Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas

Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas (2003), a work of Christian nonfiction by Elaine Pagels, explores the earliest Christian texts to uncover how Christianity took shape. Pagels aims to show that there is more to Christianity than rigorously upholding one set of beliefs. A very popular book with both Christian and academic readers, Pagels is an award-winning, bestselling writer of both religious and historical books. She is well respected in the theological community for her contributions to religious scholarship. Her most significant achievement is proving that the earliest Christian Church wasn’t unified as we previously believed.

Beyond Belief explores how the earliest followers of Jesus interpreted his teachings and his philosophies. It centers on the Gospel of Thomas, which is one of more than fifty Christian texts discovered in the 1900s. Like the other recently discovered texts, the Gospel of Thomas challenges the idea that there is only one way to find God, which is the way prescribed by the Christian Church.

Pagels argues that today’s Orthodox Christianity is inaccurate. It is not aligned with the earliest Christian teachings because it ignores Jesus’s original intentions for the church. These intentions are outlined in scripture, including the Gospel of Thomas. Unsurprisingly, Beyond Belief attracts criticism from traditional Christians, because it makes it possible for people to find God without following the doctrines of the Christian Church.



Beyond Belief is divided into five chapters. Each chapter covers a different reason why today’s Christian Church is invalid. Pagels clearly states that the Christian religion should be inclusive because this is what Jesus intended. The modern Christian Church makes it difficult for anyone to follow its teachings because the scripture is so regimented. Pagels admits that she has a Gnostic view of Christianity, and this view colors her work.

The first chapter, “From the Feast of Agape to the Nicene Creed,” covers Pagels’s personal issues with Christianity. On one hand, she appreciates the comfort that the Christian Church offers its followers. On the other hand, she doesn’t feel it’s right to say that the church is right about everything concerning God and that there is no scope for debate.

Pagels’s son had a terminal disease, and although she found peace by searching for God, she wasn’t comfortable at church. She realized that there is a difference between what we believe, and what we feel. It is perfectly possible to love God and accept Christianity without subscribing to dogged, regimented beliefs because God manifests in many forms.



Pagels concludes the chapter by submitting that, at its outset, Western Christianity ultimately came down to choosing between the Gospel of John and the Gospel of Thomas. The Christian Church opted for John and denounced Thomas’s teachings. The Christian Church would look very different if it incorporated both texts.

Pagels explores this dilemma further in chapter two, “Gospels in Conflict: John and Thomas.” She explains that John deliberately refuted Thomas because Thomas had more liberal and broad-minded views. John’s narrower teachings suited the political landscape of the time. However, Pagels admits, since there is no evidence that John ever read Thomas’s gospel, it is impossible to say that he disagreed with it entirely.

In chapter three, “God’s Word or Human Words?”, Pagels considers what it means to search for God on our own. We should not feel confined by any one set of scripture in our quest for spiritual enlightenment, particularly when this scripture is incomplete and ignores the works of writers like Thomas. The route to salvation should not be tied to any one church or religious denomination. It should come from inside us.



In “The Canon of Truth and the Triumph of John,” Pagels questions the validity of belief-based Christianity. She argues that ancient politicians wanted to control the church and seize power for themselves. Prescribing a belief-based doctrine for others to follow helped them achieve this. There is no freedom of thought or independent debate. The church told people what to think, and they went along with it in fear of Hell and eternal damnation.

In chapter five, “Constantine and the Catholic Church,” Pagels returns to her own reasons for questioning church teachings. She wants to follow the Christian Church, but she knows that she will never be welcome unless she accepts its prescribed texts without question. Pagels doesn’t believe that Jesus intended for his church to be shaped this way. The church shouldn’t just offer us spiritual comfort in times of need. Instead, it should encourage us to find God on our own.

Pagels concludes that the Christian Church is invalid. It cannot claim historical legitimacy because it ignores the full body of Christ’s teachings. The church is a manmade construct and, as such, it is shaped by human desires and selfish motivations. It is unsurprising that her opinions attract much controversy; she addresses these concerns in other works.