Beyond Belief The Secret Gospel of Thomas

Attention, Da Vinci Code fans! This marvelous book, by noted religious scholar Elaine Pagels, shows thriller writer Dan Brown wasn't imagining things when he wrote about the 'pick and choose' history of the early Christian Church. Here, Pagels uses the gospel of Thomas to show how Church leaders culled from early Christian writings those texts that supported certain beliefs and rejected the rest as 'heretical.' An eloquent blend of personal narrative and historical research, this majestic treatise celebrates the glorious diversity of religious tradition. Pagels has followed up her National Book Award--winning Gnostic Gospels with another thought-provoking work.