ThoughtGallery.org > Elaine Pagels, Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus, with David A. Ingber

Elaine Pagels, Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus, with David A. Ingber

An extraordinary new account of the life of Jesus that explores the mystery of how a poor young man inspired a religion that reshaped the world. National Book Award-winning scholar Elaine Pagels discusses her new book with Rabbi David A. Ingber of 92NY’s Bronfman Center for Jewish Life.

Early in her career, Elaine Pagels changed our understanding of the origins of Christianity with her work in The Gnostic Gospels. Now, in the culmination of a decades-long career, she explores the biggest subject of all: Jesus. In Miracles and Wonder, she sets out to discover how a poor young Jewish man inspired a religion that shaped the world.

The story Pagels tells is thrilling and tense, bringing to life not only Jesus himself but also his desperate, hunted followers. The book reads like a historical mystery, with each chapter addressing a fascinating question and answering it based on the gospels Jesus’s followers left behind. Why is Jesus said to have had a virgin birth? Why do we say he rose from the dead? Did his miracles really happen, and what did they mean? We realize that some of the most compelling details of Jesus’s life are the explanations his disciples created to paper over inconvenient facts. These necessary fabrications were the very details and promises that electrified their listeners and helped his followers’ numbers grow.

In Miracles and Wonder, Pagels does more than solve a historical mystery. She sheds light on Jesus’s enduring power to inspire and attract.











When: Thu., Apr. 3, 2025 at 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Where: The New York Society Library
53 E. 79th St.
212-288-6900
Price: $15
Buy tickets/get more info now
See other events in these categories:

An extraordinary new account of the life of Jesus that explores the mystery of how a poor young man inspired a religion that reshaped the world. National Book Award-winning scholar Elaine Pagels discusses her new book with Rabbi David A. Ingber of 92NY’s Bronfman Center for Jewish Life.

Early in her career, Elaine Pagels changed our understanding of the origins of Christianity with her work in The Gnostic Gospels. Now, in the culmination of a decades-long career, she explores the biggest subject of all: Jesus. In Miracles and Wonder, she sets out to discover how a poor young Jewish man inspired a religion that shaped the world.

The story Pagels tells is thrilling and tense, bringing to life not only Jesus himself but also his desperate, hunted followers. The book reads like a historical mystery, with each chapter addressing a fascinating question and answering it based on the gospels Jesus’s followers left behind. Why is Jesus said to have had a virgin birth? Why do we say he rose from the dead? Did his miracles really happen, and what did they mean? We realize that some of the most compelling details of Jesus’s life are the explanations his disciples created to paper over inconvenient facts. These necessary fabrications were the very details and promises that electrified their listeners and helped his followers’ numbers grow.

In Miracles and Wonder, Pagels does more than solve a historical mystery. She sheds light on Jesus’s enduring power to inspire and attract.

Buy tickets/get more info now