answer a question that I didn’t know I was asking when I first heard that there was a ‘Gospel of Thomas’. I wanted to know why it was excluded from what would become the Bible. I am also a bit troubled by the Gospel of John now. Unlike the author, who says she always liked this Gospel, I liked it less than the other three. There seemed dissonance with the other 3 and, not being a biblical scholar, I never questioned why. I just knew John was different and an outlier. Now I wonder if it was right to have been included with the other 3.

Chapters are not accurate

The chapter divisions for this audiobook do not match the chapters of the audio. This must be fixed.

Incredible

I've never really dived into the Gospel of Thomas and didn't know what to expect, but there's so much to be learned from this apocryphal gospel and its sharp distinction from the canonical Gospel of John. I just finished this one and I think I'm going to roll right back to the beginning. It's that good.

Refreshing

This book is factually rich and narratively fascinating. It is honest about the facts of the lesser known history of Christianity without condemning the religion. The book never discourages faith - it never encourages it either. The author takes an honest look at facts, and she shows us they're beauty and how Christianity has affected her life during personal tradgedy. It's a great read for anyone interested in Christianity, history, or faith.

Excellent book and narrator

Concise, clear and very interesting, this book explores much more than just the Gospel of Thomas. While comparing the Gospel of Thomas to the other Gospels, primarily John, it also gives a history of how all the various writings and teachings eventually were merged and served to define the Christian Religion. The narrator was excellent, reading at just the right pace to allow absorption of this material. Highly recommend it.

Frustrating

Is there anything you would change about this book?

There are only 5 chapters in the paper copy of this book and there are 10 chapters of audio files. I suspect the reason for this has something to do with the length of recording of the chapters. However, Chapter 2 actually begins in the middle of the second audio chapter. It would be more helpful for students if the files were broken into chapter 1a, chapter 1b, chapter 2a, chapter 2b. I am a student and I take notes as I listen. If I hear something I might want to quote, I note how many minutes into the chapter I am in. I also note the page range for the chapters in the hard copy of the book so I can go and find what was read quickly. The arrangement of this book is not helpful.

Well-written, scholarly examination Christianity.

Great narration! I now have a much better understanding of the Nicean creed, and its alternatives.

Dr. Pagels hits a home run (almost a grand slam)

I am not sure why she did not include the full text of Thomas, perhaps in deference to her friends who have published the Gospel of Thomas already. I am sure her book has led to many purchases. I was expecting the Gospel of Thomas to be a part of the book, based on the title. She compares and contrasts Thomas to the Gospel of John. So, read these books first and keep them by your side as you read or listen to this book. I found the book a great read, with some pretty good insight into the mind and culture of early Christians and the way they approached and developed the canon. Her creativity and style are very engaging and you forget you are actually reading one of the very top scholars of pre-orthodox Christianity. She seems to also have a spiritual grasp of her subject and shares some of her own spiritual trials. This book is more than a history lesson, it is a spiritual lesson which should leave you with a deeper sense of connection to your Higher Power. I can't wait for her next book, it should be a grand slam!

Get Over "Belief"

This is an excellent book to help understand that the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, those that must be blindly "believed" in order to be "saved" and get into "heaven", are the product of a few delusional and power-hungry white men and have very little to do with the actual teachings of Jesus. They are simply interpretations by mere mortals - fallible, flawed and weak like everyone else - ,that through the ages have calcified into rigid dogma that "must be believed" in order to be "saved". This book sheds much needed light on the development of early Christianity. Thank you, Elaine Pagels