Elaine Pagels Books in Order
Elaine Pagels has written 11 books, published between 1973 and 2025. The first book is Johannine Gospel in Gnostic Exegesis (1973) and the newest is Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus (2025). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 11
- Published
- 1973–2025
- Pages on record
- 308 in 2 of 11 books
Early Christianity and the Gnostic texts are Elaine Pagels's subject. The Gnostic Gospels (1979) sits at the centre of a catalogue that also holds Adam, Eve, and the Serpent (1988), The Origin of Satan (1995), Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas (2003) and Revelations (2012). Pagels writes on biblical interpretation, the Pauline letters and the Valentinians. Eleven books span 1973 to Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus in 2025.
How many Elaine Pagels books are there?
Elaine Pagels has 11 books, released between 1973 and 2025.
Elaine Pagels Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 11 Elaine Pagels books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 1Johannine Gospel in Gnostic Exegesis1973 · 128 pages · confirmed 1/419731281/4
- 2The Gnostic Paul: Gnostic Exegesis of the Pauline Letters1975 · 180 pages · confirmed 1/419751801/4
- 3The Gnostic Gospels1979 · confirmed 1/41979–1/4
- 4Adam, Eve, and the Serpent: Sex and Politics in Early Christianity1988 · confirmed 1/41988–1/4
- 5The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans and Heretics1995 · confirmed 1/41995–1/4
- 6The New Book on Gnostic Gospels2002 · confirmed 1/42002–1/4
- 7Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas2003 · confirmed 1/42003–1/4
- 8Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity2007 · confirmed 1/42007–1/4
- 9Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation2012 · confirmed 1/42012–1/4
- 10Why Religion?: A Personal Story2018 · confirmed 1/42018–1/4
- 11Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus2025 · confirmed 1/42025–1/4
Elaine Pagels books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.
Standalone books
11 books11 Elaine Pagels titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Elaine Pagels books in order?
No. No source lists any of the 11 Elaine Pagels books here as part of a series. The numbered table above gives them by publication date.
Where to start with Elaine Pagels
Start with Johannine Gospel in Gnostic Exegesis (1973), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Elaine Pagels book?
Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus (2025) is the newest Elaine Pagels book released so far.
Is there a new Elaine Pagels book coming?
No next Elaine Pagels book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Elaine Pagels at a glance
- Still publishing
- Elaine Pagels published a book as recently as 2025.
- Release pace
- Elaine Pagels books have appeared about one every 5 years on average.
- Length
- 308 pages across the 2 of 11 books with a recorded length, a median of 154 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Elaine Pagels books, 3 of 11, were published in the 2000s.
What the Elaine Pagels books are about
2 of the 11 Elaine Pagels books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: bible is tagged on 2 of 2. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Bible 2 of 2 books
- Criticism, interpretation 2 of 2 books
- Gnosticism 2 of 2 books
- History 2 of 2 books
- Valentinians 2 of 2 books
- Bibel 1 of 2 books
- Commentaren 1 of 2 books
- Histoire 1 of 2 books