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from the issue of September 1, 2005
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Early Christian expert to open E.N. Thompson series
BY TOM HANCOCK, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
The roots of Christianity will take center stage as theologian Elaine Pagels opens the 2005-06 E.N. Thompson lecture series at 7 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.
Pagels, an internationally renowned scholar of early Christianity and Gnostic manuscripts (scriptures not adopted into the Bible), will deliver a talk titled, "Beyond Belief: A Different View of Christianity."
A professor of religion at Harvard University, Pagels was part of a team that worked with the Nag Hammadi manuscripts.
The manuscripts, discovered in Egypt in 1945, date from the beginning of the Christian era and shed light on early debates on theology and practice. They contain scriptures, such as the Gospel of Thomas, which the Orthodox Church did not include in the New Testament of the Bible.
Pagels says discoveries related to the manuscripts reveal facets of Western culture and the history of religion in the West. An overarching theme of her work is the diversity of belief and practice at the formation of Western Christian religion.
In her book, The Gnostic Gospels, Pagels asserts that differences between the Gnostics and Orthodox Christians were more about politics and organization then theology. The book sold 400,000 copies and won both the National Book Critic's Circle Award and the National Book Award. The Modern Library selected it as one of the 100 best books of the 20th Century.
In both The Gnostic Gospels and an earlier work titled, Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, Pagels examines the actual and perceived roles of women in Christian history. The works have been widely used in curricula focused on the feminist study of religion.
In her most recent book, Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas, Pagels examines early Christianity, demonstrating a tremendous amount of early diversity followed by a narrowing to texts supporting certain beliefs. She contends that, as Christianity became increasingly institutionalized, it became more politicized and less pluralistic. The book centers on the conflict between the gospels of John and Thomas.
Rather than promoting Jesus as the only light of the world as the biblical gospels affirm, Thomas taught that "there is a light within each person, and it lights up the whole universe. If it does not shine, there is darkness."
Before Pagels' presentation, John Turner, professor of classics and religious studies at UNL, will offer a pre-forum talk at 6:30 p.m. in the Lied's Steinhart Room.
Co-sponsors of Pagels' lecture are Westminster Presbyterian Church and the Cotner College through a project grant from the Eli Lilly Foundation.
Pagels will also participate in a question and answer session at 9 a.m., Sept. 16 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2210 Sheridan Blvd. For information, call 475-6702.
The Thompson lectures are free and open to the public. The idea for the Thompson Forum lectures came about in 1988 when E.N. "Jack" Thompson, then head of the Cooper Foundation, conceived of a public lecture series to bring prominent individuals to UNL to speak on international issues.
GO TO: ISSUE OF SEPTEMBER 1
NEWS HEADLINES FOR SEPTEMBER 1
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Morrill Hall to unveil new exhibit
Perlman to chart academic objectives
Chancellor offers welcome as term begins
Early Christian expert to open E.N. Thompson series
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