Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus by Elaine Pagels
Many thanks to
Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of Elaine
Pagels excellent new book Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus. Pagels, the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton
University, has examined writing related to the New Testament in her other
books. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of reading The Gnostic Gospels, which focused on writings from the early
days of Christianity that were somehow stored in a cave for nearly 2,000 years.
This book challenged my thinking about the New Testament as Pagels explores the
theology and beliefs that were ultimately left out of the New Testament, which
I hadn’t really known about before. I attended Catholic school for my entire k-12
education experience, and bible stories were an integral part of my education. It
was fascinating to learn that there were decisions about which writings were
included in the final draft, and that these writings were left out, as Pagels
explains, due to considerations for Christianity’s growth and evangelism. In Miracles and Wonder, Pagels revisits some of these texts, but
also examines the Gospels that most Christians are familiar with in order to
explore the life and continued interest in Jesus. Als like The Gnostic Gospels, Miracles
and Wonder opened my eyes up to
reconsider the stories related to Jesus’ life and times.
In addition to
being a thought-provoking book that challenges our assumptions and ideas about
who Jesus actually was and what the purpose of these stories about his life
mean, the book was also a personal exploration for Pagels, who starts the book with
questions about why Jesus and his message still resonate with so many people
after more than 2,000 years. As Pagels frames this question in different ways,
it really challenged my own thinking about Jesus and his significance to
others. She not only explores his life and time, but at the end of the book
examines how the idea of Jesus has changed over time and especially how his
life, times, suffering and death hold resonance for new Christians in other
cultures, particularly for people who have been colonized, enslaved, or have
experienced other instances of social, cultural, and physical violence. This
last chapter, focused on how new converts, artists, and filmmakers have engaged
with the idea of Jesus, was probably my favorite in the book. It was
fascinating to see how different cultures and groups identified with elements of
Jesus’ life or message. One of the more powerful moments is when Pagels
explores James Cone’s, the founder of Black Liberation Theology, family’s
experience with Jesus as someone who shared the experience of suffering due to
discrimination and facing eventual state violence due to his beliefs. Other
cultures and groups that Pagels mentioned identified with similar elements of
Jesus’ beliefs and acceptance of those who were on the periphery of society.
For example, Pagels explains how the Piro people of Peru were initially viewed
as Pagans who would not receive equal status with their European colonizers or
the Mestizos, yet, once they began to convert, Christianity provided them with
not only the “good news” of Jesus’ message, but also with an improved status in
society. Although it is sad that their original culture was ultimately
displaced by their colonizers, it was still interesting to see how accepting a
belief enabled them to move up in society’s standing. Pagels also examines
popular depictions of Jesus in the 20th and 21st
centuries, and explores how these conceptualizations of Jesus helped to further
challenge our understanding, but also held personal meaning to the artists and
directors. It was a fascinating chapter.
Other chapters look
at different elements of Jesus’ life, his message, the miracles attributed to
him, his death and resurrection, ultimately looking at both the historical
context of these events, but also trying to make sense of when these events
were written and possibly copied or revised by the early Christian followers. I
also found these chapters to be really fascinating, especially for someone who
grew up hearing these stories since I was really young and having them become
such a part of my learning experiences. In school, I think we always tried to
examine the meaning of these stories, looking for the moral or message, and
what these events might have conveyed about how to live and treat others. However,
I really appreciated Pagels’ scholarship and research in examining the
historical context as well as some of the texts from the Gnostic Gospels that
were ultimately left out of the New Testament. Furthermore, it’s important to
understand that some of the Gospels and other books of the New Testament were
written down many generations after Jesus’ death, and the stories were passed
down or revised before being recorded and included in the New Testament. As
Pagels explains, this most likely led to some creative license and enhancing
elements of Jesus’ life. In addition, she provides some context to the
struggles of the early church, and how the occupation of Judea (modern day Israel)
and suspicion and persecution of early Christians led to adding details and
events to these stories. What I enjoyed most, though, in Pagels’ analysis of
the Gospels was how she drew parallels between these stories and other stories
from the Old Testament and noted some of the tropes and archetypes found not
only in the bible, but in other ancient literature. She notes similarities
between Jesus’ birth and miracles he is credited with performing to those of
King David, as well as the biographies of Roman emperors. This was something I
also thought about when I first read Eliot’s Wasteland, which explores
death and regeneration particularly looking at the myth of the holy grail. It’s
interesting to think about Jesus’ life and death in this context as well,
especially considering that his birth and death are placed near holidays
celebrating the changes in seasons, and in particular, his resurrection, celebrated
as Easter, has elements of regeneration and growth. This part of the Pagels’
book, that focuses on the Crucifixion and Resurrection, touched on the
metaphorical meaning, and how it relates to the spiritual rebirth or the idea
of an eternal spirit, not necessarily a physical body. I think that this was
always apparent, that these events are metaphorical and allegorical, yet she
also provides historical context about the nature of crucifixion in ancient
Judea, and what most likely happened to Jesus’ body at the time.
I also didn’t
realize that Jesus was like a political rebel at the time, and that his actions
and followers most likely disturbed the Roman occupiers, along with the
traditional Jewish leaders in Judea. As Pagels notes in the book, there were
some uprisings against the Roman occupation, which were put down violently, using
public crucifixions on roads into and out of town to serve as reminders to
those who transgress the state. Surprisingly, Pagels explains that these rebels
were never usually taken down from their punishment, left to serve as food for
carrion birds and other wild animals. She also notes that there are few
instances of crucified bodies found in ancient Judea, suggesting that Jesus may
not have actually been buried. Nevertheless, as Pagels explains in both earlier
chapters and the end of her book, the Gospel writers took creative license to
share the message and meaning of Jesus’ life and help spread the word and
philosophy of Christians. Similarly, other groups have taken that message and
adapted it to meet their own needs or find meaning in times of struggle or
change. I found this book to be fascinating and compelling to read. Although
many of the stories and events were familiar to me from attending Catholic school,
I think that this book could be appealing to those who don’t have as much
knowledge or experience with the Gospels and Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
Furthermore, I found the historical context and details surrounding ancient
Judea to be incredibly helpful in thinking about the challenges that a person
like Jesus might have faced. It’s almost ironic to think about how rebellious
Jesus and that he was challenging not just the status quo, but also the
political authority of the Romans. Yet, Pagels also notes how the stories of
Jesus healing others and performing miracles showed him interacting with those who
were on the periphery of society or were considered outcasts. He was willing to
take care of the sick, to spend time with people we might consider mentally ill
today, and to minister to the poor and downtrodden. This was a really great
book, and I’m glad I’m reading it during the time of Lent, a time of
contemplation and sacrifice, when we try to live a little more like Jesus. This
book is a great reminder of the wonderful aspects of Jesus’ life and a great
read. Highly recommended!
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