wbur.org
support wbur today!
Listen to this story
The Secret Gospel of Thomas
photo

In 367 AD, a directive from the newly organized Catholic Church listed 27 books that would go on to form the New Testament. All other so-called “apocryphal” or “gnostic” accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus were to be destroyed. But some were secretly preserved, buried in the soil of upper Egypt. They were discovered in 1945, and among them, a strikingly different account, which was dubbed the Gospel of Thomas. The Church had considered it a heresy for most of two millennia.

Renowned biblical scholar Elaine Pagels has spent much of her distinguished career digging into the account of Jesus and his teaching left by the apostle Thomas, and comparing it with the Bible’s New Testament Gospels. The accounts, she says, are different.

Click the “Listen” link to hear scholar Elaine Pagels discuss the Gospel of Thomas, and how it speaks to nearly 2,000 years of orthodox Christian thought and tradition.

Guests:

Elaine Pagels, professor of religion at Princeton University and author of “Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas”

 
 
Listener comments
  • Elaine Pagels thank you very much for your research on the SECRET GOSPEL OF THOMAS, it shows me the light on what Christianity is all about, the Gospel capsulized the four gospel of the NT into one, a higher level of Christianity yet simple and profound. I have 3 books by Elaine Pagels: 1- the Secret Gospel of Thomas 2- the Gnosti Gospel and 3- the Gnostic Paul, all books given generously to me by my sister and daugther in the US. I am from the Philippines, and have some contact with Gnostic Christians by e-mail. THANK YOU.

    Posted by Max Tandan, Jr., on January 17th, 2009 at 4:08 AM
Recent Shows
After ‘No Child Left Behind’
Thursday, March 18, 2010

The Obama administration wants to rewrite No Child Left Behind. We’ll ask what’s coming for American education.

Comments [48]
 
The U.S.-Israel Blowup
Thursday, March 18, 2010

Top Pentagon brass complain the Israel-Palestinian impasse is undermining American interests. We’ll look at the US-Israel moment of crisis.

Comments [149]
On Point Blog
Sonny Rollins on Race and Jazz’s Future

Jazz legend Sonny Rollins joined us to reflect on his storied career and give us his thoughts on the future of music. To celebrate his 80th birthday, the hugely influential tenor saxophonist is embarking on yet another national tour.

More »
 
IED’s in Afghanistan: Hard Numbers

The Department of Defense provided On Point with some statistics about IED attacks in Afghanistan, where there has been an increase in the use of such weapons over the past 14 months. It’s striking to see the spike in numbers — from 2,677 IED incidents in 2007 to 8,159 last year.

More » | Comments [2]
 
Christopher Hill: U.S. Troop Withdrawal ‘On Schedule’

U.S. Ambassaor to Iraq Christopher Hill spoke with On Point live from Baghdad today as early voting gets underway, part of the run-up to Sunday’s elections. “So far so good,” Hill said, despite scattered violence. Hill said that the plan to withdraw U.S. combat troops by Sept. 1, and to leave only a residual advisory force of 50,000 or fewer, remains “very much on schedule.” Observers worry that a spike in violence could derail that timeline.

More »