[bronx2]

Yet the question which begs to be asked is why Catholicism/Orthodoxy failed to timely respond to the twentieth century's definitive work on Gnosticism, “The Gnostic Gospels” published in 1979. I read this work by Elaine Pagels and it was an outright attack on the validity of Catholicism/Orthodoxy. She claimed present day Christianity is the fruit of Irenaeus work. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons , had written the definitive work against Gnosticism around 180 A.D.. Pagels alleges Irenaeus wrote his book on Gnosticism to keep “Men” in power to the exclusion of women. Sexual repression was also one of the aims of these early church fathers. In fact notwithstanding its title, Pagel's book the Gnostic Gospels really isn't about the lost Gnostic Gospels. The Gnostic Gospels is a feeble attempt by Pagels to explain which side of Christianity won and why it was victorious. We all know Catholicism was the villain.
At the time of the release of the Gnostic Gospels in 1979, only Joseph Fitzmyer S.J writing in “America” and Phem Perkins in another review offered any meaningful analytical criticism of Pagels “Intellectual Gem”. Fitzmyer really excoriated her book resorting to some name calling which surprised me given his lofty status and the status of the magazine publishing his review.
It took twenty five years before another member of the Society of Jesus finally revealed to the world that Elaine's masterpiece which served as her PHD dissertation at Harvard, was in fact the result of academic fraud since the little dear had manufactured references from Irenaeus to serve her intellectual dishonesty.
Since Pagels was questioning the legitimacy of the institutional church I could never fathom why the church took so long to refute her outrageous allegations or her faulty logic as when she claimed "Winners Write History". So what Elaine, that doesn't make their history inaccurate. In essence I consider her to be a questionable scholar. The fun of reading the Gnostic Gospels is to read Jesus telling Mary Madaline, His wife/girlfriend , oh wait, that is a different comedy. Anyway Jesus tell Mary she has to become like a man to enter heaven. Yet Pagels is telling us Catholicism/Orthodoxy is sexist not the Nasty Gnostics. In addition these Gnostics are very Antisemitic, but Pagels skips over this problem.

[Teófilo]

Yet the question which begs to be asked is why Catholicism/Orthodoxy failed to timely respond to the twentieth century's definitive work on Gnosticism, “The Gnostic Gospels” published in 1979.

I can think of two reasons: 1., No one thought she was going to be taken seriously and, 2., I was too young! ;-)

-Theo

[kosta50]

In addition these Gnostics are very Antisemitic, but Pagels skips over this problem

I have no problem with your criticism of Elaine Pagels, and her agenda, but let's not try to diminish the anti-Semitism of the Church as well, because then your criticism of her questionable schoalrhsips becomes equally questionable.

Nothing Irenaeus wrote can be taken for granted since the oldest surviving copy of his complete works is a later 4th century Latin copy. So, using Irenaeus to prove or disprove anything is equally dubious. A scholar should know that. That Elaine Pagels doesn't is not surprising.