Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas

Joe's Wall
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Item specifics

Condition
Very Good: A book that does not look new and has been read but is in excellent condition. No obvious ...
ISBN
9780375501562
Book Title
Beyond Belief : the Secret Gospel of Thomas
Publisher
Random House Publishing Group
Item Length
8.5 in
Publication Year
2003
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Item Height
0.9 in
Author
Elaine Pagels
Genre
Religion
Topic
Christianity / General, Biblical Criticism & Interpretation / New Testament, Christianity / Literature & the Arts
Item Weight
14.9 Oz
Item Width
5.8 in
Number of Pages
272 Pages
Category

About this product

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Random House Publishing Group
ISBN-10
0375501568
ISBN-13
9780375501562
eBay Product ID (ePID)
2314720

Product Key Features

Book Title
Beyond Belief : the Secret Gospel of Thomas
Number of Pages
272 Pages
Language
English
Topic
Christianity / General, Biblical Criticism & Interpretation / New Testament, Christianity / Literature & the Arts
Publication Year
2003
Genre
Religion
Author
Elaine Pagels
Format
Hardcover

Dimensions

Item Height
0.9 in
Item Weight
14.9 Oz
Item Length
8.5 in
Item Width
5.8 in

Additional Product Features

Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2002-036840
Dewey Edition
21
Reviews
Praise forBeyond Belief "This packed, lucid little book belongs to that admirable kind of scholarship in which . . . the exhausting study of ancient fragments of text against the background of an intimate knowledge of religious history can be represented as a spiritual as well as an intellectual exercise." The New York Times Book Review "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 "[An] explosive and, some say, heretical look at the evolution of Christianity." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Elaine Pagels has a gift for bringing ancient Christian texts alive, and for displaying their profound, sometimes startling import for contemporary experience." The Christian Science Monitor "This luminous and accessible history of early Christian thought offers profound and crucial insights on the nature of God, revelation, and what we mean by religious truth. . . . A source of inspiration and hope." Karen Armstrong, author ofA History of God "A book many readers will treasure for its healing, its good sense, and its permission to think, imagine, and yet believe." Karen King, author ofWhat Is Gnosticism? "It is as generous as it is rare that a first-rate scholar invites the reader to see and sense how her scholarship and her religious quest became intertwined. Elaine Pagels calls for a generosity of mind as she takes us into the world of those early Christian texts that were left behind but now are with us. Her very tone breathes intellectual and spiritual generosity too rare in academe."-Krister Stendahl "A thoughtful and rewarding essay, as we've come to expect from Pagels."-Kirkus Reviews From the Hardcover edition.
Dewey Decimal
229/.8
Synopsis
The author lends stunning new interpretations to the virgin birth, the creation of Eve, and the nature of our relationship with God., Elaine Pagels, one of the world's most important writers and thinkers on religion and history, and winner of the National Book Award for her groundbreaking workThe Gnostic Gospels, now reflects on what matters most about spiritual and religious exploration in the twenty-first century. This bold new book explores how Christianity began by tracing its earliest texts, including the secret Gospel of Thomas, rediscovered in Egypt in 1945. When her infant son was diagnosed with fatal pulmonary hypertension, Elaine Pagels's spiritual and intellectual quest took on a new urgency, leading her to explore historical and archeological sources and to investigate what Jesus and his teachings meant to his followers before the invention of doctrineand before the invention of Christianity as we know it. The astonishing discovery of the Gospel of Thomas, along with more than fifty other early Christian texts unknown since antiquity, offers startling clues. Pagels compares such sources as Thomas's gospel (which claims to give Jesus' secret teaching, and finds its closest affinities with kabbalah) with the canonic texts to show how Christian leaders chose to include some gospels and exclude others from the collection we have come to know as the New Testament. To stabilize the emerging Christian church in times of devastating persecution, the church fathers constructed the canon, creed, and hierarchyand, in the process, suppressed many of its spiritual resources. Drawing on new scholarshipher own, and that of an international group of scholarsthat has come to light since the publication in 1979 of The Gnostic Gospels, Pagels shows that what matters about Christianity involves much more than any one set of beliefs. Traditions embodied in Judaism and Christianity can powerfully affect us in heart, mind, and spirit, inspire visions of a new society based on practicing justice and love, even heal and transform us. Provocative, beautifully written, and moving,Beyond Belief, the most personal of Pagels's books to date, shows how "the impulse to seek God overflows the narrow banks of a single tradition." Pagels writes, "What I have come to love in the wealth and diversity of our religious traditionsand the communities that sustain themis that they offer the testimony of innumerable people to spiritual discovery, encouraging us, in Jesus' words, to 'seek, and you shall find.'"
LC Classification Number
BS2860.T52P34 2003

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4.5
15 product ratings
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  • by karaokeishot
    Jan 12, 2021Top critical review

    THOMAS?

    Sorry, I was believing from the tittle this book would reveal much about the book of Thomas. It seems that it does not reveal very much about the book of Thomas. This writer seems to want to inspire readers by using big words. This might be good for intellects, however, average readers on my level are not familiar with such words and do not get very much from it. This writer goes far beyond the education level of the Laymen.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-OwnedSold by: second.sale

  • by jnbv2011
    Jun 05, 2022

    Not so good.

    It was a review with little quotes so I could judge her view. I need to do more research of my own.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-OwnedSold by: second.sale

  • by acadienne2014
    Apr 30, 2025

    Some staining on the top of the pages (m...

    Some staining on the top of the pages (mildew?), but otherwise in good shape. I look forward to reading this book.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-OwnedSold by: second.sale

  • by 1jdadam
    Aug 21, 2022

    Anyone interested in the Religious Mystery Schools will find this intriguing.

    This is information that has not been available since the beginning of Christian Religious practices, and still is non-gratis for many Christian Denominations. As an unstoppable Seeker of Truth, I feel compelled to search for all that is available to enhance my experience of Jesus as Christ and Teacher, more importantly, as Saviour....this is a reward of a long time seeking. Anyone interested in the Religious Mystery Schools will find this intriguing.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-OwnedSold by: second.sale

  • by glopez57
    Feb 15, 2023

    Excellent

    Your mind will work overtime when you read this book. Very colorful and enlightening to many stories beyond those found in the Bible.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-OwnedSold by: oriontechllc

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