Tag: Gospel of Thomas

For those that have an interest

Click to access Gospel_of_Thomas_Bibliography1.pdf

In January I dropped a post on the 24th saying in Thomas’ gospel. I’ve given some thought to that saying and it occurs to me that it is broader and more complex than a simple reading would have us believe. Here is how I think of this saying now.

The 24^th saying is one example within Thomas’ writings where I had thought that the answer provided by Jesus to the question posed by the disciples did not actually belong to the question asked (like where the answer to saying 6 is found in saying 14).  After reflection I’m not certain that is so.  Here is the 24th saying:

(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 lights up the whole world. If he does not shine, he is darkness.”

On first glance the answer seems unrelated to the question; or does it?  It could be that both the question and the answer are much more complex than a simple reading suggests. .

The answer could be perfectly aligned with, and responsive to, the question if it was Jesus’ intent not to tell them of a specific place, but rather how to find the place.  After all, the disciples stated that ‘it is necessary for us to “seek it” not “that it is necessary for us to find you”.  So it is a place that they seek by asking this question. The answer Jesus gives is responsive to those that are looking for a place. Granted, Jesus doesn’t tell them (or us) where the place is but does tell us that “men of light” have the ability to find the way. (Actually, “lights up the whole world” carries a greater connotation than using the light to find a path to a single objective, but is applicable none the less.)

Another workable solution to the Q&A is plausible if the operative word in the disciples question is the word “show”. Now the response is even more aligned to the question asked. And, again, Jesus doesn’t show them the place, but rather tells them how to show it to themselves.

Reading the saying using this logic provides us with a path to the wisdom that Jesus is sharing about how to find the place. But, importantly, the answer in this saying goes beyond the disciples question. The words used interlock with a number of other sayings in Thomas’ gospel.

There are many sayings in Thomas’ Gospel that seem un-understandable. They’re mysterious and draw me in because they hint at a greater meaning that is just out of reach. That, as I believe, the sayings have been modified, jumbled up (portions of sayings intermingled with other sayings) and that they appear to be incorrectly ordered make for difficult reading (and understanding).

I believe that understanding some of the sayings is contingent on first understanding another saying. I am also beginning to think that an understanding of some of the sayings requires that it be considered/contemplated/thought of along with another saying. In other words not sequentially but rather simultaneously.

The 50th is highly esoteric saying. It’s challenging. It may be a ‘keystone’ that many of the other sayings need in order to stand, or it may be a ‘rosetta stone’ that is useful in interpreting meaning. Speculatively (vice operatively) It could be the stone the builders rejected in saying 66 or the stones mentioned in saying 13 or 19 or even 30 . It may be none of these. What is certain is the terms and concepts mentioned in 50 exist in many places throughout the balance of Thomas’ Gospel. Below is what a quick and cursory look at 50 and it’s relationship to other sayings looks like. I focused on four terms: light, became manifest, being, and image.

50. “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.'”

83  “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.  When you see your likeness, you rejoice. But when you see your images which came into being before you, and which neither die nor become manifest, how much you will have to bear.

5.  “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.  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.

11. “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?”

19.  “Blessed is he who came into being before he came into being …..

Hope I don’t break my mind thinking through what all this might mean !

What’s Real?

The 11th Saying in the Gospel of Thomas is another one of those passages that both comforts and confounds. As odd as this might sound, I like the confounding aspect as much as the comforting one. The Blatz interpretation reads:

This heaven will pass away, and the one above it will pass away; and those who are dead are not alive, and those who are living will not die. In the days when you ate of what is dead, you made of it what is living. When you come to be light, what will you do? On the day when you were one, you became two. But when you have become two, what will you do?

The Layton interpretation is slightly different and that slight difference is enlightening because of the word ‘element’. Here is how it reads:

“This heaven will pass away, and the one above it will pass away. And the dead (elements) are not alive, and the living (elements) will not die. In the days when you (plur.) used to ingest dead (elements), you made them alive. When you are in the light, what will you do? On the day that you were one, you made two. And when you are two, what will you do?”

Of course there are other differences between the two interpretations, but I thought the addition of the word ‘elements’ changes the passage considerably. One more interpretation, this time by Doresse:

“This heaven will pass away, and the heaven which is above it will pass: but those who are dead will not live, and those who live will not die! Today you eat dead things and make them into something living: <but> when you will be in Light, what will you do then? For then you will become two instead of one; and when you become two, what will you do then?”

I’ve highlighted the two major differences in Doresse from the other interpreters because the way the passage is now stated a lot of the meaning has change. The statement now reads you will be in the Light (note that Doresse capitalizes Light) and that you don’t become two (from one) until you are in the Light.

These three interpretations treat the subject of light differently:
Blatz: you come to be light
Layton: you are in the light
Doresse: when you will be in Light

So, where am I going with this? I am proving the validity of my earlier assertion on confusion and confounding. If we had read the statements in Saying 11 without trying to understand the implication of what the differences between the three ways ‘light’ is treated would we have grown any intellectually? Would we have spent any time today to ponder on life after life?

“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.”

Gospel of Thomas per the Lambdin translation:
(3) Jesus said, “If those who lead you say to you, ‘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.”

Topic isolated:
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

Moved from the future to the present (mostly) and simplified:
Know yourself and become known.  You are the sons of the living father

Greatly simplified:
Know yourself, you are the son of the living father.

Here is a very shallow look at how the ‘kingdom’ is treated in the Gospel of Thomas.

Thomas has some pretty sketchy things to say about what the ‘kingdom’ is like (not where it is or how to get in, etc). I use the term ‘sketchy’ because I found them pretty hard to reconcile one against another and with how the term ‘kingdom’ is used.

There are 8 sayings where Jesus says what the kingdom is like. While I assume they are all talking about the ‘kingdom of heaven’, they are not titled that way, the sayings identify ‘it’ (I’m not sure that heaven is being used in this gospel the same way I think of heaven) three different ways and the ‘kingdom of heaven’ are words that are not spoken by Jesus in this gospel, they are spoken by the apostles.

The apostles only ask one question on what the kingdom of heaven is like, it is in the 20th saying . Jesus responds by saying it is like a mustard seed. In every other mention (7 mentions) of the ‘kingdom’, Jesus compares it to a person (both male and female).

In every other instance where he describes what the kingdom is like, it is not in response to a question (although I suppose there was some question asked that he was responding to). The ‘kingdom of the father’ is used 5 times ( 57, 76, 96, 97 and 98). and It is described as a person with some attribute or performing some action.

Kingdom of the Father
–a man who had good seed
— a merchant who had a consignment
— a woman who took a little leaven
–a woman who was carrying a jar
–a man who wanted to kill

Twice Jesus describes what ‘the kingdom’ is like. Not the kingdom of heaven, and not the kingdom of the father, just the kingdom. These occur in Sayings 107 and 109.
— a shepherd who had a hundred sheep
— a man who had a hidden treasure

I’m not even close to figuring out what these sayings mean. I strongly believe that they may mean different things to different folk (frame of reference and all that). In any case these words have me pondering on the nature of God and, while I lack the capacity to understand the full nature of Him, the contemplation does yield good fruit, even if that fruit is the contemplation itself

I’ve named the last category of questions by the disciples in the Gospel of Thomas as ‘The Kingdom’. Again, these are just the questions.

What I think is important to consider about these questions is the disciples thought Jesus knew the answers. Unlike the questions that I grouped in the area titled ‘Blindness’, where the apostles wrestled with understanding who Jesus was, in these questions they understood who he was and believed that he knew of the ‘Kingdom’. If this is so, then it reinforces my assertion that the sequence in which the sayings of Jesus are presented in the Gospel of Thomas is not the sequence in which they occurred. (Else wise how could the questions that exist sayings 20 and 22 be asked by someone who later asked the questions in sayings 43 and 91.)

The Kingdom:

(18) Tell us how our end will be.

(20) Tell us what the kingdom of heaven is like.

(22) Shall we then, as children, enter the kingdom?

(51) When will the repose of the dead come about, and when will the new world come?

(113) When will the kingdom come?

Within the sayings of the Gospel of Thomas there were three sayings, containing six questions, that are ‘housekeeping’ in nature. By housekeeping I mean that they were either about how the disciples were to conduct themselves or what rituals were to be observed.

Again, because I’m less interested in the answers to the questions right now than I am in what these folk asked of Him, I’ll pass on providing His responses other than to opine on what I believe the meaning of His responses, at a high level, indicates: He provided no directions for forming or maintaining a ‘church’ or an organized following.

Keep in mind that the answers to the questions asked in Saying 6 are found in the first two sentences of Saying 14 (this is my take). Without a drum roll or further blathering, the questions were:

(6)  Do you want us to fast?  How shall we pray?  Shall we give alms?  What diet shall we observe?”

(12) We know that you will depart from us. Who is to be our leader?

(53) Is circumcision beneficial or not?

I took a little time yesterday to look at the questions that were asked of Jesus by his apostles in the Gospel of Thomas. Essentially I just looked at the questions that where asked of him and not any answer that was given. I quickly realized that the results could be pigeonholed into three categories. I think of them as: “Housekeeping” , “Blindness”, and “The Kingdom” .

I’m not sure what this little (and very quickly done) exercise tells us other than this was a pretty unimaginative and self centered group of folk.

To me, the most interesting question asked of him was not by an apostle, it was by Mary. It’s odd that the question she asked could not be neatly tucked into any of the three categories, it reads ” Whom are your disciples like?”

Anyway, here are the four questions that were asked that fall into the ‘Blindness’ category. I title it blindness because they could not see who was before them.

(24) Show us the place where you are, since it is necessary for us to seek it.
(37) When will you become revealed to us and when shall we see you?
(43) Who are you, that you should say these things to us?
(91) Tell us who you are so that we may believe in you.

As we read what Ron Cameron writes on the Gospel of Thomas, we need to remain cognizant that there are other works that are ascribed to Thomas.  Some of these works are dated to the third century, while the Gospel of Thomas is said (depending on who does the saying) either in middle of the first century (some few years after the death of Jesus) on the first part of the 2nd century.  Cameron says: 

The fact that Judas “the Twin” was the apostolic figure particularly revered in Syriac-speaking churches is important evidence for the date and place of composition of the text. For as Koester (in Layton 1989: 39) has shown, Gos. Thom.’s identification of this author as Jesus’ brother Judas does not presuppose a knowledge of the NT, but “rests upon an independent tradition.”

In addition, the peculiar, redundant name Didymus Judas Thomas seems to be attested only in the East, where the shadowy disciple named Thomas (Mark 3:18 par.; John 14:5) or Thomas Didymus (John 11:16; 20:24; 21:2) was identified with Judas in the Syriac NT and called Judas Thomas (John 14:22).

The occurrence of variants of this distinctive name in the Acts of Thomas is especially striking, not only because the latter evidently shows acquaintance with Gos. Thom. 2, 13, 22, and 52, but also because it is widely held that the Acts of Thomas was composed in Syriac in the early 3d century. Other documents that invoke the authority of Judas Thomas by name are also of Syriac origin, such as the Teaching of Addai,the Abgar legend (Eus. Histl. Eccl. 1.13.1-22), and the Book of Thomas the Contender (NHC II, 7).

Patterson:  If Thomas were dependent upon the synoptic gospels, it would be possible to detect in the case of every Thomas-synoptic parallel the same tradition-historical development behind both the Thomas version of the saying and one or more of the synoptic versions. That is, Thomas’ author/editor, in taking up the synoptic version, would have inherited all of the accumulated tradition-historical baggage owned by the synoptic text, and then added to it his or her own redactional twist. This is not the case. 

Rather than reflecting the same tradition-historical development that stands behind their synoptic counterparts, these Thomas sayings seem to be the product of a tradition-history which, though exhibiting the same tendencies operative within the synoptic tradition, is in its own specific details quite unique. This means, of course, that these sayings are not dependent upon their synoptic counterparts, but rather derive from a parallel and separate tradition.

Stephen J. Patterson:  While the cumulative nature of the sayings collection understandably makes the Gospel of Thomas difficult to date with precision, several factors weigh in favor of a date well before the end of the first century: the way in which Thomas appeals to the authority of particular prominent figures (Thomas, James) against the competing claims of others (Peter, Matthew); in genre, the sayings collection, which seems to have declined in importance after the emergence of the more biographical and dialogical forms near the end of the first century; and its primitive christology, which seems to presuppose a theological climate even more primitive than the later stages of the synoptic sayings gospel, Q.

Together these factors suggest a date for Thomas in the vicinity of 70-80 C.E. As for its provenance, while it is possible, even likely, that an early version of this collection associated with James circulated in the environs of Jerusalem, the Gospel of Thomas in more or less its present state comes from eastern Syria, where the popularity of the apostle Thomas (Judas Didymos Thomas) is well attested.

Blatz:  His disciples said to him: On what day will the rest of the dead come into being, and on what day will the new world come? He said to them: What you await has come, but you do not know it.

Layton:  His disciples said to him, “When will the repose of the dead come to pass, and when will the new world come?” He said to them, “That (repose) which you (plur.) are waiting for has come, but for your part you do not recognize it.”

Doresse:  His disciples said to him: “On what day shall rest come to those who are dead, and on what day shall the new world come?” He said to them: “This <rest> that you wait for has (already) come, and you have not recognised it.”

Three translations of this interesting saying:   

Blatz:  They said to him: Tell us who you are, that we may believe in you. He said to them: You test the face of the sky and of the earth, and him who is before you you have not known, and you do not know (how) to test this moment.

Layton: They said to him, “Tell us who you are, so that we might believe in you.” He said to them, “You (plur.) are testing the face of heaven and earth, and you have not recognized the one who is in your presence! And you do not recognize how to test the present time.”

Doresse: They said to him: “Tell us who thou art that we may believe in thee.” He said to them: “You examine the appearance of heaven and earth, but He who is in front of you you do not recognize, and this moment you know not how to examine!”

One of the great things about the Gospel of Thomas is that no body of man has had 2000 years to work it over, twist it, or weaponize it to support their view or to support their motives.  Everything within the Gospel of Thomas is compared to the canonical gospels, and beyond weighing the truthiness of Thomas, it also introduces an new introspection into the other gospels as well.   More on that later.  Stevan Davies has written extensively on The Gospel of Thomas, and one his observations strikes me as extremely important.  He says: 

John’s Gospel contrasts this world with another world from which Jesus comes (cf., e.g., 8:23; 17:13-19). Thomas is not dualistic in this sense. For Thomas there is no contrast between this world and another world; rather Thomas contrasts this world as apprehended properly with this world not apprehended properly. Thomas is replete with sayings contrasting the condition of people whodo and who do not apprehend the world through the primordial light of the beginning. Those who do are full; those who do not are empty (Gos. Thom. 28). Those who do are united and filled with light; those who do not are divided and in darkness (saying 61). Those who do are wealthy (sayings 85, 110); those who do not are in poverty (saying 3). Those who do drink from Jesus and become like Jesus (sayings 13, 108); those who do not are drunk and do not pay attention to Jesus (saying 28).

There is such great difference between the several translations of this verse, I thought it best to post 4 of them for your consideration. 

Lambdin:  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.”

Blatz: Jesus said: From Adam to John the Baptist there is among the children of women none higher than John the Baptist, for his eyes were not destroyed (?). But I have said: Whoever among you becomes small will know the kingdom and will be higher than John.

Layton: Jesus said, “From Adam unto John the Baptist there has been none among the offspring of women who has been more exalted than John the Baptist, so that such a person’s eyes might be broken. But I have said that whoever among you (plur.) becomes a little one will become acquainted with the kingdom, and will become more exalted than John.”

Doresse:  Jesus says: “From Adam to John the Baptist, among those who have been born of women, there is none greater than John the Baptist! But for fear that the eyes <of such a one> should be lost I have said: He who among you shall be the small<est> shall know the Kingdom and be higher than John!”

Jesus said, “The pharisees and the scribes have taken the keys of knowledge (gnosis) 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.”

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?”

A few days ago I jotted down a my thoughts on the first few words of Saying 3 in the Gospel of Thomas and posted them on this site.  Since then, almost daily, I’ve ponder on the balance of the saying.   Here is what I came up with:  It’s deep!  The full saying is below:

(3) Jesus said, “If those who lead you say to you, ‘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.”