As with all of the written documents in the genuine mystical traditions, the story has multiple levels of meaning. No doubt the gnostic gospels are quite divergent from the gospel of john, as an example. The thomas gospel was part of the nag hammadi library of parchments discovered in 1945, in nag hammadi, egypt. These are the secret sayings which the living jesus spoke and which didymos judas thomas wrote down. It was discovered near nag hammadi, egypt, in december 1945 among a group of books known as the nag hammadi library. The gnostic bible by willis barnestone and marvin meyer 1st edition december 2, 2003. Lacking any narrative whatsoever, its 114 sayings are difficult to understand by 1977, when the 12 bound volumes comprising the nag hammadi library were first published in english, scholars were referring to their 52 texts as. The pistis sophia is a sophisticated and deeply mystical teaching given by jesus about the suffering of sophia as she attempts to ascend to the. Others reject this interpretation, because thomas lacks the fullblown mythology of gnosticism as described by irenaeus of. The gospel of thomas in multiple translations along with a vast collection of material about the thomas tradition. These are the secret sayings that the living jesus spoke and didymos judas thomas recorded. The spiritual message of the gospel of thomas and the syriac. My personal favorites were the gospel of thomas and the gospel of john which were the first two chapters of the book, and the islaamic texts at the back of the book. The bible itself has been tampered with to such an extent that only by.
The story of the storytellers the gospel of thomas. This theory pushes the date of the gospel of thomas much later, probably to the second century. Nov 21, 2009 today, we investigate the christ, and the amazing discovery of the gospel of thomas. Part of the gnostic society library, which includes the entire nag hammadi library. The gospel of thomas also known as the coptic gospel of thomas is a noncanonical sayings gospel. All people have drunk the water of forgetfulness and exist in a state of ignorance. However, the truth is that the bible makes itself available to all who would read it, because god desires the salvation of all. In later traditions most notably in the acts of thomas, book of thomas the contender, etc. Perhaps the disciple thomas nickname of doubting thomas is appropriate here. Includes an extensive commentary by samael aun weor. A more complete version of this gospel can be found in the berlin codex, originally discovered in the late 19 th century in upper egypt. The gospel of thomas is simply a heretical forgery, much the same as the gospel of judas, the gospel of mary, and the gospel of philip. Secret book of john another gnostic text, pistis sophia, outlines an elaborate system of reward and punishment that includes reincarnation.
The gospel of thomass 114 sayings of jesus biblical. Gospel of thomas saying 17 jesus will bestow what has not been perceived gospel of thomas saying 18 the end is where the beginning is gospel of thomas saying 19 the preexistent is blessed, five trees in paradise gospel of thomas saying 20 a parable of a mustard seed gospel of thomas saying 21 a parable of children living in a plot of land. Yet the book s odder parts indicate that it was produced later, probably between the years 100 and 140, as gnostic ideas became more influential. The apostles wrote down what jesus taught them during those eleven years, resulting in the pistis sophia, the most important gnostic scripture. This belief was expressed in the first verse of the gospel of thomas. Jan 02, 2020 that is why and how the gnostic gospels were created. The book of revelations, a gnostic gospel excommunicate.
The gospel of thomas provided in multiple translations, along with a vast collection of material about the thomas tradition. I have read several translations and commentaries on and of the gospel of thomas. Contrary to popular belief, the gospel of mary is not found in the nag hammadi library although most versions include it. Yet the gnostic gospel of thomas relates that as soon as thomas recognizes him, jesus says to thomas that they have both received their being from the same source. In the secret book of john, reincarnation is placed at the heart of its discussion of the salvation of souls. Gnosticism pronounced nos tuh siz um was a secondcentury religious movement claiming that salvation could be gained. The beginners guide to the gnostic gospels overviewbible. Nov 06, 2019 gospel of thomas a gnostic interpretation when the interpretation is to a text what the third dimension is to an image these are the secret sayings that the living jesus spoke and didymos judas thomas recorded.
Lets apply the five testing questions to see if it qualifies as a book of scripture. The interpretation of knowledge a valentinian exposition, on the anointing, on baptism a and b and on the eucharist a and b allogenes hypsiphrone codex. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Logion 1 and he said, whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death. Today, we investigate the christ, and the amazing discovery of the gospel of thomas. Clements gnostic interpretation of the old testament. Divine pedagogy as the basis for clement of alexandrias biblical interpretation robert geoffrey thomas edwards master of arts in theology university of st.
The gnostic gospel informs the reader that it contains the secret words of jesus written down by twin judas thomas, which, when their interpretation is known, grant immortality. This too is the vision of the gnosis, the arabic meaning of algebraic is. First gnostic principles of one god one faith and here are. A lost, secret vision of jesus earl richard loyola university yamauchi lecture october 17, 1993 the recent discovery and current interest in the gospel of thomas have elicited considerable popular and scholarly attention, a phenomenon which shows no indication of coming to an end. Approximately onefourth of these sayings are the same as those found in the canonical gospels. Scholarly views of gnosticism and the gospel of thomas have since become more nuanced and diverse. The gospel of thomas was written in 340 in coptic, but the foundations are earlier oral traditions. Summarizing the spiritual message of the gospel of thomas in the context of syriac mysticism. The gospel of thomas is a noncanonical sayings gospel. Here is the secret book of johns perspective on reincarnation. If they had been placed in the modern bible, christs teachings would have been clearer and more focused on the non duality, the oneness, of the human family and god.
Scholars speculate that the works were buried in response to a letter from bishop athanasius declaring a strict canon of christian scripture. Important for our study was the discovery in the winter of. The following is a fresh translation, made from the coptic text published by messrs. Download the gospel of thomas download the free pdf. Probably gnostic christians took material from matthew, mark, and luke and altered it, making jesus more a disseminator of secret mysteries than an inaugurator of gods kingdom on earth. Mary magdalenes gnosis is displayed in full in the gospel of mary. Fortunate is the wise person who has sought truth, and when it has been found, has rested upon it for ever, and has not been afraid of those who wish to trouble the wise person. The gospel of thomas and the hermeneutics of vision. Jun 06, 2016 mary magdalenes gnosis is displayed in full in the gospel of mary. This is because it is one of the only gnostic gospels that actually made it into the bible. The gospel of thomas collection translations and resources.
Mar 14, 2005 one of the famous texts uncovered in the egyptian desert, the book of thomas the contender expresses a great deal of gnostic wisdom. Jan 02, 2020 the gospel of thomas is a gnostic gospel, espousing a gnostic viewpoint of christianity. The nag hammadi library also known as the chenoboskion manuscripts and the gnostic gospels is a collection of early christian and gnostic texts discovered near the upper egyptian town of nag hammadi in 1945. And he said, whoever discovers the interpretation of these. The gospel of thomas is unlike any other gospel text and has been an enigma ever since its discovery within the nag hammadi library in 1945. The other bible is a unique sourcebook of essential selections, an excellent anthology of the more important of the jewish psudepigrapha, early kabbalah, haggadah, midrash, christian apocrypha, and gnostic scriptures. The gnostic bible this is a collection of gnostic texts from various sources. Most of the gnostic gospels that have survived were found in a collection of books from the third and fourth century ad. A complete translation of the gospel of mary aeon byte. The very interesting thing is that the book contains direct citations of jesus christ in 114 verses. The story of the storytellers the gospel of thomas from jesus. Let me add my first comment here mostly im an offline reader of this r. The nag hammadi library also known as the chenoboskion manuscripts and the gnostic gospels is a collection of early christian and gnostic texts discovered near the upper egyptian town of nag hammadi in 1945 thirteen leatherbound papyrus codices buried in a sealed jar were found by a local farmer named muhammed alsamman. Gnosticism was a wideranging religious movement of the first mil.
The book of revelation is the last book in the bible. Whoever finds the meaning of these words will not taste death. The gnostic wisdom of jesus by jeanyves leloup isbn 1594770468 inner traditions, 2005 the thomas manuscripts discovered at naghammadi in 1945 were quickly buried beneath a mountain of conflicting interpretations from scholars. And he said, whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death thomas 1. Sect, the naassenes,5 held the serpent hebrew nahash in honour because he defied the ban which the demiurge had placed on the impartation of knowledge this reinterpretation of the.
Michaels college 2014 abstract clement of alexandrias interpretation of the bible is based on his theological. It supports the argument that the gospel of thomas is gnostic, since this was the period in which many socalled christian gnostic texts appear to have been written and circulated. Sep 21, 2018 the gnostic gospels are ancient religious writings which falsely claim to be written by famous biblical figures such as peter, thomas, and mary. The gospel of thomas also suggests that jesus is aware of, and criticizing. Marvin meyer quotes two parallel passages in the book of thomas the contender the gospel of thomas. Yet the books odder parts indicate that it was produced later, probably between the years 100 and 140, as gnostic ideas became more influential. And he said, whoever finds the interpretation of these. The aim of using algebra according to the arabs was to have a better understanding.
The gnostics fraudulently attached the names of famous christians to their writings, such as the gospel of thomas, the gospel of philip, the gospel of mary, etc. That is why and how the gnostic gospels were created. Gnostic texts of mystical wisdom form the ancient and medieval worlds edited by willis barnstone, marvin meyer shambhala paperback this anthology is by far the most poetic and generally accessible anthology of gnostic texts to be assembled. The text explains differences in fate as the effects of pastlife actions. The gnostic handbook is one application, one represen. This book opens with the lines, these are the secret words which the living jesus spoke, and the twin, didymos judas thomas wrote them down. But the kingdom of god here is something that you can enter when you attain gnosis. Dec 09, 2016 summarizing the spiritual message of the gospel of thomas in the context of syriac mysticism. The gnostic handbook page 6 of the real nature of the equation, to find the essential form through the many shards or forms. These various groups emphasised personal spiritual knowledge over orthodox teachings, traditions, and ecclesiastical authority. The story of the storytellers the gospel of thomas from.
The gnostic gospels won both the national book critics circle award and the national book award and was chosen by the modern library as one of the 100 best books of the 20th century. Thirteen leatherbound papyrus codices buried in a sealed jar were found by a local farmer named muhammed alsamman. The gospel of thomas was discoverd in nag hammadi, egypt in 1945. Gospel of thomas a gnostic interpretation when the interpretation is to a text what the third dimension is to an image these are the secret sayings that the living jesus spoke and didymos judas thomas recorded. The original in greek, from which this translation is made, will be found printed by cotelerius, in his notes on the constitutions of the apostles, from a ms. The discovery of the nag hammadi library in southern egypt in 1945 represented a major discovery of gnostic gospels. From what i understand the gnostic gospels are not considered credible because for one, their authorship is in questionjust about every book carries the name of a new testament character. The spiritual message of the gospel of thomas and the. For a more detailed comparison of these writings attributed to john and to thomas, see elaine pagels authoritative but easy to read books, the gnostic gospels, and beyond belief, the secret gospel of thomas. May 02, 2007 the book speaks of apocalyptic and dark times.
Supposedly, jesus is talking to his disciples in this book, and especially to thomas who. The lost doctrines of christianity the secret teachings. The gospel of phillip, the gospel of mary, the gospel of peter, the gospel of thomas, the gospel of judas, etc. In the preparation of this versi the following six translations have been consulted, in addition to to published by messrs. This site includes the entire nag hammadi library and a large collection of other primary gnostic scriptures and documents. It is a curious book unlike any other account in the bible.
Lambdin these are the secret sayings which the living jesus spoke and which didymos judas thomas wrote down. Of the remainder, some are very similar to those in our gospels, but have been adapted for gnostic purposes. Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death. Over time the bible has been edited and passages and books have been stricken from the collective christian book. The socalled gospel of thomas really isnt a gospel at all, but a collection of 114 sayings or logia attributed to jesus. The gospel according to thomas also known as codex ii was found in egypt in 1945. This book is a good introduction to the varieties of texts outside of the canon. One of the famous texts uncovered in the egyptian desert, the book of thomas the contender expresses a great deal of gnostic wisdom. The gospel of thomas collection the gnostic society library. Jack zavada is a writer who covers the bible, theology, and other christianity topics.
303 240 1197 845 1057 1135 964 1077 1004 516 1656 339 221 301 13 978 1332 650 382 1212 221 836 335 382 129 1296 1139 277 59 874 369 1307 782