Summary of Elaine Pagels's The Gnostic Gospels

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The Christian church began with the proclamation that Jesus Christ rose from the grave. This was a radical change from other religions, which celebrate cycles of birth and death. Christianity insisted that in one unique historical moment, the cycle reversed, and a dead man came back to life.

#2 Some Christians, called heretics, deny the resurrection. They believe that the person who experiences the resurrection does not meet Jesus raised physically back to life, but rather encounters Christ on a spiritual level.

#3 The doctrine of bodily resurrection served an important political function in legitimizing the authority of certain men who claimed to be the successors of the apostle Peter.

#4 The disciples, led by Peter, claimed that Jesus had come back to life. The group was then given authority to lead the Christian community.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jun 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822533752

IRB Media

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Insights on Elaine Pagels's The Gnostic Gospels

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The Christian church began with the proclamation that Jesus Christ rose from the grave. This was a radical change from other religions, which celebrate cycles of birth and death. Christianity insisted that in one unique historical moment, the cycle reversed, and a dead man came back to life.

#2

Some Christians, called heretics, deny the resurrection. They believe that the person who experiences the resurrection does not meet Jesus raised physically back to life, but rather encounters Christ on a spiritual level.

#3

The doctrine of bodily resurrection served an important political function in legitimizing the authority of certain men who claimed to be the successors of the apostle Peter.

#4

The disciples, led by Peter, claimed that Jesus had come back to life. The group was then given authority to lead the Christian community.

#5

The orthodox account states that the apostles were the only ones who had authority to lead