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The Books Banned From the Bible: What Are the Gnostic Gospels?

Alex O'Connor | March 29, 2026



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– VIDEO NOTES

Elaine Pagels is an American historian of religion. She is the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University. Pagels has conducted extensive research into early Christianity and Gnosticism.

– LINKS

Read “The Gnostic Gospels”: https://amzn.to/4ad5n5X

– TIMESTAMPS

00:00 What is a Gnostic Gospel?
04:51 How the Gnostic Gospels Were Discovered
10:36 Secret Knowledge & Teachings
18:01 Do the Gnostic Gospels Contradict the New Testament?
23:01 Was Jesus Sent to Save Us From an Evil God?
28:27 Was Paul the Only True Apostle?
31:16 Nuances in Marcion & Valentinus’ Writings
37:44 Concept of God the Mother
41:20 Is Jesus the Serpent in Genesis?
47:02 Spiritual Revelation Over Authority
50:37 Worshipping Bishops as Though They Were Gods
54:42 What People Should Keep in Mind About the Gnostic Gospels
57:20 Controversial Final Passages in Thomas
1:07:33 Elaine’s Book

– SPECIAL THANKS

A special thanks to my top-tier supporters on Patreon:

Tom Rindell
James Younger, DDS

– CONNECT

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– CONTACT

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Written by Alex O'Connor

Comments

This post currently has 47 comments.

  3. @wills3835

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    "The realm of Barbelo is the highest spiritual heaven, or Pleroma, in Gnostic cosmology, representing the divine fullness and the first emanation of the unknown God. As the supreme Mother-Father Goddess and the "first thought" of the Monad, Barbelo embodies divine feminine wisdom, love, and creativity, acting as the mother of Christ and the source of all further aeons."
    Clearly heretical.

  6. @wills3835

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    She's quite deceived. Now, deceiving others. It's a matter of fact that Jesus existed physically.
    Gnostics say he didn't. On that alone, one should relegate these writings to mystic nonsense.
    Read them for yourselves.
    The parables DO explain what the Kingdom of Heaven is like and how we ALL should believe and behave.
    This is utter sophistry.
    Don't fall for it.

  11. @Xaviér_Toki

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    The point of Jesus’ actual parable he told to the mass before explaining it to his personal students was that he throws seeds down to people, if they dont get it or want it then thats it they dont get it or want it, but if someone works on figuring out what he speaks about, then you will want to receive more about what he was teaching. You have to read every single parable he spoke of because they all spell out that he has knowledge to give but only if you truly desire to understand it, because if you desire it, then you will understand it the more he breaks it down and the more you spend time understanding him

  12. @SBanderaB

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    I wrote some letter to my mate Dave back in the 1970s that clearly explained God's role in society. I am still upset to this very day about why they have not been included in the New Testament. Maybe Alex and Elaine would like to read them?

  14. @Dorito_Dust

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    I’m non binary, and it’s really tough to explain why I feel that way to people being male presenting. This is exactly how I feel on the inside. Non divided. I just am.

  16. @KatieHiggins-hc1ph

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    Too bad such brilliant, eloquent intelkecys don’t study and discuss Buddhism— Just the fact they are so engrossed in these schizophrenic ancient writings makes me question their intelligence… “Cronk on Earth “ is by far, more enlightening…

  17. @bufboston1

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    It is both so intellectually satisfying and as well so visceral and exciting to listen to Dr Pagels talk about this stuff. A really lovely discussion between 2 wonderful people.

  21. @paulducharme60oo

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    There are some pretty disgusting gnostic gospels as well, some so vile it would make your stomach turn. But it was probably written by a Catholic monk on the wrong side of moral sanity, as is most of their scriptural conundrums and obfuscations.

  23. @DeeAreDee

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    Alex, could you do a video going over which swaths of Theology are actual academics studying how Religion develops, and the ones who are just batting for their personal religion?

  27. @paulnicolas172

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    So what ? It’s all myth anyways. Humans have had thousands of ideas for centuries about the nature of the world – are we to believe them all without any concrete evidence ? Let’s just thank God for reasoning and science lol

  28. @TylerBrotsky

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    Its so confusing to me why alex kept insisting on the orthodox reading of gnosticism in which the world was created by a negative god, she tries to clear his view three times and he just kept insisting even quoting the gospel of judas which isnt gnostic and isnt from the nag hammadi collection, it really felt like he had an agenda

  30. @jamesritter4813

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    I was raised methodist and as a child i always felt that the bible was not right. It made no sense to me. As i came into my teens i decided that i was atheist even though deep down i always felt that there was something more than pure accident. I do like some eastern teaching of the tao.then i found gnostics teaching and that resinated with me. A god that jesus was teaching the god in the bible wasnt the true god. It makes sense. Jesus in the new test. Is telling ppl instead of an eye for an eye to turn the other cheek. He was trying to tell ppl who.would listen that this is wrong. Anyone who can do.simple reduction can tell that the god in the old testament wasnt a all knowing all loving god

  33. @Israel.moskowitz

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    This Lady is more biased than the Catholic Church. She runs away from the most important topics because in her point of view they are not important. Exept that they are the most important. I give up and I quit this podcast now!

  35. @Cpl_Clegg

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    I don't like the way she talks about this stuff. She clearly has personal preferences and agendas that guide her scholarship. It doesn't feel like she's honestly studying this stuff at all

  38. @Israel.moskowitz

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    She sensors the other writings. Everybody knows that the majority of the ancient Christians believed the god from the Bible was bad (a Demiurge) . He was the son of Sophia. There's the whole story of Sophia and the Demiurge (creator of the material world ).

  41. @krishnantampi5665

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    Despite all criticism Christianity survives not becuse of teaching but because of Catholic Church Street Journal that's is Bible not because of the story of Adam and and paradise lost because of capitalism and emergence of super powers Russia and America even now Jews haven't accepted as their savior and believes that he was crucified for blaspheme inte net access is a gift card from science and technology and Artificial intelligence still we worry about stories from metal era by current curiosity is the brain cells break down due to various ailments including stomach hurts that's all anything is Good video chat best wishes😊

  42. @spd5800

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    Here is a simple secret: With a True Heart, Serve The People of their Basic Needs…Within that Action is the prayer, and vice-versa…And even the mistakes are forgiven, for the true intent of the actions…

  44. @ratio_404

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    People think secret knowledge contains answers. It doesn’t. The secret is that there is no answer to retrieve, and recognising that is the answer. People end up searching for something that has already arrived.

  45. @anthonybrunetti4551

    March 29, 2026 at 12:56 am

    12:00 mark chapter four that sounds an awful lot like a buddhist teaching or koan or something and I would interpret that way. Moreso that the "secret teachings" are too difficult and esoteric for the layman to understand.

Comments are closed.

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