American historian of religion. She is best known for her extensive research into early Christianity and Gnostics. She teaches at Princeton University and has authored best-selling books and been named in the best nonfiction writings of the twentieth century by The Modern Library. Awards include the Rockefeller Fellowship (1978), the Guggenheim Fellowship (1979), the National Book Critics Circle Award (1979), the National Book Awards (1980), the MacArthur Fellowship (1981), and the Howard T. Behrman Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Humanities (2012).
