. Due to the recent work of scholars such as Elaine Pagels and Marvin Meyer, the Gospel of Thomas and other rediscovered teaching of Jesus are capturing the imagination of a public increasingly committed to pursuing their faith outside the bounds of orthodoxy. Original Christianity, however, proposes that a critical element essential for fully understanding these scriptures has been lost until now. Novak suggests that the authors of these early texts believed in something he calls the Binary Soul Doctrine?a belief that allows for both reincarnation and an eternal afterlife. Novak's startling new theory offers fresh insights on the beliefs and politics of the early church founders and helps explain the current flight from traditional religions.