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Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas,
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David Merrill
I'm almost done with it. This is my third Pagels book. I come from a background of not growing up with religion, though I was introduced to 12 step support groups at a young age. That was my spiritual base. I came to the Methodist Church in my mid 30's did a lot of Disciple Bible study while I was there for 10 years. Now I'm a Unitarian Universalist. This book was right up my alley and addressed all my misgivings with orthodox Christianity. I think I'm pretty much a Thomas guy. So, I very much enjoyed it and related to it. Pagels is an excellent writer and, though some of this can be pretty dry, her writing flows well and pulls you along.
Mathieu
This is a well-written, accessible book to introduce you to the thesis of alternative Christian traditions in the early church. Recognize that this is one viewpoint and interpretation of early church history. She builds upon the work of Adolf von Harnack and Bart Ehrman in advancing this thesis and making it more accessible for the average reader. Though Pagels presents it as the only proper interpretation, there are other viewpoints that contest her hypothesis.
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