I came across The Gospel of Thomas recently and I am really fascinated by how different its message is from the Gospels of the New Testament. The Gospel of Thomas is a list of approximately 150 sayings of Jesus, presumably written down by the apostle, Thomas in Syria. In the early days of Christianity different apostles were said to have founded the churches in different areas. Mark founded the church in Egypt, John, the church in Greece, Peter, the church in Rome and Thomas the church in Syria.
There is some overlap in the list of sayings, to the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and Mark, but what is strikingly different about the Gospel of Thomas is the absence of stories of miracles, no virgin birth narrative, no discussion of Jesus’ crucifixion, and no mention of the resurrection. It lacks any emphasis on judgment, the coming end of the world, or the arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Gospel of Thomas lists sayings that emphasize valuing the present and tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven is here now, within and around us. Hence the list of sayings lack predictions of destruction, images of trial and judgment, and warnings to beware the immanent arrival of the day of doom. Instead, the sayings promote self-knowledge, and contemplation of the nature of this world now.
Of course the discovery of the Gospel of Thomas was a threat to the conservative Christian scholars with its teachings of self-reflection and focusing on the present rather than seeking salvation in some future kingdom of Heaven. In late 1945, an Egyptian peasant rode his camel to the base of a cliff, hoping to find fertilizer to sell in the nearby village of Nag Hammadi. He found, instead, a large sealed pottery jar buried in the sand. He broke open the jar and found a collection of twelve old books. He sold the books at an antiques market for a small sum. The books gradually came into the hands of scholars in Cairo, Europe, and America. Today these books are known as the Nag Hammadi library. The twelve books contain fifty-two texts altogether including the Gospel of Thomas, forty of which were previously unknown to scholars. The discovery of the Gospel of Thomas was significant and of great interest because scholars knew of its existence, as it was mentioned in the works of Hippolytus, a third-century church father.
There are several translations of this Gospel but I am only familiar with this one by Stevan Davies. I am not too keen on some of his interpretations but the point of studying the sayings is to glean your own understanding and open to the inner “Kingdom Consciousness.” In the translation by Stevan Davies, Andrew Harvey writes in the Foreword, “…the Gospel of Thomas makes clear that Jesus discovered the alchemical secret of transformation that could have permanently altered world history, had it been implemented with the passion and on the scale that Jesus knew was possible. Its betrayal by the churches erected in Jesus’ name has been an unmitigated disaster, one major reason for our contemporary catastrophe…What Jesus woke up to and proceeded to enact with the fiercest and most gloriously imaginable intensity was this new life of “kingdom-consciousness,” not as a savior and not as a guru claiming unique status and truth—the Gospel of Thomas makes this very clear—but as a sign of what is possible for all human beings who dare to awaken to the potential splendor of their inner truth and the responsibilities for total transformation of the world that it then inspires within them.”
The Jesus depicted in the Gospel of Thomas is a far cry from that of the New Testament, rather he is a mystic with a radical message that the living kingdom of God burns in us and surrounds us at all times and that passionate love-consciousness can help birth it into reality. Jesus is usually described as the Prince of Peace, but in the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus said: People think, perhaps, that I have come to throw peace upon the world. They don’t know that I have come to throw disagreement upon the world, and fire, and sword, and struggle.
The sayings attributed to Jesus have hidden meanings but The Gospel of Thomas is optimistic that what is hidden will be revealed. The first saying: Whoever finds the correct interpretation of these sayings will never die. The translator notes: …The correct interpretation of the sayings is not the final goal but the means to the goal, the discovery of the Kingdom of Heaven. Thomas’s Gospel is an exercise book, a list of riddles for decoding. The secret lies not in the final answers but in the effort to find the answers.
I look forward to studying the list of sayings and sharing any gems I discover. I have already seen comparisons to the mystic teachings of eastern philosophy in many of them, which is not surprising since Truth is one.
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What a marvelous series of revelations! As you say, many human beings assume Jesus and other notable beings came to the physical world to instill peace without disagreement or struggle. Yet, during evolution of self-awareness, a person comes to realize it is through perceived suffering and loss that tables turn, consciousness shifts, and you rediscover what it means to experience presence right where you are.
Dear Miruh,
I have, also, read the Gospel of Thomas. (I have a beautiful edition translated by Jean-Yves Leloup and with calligraphy by Frank Lalou.) Sacred writings from every culture fascinate me. Having been reared Catholic, I was a rebel for asking questions and searching, always searching, for the Truth.
What I have come to see after reading excerpts from many sacred texts, is that we are all saying the same things…only in different words.
I look forward to reading your insights. One of my favorite passages is, “Jesus said: I am the Light which illumines all men. I am the All. The All came forth from me and the All ended up in me. Split some wood, I am there. Lift a stone, you will find me there.”
In my teachings, I have often told my students that we are all connected…we are energy, energy never disappears…everything around us is part of us. When I first read this passage, it affirmed for me this simple Truth. We are One.
Blessings, my friend. Love, Linda
(BTW The Names Divine by Harold Bloom is another great book.)
A great informative post.
“Knowing others is knowledge …
Knowing your ownself is wisdom.”……..TAO
Thanks for sharing.
God bless.
Now I will have to read the gospel of Thomas. Thank you for your post sharing the heart of the message you found in it. Indeed, we are all capable of living as Jesus did, bringing blessing and healing to our families and communities– though at times it means disagreeing, “bringing fire, and sword, and struggle” to “the world.”
I’ve been learning from the Christian Bible for many years with the light that “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” by Mary Baker Eddy has thrown on it. This study has made it clear to me that Jesus expected everyone who appreciated his teachings to experience the spiritual light and exercise the spiritual power which he did. He said that the “world,” as his references to commonly-held beliefs about the nature of things is often translated, could not understand him or follow in his footsteps. However he continually emphasized that he came to save, not to destroy, at the same time that he came to divide. Selfishness, pride, envy, cruelty; illness, injuries, genetic faults, limitations of every kind, he successfully separated from those receptive to (or desperate enough to accept) his message of the kingdom within. I think that’s the only thing he wanted to upset or to take from people, their sense of being separated from God or wanting to do harm to others.
I love this from John’s third epistle, because it contradicts anxieties about the future and reassures us that Jesus expected we could achieve what he did, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as his is.” I think that’s what Jesus knew, and was at the heart of his teachings: we shall be like God, as pure and filled with goodness as our Source, when know God as clearly and fully as Jesus did. John continued, “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he [God] is pure.” (Chapter 3, verses 2, 3)
All the best,
Jerry
Hello Liara,
As always, your words carry much wisdom. Thanks for your input my friend!
May you come to know Self with ease!
Hello Linda,
That version of the Gospel of Thomas sounds lovely. I will have to take a look at both books when I visit my favorite bookstore when next I am in the city . I like the translation of that verse that you quoted better. Here is the one from my book: “I am the light above everything. Everything came forth from me, and everything reached me.
Split wood, I am there. Lift up a rock, you will find me there.”
Its message of unity consciousness is beautifully expressed.
Thanks for sharing, God bless!
Hello Surjit,
A beautiful quote, thanks!
Knowing the Self is the highest purpose of life, it comes in so many packages.
Peace to you my friend!
Hello Jerry,
Welcome!
It seems that your study has engendered much wisdom deciphering the lessons Jesus taught on love and compassion for self and others. I agree that his central message was how to let go of the sense of separation from God.
I appreciate the reference from John’s third epistle which contradicts anxieties about the future. Many people including myself have a difficult time with some of the misinterpretations of the New Testament and so it is refreshing to read the Gospel of Thomas or the writings of people like Mary Baker Eddy.
Thanks for your insightful comment.
God Bless!
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