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Preface: In some circles, there is the misunderstanding that there are hidden gospels and hidden books of the Bible which some large, nebulous organization left out of the Bible because it challenged the view this organization was hoping to get across. People think that these are secret, hidden books, that only recently are coming to light and that their contents might turn Christianity upside down—or at least, pose a grave theological threat to established religion. Many speak in reverent tones of the Gospel of St. Thomas, so it may do us some good to examine this short book.
1. First of all, it should be clear that there are books which are found in the Bible and books which are not found in the Bible. The Jewish Bible only has the books out of the Old Testament; the Christian Bible has the books from the Old and New Testaments; and the Catholic Bible has the Old and New Testaments and a set of books written in between those testaments known as the Apocrypha.
2. The question is, who decided which books got into the Bible in the first place? We will discuss the New Testament only.
3. During the first few centuries of Christianity, what was the inspired Word of God became an issue. There was a lot of writing which took place in the first few centuries, and it would only stand to reason that some would even write books where they pretend that they are like Scripture.
4. Certain criteria had to be set:
a. The book had to be written by an Apostle (this would be a person with authority over more than one church—there were at least the basic 12 Apostles and there are 3 or 4 whose authority is clear, but position is not).
b. In the alternative, a book had to have been written by someone closely associated with an Apostle. Luke was closely associated with Paul; Mark was associated closely with Peter.
c. The book had to be authoritative. That is, it had to, in some way, assert itself as authoritative.
d. A writer or a book could be recognized by another authoritative work as authoritative.
e. Not every book of the New Testament fits all of these criteria. For instance, the author of the book of Hebrews is unknown—this is one of the greatest letters in the New Testament, and we have, at best, theories as to who authored it.
f. The authorship of 2Peter is questioned, as the style is different from 1Peter.
5. It was important as to who in the early church recognized the book as authoritative. In the first 3 centuries, there was no organized church; there was no large body which oversaw the various local churches. We don’t have a large organized church until the Catholic Church in the 4th century. There were a number of early church leaders, Pseudo-Barnabas (circa 70–130); Clement of Rome (circa 95–97); Ignatius (circa 110); Polycarpa (circa 110–150); etc. There are at least 17 early church leaders whose opinion is considered, on down to Jerome (circa 340–420) and Augustine (circa 400). If they cite a book in their own writings as authoritative, this is noted; and if they specifically recognize a book as authoritative, this is noted.
6. We have canons of Scripture put together as early as 140 a.d. by Marion (there are 6 early canons altogether).
7. We have translations which are done: it was important to have the Bible translated into whatever language the people speak, so when translations of the New Testament began to be done: Titian Diatessaron (circa 170), the Old Latin (circa 200) and the Old Syriac (circa 400) this was noted as well.
8. Finally, there were councils which met, which were large representative bodies, with representatives from several churches from all over the civilized world. I should emphasize that these are not bodies which seized power in some way over a bunch of local churches, but heads of churches who met to discuss which books should be considered a part of the canon of Scripture.
a. We have the council of Nicea (circa 325–340), which left with 7 disputed books of the New Testament.
b. There councils of Hippo (393), Carthage (397) and Carthage (419) all agreed upon the books which make up the New Testament.
9. There is an outstanding chart on p. 193 of Geisler and Nix’s A General Introduction to the Bible which lists which books of the New Testament were seen by which groups and individuals as authoritative. By the year 300 a.d., agreement was almost universal; by 400 a.d., agreement was universal. Now, even though this also marks the time of the beginning of the church at Rome, there are churches completely independent of the Catholic Church which also agreed upon the canon of the New Testament.
10. The books of the New Testament as well as other books were separated into 3 groups:
a. The Homologoumena: these are the books that were accepted universally from the beginning without dispute. 20 of the 27 New Testament books are classified as belonging to the Homologoumena. This would be all of the books from Matthew through Philemon, and 1Peter and 1John.
b. Then we have the Antilegomena, which books did not receive immediate and universal recognition as being from God.
i. Hebrews was spoken against, as the author was unknown. Those in the east believed that Paul wrote it, so they accepted it. Those from the west questioned that conclusion, but eventually accepted it.
ii. James was questioned as to whether the authorship was genuine or not; and it was concerned that it was in conflict with the Pauline epistles.
iii. Revelation was question for longer than any other New Testament book.
c. The 3rd set of books are known as the Pseudopigrapha, and these were the books rejected by all. There were about 40 of these books which are well-known; but altogether, there are about 280 of them listed by Photius in the 9th century (and, no doubt, others have been discovered since then). Nobody hid them, they were not secret books, they were just simply rejected for a number of reasons:
i. They were faked. That is, the authorship was unlikely.
ii. They were written too late in the game. Many of these were written from the 2nd to the 5th century a.d., some still claiming to be written by this or that Apostle (like the letters of Paul to Seneca and his lost epistle to the Corinthians—the former is from the 4th century and the latter is from the 2nd or 3rd centuries).
iii. Nobody refers to these books as authoritative; no early church father makes this or that statement, and then backs it up with one of these books. No early church father quotes from any of these books.
11. This finally takes us to the gospel of Thomas. Of all of the books in the pseudopigrapha, this is probably the oldest, which is the only aspect of this book which gives it any credence. Many place the actual writing of this book to be in the 1st century a.d.
a. We have fragments of the Greek text from about 200 a.d.
b. Our oldest complete version dates back to 340, written in the Coptic. Although the Coptic version is
not quite identical to any of the Greek fragments, it is believed that the Coptic version was translated
from a prior Greek version.
c. It seems pretty obvious from our small number of manuscripts that few people had any reason to copy and recopy this book, unlike the books of the Bible.
12. Wikipedia
gives several reasons why this book was never considered a part of the canon of Scripture:
a. It was deemed heretical
b. It was deemed inauthentic
c. It was unknown to those involved in recognizing the Canon of the New Testament
13. Who is Thomas?
a. His full name, Didymous Judas Thomas, means Judas the twin.
b. The Gnostics called Thomas the Twin Brother of Jesus. Since the Gnostic movement was started
about 100 years or so after the death of Christ, the oral history had obviously been distorted by then
on this particular detail.
Some say that this simply means he is near and dear to Jesus; others, that
he is a counterpart to Jesus.
c. He is sometimes called Thomas the Wanderer, an evangelist and founder of churches in the East. Various legends link him with Syria, Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, Pakistan, China, Brazil, and Mexico.
d. Some call him Thomas the Knower, a gnostic teacher. This third view is probably the only one with
a semblance of accuracy. Herbert Christian Merillat writes: There is a resemblance to notions of
release and enlightenment found among Buddhists and other in the East, and among mystics more
generally.
Possibly the great appeal of his book is that it is short and, in many places, makes little or
no sense, thus allowing it to be interpreted in a number of different ways.
14. Unlike the other gospels, which blend narrative with dialogue, this is just a bunch of quotes, mostly attributed to Jesus, all strung together. Many of the sayings are similar to what is found in the gospels; many are not; a significant portion makes little or no sense.
15. It might be instructive to actually read the Gospel of St. Thomas; it is short and easy to find several places on the internet (and I will include two versions below). One quick read might explain why this book was never considered as canonical by any of the church fathers.
a. V. 4: Jesus said, "The person old in days won't hesitate to ask a little child seven days old about the place of life, and that person will live.”
b. V. 7: Jesus said, "Lucky is the lion that the human will eat, so that the lion becomes human. And foul is the human that the lion will eat, and the lion still will become human."
c. V. 11: Jesus said, "This heaven will pass away, and the one above it will pass away. The dead are not alive, and the living will not die. During the days when you ate what is dead, you made it come alive. When you are in the light, what will you do? On the day when you were one, you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?"
d. V. 60: He saw a Samaritan carrying a lamb and going to Judea. He said to his disciples, "that person ... around the lamb." They said to him, "So that he may kill it and eat it." He said to them, "He will not eat it while it is alive, but only after he has killed it and it has become a carcass." They said, "Otherwise he can't do it." He said to them, "So also with you, seek for yourselves a place for rest, or you might become a carcass and be eaten."
e. V. 98: Jesus said, "The Father's kingdom is like a person who wanted to kill someone powerful. While still at home he drew his sword and thrust it into the wall to find out whether his hand would go in. Then he killed the powerful one."
f. My favorite is the final verse of this gospel, which is v. 114: Simon Peter said to them, "Mary should leave us, for females are not worthy of life." Jesus said, "See, I am going to attract her to make her male so that she too might become a living spirit that resembles you males. For every female (element) that makes itself male will enter the kingdom of heaven." There is some who think that this was added at a later date.
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The "Scholars' Translation" of the Gospel of Thomas by Stephen Patterson and Marvin Meyer |
These are the secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas recorded. 1 And he said, "Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death." 2 Jesus said, "Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will reign over all. [And after they have reigned they will rest.]" 3 Jesus said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is within you and it is outside you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty." 4 Jesus said, "The person old in days won't hesitate to ask a little child seven days old about the place of life, and that person will live. For many of the first will be last, and will become a single one." 5 Jesus said, "Know what is in front of your face, and what is hidden from you will be disclosed to you. For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. [And there is nothing buried that will not be raised."] 6 His disciples asked him and said to him, "Do you want us to fast? How should we pray? Should we give to charity? What diet should we observe?" Jesus said, "Don't lie, and don't do what you hate, because all things are disclosed before heaven. After all, there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is nothing covered up that will remain undisclosed." 7 Jesus said, "Lucky is the lion that the human will eat, so that the lion becomes human. And foul is the human that the lion will eat, and the lion still will become human." 8 And he said, The person is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of little fish. Among them the wise fisherman discovered a fine large fish. He threw all the little fish back into the sea, and easily chose the large fish. Anyone here with two good ears had better listen! 9 Jesus said, Look, the sower went out, took a handful (of seeds), and scattered (them). Some fell on the road, and the birds came and gathered them. Others fell on rock, and they didn't take root in the soil and didn't produce heads of grain. Others fell on thorns, and they choked the seeds and worms ate them. And others fell on good soil, and it produced a good crop: it yielded sixty per measure and one hundred twenty per measure. 10 Jesus said, "I have cast fire upon the world, and look, I'm guarding it until it blazes." 11 Jesus said, "This heaven will pass away, and the one above it will pass away. The dead are not alive, and the living will not die. During the days when you ate what is dead, you made it come alive. When you are in the light, what will you do? On the day when you were one, you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?" 12 The disciples said to Jesus, "We know that you are going to leave us. Who will be our leader?" Jesus said to them, "No matter where you are you are to go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being." 13 Jesus said to his disciples, "Compare me to something and tell me what I am like." Simon Peter said to him, "You are like a just messenger." Matthew said to him, "You are like a wise philosopher." Thomas said to him, "Teacher, my mouth is utterly unable to say what you are like." Jesus said, "I am not your teacher. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring that I have tended." And he took him, and withdrew, and spoke three sayings to him. When Thomas came back to his friends they asked him, "What did Jesus say to you?" Thomas said to them, "If I tell you one of the sayings he spoke to me, you will pick up rocks and stone me, and fire will come from the rocks and devour you." 14 Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will bring sin upon yourselves, and if you pray, you will be condemned, and if you give to charity, you will harm your spirits. When you go into any region and walk about in the countryside, when people take you in, eat what they serve you and heal the sick among them. After all, what goes into your mouth will not defile you; rather, it's what comes out of your mouth that will defile you." 15 Jesus said, "When you see one who was not born of woman, fall on your faces and worship. That one is your Father." 16 Jesus said, "Perhaps people think that I have come to casy peace upon the world. They do not know that I have come to cast conflicts upon the earth: fire, sword, war. For there will be five in a house: there'll be three against two and two against three, father against son and son against father, and they will stand alone. 17 Jesus said, "I will give you what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, what no hand has touched, what has not arisen in the human heart." 18 The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us, how will our end come?" Jesus said, "Have you found the beginning, then, that you are looking for the end? You see, the end will be where the beginning is. Congratulations to the one who stands at the beginning: that one will know the end and will not taste death." 19 Jesus said, "Congratulations to the one who came into being before coming into being. If you become my disciples and pay attention to my sayings, these stones will serve you. For there are five trees in Paradise for you; they do not change, summer or winter, and their leaves do not fall. Whoever knows them will not taste death." 20 The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us what Heaven's kingdom is like." He said to them, It's like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, but when it falls on prepared soil, it produces a large plant and becomes a shelter for birds of the sky. 21 Mary said to Jesus, "What are your disciples like?" He said, They are like little children living in a field that is not theirs. when the owners of the field come, they will say, "Give us back our field." They take off their clothes in front of them in order to give it back to them, and they return their field to them. For this reason I say, if the owners of a house know that a thief is coming, they will be on guard before the thief arrives and will not let the thief break into their house (their domain) and steal their possessions. As for you, then, be on guard against the world. Prepare yourselves with great strength, so the robbers can't find a way to get to you, for the trouble you expect will come. Let there be among you a person who understands. When the crop ripened, he came quickly carrying a sickle and harvested it. Anyone here with two good ears had better listen! 22 Jesus saw some babies nursing. He said to his disciples, "These nursing babies are like those who enter the kingdom." They said to him, "Then shall we enter the kingdom as babies?" Jesus said to them, "When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the male will not be male nor the female be female, when you make eyes in place of an eye, a hand in place of a hand, a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image, then you will enter [the kingdom]." 23 Jesus said, "I shall choose you, one from a thousand and two from ten thousand, and they will stand as a single one." 24 His disciples said, "Show us the place where you are, for we must seek it." He said to them, "Anyone here with two ears had better listen! There is light within a person of light, and it shines on the whole world. If it does not shine, it is dark." 25 Jesus said, "Love your friends like your own soul, protect them like the pupil of your eye." 26 Jesus said, "You see the sliver in your friend's eye, but you don't see the timber in your own eye. When you take the timber out of your own eye, then you will see well enough to remove the sliver from your friend's eye." 27 "If you do not fast from the world, you will not find the kingdom. If you do not observe the sabbath as a sabbath you will not see the Father." 28 Jesus said, "I took my stand in the midst of the world, and in flesh I appeared to them. I found them all drunk, and I did not find any of them thirsty. My soul ached for the children of humanity, because they are blind in their hearts and do not see, for they came into the world empty, and they also seek to depart from the world empty. But meanwhile they are drunk. When they shake off their wine, then they will change their ways." 29 Jesus said, "If the flesh came into being because of spirit, that is a marvel, but if spirit came into being because of the body, that is a marvel of marvels. Yet I marvel at how this great wealth has come to dwell in this poverty." 30 Jesus said, "Where there are three deities, they are divine. Where there are two or one, I am with that one." 31 Jesus said, "No prophet is welcome on his home turf; doctors don't cure those who know them." 32 Jesus said, "A city built on a high hill and fortified cannot fall, nor can it be hidden." 33 Jesus said, "What you will hear in your ear, in the other ear proclaim from your rooftops. After all, no one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, nor does one put it in a hidden place. Rather, one puts it on a lampstand so that all who come and go will see its light." 34 Jesus said, "If a blind person leads a bind person, both of them will fall into a hole." 35 Jesus said, "One can't enter a strong person's house and take it by force without tying his hands. Then one can loot his house." 36 Jesus said, "Do not fret, from morning to evening and from evening to morning, [about your food--what you're going to eat, or about your clothing--] what you are going to wear. [You're much better than the lilies, which neither card nor spin. As for you, when you have no garment, what will you put on? Who might add to your stature? That very one will give you your garment.]" 37 His disciples said, "When will you appear to us, and when will we see you?" Jesus said, "When you strip without being ashamed, and you take your clothes and put them under your feet like little children and trample then, then [you] will see the son of the living one and you will not be afraid." 38 Jesus said, "Often you have desired to hear these sayings that I am speaking to you, and you have no one else from whom to hear them. There will be days when you will seek me and you will not find me." 39 Jesus said, "The Pharisees and the scholars have taken the keys of knowledge and have hidden them. They have not entered nor have they allowed those who want to enter to do so. As for you, be as sly as snakes and as simple as doves." 40 Jesus said, "A grapevine has been planted apart from the Father. Since it is not strong, it will be pulled up by its root and will perish." 41 Jesus said, "Whoever has something in hand will be given more, and whoever has nothing will be deprived of even the little they have." 42 Jesus said, "Be passersby." 43 His disciples said to him, "Who are you to say these things to us?" "You don't understand who I am from what I say to you. Rather, you have become like the Judeans, for they love the tree but hate its fruit, or they love the fruit but hate the tree." 44 Jesus said, "Whoever blasphemes against the Father will be forgiven, and whoever blasphemes against the son will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the holy spirit will not be forgiven, either on earth or in heaven." 45 Jesus said, "Grapes are not harvested from thorn trees, nor are figs gathered from thistles, for they yield no fruit. Good persons produce good from what they've stored up; bad persons produce evil from the wickedness they've stored up in their hearts, and say evil things. For from the overflow of the heart they produce evil." 46 Jesus said, "From Adam to John the Baptist, among those born of women, no one is so much greater than John the Baptist that his eyes should not be averted. But I have said that whoever among you becomes a child will recognize the kingdom and will become greater than John." 47 Jesus said, "A person cannot mount two horses or bend two bows. And a slave cannot serve two masters, otherwise that slave will honor the one and offend the other. "Nobody drinks aged wine and immediately wants to drink young wine. Young wine is not poured into old wineskins, or they might break, and aged wine is not poured into a new wineskin, or it might spoil. An old patch is not sewn onto a new garment, since it would create a tear." 48 Jesus said, "If two make peace with each other in a single house, they will say to the mountain, 'Move from here!' and it will move." 49 Jesus said, "Congratulations to those who are alone and chosen, for you will find the kingdom. For you have come from it, and you will return there again." 50 Jesus said, "If they say to you, 'Where have you come from?' say to them, 'We have come from the light, from the place where the light came into being by itself, established [itself], and appeared in their image.' If they say to you, 'Is it you?' say, 'We are its children, and we are the chosen of the living Father.' If they ask you, 'What is the evidence of your Father in you?' say to them, 'It is motion and rest.'" 51 His disciples said to him, "When will the rest for the dead take place, and when will the new world come?" He said to them, "What you are looking forward to has come, but you don't know it." 52 His disciples said to him, "Twenty-four prophets have spoken in Israel, and they all spoke of you." He said to them, "You have disregarded the living one who is in your presence, and have spoken of the dead." 53 His disciples said to him, "is circumcision useful or not?" He said to them, "If it were useful, their father would produce children already circumcised from their mother. Rather, the true circumcision in spirit has become profitable in every respect." 54 Jesus said, "Congratulations to the poor, for to you belongs Heaven's kingdom." 55 Jesus said, "Whoever does not hate father and mother cannot be my disciple, and whoever does not hate brothers and sisters, and carry the cross as I do, will not be worthy of me." 56 Jesus said, "Whoever has come to know the world has discovered a carcass, and whoever has discovered a carcass, of that person the world is not worthy." 57 Jesus said, The Father's kingdom is like a person who has [good] seed. His enemy came during the night and sowed weeds among the good seed. The person did not let the workers pull up the weeds, but said to them, "No, otherwise you might go to pull up the weeds and pull up the wheat along with them." For on the day of the harvest the weeds will be conspicuous, and will be pulled up and burned. 58 Jesus said, "Congratulations to the person who has toiled and has found life." 59 Jesus said, "Look to the living one as long as you live, otherwise you might die and then try to see the living one, and you will be unable to see." 60 He saw a Samaritan carrying a lamb and going to Judea. He said to his disciples, "that person ... around the lamb." They said to him, "So that he may kill it and eat it." He said to them, "He will not eat it while it is alive, but only after he has killed it and it has become a carcass." They said, "Otherwise he can't do it." He said to them, "So also with you, seek for yourselves a place for rest, or you might become a carcass and be eaten." 61 Jesus said, "Two will recline on a couch; one will die, one will live." Salome said, "Who are you mister? You have climbed onto my couch and eaten from my table as if you are from someone." Jesus said to her, "I am the one who comes from what is whole. I was granted from the things of my Father." "I am your disciple." "For this reason I say, if one is whole, one will be filled with light, but if one is divided, one will be filled with darkness." 62 Jesus said, "I disclose my mysteries to those [who are worthy] of [my] mysteries. Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." 63 Jesus said, There was a rich person who had a great deal of money. He said, "I shall invest my money so that I may sow, reap, plant, and fill my storehouses with produce, that I may lack nothing." These were the things he was thinking in his heart, but that very night he died. Anyone here with two ears had better listen! 64 Jesus said, A person was receiving guests. When he had prepared the dinner, he sent his slave to invite the guests. The slave went to the first and said to that one, "My master invites you." That one said, "Some merchants owe me money; they are coming to me tonight. I have to go and give them instructions. Please excuse me from dinner." The slave went to another and said to that one, "My master has invited you." That one said to the slave, "I have bought a house, and I have been called away for a day. I shall have no time." The slave went to another and said to that one, "My master invites you." That one said to the slave, "My friend is to be married, and I am to arrange the banquet. I shall not be able to come. Please excuse me from dinner." The slave went to another and said to that one, "My master invites you." That one said to the slave, "I have bought an estate, and I am going to collect the rent. I shall not be able to come. Please excuse me." The slave returned and said to his master, "Those whom you invited to dinner have asked to be excused." The master said to his slave, "Go out on the streets and bring back whomever you find to have dinner." Buyers and merchants [will] not enter the places of my Father. 65 He said, A [...] person owned a vineyard and rented it to some farmers, so they could work it and he could collect its crop from them. He sent his slave so the farmers would give him the vineyard's crop. They grabbed him, beat him, and almost killed him, and the slave returned and told his master. His master said, "Perhaps he didn't know them." He sent another slave, and the farmers beat that one as well. Then the master sent his son and said, "Perhaps they'll show my son some respect." Because the farmers knew that he was the heir to the vineyard, they grabbed him and killed him. Anyone here with two ears had better listen! 66 Jesus said, "Show me the stone that the builders rejected: that is the keystone." 67 Jesus said, "Those who know all, but are lacking in themselves, are utterly lacking." 68 Jesus said, "Congratulations to you when you are hated and persecuted; and no place will be found, wherever you have been persecuted." 69 Jesus said, "Congratulations to those who have been persecuted in their hearts: they are the ones who have truly come to know the Father. Congratulations to those who go hungry, so the stomach of the one in want may be filled." 70 Jesus said, "If you bring forth what is within you, what you have will save you. If you do not have that within you, what you do not have within you [will] kill you." 71 Jesus said, "I will destroy [this] house, and no one will be able to build it [...]." 72 A [person said] to him, "Tell my brothers to divide my father's possessions with me." He said to the person, "Mister, who made me a divider?" He turned to his disciples and said to them, "I'm not a divider, am I?" 73 Jesus said, "The crop is huge but the workers are few, so beg the harvest boss to dispatch workers to the fields." 74 He said, "Lord, there are many around the drinking trough, but there is nothing in the well." 75 Jesus said, "There are many standing at the door, but those who are alone will enter the bridal suite." 76 Jesus said, The Father's kingdom is like a merchant who had a supply of merchandise and found a peal. That merchant was prudent; he sold the merchandise and bought the single pearl for himself. So also with you, seek his treasure that is unfailing, that is enduring, where no moth comes to eat and no worm destroys." 77 Jesus said, "I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attained. Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there." 78 Jesus said, "Why have you come out to the countryside? To see a reed shaken by the wind? And to see a person dressed in soft clothes, [like your] rulers and your powerful ones? They are dressed in soft clothes, and they cannot understand truth." 79 A woman in the crowd said to him, "Lucky are the womb that bore you and the breasts that fed you." He said to [her], "Lucky are those who have heard the word of the Father and have truly kept it. For there will be days when you will say, 'Lucky are the womb that has not conceived and the breasts that have not given milk.'" 80 Jesus said, "Whoever has come to know the world has discovered the body, and whoever has discovered the body, of that one the world is not worthy." 81 Jesus said, "Let one who has become wealthy reign, and let one who has power renounce ." 82 Jesus said, "Whoever is near me is near the fire, and whoever is far from me is far from the kingdom." 83 Jesus said, "Images are visible to people, but the light within them is hidden in the image of the Father's light. He will be disclosed, but his image is hidden by his light." 84 Jesus said, "When you see your likeness, you are happy. But when you see your images that came into being before you and that neither die nor become visible, how much you will have to bear!" 85 Jesus said, "Adam came from great power and great wealth, but he was not worthy of you. For had he been worthy, [he would] not [have tasted] death." 86 Jesus said, "[Foxes have] their dens and birds have their nests, but human beings have no place to lay down and rest." 87 Jesus said, "How miserable is the body that depends on a body, and how miserable is the soul that depends on these two." 88 Jesus said, "The messengers and the prophets will come to you and give you what belongs to you. You, in turn, give them what you have, and say to yourselves, 'When will they come and take what belongs to them?'" 89 Jesus said, "Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Don't you understand that the one who made the inside is also the one who made the outside?" 90 Jesus said, "Come to me, for my yoke is comfortable and my lordship is gentle, and you will find rest for yourselves." 91 They said to him, "Tell us who you are so that we may believe in you." He said to them, "You examine the face of heaven and earth, but you have not come to know the one who is in your presence, and you do not know how to examine the present moment. 92 Jesus said, "Seek and you will find. In the past, however, I did not tell you the things about which you asked me then. Now I am willing to tell them, but you are not seeking them." 93 "Don't give what is holy to dogs, for they might throw them upon the manure pile. Don't throw pearls [to] pigs, or they might ... it [...]." 94 Jesus [said], "One who seeks will find, and for [one who knocks] it will be opened." 95 [Jesus said], "If you have money, don't lend it at interest. Rather, give [it] to someone from whom you won't get it back." 96 Jesus [said], The Father's kingdom is like [a] woman. She took a little leaven, [hid] it in dough, and made it into large loaves of bread. Anyone here with two ears had better listen! 97 Jesus said, The [Father's] kingdom is like a woman who was carrying a [jar] full of meal. While she was walking along [a] distant road, the handle of the jar broke and the meal spilled behind her [along] the road. She didn't know it; she hadn't noticed a problem. When she reached her house, she put the jar down and discovered that it was empty. 98 Jesus said, The Father's kingdom is like a person who wanted to kill someone powerful. While still at home he drew his sword and thrust it into the wall to find out whether his hand would go in. Then he killed the powerful one. 99 The disciples said to him, "Your brothers and your mother are standing outside." He said to them, "Those here who do what my Father wants are my brothers and my mother. They are the ones who will enter my Father's kingdom." 100 They showed Jesus a gold coin and said to him, "The Roman emperor's people demand taxes from us." He said to them, "Give the emperor what belongs to the emperor, give God what belongs to God, and give me what is mine." 101 "Whoever does not hate [father] and mother as I do cannot be my [disciple], and whoever does [not] love [father and] mother as I do cannot be my [disciple]. For my mother [...], but my true [mother] gave me life." 102 Jesus said, "Damn the Pharisees! They are like a dog sleeping in the cattle manger: the dog neither eats nor [lets] the cattle eat." 103 Jesus said, "Congratulations to those who know where the rebels are going to attack. [They] can get going, collect their imperial resources, and be prepared before the rebels arrive." 104 They said to Jesus, "Come, let us pray today, and let us fast." Jesus said, "What sin have I committed, or how have I been undone? Rather, when the groom leaves the bridal suite, then let people fast and pray." 105 Jesus said, "Whoever knows the father and the mother will be called the child of a whore." 106 Jesus said, "When you make the two into one, you will become children of Adam, and when you say, 'Mountain, move from here!' it will move." 107 Jesus said, The kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety- nine and looked for the one until he found it. After he had toiled, he said to the sheep, 'I love you more than the ninety- nine.' 108 Jesus said, "Whoever drinks from my mouth will become like me; I myself shall become that person, and the hidden things will be revealed to him." 109 Jesus said, The (Father's) kingdom is like a person who had a treasure hidden in his field but did not know it. And [when] he died he left it to his [son]. The son [did] not know about it either. He took over the field and sold it. The buyer went plowing, [discovered] the treasure, and began to lend money at interest to whomever he wished. 110 Jesus said, "Let one who has found the world, and has become wealthy, renounce the world." 111 Jesus said, "The heavens and the earth will roll up in your presence, and whoever is living from the living one will not see death." Does not Jesus say, "Those who have found themselves, of them the world is not worthy"? 112 Jesus said, "Damn the flesh that depends on the soul. Damn the soul that depends on the flesh." 113 His disciples said to him, "When will the kingdom come?" "It will not come by watching for it. It will not be said, 'Look, here!' or 'Look, there!' Rather, the Father's kingdom is spread out upon the earth, and people don't see it." [Saying added to the original collection at a later date:] 114 Simon Peter said to them, "Make Mary leave us, for females don't deserve life." Jesus said, "Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven." |
Scholars Version translation of the Gospel of Thomas taken from *The Complete Gospels: Annotated Scholars Version.* Copyright 1992, 1994 by Polebridge Press. Used with permission. All rights reserved. |
Taken from http://www.misericordia.edu/users/davies/thomas/Trans.htm |
There are other versions of this gospel found at http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/thomas.html; I don’t personally recommend it, as, given the little time that we have on this earth, there is not a lot of reason to delve deeply into the false, when God has made His Word readily available to us. |
To be quite frank, I have not set these versions down side by side to examine them; I don’t think my interest is great enough to spend that much time on this book. |
The Coptic Version of the Gospel of St. Thomas |
P) These are the secret sayings which the living Jesus spoke and which Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down.
1) And He said, "Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death."
2) Jesus said, "Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All."
3) Jesus said, "If those who lead you say, 'See, the Kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the Kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living Father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty."
4) Jesus said, "The man old in days will not hesitate to ask a small child seven days old about the place of life, and he will live. For many who are first will become last, and they will become one and the same."
5) Jesus said, "Recognize what is in your sight, and that which is hidden from you will become plain to you. For there is nothing hidden which will not become manifest."
6) His disciples questioned Him and said to Him, "Do you want us to fast? How shall we pray? Shall we give alms? What diet shall we observe?" Jesus said, "Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate, for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain without being uncovered."
7) Jesus said, "Blessed is the lion which becomes man when consumed by man; and cursed is the man whom the lion consumes, and the lion becomes man."
8) And He said, "The Kingdom is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of small fish. Among them the wise fisherman found a fine large fish. He threw all the small fish back into the sea and chose the large fish without difficulty. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."
9) Jesus said, "Now the sower went out, took a handful (of seeds), and scattered them. Some fell on the road; the birds came and gathered them up. Others fell on the rock, did not take root in the soil, and did not produce ears. And others fell on thorns; they choked the seed(s) and worms ate them. And others fell on the good soil and produced good fruit: it bore sixty per measure and a hundred and twenty per measure."
10) Jesus said, "I have cast fire upon the world, and see, I am guarding it until it blazes."
11) Jesus said, "This heaven will pass away, and the one above it will pass away. The dead are not alive, and the living will not die. In the days when you consumed what is dead, you made it what is alive. When you come to dwell in the light, what will you do? On the day when you were one you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?"
12) The disciples said to Jesus, "We know that You will depart from us. Who is to be our leader?" Jesus said to them, "Wherever you are, you are to go to James the righteous, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being."
13) Jesus said to His disciples, "Compare me to someone and tell Me whom I am like." Simon Peter said to Him, "You are like a righteous angel." Matthew said to Him, "You are like a wise philosopher." Thomas said to Him, "Master, my mouth is wholly incapable of saying whom You are like." Jesus said, "I am not your master. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated by the bubbling spring which I have measured out." And He took him and withdrew and told him three things. When Thomas returned to his companions, they asked him, "What did Jesus say to you?" Thomas said to them, "If I tell you one of the things which he told me, you will pick up stones and throw them at me; a fire will come out of the stones and burn you up."
14) Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will give rise to sin for yourselves; and if you pray, you will be condemned; and if you give alms, you will do harm to your spirits. When you go into any land and walk about in the districts, if they receive you, eat what they will set before you, and heal the sick among them. For what goes into your mouth will not defile you, but that which issues from your mouth - it is that which will defile you."
15) Jesus said, "When you see one who was not born of woman, prostrate yourselves on your faces and worship him. That one is your Father."
16) Jesus said, "Men think, perhaps, that it is peace which I have come to cast upon the world. They do not know that it is dissension which I have come to cast upon the earth: fire, sword, and war. For there will be five in a house: three will be against two, and two against three, the father against the son, and the son against the father. And they will stand solitary."
17) Jesus said, "I shall give you what no eye has seen and what no ear has heard and what no hand has touched and what has never occurred to the human mind."
18) The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us how our end will be." Jesus said, "Have you discovered, then, the beginning, that you look for the end? For where the beginning is, there will the end be. Blessed is he who will take his place in the beginning; he will know the end and will not experience death."
19) Jesus said, "Blessed is he who came into being before he came into being. If you become My disciples and listen to My words, these stones will minister to you. For there are five trees for you in Paradise which remain undisturbed summer and winter and whose leaves do not fall. Whoever becomes acquainted with them will not experience death."
20) The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us what the Kingdom of Heaven is like." He said to them, "It is like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds. But when it falls on tilled soil, it produces a great plant and becomes a shelter for birds of the sky."
21) Mary said to Jesus, "Whom are Your disciples like?" He said, "They are like children who have settled in a field which is not theirs. When the owners of the field come, they will say, 'Let us have back our field.' They (will) undress in their presence in order to let them have back their field and give it back to them. Therefore I say to you, if the owner of a house knows that the thief is coming, he will begin his vigil before he comes and will not let him into his house of his domain to carry away his goods. You, then, be on your guard against the world. Arm yourselves with great strength lest the robbers find a way to come to you, for the difficulty which you expect will (surely) materialize. Let there be among you a man of understanding. When the grain ripened, he came quickly with his sickle in his hand and reaped it. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."
22) Jesus saw infants being suckled. He said to His disciples, "These infants being suckled are like those who enter the Kingdom." They said to Him, "Shall we then, as children, enter the Kingdom?" Jesus said to them, "When you make the two one, and when you make the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside, and the above like the below, and when you make the male and the female one and the same, so that the male not be male nor the female female; and when you fashion eyes in the place of an eye, and a hand in place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, and a likeness in place of a likeness; then will you enter [the Kingdom]."
23) Jesus said, "I shall choose you, one out of a thousand, and two out of ten thousand, and they shall stand as a single one."
24) His disciples said to Him, "Show us the place where You are, since it is necessary for us to seek it." He said to them, "Whoever has ears, let him hear. There is light within a man of light, and he (or "it") lights up the whole world. If he (or "it") does not shine, he (or "it") is darkness."
25) Jesus said, "Love your brother like your soul, guard him like the pupil of your eye."
26) Jesus said, "You see the mote in your brothers eye, but you do not see the beam in your own eye. When you cast the beam out of your own eye, then you will see clearly to cast the mote from your brother's eye."
27) <Jesus said,> "If you do not fast as regards the world, you will not find the Kingdom. If you do not observe the Sabbath as a Sabbath, you will not see the Father."
28) Jesus said, "I took my place in the midst of the world, and I appeared to them in the flesh. I found all of them intoxicated; I found none of them thirsty. And My soul became afflicted for the sons of men, because they are blind in their hearts and do not have sight; for empty they came into the world, and empty too they seek to leave the world. But for the moment they are intoxicated. When they shake off their wine, then they will repent."
29) Jesus said, "If the flesh came into being because of spirit, it is a wonder. But if spirit came into being because of the body, it is a wonder of wonders. Indeed, I am amazed at how this great wealth has made its home in this poverty."
30) Jesus said, "Where there are three gods, they are gods. Where there are two or one, I am with him."
31) Jesus said, "No prophet is accepted in his own village; no physician heals those who know him." 32) Jesus said, "A city being built on a high mountain and fortified cannot fall, nor can it be hidden."
33) Jesus said, "Preach from your housetops that which you will hear in your ear {(and) in the other ear}. For no one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel, nor does he put it in a hidden place, but rather he sets it on a lampstand so that everyone who enters and leaves will see its light."
34) Jesus said, "If a blind man leads a blind man, they will both fall into a pit."
35) Jesus said, "It is not possible for anyone to enter the house of a strong man and take it by force unless he binds his hands; then he will (be able to) ransack his house."
36) Jesus said, "Do not be concerned from morning until evening and from evening until morning about what you will wear."
37) His disciples said, "When will You become revealed to us and when shall we see You?" Jesus said, "When you disrobe without being ashamed and take up your garments and place them under your feet like little children and tread on them, then [will you see] the Son of the Living One, and you will not be afraid"
38) Jesus said, "Many times have you desired to hear these words which I am saying to you, and you have no one else to hear them from. There will be days when you look for Me and will not find Me."
39) Jesus said, "The Pharisees and the scribes have taken the keys of Knowledge and hidden them. They themselves have not entered, nor have they allowed to enter those who wish to. You, however, be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves."
40) Jesus said, "A grapevine has been planted outside of the Father, but being unsound, it will be pulled up by its roots and destroyed."
41) Jesus said, "Whoever has something in his hand will receive more, and whoever has nothing will be deprived of even the little he has."
42) Jesus said, "Become passers-by."
43) His disciples said to him, "Who are You, that You should say these things to us?" <Jesus said to them,> "You do not realize who I am from what I say to you, but you have become like the Jews, for they (either) love the tree and hate its fruit or love the fruit and hate the tree."
44) Jesus said, "Whoever blasphemes against the Father will be forgiven, and whoever blasphemes against the Son will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven either on earth or in heaven."
45) Jesus said, "Grapes are not harvested from thorns, nor are figs gathered from thistles, for they do not produce fruit. A good man brings forth good from his storehouse; an evil man brings forth evil things from his evil storehouse, which is in his heart, and says evil things. For out of the abundance of the heart he brings forth evil things."
46) Jesus said, "Among those born of women, from Adam until John the Baptist, there is no one so superior to John the Baptist that his eyes should not be lowered (before him). Yet I have said whichever one of you comes to be a child will be acquainted with the Kingdom and will become superior to John."
47) Jesus said, "It is impossible for a man to mount two horses or to stretch two bows. And it is impossible for a servant to serve two masters; otherwise he will honor the one and treat the other contemptuously. No man drinks old wine and immediately desires to drink new wine. And new wine is not put into old wineskins, lest they burst; nor is old wine put into a new wineskin, lest it spoil it. An old patch is not sewn onto a new garment, because a tear would result."
48) Jesus said, "If two make peace with each other in this one house, they will say to the mountain, 'Move Away,' and it will move away."
49) Jesus said, "Blessed are the solitary and elect, for you will find the Kingdom. For you are from it, and to it you will return."
50) Jesus said, "If they say to you, 'Where did you come from?', say to them, 'We came from the light, the place where the light came into being on its own accord and established [itself] and became manifest through their image.' If they say to you, 'Is it you?', say, 'We are its children, we are the elect of the Living Father.' If they ask you, 'What is the sign of your father in you?', say to them, 'It is movement and repose.'"
51) His disciples said to Him, "When will the repose of the dead come about, and when will the new world come?" He said to them, "What you look forward to has already come, but you do not recognize it."
52) His disciples said to Him, "Twenty-four prophets spoke in Israel, and all of them spoke in You." He said to them, "You have omitted the one living in your presence and have spoken (only) of the dead."
53) His disciples said to Him, "Is circumcision beneficial or not?" He said to them, "If it were beneficial, their father would beget them already circumcised from their mother. Rather, the true circumcision in spirit has become completely profitable."
54) Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor, for yours is the Kingdom of Heaven."
55) Jesus said, "Whoever does not hate his father and his mother cannot become a disciple to Me. And whoever does not hate his brothers and sisters and take up his cross in My way will not be worthy of Me."
56) Jesus said, "Whoever has come to understand the world has found (only) a corpse, and whoever has found a corpse is superior to the world."
57) Jesus said, "The Kingdom of the Father is like a man who had [good] seed. His enemy came by night and sowed weeds among the good seed. The man did not allow them to pull up the weeds; he said to them, 'I am afraid that you will go intending to pull up the weeds and pull up the wheat along with them.' For on the day of the harvest the weeds will be plainly visible, and they will be pulled up and burned."
58) Jesus said, "Blessed is the man who has suffered and found life."
59) Jesus said, "Take heed of the Living One while you are alive, lest you die and seek to see Him and be unable to do so."
60) <They saw> a Samaritan carrying a lamb on his way to Judea. He said to his disciples, "(Why does) that man (carry) the lamb around?" They said to him, "So that he may kill it and eat it." He said to them, "While it is alive, he will not eat it, but only when he has killed it and it has become a corpse." They said to him, "He cannot do so otherwise." He said to them, "You too, look for a place for yourself within the Repose, lest you become a corpse and be eaten."
61) Jesus said, "Two will rest on a bed: the one will die, and other will live." Salome said to him, "Who are You, man, that You, as though from the One, have come up on my couch and eaten from my table?" Jesus said to her, "I am He who exists from the Undivided. I was given some of the things of my Father." <Salome said,> "I am Your disciple." <Jesus said to her,> "Therefore I say, if he is <undivided>, he will be filled with light, but if he is divided, he will be filled with darkness."
62) Jesus said, "It is to those [who are worthy of My] mysteries that I tell My mysteries. Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." 63) Jesus said, "There was a rich man who had much money. He said, 'I shall put my money to use so that I may sow, reap, plant, and fill my storehouse with produce, with the result that I shall lack nothing. Such were his intentions, but that same night he died. Let him who has ears hear."
64) Jesus said, "A man had received visitors. And when he had prepared the dinner, he sent his servant to invite guests. He went to the first one and said to him, "My master invites you.' He said, 'I have claims against some merchants. They are coming to me this evening. I must go and give them my orders. I ask to be excused from the dinner.' He went to another and said, 'My master has invited you.' He said to him, 'I have just bought a house and am required for the day. I shall not have any spare time.' He went to another and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He said to him, 'My friend is going to get married, and I am to prepare the banquet. I shall not be able to come. I ask to be excused from the dinner.' He went to another and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He said to him, 'I have just bought a farm, and I am on my way to collect the rent. I shall not be able to come. I ask to be excused.' The servant returned and said to his master, 'Those whom you invited to the dinner have asked to be excused.' The master said to his servant, 'Go outside to the streets and bring back those whom you happen to meet, so that they may dine.' Businessmen and merchants will not enter the Places of My Father."
65) He said, "There was a good man who owned a vineyard. He leased it to tenant farmers so that they might work it and he might collect the produce from them. He sent his servant so that the tenants might give him the produce of the vineyard. They seized his servant and beat him, all but killing him. The servant went back and told his master. The master said, 'Perhaps <they> did not recognize <him>.' He sent another servant. The tenants beat this one as well. Then the owner sent his son and said, 'Perhaps they will show respect to my son.' Because the tenants knew that it was he who was the heir to the vineyard, they seized him and killed him. Let him who has ears hear."
66) Jesus said, "Show me the stone which the builders have rejected. That one is the cornerstone."
67) Jesus said, "Whoever believes that the All itself is deficient is (himself) completely deficient."
68) Jesus said, "Blessed are you when you are hated and persecuted. Wherever you have been persecuted they will find no Place."
69) Jesus said, "Blessed are they who have been persecuted within themselves. It is they who have truly come to know the Father. Blessed are the hungry, for the belly of him who desires will be filled."
70) Jesus said, "If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you."
71) Jesus said, "I shall destroy [this] house, and no one will be able to rebuild it."
72) [A man said] to Him, "Tell my brothers to divide my father's possessions with me." He said to him, "O man, who has made Me a divider?" He turned to His disciples and said to them, "I am not a divider, am I?"
73) Jesus said, "The harvest is great but the laborers are few. Beseech the Lord, therefore, to send out laborers to the harvest."
74) He said, "O Lord, there are many around the drinking trough, but there is nothing in the cistern."
75) Jesus said, "Many are standing at the door, but it is the solitary who will enter the bridal chamber."
76) Jesus said, "The kingdom of the Father is like a merchant who had a consignment of merchandise and who discovered a pearl. That merchant was shrewd. He sold the merchandise and bought the pearl alone for himself. You too, seek his unfailing and enduring treasure where no moth comes near to devour and no worm destroys."
77) Jesus said, "It is I who am the light which is above them all. It is I who am the All. From Me did the All come forth, and unto Me did the All extend. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find Me there."
78) Jesus said, "Why have you come out into the desert? To see a reed shaken by the wind? And to see a man clothed in fine garments like your kings and your great men? Upon them are the fine [garments], and they are unable to discern the truth."
79) A woman from the crowd said to Him, "Blessed are the womb which bore You and the breasts which nourished You." He said to her, "Blessed are those who have heard the word of the Father and have truly kept it. For there will be days when you will say, 'Blessed are the womb which has not conceived and the breasts which have not given milk.'"
80) Jesus said, "He who has recognized the world has found the body, but he who has found the body is superior to the world."
81) Jesus said, "Let him who has grown rich be king, and let him who possesses power renounce it."
82) Jesus said, "He who is near Me is near the fire, and he who is far from Me is far from the Kingdom."
83) Jesus said, "The images are manifest to man, but the light in them remains concealed in the image of the light of the Father. He will become manifest, but his image will remain concealed by his light."
84) Jesus said, "When you see your likeness, you rejoice. But when you see your images which came into being before you, and which neither die not become manifest, how much you will have to bear!"
85) Jesus said, "Adam came into being from a great power and a great wealth, but he did not become worthy of you. For had he been worthy, [he would] not [have experienced] death."
86) Jesus said, "[The foxes have their holes] and the birds have [their] nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head and rest."
87) Jesus said, "Wretched is the body that is dependant upon a body, and wretched is the soul that is dependent on these two."
88) Jesus said, "The angels and the prophets will come to you and give you those things you (already) have. And you too, give them those things which you have, and say to yourselves, 'When will they come and take what is theirs?'"
89) Jesus said, "Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Do you not realize that he who made he inside is the same one who made the outside?"
90) Jesus said, "Come unto me, for My yoke is easy and My lordship is mild, and you will find repose for yourselves."
91) They said to Him, "Tell us who You are so that we may believe in You." He said to them, "You read the face of the sky and of the earth, but you have not recognized the one who is before you, and you do not know how to read this moment."
92) Jesus said, "Seek and you will find. Yet, what you asked Me about in former times and which I did not tell you then, now I do desire to tell, but you do not enquire after it."
93) <Jesus said,> "Do not give what is holy to dogs, lest they throw them on the dung-heap. Do not throw the pearls to swine, lest they grind it [to bits]."
94) Jesus [said], "He who seeks will find, and [he who knocks] will be let in."
95) [Jesus said,] "If you have money, do not lend it at interest, but give [it] to one from whom you will not get it back."
96) Jesus [said], "The Kingdom of the Father is like a certain woman. She took a little leaven, [concealed] it in some dough, and made it into large loaves. Let him who has ears hear."
97) Jesus said, "The Kingdom of the [Father] is like a certain woman who was carrying a jar full of meal. While she was walking [on] a road, still some distance from home, the handle of the jar broke and the meal emptied out behind her on the road. She did not realize it; she had noticed no accident. When she reached her house, she set the jar down and found it empty."
98) Jesus said, "The Kingdom of the Father is like a certain man who wanted to kill a powerful man. In his own house he drew his sword and stuck it into the wall in order to find out whether his hand could carry through. Then he slew the powerful man."
99) The disciples said to Him, "Your brothers and Your mother are standing outside." He said to them, "Those here who do the will of My Father are My brothers and My mother. It is they who will enter the Kingdom of My Father."
100) They showed Jesus a gold coin and said to Him, "Caesar's men demand taxes from us." He said to them, "Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, give God what belongs to God, and give Me what is Mine."
101) <Jesus said,> "Whoever does not hate his father and his mother as I do cannot become a disciple to Me. And whoever does [not] love his father and his mother as I do cannot become a [disciple] to Me. For My mother [gave me falsehood], but [My] true [Mother] gave me life."
102) Jesus said, "Woe to the Pharisees, for they are like a dog sleeping in the manger of oxen, for neither does he eat nor does he let the oxen eat."
103) Jesus said, "Fortunate is the man who knows where the brigands will enter, so that he may get up, muster his domain, and arm himself before they invade."
104) They said [to Jesus], "Come, let us pray today and let us fast." Jesus said, "What is the sin that I have committed, or wherein have I been defeated? But when the bridegroom leaves the bridal chamber, then let them fast and pray."
105) Jesus said, "He who knows the father and the mother will be called the son of a harlot."
106) Jesus said, "When you make the two one, you will become the sons of man, and when you say, 'Mountain, move away,' it will move away."
107) Jesus said, "The Kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety-nine sheep and looked for that one until he found it. When he had gone to such trouble, he said to the sheep, 'I care for you more than the ninety-nine.'"
108) Jesus said, "He who will drink from my mouth will become like Me. I myself shall become he, and the things that are hidden will become revealed to him."
109) Jesus said, "The Kingdom is like a man who had a [hidden] treasure in his field without knowing it. And [after] he died, he left it to his son. The son did not know (about the treasure). He inherited the field and sold [it]. And the one who bought it went plowing and found the treasure. He began to lend money at interest to whomever he wished."
110) Jesus said, "Whoever finds the world and becomes rich, let him renounce the world."
111) Jesus said, "The heavens and the earth will be rolled up in your presence. And one who lives from the Living One will not see death." Does not Jesus say, "Whoever finds himself is superior to the world?"
112) Jesus said, "Woe to the flesh that depends on the soul; woe to the soul that depends on the flesh."
113) His disciples said to Him, "When will the Kingdom come?" <Jesus said,> "It will not come by waiting for it. It will not be a matter of saying 'Here it is' or 'There it is.' Rather, the Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it."
114) Simon Peter said to Him, "Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of Life." Jesus said, "I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the Kingdom of Heaven."
----------------------------------------------------------------- III: Fragments of Greek Gospel of Thomas
Several fragments of a Greek version of Thomas were found among the Oxyrhynchys Papyri in the late 19th century. These fragments consist of the preamble, and sayings 1-6, 26-28, 30-32, 36-38, and 39, as well as a saying not found in the Coptic version, which follows 32. These fragments are found on Oxyrhynchus Papyri 1, 654, and 655. Generally, the sayings are essentially the same in both versions. However, the equivalent of saying 30 adds the end of the Coptic version's saying 77. The translation used here is a combination of thranslations by B.P. Grenfell and A.S. Hunt and Bentley Layton.
P) These are the secret sayings which were spoken by Jesus the Living One, and which Judas, who is called Thomas, wrote down"
1) He said to them: "Whoever hears these words shall never taste death."
2) [Jesus said]: "Let him who seeks not cease until he finds, and when he finds he shall wonder; wondering he shall reign, and reigning shall rest."
3) Jesus said, "If those who attract you say, 'See, the Kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is under the earth,' then the fish of the sea will precede you. Rather, the Kingdom of God is inside of you, and it is outside of you. [Those who] become acquainted with [themselves] will find it; [and when you] become acquainted with yourselves, [you will understand that] it is you who are the sons of the living Father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty."
4) Jesus said: "Let the old man who is full of days not hesitate to ask the child of seven days about the place of life; then he will live. For many that are first will be last, and last, first, and they will become a single one."
5) Jesus said: "Recognize what is before your face and that which is hidden from the you will be revealed to you. For there is nothing hidden which shall not be made manifest, nor buried which shall not be raised."
6) His disciples asked him and said to him, "How do you want us to fast? And how shall we pray? And how [shall we] give alms? And what kind of diet shall we follow?" Jesus said, "Do not lie, and do not do what you hate, for all things are disclosed before truth. For there is nothing hidden which shall not be shown forth."
27) Jesus said: "Unless you fast to the world, you shall in no way find the Kingdom of God; and unless you sabbatize the Sabbath, you shall not see the Father."
28) Jesus said: "I stood in the midst of the world, and in the flesh I was seen by them, and I found all drunken, and I found none among them thirsty. And my soul grieved over the souls of men, because they are blind in their heart and see not. [...]
30/77) Jesus said: "Where there are [two, they are not] without God, and when there is one alone, [I say,] I am with him. Raise the stone, and there you will find me; cleave the wood, and there I am."
31) Jesus said: "A prophet is not acceptable in his own country, neither does a physician work cures upon those that know him."
32) Jesus said: "A city built on the top of a high hill and fortified can neither fall nor be hid."
--) Jesus said: "Thou hearest with one ear, [but the other thou has closed].
36) Jesus said, "Do not worry from dawn to dusk and from dusk to dawn about [what food] you [will] eat, [or] what [clothing] you will wear. [You are much] better than the [lilies], which [neither] card nor spin. And for your part, what [will you wear] when you have no clothing? Who would add to your stature? It is he who will give you your clothing.
37) His disciples said to him, "When will you be visible to us, and when shall we behold you?" He said, "When you strip naked without being ashamed, and take your garments and put them under your feet like little children and tread upon them, then you will see the child of the Living, and you will not be afraid." |
IV: Canonical Comparisons of Thomas Sayings
I have grouped the sayings in the Gospel of Thomas into 5 categories. Sayings that are variants of or close parallels to canonical passages (22 of these), sayings that appear more remotely parallel or similar in some way (28), sayings which contain parts parallel to several unconnected passages (13), sayings parallel to non-canonical traditions of Jesus (only 1 of these), and those with no apparent parallels (50!!). Due to space limitations, I have decided only to cite passages, and you can go through and compare them using any Bible. I haven't attempted to make any comparisons to the various Apocryphal or other Christian and Gnostic texts. |
A: Variants/Close Parallels --------------------------- 9: Mt13:3-8, Mk4:3-8, Lk8:5-8 10: Lk12:49 16: Mt10:34-36, Lk12:51-53 20: Mt13:31-32, Mk4:30-32, Lk13:18-19 26: Mt7:3-5, Lk6:41-42 34: Mt15:14, Lk6:39 35: Mt12:29, Mk3:27, Lk11:21-22 41: Mt25:29, Lk19:26 45: Mt7:16-20, Lk6:43-46 46: Mt11:11, Lk7:28 54: Mt5:3, Lk6:20 64: Mt22:3-9, Lk14:16-24 65: Mt21:33-39, Mk12:1-8, Lk20:9-15 66: Mt21:42, Mk12:10, Lk20:17; Psalm118:22 73: Mt9:37-38, Lk10:2 86: Mt8:20, Lk9:58 89: Lk11:39-40 93: Mt7:6 94: Mt7:7-8, Lk11:9-10 100: Mk12:13-17, Lk20:22-25 103: Mt24:43, Lk12:39 107: Mt18:12-13, Lk15:3-7 |
B: Remote Parallels ------------------- 1: Jn8:51 3: Lk17:21 5: Mt10:26, Lk10:2 8: Mt13:47-48 17: 1Cor2:9; Isiah64:4 30: Mt18:20 31: Mk6:4, Lk4:23-24, Jn4:44 32: Mt5:14 36: Mt6:25, Lk12:22 40: Mt15:13 44: Mt12:32, Mk3:28-29, Lk12:10 48: Mt18:19, Mk11:23-24 57: Mt13:24-30 58: Mt11:28 59: Jn7:34, Jn13:33 63: Lk12:16-21 68: Mt5:11, Lk6:22 71: Mk14:58 72: Lk12:13-15 75: Mt22:14 78: Mt11:7-9, Lk7:24-26 90: Mt11:28-30 95: Lk6:34-35, Lk14:12-14 96: Mt13:33, Lk13:20-21 99: Mt12:46-50, Mk3:31-35 101: Mt10:37, Lk14:26 109: Mt13:44 113: Lk17:20-21 |
C: Multiple Parallels --------------------- 14a: no parallels 14b: Lk10:8-9 14c: Mt15:11, Mk7:15 21a: no parallels 21b: Mt24:43, Lk12:39 21c: Mk4:26-29 22a: Mt18:3, Lk18:17 22b: Mt5:29-30, Mk9:43-48 24a: Jn13:36 24b: Mt6:22-23, Lk11:34-36 33a: Mt10:27 33b: Mt5:15, Mk4:21, Lk8:16, Lk11:33 39a: Lk11:52 39b: Mt10:16 43a: Jn8:25 43b: Mt7:16-20, Lk6:43-46(?) 55a: Lk14:26 55b: Mt10:37 62a: Mt13:11, Mk4:11, Lk8:10 62b: Mt6:3 69a: Mt5:8 (cf. Thomas saying 68) 69b: Mt5:6, Lk6:21 76a: Mt13:45-46 76b: Mt6:20, Lk12:33 79a: Lk11:27-28 79b: Lk23:29 91a: Jn9:36 91b: Lk12:54-56 |
D: Non-Canonical Parallels -------------------------- 42: Some stands of Islamic tradition attribute this saying to Jesus. |
E: No Parallels --------------- All the following sayings have no parallels in the Bible or other non-Gnostic traditions: 2 23 51 77 98 4 25 52 80 102 6 27 53 81 104 7 28 56 82 105 11 29 60 84 106 12 37 61 85 108 13 38 67 87 110 15 47 70 88 111 18 49 73 92 112 19 50 74 97 114 |
This was taken from http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/thomas.htm; any use of the first person refers back to Craig Schenk. |
THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS Commentary & Typing by Craig Schenk 6/17/92 |
Made available to the net by Paul Halsall <HALSALL@MURRAY.FORDHAM.EDU> |
1. Norman Geisler and William Nix; A General Introduction to the Bible; Chicago; Moody Press, ©1968, p. 193–201. 2. http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/thomas.html 3. http://members.aol.com/didymus5/thomas.html |
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