The New Yorker Radio Hour Elaine Pagels on “The Historical Mystery of Jesus”
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Dec 30, 2025 Elaine Pagels, a renowned religion scholar and professor at Princeton, dives into the complexities of early Christianity and her personal faith journey. She discusses her new book, addressing controversies like the virgin birth and resurrection. Pagels contrasts canonical Gospels with Gnostic texts, revealing why the former gained dominance. Through her reflections on loss and spirituality, she argues that belief often overshadows the deeper realities of ritual and community. Her unique perspectives offer a fascinating look at the intersection of history and faith.
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Teen Conversion That Sparked A Career
- Elaine Pagels describes being converted at a Billy Graham revival as a teenager and feeling the sky open up with transformative imagination.
- She left the evangelical church after it declared her Jewish friend damned, which prompted her lasting curiosity rather than formal faith.
Imagination Explains Religion's Hold
- Pagels says the evangelical experience opened her imagination and drove her to study why religions persist across cultures.
- She frames religions as cultural practices that sustain belief in invisible realities even after rational doubt.
Why Four Gospels Became Canonical
- Pagels explains many early Christian writings existed beyond the four canonical Gospels and offered private sayings rather than life narratives.
- She argues the four canonical Gospels were chosen because they present narratives of Jesus' life and public teaching.