---
title: "Best Elaine Pagels Quotes"
description: "Elaine Pagels, née Hiesey, is an American historian of religion. She is the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion Emeritus at Princeton Universit..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b009/author-elaine-pagels-32192.jpg"
---

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# Elaine Pagels

(1943)   Historian

 **81** quotes in **659** categories

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Elaine Pagels is a historian, best known for *The gnostic Gospels*.

## Quick Facts About Elaine Pagels

Born February 13, 1943

Profession Historian

Notable works The gnostic Gospels

## About Elaine Pagels

Elaine Pagels, née Hiesey, is an American historian of religion. She is the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion Emeritus at Princeton University. Pagels has conducted extensive research into early Christianity and Gnosticism.

##  Quotes by Elaine Pagels · Page 2

> [Jesus Christ rose from the grave.' With this proclamation, the Christian church began. This may be the fundamental element of Christian faith;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/jesus-christ-rose-from-the-grave-with-this-proclamation-the-christian/)

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[Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christ/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/elaine-pagels-8423_christ_jesus-christ-rose-from-the-grave-with-th_2994020.jpg)

> [Christianity becomes just a set of things you believe in. It's almost an intellectual kind of abstract issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/christianity-becomes-just-a-set-of-things-you-believe-in-it-s-almost/)

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[Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19f/elaine-pagels-8423_abstract_christianity-becomes-just-a-set-of-thing_1180223.jpg)

> [There is a light within each person, and it lights up the whole universe. If it does not shine, there is darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/there-is-a-light-within-each-person-and-it-lights-up-the-whole/)

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[Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/599/elaine-pagels-8423_darkness_there-is-a-light-within-each-person-and_2790830.jpg)

> [“Are we to believe that Adam and Eve actually heard God’s footsteps rustling in the garden of Eden, as the text suggests,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/are-we-to-believe-that-adam-and-eve-actually-heard-god-s-footsteps/)

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[Adam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adam/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/elaine-pagels-8423_adam-and-eve_are-we-to-believe-that-adam-and-eve-actu_1868691.jpg)

> [The Antichrist is often identified with the second beast in the Book of Revelation that arises from the land, the beast that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/the-antichrist-is-often-identified-with-the-second-beast-in-the-book/)

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[Antichrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antichrist/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/elaine-pagels-8423_antichrist_the-antichrist-is-often-identified-with_69110.jpg)

> [“This debate over Genesis revealed a major disagreement among second-century Christians, a disagreement whose outcome would shape church doctrine ever after.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/this-debate-over-genesis-revealed-a-major-disagreement-among-second/)

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[Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/elaine-pagels-8423_christianity_this-debate-over-genesis-revealed-a-majo_622862.jpg)

> [Although the gospels of the New Testament-- like those discovered at Nag Hammadi-- are attributed to Jesus' followers, no one knows who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/although-the-gospels-of-the-new-testament-like-those-discovered-at/)

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[Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1be/elaine-pagels-8423_christianity_although-the-gospels-of-the-new-testamen_1410078.jpg)

> [For nearly 2,000 years, most people assumed that the only sources of tradition about Jesus and his disciples were the four gospels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/for-nearly-2-000-years-most-people-assumed-that-the-only-sources-of/)

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[About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/478/elaine-pagels-8423_about_for-nearly-2-000-years-most-people-assum_2728403.jpg)

> [“Excessive wealth, enormous power, and luxury, Chrysostom charges, are destroying the integrity of the churches. Clerics, infected by the disease of “lust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/excessive-wealth-enormous-power-and-luxury-chrysostom-charges-are/)

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[Clerics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clerics-1360866/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b78/elaine-pagels-8423_clerics_excessive-wealth-enormous-power-and-luxu_2718707.jpg)

> [What is clear is that the Gospel of Judas has joined the other spectacular discoveries that are exploding the myth of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/what-is-clear-is-that-the-gospel-of-judas-has-joined-the-other/)

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[Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cd/elaine-pagels-8423_christian_what-is-clear-is-that-the-gospel-of-juda_655956.jpg)

> [The sense of a spiritual dimension in life is absolutely important, and the religious communities are also important. The question of believing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/the-sense-of-a-spiritual-dimension-in-life-is-absolutely-important/)

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[Absolutely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutely/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/elaine-pagels-8423_absolutely_the-sense-of-a-spiritual-dimension-in-li_1200285.jpg)

> [The efforts of the majority to destroy every trace of heretical 'blasphemy' proved so successful that, until the discoveries at Nag Hammadi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/the-efforts-of-the-majority-to-destroy-every-trace-of-heretical/)

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[Alternatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alternatives/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b97/elaine-pagels-8423_alternatives_the-efforts-of-the-majority-to-destroy-e_2776848.jpg)

> [The Book of Revelation is the strangest book in the Bible, and the most controversial. Instead of stories and moral teaching, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/the-book-of-revelation-is-the-strangest-book-in-the-bible-and-the/)

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[Apocalypse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apocalypse/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c29/elaine-pagels-8423_apocalypse_the-book-of-revelation-is-the-strangest_2620696.jpg)

> [I realized that conventional views of Christian faith that I'd heard when I was growing up were simply made up - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/i-realized-that-conventional-views-of-christian-faith-that-i-d-heard/)

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[Been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/778/elaine-pagels-8423_been_i-realized-that-conventional-views-of-ch_2149820.jpg)

> [Rediscovering the controversies that occupied early Christianity sharpens our awareness of the major issue in the whole debate, then and now: What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/rediscovering-the-controversies-that-occupied-early-christianity/)

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[Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/elaine-pagels-8423_authority_rediscovering-the-controversies-that-occ_1720155.jpg)

> [After Ann Godoff, who was editor-in-chief at Random House, left and went to Viking, I got to know Viking and the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/after-ann-godoff-who-was-editor-in-chief-at-random-house-left-and/)

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[After](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after/)

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> [There's practically no religion that I know of that sees other people in a way that affirms the others' choices. But in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/there-s-practically-no-religion-that-i-know-of-that-sees-other-people/)

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[Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/)

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> [Really, I don't like to do any household chores. There was a time when I loved to cook, but that was when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/really-i-don-t-like-to-do-any-household-chores-there-was-a-time-when/)

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[Any](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/any/)

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> [Unlike many deities of the ancient Near East, the God of Israel shared his power with no female divinity, nor was he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/unlike-many-deities-of-the-ancient-near-east-the-god-of-israel-shared/)

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[Ancient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/)

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> [“I beseech you, my lord, why have I been endowed with the power of understanding? For I did not want to ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/i-beseech-you-my-lord-why-have-i-been-endowed-with-the-power-of/)

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[Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/)

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> [Possession of books denounced as heretical was made a criminal offense. Copies of such books were burned and destroyed. But in Upper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/possession-of-books-denounced-as-heretical-was-made-a-criminal/)

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[Banned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banned/)

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> [I never thought I would write about the Book of Revelation. It's so dense; it's so complex and puzzling. But then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/i-never-thought-i-would-write-about-the-book-of-revelation-it-s-so/)

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[About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/)

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> [I had been taught that the separation between religion and politics happened in the Enlightenment. But there were people who tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/i-had-been-taught-that-the-separation-between-religion-and-politics/)

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[Been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6e/elaine-pagels-8423_been_i-had-been-taught-that-the-separation-be_1520035.jpg)

> [I study religion because I find it fascinating and problematic. But I struggle with the idea of what religion is, what being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/i-study-religion-because-i-find-it-fascinating-and-problematic-but-i/)

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[About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/)

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> [What's different about the Gospel of Thomas is that, instead of focusing entirely on who Jesus is and the wonderful works of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/what-s-different-about-the-gospel-of-thomas-is-that-instead-of/)

[Elaine Pagels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-pagels/)

[About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/980/elaine-pagels-8423_about_what-s-different-about-the-gospel-of-tho_3202473.jpg)

> [Orthodox theologians insisted that the rest of humankind were only transitory creatures, lost in sin - a view that would support what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/orthodox-theologians-insisted-that-the-rest-of-humankind-were-only/)

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[About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/elaine-pagels-8423_about_orthodox-theologians-insisted-that-the-r_1689143.jpg)

> [“A heretic may be anyone whose outlook someone else dislikes or denounces. According to tradition, a heretic is one who deviates from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/a-heretic-may-be-anyone-whose-outlook-someone-else-dislikes-or/)

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[Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/elaine-pagels-8423_faith_a-heretic-may-be-anyone-whose-outlook-so_2318733.jpg)

> [Throughout the ages, Christians have adapted John of Patmos's visions to changing times, reading their own social, political and religious conflicts into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/throughout-the-ages-christians-have-adapted-john-of-patmos-s-visions/)

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[Adapted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adapted/)

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> [“Jesus—for example, his categorical rejection of divorce, or his statement that “if anyone does not hate his own father and mother and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/jesus-for-example-his-categorical-rejection-of-divorce-or-his/)

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[Brothers and sisters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brothers-and-sisters/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac8/elaine-pagels-8423_brothers-and-sisters_jesus-for-example-his-categorical-reject_106089.jpg)

> [“Ptolemy’s disciples told the story, before the beginning of time there existed in the primal aeon only the primordial Source of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/ptolemy-s-disciples-told-the-story-before-the-beginning-of-time-there/)

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[Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

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> [The Gospel of Judas really has been a surprise in many ways. For one thing, there's no other text that suggests that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/the-gospel-of-judas-really-has-been-a-surprise-in-many-ways-for-one/)

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[Been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a2/elaine-pagels-8423_been_the-gospel-of-judas-really-has-been-a-su_989579.jpg)

> [The Gospel of Thomas claims to be the secret sayings of Jesus. There are 114 of them, so it says many things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/the-gospel-of-thomas-claims-to-be-the-secret-sayings-of-jesus-there/)

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[Also](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/also/)

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> [There are some kinds of Christianity that insist you have to believe literally in doctrine. The Gnostic gospels open out the complexity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/there-are-some-kinds-of-christianity-that-insist-you-have-to-believe/)

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[Approaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approaches/)

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> [“In the beginning, God created humanity. But now humanity creates God. This is the way it is in the world—human beings invent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/in-the-beginning-god-created-humanity-but-now-humanity-creates-god/)

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[Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/)

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> [I just have a sense that, you know, I'm curious about what is religion about, you know? Why do some of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/i-just-have-a-sense-that-you-know-i-m-curious-about-what-is-religion/)

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[About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/)

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> [“Only the Jews, of all the nations under Roman rule, had won the right to separate their political obligations from religious ones,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/only-the-jews-of-all-the-nations-under-roman-rule-had-won-the-right/)

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[Judaism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judaism/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/elaine-pagels-8423_judaism_only-the-jews-of-all-the-nations-under-r_60939.jpg)

> [The author of the Gospel of Judas wasn't against martyrdom, and he didn't ever insult the martyrs. He said it's one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/the-author-of-the-gospel-of-judas-wasn-t-against-martyrdom-and-he/)

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[Against](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/against/)

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> [People who are comfortable with very clear boundaries and group definitions don't like the instability and ambiguity of people who say they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/people-who-are-comfortable-with-very-clear-boundaries-and-group/)

[Elaine Pagels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-pagels/)

[Advanced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advanced/)

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> [There is no evidence that the author of the Book of Revelation, John of Patmos, read anything that we think of as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/there-is-no-evidence-that-the-author-of-the-book-of-revelation-john/)

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[Any](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/any/)

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> [“Christians who remain faithful to their baptismal vows can expect the same heavenly reward: heaven is not arranged in first-class, second-class, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/christians-who-remain-faithful-to-their-baptismal-vows-can-expect-the/)

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[Remain Faithful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remain-faithful-448289/)

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## Elaine Pagels by topic

[Religion (35)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/elaine-pagels/) [Christianity (29)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/elaine-pagels/) [You (11)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/elaine-pagels/) [Who (11)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/elaine-pagels/) [Jesus (11)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/elaine-pagels/) [Books (11)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/elaine-pagels/) [About (11)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/elaine-pagels/) [Revelation (10)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revelation/elaine-pagels/)

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                        "text": "Rediscovering the controversies that occupied early Christianity sharpens our awareness of the major issue in the whole debate, then and now: What is the source of religious authority? For the Christian the question takes more specific form: What is the relation between the authority of ones own experience and that claimed for the scriptures, the ritual and the clergy?",
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                        "text": "“I beseech you, my lord, why have I been endowed with the power of understanding? For I did not want to ask about heavenly things, but about those things which we experience every day...why the people you loved have been given to godless tribes...and why we pass from the world like insects and our life is like a mist? From: The Revelation of Ezra”",
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                        "text": "Possession of books denounced as heretical was made a criminal offense. Copies of such books were burned and destroyed. But in Upper Egypt, someone, possibly a monk from a nearby monastery of St Pachomius, took the banned books and hid them from destruction - in the jar where they remained buried for almost 1,600 years.",
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                        "text": "I never thought I would write about the Book of Revelation. It's so dense; it's so complex and puzzling. But then I found I was thinking about a number of themes, one of which has to do with politics and religion.",
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                        "text": "I had been taught that the separation between religion and politics happened in the Enlightenment. But there were people who tried to create a secular relationship to government 2,000 years ago, and those people were the Jews.",
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                        "text": "What's different about the Gospel of Thomas is that, instead of focusing entirely on who Jesus is and the wonderful works of Jesus, it focuses on how you and I can find the kingdom of God, or life in the presence of God.",
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                        "text": "Orthodox theologians insisted that the rest of humankind were only transitory creatures, lost in sin - a view that would support what would become their dominant teaching about salvation, offered only through Christ, and, in particular, through the church they claimed to represent.",
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                        "text": "“A heretic may be anyone whose outlook someone else dislikes or denounces. According to tradition, a heretic is one who deviates from the true faith. But what defines that \"true faith\"? Who calls it that, and for what reasons?”",
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                        "text": "Throughout the ages, Christians have adapted John of Patmos's visions to changing times, reading their own social, political and religious conflicts into the cosmic war he so powerfully evokes. Yet his Book of Revelation appeals not only to fear and desires for vengeance but also to hope.",
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                        "text": "“Jesus—for example, his categorical rejection of divorce, or his statement that “if anyone does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26)?”",
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                        "text": "“Ptolemy’s disciples told the story, before the beginning of time there existed in the primal aeon only the primordial Source of all being, what they called the abyss, the depth, or primal origin, progenitor of all that was to come into being.”",
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                        "text": "The Gospel of Judas really has been a surprise in many ways. For one thing, there's no other text that suggests that Judas Iscariot was an intimate, trusted disciple, one to whom Jesus revealed the secrets of the kingdom, and that conversely, the other disciples were misunderstanding what he meant by the gospel.",
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                        "text": "The Gospel of Thomas claims to be the secret sayings of Jesus. There are 114 of them, so it says many things, but the central message is that Jesus is the one who reveals the divine light that brought the universe into being, and that you and I also reveal that light.",
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                        "text": "There are some kinds of Christianity that insist you have to believe literally in doctrine. The Gnostic gospels open out the complexity and multiplicity of approaches to this. If you think the story of the virgin birth is mistranslated, for instance, it doesn't mean you have to throw out the whole thing.",
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                        "text": "“In the beginning, God created humanity. But now humanity creates God. This is the way it is in the world—human beings invent gods and worship their creation. It would be more fitting for the gods to worship human beings!38”",
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                        "text": "I just have a sense that, you know, I'm curious about what is religion about, you know? Why do some of us still engage it? It's not because it's a set of old beliefs or old ideas. Or even, particularly, the view that this is the only true religion. Many of us no longer accept those views.",
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                        "text": "“Only the Jews, of all the nations under Roman rule, had won the right to separate their political obligations from religious ones, to obey Roman law as subjects of the emperor but to worship their own God.”",
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                        "text": "The author of the Gospel of Judas wasn't against martyrdom, and he didn't ever insult the martyrs. He said it's one thing to die for God if you have to do that. But it's another thing to say that's what God wants, that this is a glorification of God.",
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                        "text": "People who are comfortable with very clear boundaries and group definitions don't like the instability and ambiguity of people who say they are more advanced Christians, or they don't have to do what the bishop says.",
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                        "text": "There is no evidence that the author of the Book of Revelation, John of Patmos, read anything that we think of as a New Testament book. I don't see any evidence that he knew what was in the Gospels, or the letters of Paul, which I don't think he would have liked at all.",
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