Elaine Pagels
Elaine Pagels is an American educator and scholar known for her studies of the origins of Christianity and Gnosticism. Her work explores feminine imagery in Gnostic texts and the theological diversity of the early Christian movement. She has taught at Barnard College and is currently the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion Emeritus at Princeton University. Pagels's personal experiences with loss have also informed her work, leading her to explore themes of grief and the nature of evil within religious contexts.
Awards
['National Book Critics Circle Award', 'National Book Award', 'Rockefeller fellowship', 'Guggenheim fellowship', 'MacArthur Prize fellowship', 'National Humanities Medal']
Notable Works
['The Gnostic Gospels (1979)', 'The Origin of Satan (1995)', 'Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas (2003)', 'Why Religion?: A Personal Story (2018)', 'Adam, Eve, and the Serpent (1988)', 'Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity (2007)', 'Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation (2012)', 'Miracles and Wonder (2025)']
