The Gospel of Thomas

A New Vision of the Message of Jesus

By: Elaine Pagels

Narrated by: Elaine Pagels

Length: 1 hr and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

Millions of readers have turned to Elaine Pagels for her clear and insightful books about the Gnostic Gospels, the teachings of Jesus that have been lost for centuries. Sounds True is proud to present the first widely available audio recording of this extraordinary scholar as she explores the text that has changed the way many of us think about the message of Christ: The Gospel of Thomas.

The stunning archaeological discovery of these lost scriptures of early Christianity in 1945 has revealed exciting new dimensions to the wisdom passed on from Jesus to his disciples. In her analysis of this revived gospel, Dr. Pagels reveals that Thomas was not a "doubter" of Christ, rather, his thoughtful inquiries reflected and brought out the deepest truths that Jesus had to offer. Thomas' account depicts a Jesus who taught us that the "Kingdom of Heaven" is not a separate realm, but a state of divinity that we all can reach. He is even called the "twin" of Jesus, a metaphor for the possibility that all of us can achieve the same state of divine grace embodied by Jesus.

Elaine Pagels has riveted readers and audiences everywhere with her clear and provocative explorations of the testaments of early Christianity. The Gospel of Thomas gives listeners a first opportunity to join her in charting "a wider horizon" of Christian spirituality.

©2006 Elaine Pagels (P)2006 Sounds True

Dr Pagels is always and sincere about she shares

Overall I enjoyed the lecture but the audio specifically during the Q&A session could have been clearer.

I am glad I purchased it.

Very informative discussion. Great questions and answers. A worthwhile material. I will be listening other times.

The Path to Enlightenment through Christ.

Very interesting subject matter treated with sensitivity and thoughtfulness. Audio rough. Couldn't hear questions from the audience at times.

NOT the Gospels

This is a great lecture on the Gospel of Thomas, not the Gospels themselves

Buy this once you have read the gospel

Once you have read the gospel listen to this so you can have an insight of why the gospel may be so weird or confusing.

Is interesting to listen the questions from the audience to the author and perhaps you will have the same questions they had

great little talk . . .

and I learned a little bit about the gospel of Thomas and I learned even more about the author's point of view and the direction in which she leans in her work, which was very telling.

Truly formative

Expanded my thoughts that heretic Scripture is defined by insecurities of the leadership of the majority sects.

sound tech.

story was wonderful as was the knowledge and enthusiasm of the author. QA session was not audible.

A Modern Scholar-Seeker

This short offering is a wonderful introduction to Elaine Pagels, both to her work and to who she is as a person. She has been at the forefront of scholarly research and writing on early Christianity as revealed in ancient manuscripts only recently discovered in the Middle East. Despite her impressive credentials (she is a chaired Professor of Religion at Princeton), her tone is unfailingly one of sincerity, openness and humility.

Here, she provides a informative introduction to textual analysis of scripture and other early documents, then proceeds to an examination of The Gospel of Thomas, which most scholars agree was written roughly during the same time period in which the 4 canonical gospels were produced. This lecture summarizes and adds to what Pagels included in her 2004 book, "Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas" which is the most personal of her books, and shows how she finds many of these early texts to have the potential of enriching, rather than undermining, the Christian faith (and which I highly recommend if you have not already read it).

Roughly the second half of the audiobook is Q&A as she takes questions form the lecture audience--I only wish I could have been there!

Wonderful Lecture

I've listened to this lecture twice, and I intend to listen to it again. The more I read by Elaine Pagels and the more I listen to her speak, the more enlightened I feel when I read the Nag Hammadi and the Gospels of the New Testament.