Dr. Elaine Pagels is a historian and a professor of religion at Princeton University. Her best-selling book, The Gnostic Gospels, was named one of the 100 best books of the twentieth century by the Modern Library. Professor Pagels has written several important and insightful books since, has given innumerable talks and addresses and has appeared on several prominent podcasts and television shows, including the Colbert Report— and in 2016 she was awarded the national humanities medal from President Obama.