ELAINE HIESEY PAGELS
Elaine Pagels, Hiesey, (born February 13, 1943), is the Harrington Spear
Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University. The recipient of a
MacArthur Fellowship, she is best known for her studies and writing on the
Gnostic Gospels.
Pagels was born in California, graduated from Stanford University (B.A. 1964, M.A.
1965) and, after briefly studying dance at Martha Graham's studio, began
studying for her Ph.D. at Harvard University as a student of Helmut Koester. She
married theoretical physicist Heinz Pagels in 1969. At Harvard, she was part of
a team studying the Nag Hammadi library manuscripts. Upon finishing her Ph.D.
from Harvard in 1970, she joined the faculty at Barnard College, where she
headed the department of religion from 1974.
In 1975, after studying the Pauline Epistles and comparing them to Gnosticism
and the early Church, Pagels wrote the book The Gnostic Paul. This book expounds
the theory that Paul of Tarsus was a source for Gnosticism whose influence on
the direction of the early Christian church was great enough for the creation of
forged additions such as the Pastoral Epistles (1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus)
to make it appear as if Paul supported their interpretation rather than
Gnosticism.
Her study of the Nag Hammadi manuscripts was the basis for The Gnostic Gospels (1979),
a popular introduction to the Nag Hammadi library. The bestselling book won both
the National Book Critics Circle Award and the National Book Award and was
chosen by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best books of the twentieth
century. In a different measure of its influence, the conservative Christian
Intercollegiate Studies Institute listed it as one of the 50 Worst Books of the
Twentieth Century.
She follows the well-known thesis Walter Bauer first put forth in 1934 and
argues that the Christian church was founded in a society espousing a number of
contradictory viewpoints. Gnosticism as a movement was not very coherent and
there were several areas of disagreement between different factions. Gnosticism
attracted women in particular because of its egalitarian perspective which
allowed their participation in sacred rites.
In 1982, Pagels joined Princeton University as a professor of early Christian
history. Aided by a MacArthur fellowship (1980 - 85), she researched and wrote
Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, which examines the creation myth and its role in the
development of sexual attitudes in the Christian West. In both The Gnostic
Gospels and Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, Elaine Pagels examines the way that
women have been viewed in Christian history.
In April 1987, Pagels' son Mark died after five years of illness, and in July
1988 her husband Heinz Pagels died in a mountain climbing accident. Her personal
tragedies deepened her spiritual awareness, and led Pagels to begin the research
leading to The Origin of Satan. This book hypothesizes that the figure Satan
became a way for orthodox Christianity to demonize their religious opponents,
other Christian sects and the Jews.
Her New York Times bestseller, Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas (2003),
focuses on religious claims to possessing the ultimate truth. In it Pagels
contrasts the Gospel of Thomas with the Gospel of John, and argues that a close
reading of the works shows that while John emphasizes that Jesus is the "light
of the world", Thomas teaches individuals that "there is a light within each
person, and it lights up the whole universe. If it does not shine, there is
darkness." Thomas also shares with other supposed secret teachings a belief that
Jesus is not God but rather a teacher who seeks to uncover the divine light in
all human beings. Pagels argues that the Gospel of John was written as a
reaction and rebuttal to the Gospel of Thomas. In John, the apostle Thomas is
portrayed as a disciple of little faith who cannot believe without seeing, and
John places a very strong emphasis on accepting Jesus as the center of belief,
which is the foundation of most traditions of Christianity today. During the
time of persecution of Christians, the church fathers constructed the canon,
creed and hierarchy, suppressing some of its spiritual resources in the process,
in order to avoid conflict with Roman law and religion. The book also includes
her personal exploration of the meaning of loss and tragedy.
Elaine Pagels, Hiesey, (born February 13, 1943), is the Harrington Spear
Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University. The recipient of a
MacArthur Fellowship, she is best known for her studies and writing on the
Gnostic Gospels.
Pagels was born in California, graduated from Stanford University (B.A. 1964, M.A.
1965) and, after briefly studying dance at Martha Graham's studio, began
studying for her Ph.D. at Harvard University as a student of Helmut Koester. She
married theoretical physicist Heinz Pagels in 1969. At Harvard, she was part of
a team studying the Nag Hammadi library manuscripts. Upon finishing her Ph.D.
from Harvard in 1970, she joined the faculty at Barnard College, where she
headed the department of religion from 1974.
In 1975, after studying the Pauline Epistles and comparing them to Gnosticism
and the early Church, Pagels wrote the book The Gnostic Paul. This book expounds
the theory that Paul of Tarsus was a source for Gnosticism whose influence on
the direction of the early Christian church was great enough for the creation of
forged additions such as the Pastoral Epistles (1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus)
to make it appear as if Paul supported their interpretation rather than
Gnosticism.
Her study of the Nag Hammadi manuscripts was the basis for The Gnostic Gospels (1979),
a popular introduction to the Nag Hammadi library. The bestselling book won both
the National Book Critics Circle Award and the National Book Award and was
chosen by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best books of the twentieth
century. In a different measure of its influence, the conservative Christian
Intercollegiate Studies Institute listed it as one of the 50 Worst Books of the
Twentieth Century.
She follows the well-known thesis Walter Bauer first put forth in 1934 and
argues that the Christian church was founded in a society espousing a number of
contradictory viewpoints. Gnosticism as a movement was not very coherent and
there were several areas of disagreement between different factions. Gnosticism
attracted women in particular because of its egalitarian perspective which
allowed their participation in sacred rites.
In 1982, Pagels joined Princeton University as a professor of early Christian
history. Aided by a MacArthur fellowship (1980 - 85), she researched and wrote
Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, which examines the creation myth and its role in the
development of sexual attitudes in the Christian West. In both The Gnostic
Gospels and Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, Elaine Pagels examines the way that
women have been viewed in Christian history.
In April 1987, Pagels' son Mark died after five years of illness, and in July
1988 her husband Heinz Pagels died in a mountain climbing accident. Her personal
tragedies deepened her spiritual awareness, and led Pagels to begin the research
leading to The Origin of Satan. This book hypothesizes that the figure Satan
became a way for orthodox Christianity to demonize their religious opponents,
other Christian sects and the Jews.
Her New York Times bestseller, Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas (2003),
focuses on religious claims to possessing the ultimate truth. In it Pagels
contrasts the Gospel of Thomas with the Gospel of John, and argues that a close
reading of the works shows that while John emphasizes that Jesus is the "light
of the world", Thomas teaches individuals that "there is a light within each
person, and it lights up the whole universe. If it does not shine, there is
darkness." Thomas also shares with other supposed secret teachings a belief that
Jesus is not God but rather a teacher who seeks to uncover the divine light in
all human beings. Pagels argues that the Gospel of John was written as a
reaction and rebuttal to the Gospel of Thomas. In John, the apostle Thomas is
portrayed as a disciple of little faith who cannot believe without seeing, and
John places a very strong emphasis on accepting Jesus as the center of belief,
which is the foundation of most traditions of Christianity today. During the
time of persecution of Christians, the church fathers constructed the canon,
creed and hierarchy, suppressing some of its spiritual resources in the process,
in order to avoid conflict with Roman law and religion. The book also includes
her personal exploration of the meaning of loss and tragedy.