Elaine Pagels, a historian of religion, is the Harrington Spear Paine Professor at Princeton University and an Aspen Institute Trustee. Pagels joined the Princeton faculty in 1982, shortly after receiving a MacArthur Fellowship. Perhaps best known as the author of “The Gnostic Gospels,” “The Origin of Satan,” and “Adam, Eve and the Serpent,” she has published widely on Gnosticism and early Christianity, and continues to pursue research interests on topics that include sexuality and politics, visions, and the origins of Christian anti-semitism. Her most recent books include “Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas” (was on The New York Times best-seller list) and “Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation” (2012). Her most recent book is departure from the others. One in which she tells her own story, and why she loves investigating the history of religion: it’s called “Why Religion? A Personal Story.” In 2013 she received an honorary law degree from her alumni, Harvard University, and, in 2016, the National Medal for the Arts from President Barack Obama.
Courses – Spring 2021
HUM 290/REL 282: Jesus and Buddha
(EM) Graded A-F, P/D/F, Audit Total Course Enrollment no limit
Professor(s): Jonathan Gold and Elaine Pagels
12:30[m – 12:20pm MW Lecture/Precept
Department Area Requirement: Does NOT satisfy sub-field requirement; does count as departmental.
REL 350/CLA 352/ENG 442/HIS 353: God, Satan, Goddesses, and Monsters: How Their Stories Play in Art, Culture, and Politics
(CDEC) Graded na Course Enrollment 15
Professor(s): Elaine Pagels
1:30pm – 4:20pm TH Seminar
Department Area Requirement: Ancient Mediterranean
Courses – Fall 2020
REL 504: Studies in Greco-Roman Religions: Group Formation, Ritual, and Politics: Who’s In? Who’s Out?
Graded */aud Total Enrollment 10
Professor(s): Elaine Pagels
1:30pm – 4:20pm TH Seminar
Publications
Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas (2003) 2. Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity -co-authored w Karen L. King (2007)