So far, this is the most lucid study of the Gnostic Gospels that I have come across. I have previouly read "The Gospel of Mary" which included "The Gospel of Thomas" and the scholar of that book was so biased that she would make statements such as "Now we know that..." about Mary Magdalene. I don't care for that sort of editorial leading. Pagels is far more tentative and interested in presenting all of the facts about the subject. Having already read her wonderful "The Origin of Satan," I thought I would finally pick up the book that got her noticed, and I am loving it so far. To me, with my love of Buddhism, it is wonderful to read about all of these very early sects of Christiantiy who wrote about Jesus and the disciples the way that scholars in the East wrote about the Buddha, and it's very sad that the "catholic" church sect felt a need to stomp them out.