Gnosticism

The 1945 discovery at Nag Hammadi of thirteen papyrus scrolls uncovered new insights and excited historians and theologians around the globe. Until this time, little was known about the mysterious religion of Gnosticism. It evolved into one of the main belief systems of the 1st century and helped shape modern religious traditions, including Orthodox Christianity. The Nag Hammadi finds revealed many things about this religion, including a better understanding of the basic belief system, their view …

…writings. I have read several articles and forewards to books by Pagels and enjoy her writing style and composition. This is an excellent book for this course and for anyone else that is in religious studies. 1. Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels (New York: Vintage Press, 1979) pg. xxiv. 2. Ibid. pg. 37. 3. Ibid. pg. xx. 4. Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity (San Francisco: Harper Collins Publishers, 1984) pg. 60. 5. Pagels, pg. 40. 6. Ibid. pg 63. 7. Ibid. pg 66. 8. Ibid. pg. 52. 9. Ibid. pg. 49.