Unravelling the Secret Gospels

Elaine Pagels on the Gospel of Thomas
Dec 3, 2021
bangaloreinter...
In 1945 an Egyptian peasant unearthed what proved to be the Gnostic Gospels, the sacred books of one of the earliest Christian sects. Elaine Pagels, distinguished historian on the religions of late antiquity, draws on her landmark study to illuminate the world of the first Christians. Focusing on the “secret” Gospel of Thomas, relevant to Indian traditions of Christianity, she reveals how faith allows for a diversity of interpretations. Her book on Thomas, Beyond Belief, was a New York Times bestseller, and her book, The Gnostic Gospels, won the National Book Award among other distinctions.
Elaine Pagels received the National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama in 2016. The citation for the award honoured her “for her exploration of faith and its traditions. Through her study of ancient manuscripts and other scholarly work, she has generated new interest and dialogue about our contemporary search for knowledge and meaning.”
In collaboration with Openmic at Bangalore Literature Festival X Edition

[@retribution999]

Probably Elaine's best lecture and interview. I could listen to her all day. Good, intelligent questions from the host.

[@Peekingduck]

I really admire Dr Pagles. She gives hope and reason which is something I need a lot these days.

[@TealJadeTurquoise1]

The heart and scholarship of a woman -- of Elaine Pagels can reveal much. Academia teaches us to be more analytical but the heart and intuition puts everything in its place.

[@anthonyhebert5361]

Please do all that you can to spread this truth! Thank you

[@mattjohansson8931]

That was beautiful. Thank you so much!

[@reginalewilliams4472]

I go to God, helpless because I am not a scholar, I have barely an average IQ, I of course as a subject of flesh I in my years committed sin. So what can I do? I talk to God and I ask. I need God to show me the truth plainly or I won't get it. I want to be part of God. I want God to love me. I love learning knowledge and trying to soak in and hold on to the information God wants me to have. Dr. Pegals more than feels like the most true teacher God has given to my mind and being. I do not feel afraid when I am with Dr. Pegals.

[@godsgirl2224]

I think you have more wisdom than most, being that you are here, watching this teaching.

[@debbieolson5348]

God does love you already. He/She is love. We have that love as part of our DNA. Trusting that You have the ability to be connected via your inner spirit is The message Jesus was doing his best to spread.

[@paulvizer449]

Then you should worship dr. pagels!

[@DerekJFiedler]

It seems that her usage of 'orthodox church' is different from the Eastern Orthodox Church. Sounds like she is addressing the Western Pope church from the Aquinas tradition. I would like to hear her address the perspective of Eastern Orthodox traditions, which focuses more on the heart than the mind and has a rich mystical tradition.

[@TheMatriarch-uf6xs]

They have Archons in the church. Ironically.

[@roboke4196]

Thank you so much, I can relate to most of this particularly grief and dealing with losing a loved one. Thank you for increasing my understanding of the power of the kingdom within me. An incredible eye opener.

[@wendyantoniadis2404]

Many Thanks....read 'The Gnostic Gospels" summer 2009. About the Dead Sea Scrolls, earlier. Thomas the Doubter, seemed so human. Being born 1941 and playing amongst bomb damage....(many dear friends from different countries have also died we do not all have the karma to grow to old age)...well we have a desperate need to co-operate and see the misery war inflicts on ALL. Many thanks for wonderful, insightful and positive talk.

[@dnbjedi]

Love you Elaine. You are so beautiful. I’m a young man but I would ask you to dinner. Hearing a lady say such beautiful things to redeem Christianity is particularly lovely

[@sharonthorne6451]

I had no idea of her personal background😮. Appreciate her sharing this.

[@margaretgonzales5785]

Zillions Amens!!!!

[@zuzi2363]

Great interview!! Thank you 😊

[@fredfloyd34]

Elaine is truthful...Excellent video.Lovely ...

[@swarkamal]

Excellent! 🙏

[@sk3.1415]

Gospel of Thomas sounds very close to Buddhism. Has anyone noticed?

[@MikeNewham]

Gospel of Thomas; sayings from our beloved Rishi, Mahatma and Master - Jesus Christ.

[@williamwilson6499]

12:55 The connection of Christianity to the mystery religions. You can't understand Jesus and the stories about him without knowing the times he was living in and when the stories were being written.

[@davidchurch3472]

The 'twin'-ny bit in these gospels seems to be over-wrought somewhat : Just because Thomas Didymus was A Twin, does not mean that he was necessarily The Twin of Jesus (although he might have been, but it is not necessarily relevant). There is probably not anything in there meaning a need to become like a twin of Jesus :- more that there is a need to be like Thomas (the twin) in becoming like Jesus (with no need for Jesus to be a twin or not).

[@MrIndianhere]

Gnostic gospel is sounding lot like vedic Hindu dharma

[@daodejing81]

They're all one.

[@raycosmic9019]

70. Those who do not express their rights do not have any. Silence = acquiescence = consent Leaders always claim that the Kingdom is elsewhere so that they can precede you. Know thyself: as a living man or woman; not the legal fiction bearing your name in all caps, not dead, not lost at sea. The Light of Wisdom and Understanding dispels the darkness of ignorance and folly.

[@kkdesignservices183]

Why does one assume “twin” implies automatically a sibling of Jesus? Couldn’t it be simply that he is a “twin” of an entirely different person?

[@godsgirl2224]

I watched another video with Dr Parges, and she lead me to believe Thomas was a "twin of Jesus" spiritually. The likeness of Him. We should all try to be his twin.

[@kkdesignservices183]

Well, if Thomas was actually a “twin” of Jesus, I think I can take a good guess at how this “Resurrection” came to be. Healers have always been con artists, and so this twin brother likely thought this would be a good ruse.

[@daodejing81]

​@@godsgirl2224You don't have to try. You are that. Do you have to try to be female? To be oneself, purified, is to be like God. It's effortless.

[@daodejing81]

​@kkdesignservices183 It's not a ruse, it's truth.

[@godsgirl2224]

@daodejing81 thank you. You're so right

[@tuckertruckerpatriot312]

Alabama

[@SteveSmith-kd9if]

😂😂😂😂😂😂THE ZOMBIES, "IT'S ALMOST TIME TO SEND YOU'LL HOME"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@nightmarerex2035]

i find it wired. jesus "element" is "water" the earth was the "unformed waters in the deep" tiamat (planet) the annunaki sied is a water world and then the god of choas eris came from the primordial waters.

[@SteveSmith-kd9if]

WTF YOU TALKING BOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

[@R.L.Thomas]

Yoiutube AI is like a 2 year old, when you visit a channel and watch the whole thing AI decides you like it and floods you with the same kind of videos and/or creators. Like when you smile and are happy when the 2 yr old brings you one of their toys, you respond favorably and before you know it you're buried under the child's toys. And they want us to bow to 2 yr old intelligence? HAHAHA not a chance.

[@francis5425]

Love Jesus hate the bible