Customer Reviews

The Gospel of Thomas: New Perspectives on Jesus' Message

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Jesus said, "I am the light that is over all things. I am all: From me all has come forth, and to me all has reached. Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there." (as recorded on page 14)

Dr. Elaine Pagels presents an intriguing introduction for the Gospel of Thomas. She is the best-selling author of The Gnostic Gospels. Do these new teachings shed new light on the words of Christ from the Bible? An English translation is included in an 18-page supplement along with two CDs.

In the first CD, Elaine Pagels introduces us to:

The History of Early Christianity
The Gospel of Thomas
The Secret Words of Jesus
The Good News: Knowing Who You Are
Jesus as the Only Son of God
Who Was Thomas?
Question and Answer Session
Elaine Pagel's Personal and Spiritual Journey

On the second CD, she presents ideas about the possible Eastern influences of the Gospel of Thomas, the different levels of Jesus' teachings and how we date the Scriptures. Audience participation becomes intriguing when they answer some of the questions.

This CD set sheds an especially interesting light on the topic of Jesus as the original light. Is the light in Genesis an ordinary light? This is explained as the divine light or source of divine energy.

The irony of listening to this CD set is that you may come away with less doubts and more enlightenment. Dr. Elaine Pagels presents a topic that not only expands our knowledge about Jesus Christ, it also creates a greater curiosity and understanding about the Kingdom of Heaven. I now understand the Kingdom of Heaven as an invisible dimension, where we experience an enlightened state of kindness and peace when we follow the commandments of Christ.

~The Rebecca Review

Dr. Pagels addresses an audience, discussing her view of the Gospel of Thomas, one of the earliest non-canonical gospels. Thomas is not a story of Jesus, rather it is a collection of sayings atttributed to him. Several are familiar and/or similar to sayings in the canonical gospels, while others are not. Many are a bit puzzling, for even Dr. Pagels. However, they are truly powerful upon reading them, and accompanying the CD is a compilation of Thomas, which really needs to be read prior to listening to the CD. Mark the ones that are puzzling to you and you will find them probably addressed on the CD! She also makes some interesting contrasts between the Gospel of John and Thomas, indicating perhaps an early rivalry in spiritual points of view. There is a concern I have regarding the quality of a portion of the second CD. It is very hard to hear the questions from the audience, and it sounds extremely "tinny" when someone in the audience is speaking. It is rather distracting and not of the quality that other Sounds True recordings are. The previous reviewer must not have listened to all the second CD, so just be aware of this should you purchase. You will love Dr. Pagels' voice and the way she interacts with her audience. Enjoy!

The audio-book edition of The Gospel Of Thomas: New Perspectives On Jesus' Message as written and read by Elaine Pagels (Professor of Religion, Princeton University, New Jersey) offers an informed and informative perspective with respect to the attributes and teachings of Jesus Christ as presented through the interpretive ideals of Apostle Thomas as revealed in his apocryphal gospel. Deftly covering a vast array of theological inquiries and historical scholarship relevant to the its original rejection from the approved canon of scriptures that were to become the New Testament, The Gospel Of Thomas offers readers an insightful grasp of Thomas' writings including his concept of "the light within us all", the influence of Eastern thought in the teachings of Jesus, who Mary Magdalene was in the Gospel attributed to the apostle Thomas, the gnostic scriptures interpretation, and perspectives into some of the most puzzling Christian koans from both the canonical and gnostic texts. This flawlessly recorded 2 CD audiobook edition of The Gospel Of Thomas includes an 18-page study guide, has a running time of 1 2/4 hours, and is very strongly recommended for anyone with an interest in gnostic literature in general, and the Gospel of Thomas in particular.

I enjoyed this cd and it helped very much to understand the book of Thomas.I have listened to it many times well worth buying.I don't want to call it gnostic.I feel it should have been included in the New testment.I feel it is very much like what Jesus would have wanted us to know.
Blessing to all

This audio disc recording The Gospel of St. Thomas was a major disappointment for me. Having just read this Gospel, I was looking for an in depth interpretation of these new sayings of Jesus. That is, before the "church" could edit out the parts that empower the individual and render this "church" unnecessary (as most scholars agree was done to the New Testament).
It's bad enough that it was not made clear that this is a recording of a live lecture (I would never pay good money for a quickly recorded live session) but Ms. Pagels spends about two hours trying to convince us how similar these sayings are to the picture of Jesus presented in the New Testament. There's a reason why the "church" removed this Gospel as well as the other Hidden Gospels as I mentioned above. However, these new sayings of Jesus cannot be taken literally. Actually most of the Bible was never meant to be taken literally. I knew that I needed help reaching the deeper meaning contained within The Gospel of St. Thomas but I made a costly mistake seeking it here.
If you are simply looking to stay within your spiritual comfort zone then this recording will do. But if you want to learn more about what Jesus was really saying, not the least of which is Jesus saying that He didn't do anything that We cannot do. That the Kingdom of Heaven lies within each of us not out there somewhere, as though it was a physical place (even as a 7 year old I knew that made no sense!). Even touching on such contemporary concepts as reincarnation and meditation, then you must search elsewhere. But, then again, the search for knowledge is why we're here in the first place.

Elaine Pagels is fantastic. A must read for anyone interested in the history of the Bible.