Elaine Pagels, a best-selling author and religion scholar at Princeton University, will be the featured speaker during the "Insights: A Series of Lectures and Talks" program April 2 at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Little Rock.
Pagels, 73, is best known for her book The Gnostic Gospels, which explored writings from the early history of Christianity that weren't included in the Bible. Some of her other books include The Origin of Satan, Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas and Adam, Eve and the Serpent. Pagels has been a member of the Princeton faculty since 1982 and serves as the Harrington Spear Paine Foundation Professor of Religion.
During her talk at the cathedral, Pagels will discuss two gnostic gospels -- the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene.
Pagels' interest in these so-called "secret gospels" goes back to her time in graduate school in the late 1960s when she first learned of the ancient writings. Since that time she has written much about them, but she had no idea her 1979 book would still be talked about and debated today.
"There's a lot of argument about these texts still, including some at Cambridge who say these can't be real gospels," she said.
Pagels finds the writings compelling and thinks they add to, rather than detract from, the faith.
"I think it adds dimensions many of us find very significant," she said.
Pagels grew up in a family that wasn't particularly devout, especially her father, who had no use for religion.
"He was a scientist and thought only ignorant people would be religious," Pagels said.
Pagels didn't have a strong connection to faith either until she attended a Billy Graham Crusade in San Francisco while she was still in high school.
"I just loved it, and to my parents' dismay, I fell right in and was born again," she said.
The experience marked the beginning of her lifelong quest to understand Christianity, especially the early days of the faith.
"I wanted to find out what was Christianity like when it first started, what was Jesus really teaching?" she said. "So I went to graduate school to find something about that, but you really can't get back to Jesus because we don't have any sources except those written about 40 years after his death. There's a limit to what we know."
She was also shocked and surprised to learn about the "secret gospels," ancient writings dating from around the second to the fourth century.
"I thought it was extraordinary," she said, adding that she asked her professor why no one had written more about them. His answer was that Christians might find it upsetting. It was an answer she found condescending.
"We want to know this stuff. I certainly did," Pagels said. "The Gospels of Matthew or Luke tell you what Jesus said in public. These claim to be what he taught to his disciples when he was alone. Is it? We don't know, but that he taught this way is not disputed. In any case, they are worth looking at. I think they add a great deal to our understanding of what Christianity is."
Pagels' interest in the gnostic gospels continues. She said she's thinking of writing about another gnostic text, the Gospel of Truth.
Pagels will speak at 6:30 p.m. April 2 at the cathedral, 310 W. 17th St. Tickets are free (but required) for general seating or $100 for patron tickets (which include an invitation to a sponsors and patrons reception before the talk at 5:30, as well as reserved seating). A public reception will follow the talk in the cathedral's Morrison Hall. Tickets can be reserved online at insightspagels.eventbrite.com.
Information is available online at trinitylittlerock.org or by calling Annie Burton at (501) 588-3663 or by email at annie@trinitylittlerock.org.
Religion on 03/26/2016