THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS<\/p>\n
Translations by: Thomas O. Lambdin (Coptic version)
\nB.P Grenfell & A.S. Hunt (Greek Fragments)
\nBentley Layton (Greek Fragments)
\nCommentary by: Craig Schenk<\/p>\n
—————————————————————–
\nI: Commentary<\/p>\n
The Gospel of Thomas is a collection of traditional Sayings
\n(logoi) of Jesus. It is attributed to Didymos Judas Thomas, the
\n“Doubting Thomas” of the canonical Gospels, and according to many
\nearly traditions, the twin brother of Jesus (“didymos” means
\n“twin” in Greek).
\nWe have two versions of the Gospel of Thomas today. The
\nfirst was discovered in the late 1800’s among the Oxyrhynchus
\nPapyri, and consists of fragments of a Greek version, which has
\nbeen dated to c. 200. The second is a complete version, in
\nCoptic, from Codex II of the Nag Hammadi finds. Thomas was
\nprobably first written in Greek (or possibly even Syriac or
\nAramaic) sometime between the mid 1st and 2nd centuries.
\nThere has been much speculation on the relationship of
\nThomas to the canonical Gospels. Many Sayings in Thomas have
\nparallels with the New Testament Sayings, especially those found
\nin the synoptic Gospels. This leads many to believe that Thomas
\nwas also based on the so-called “Q” Document, along with Matthew,
\nLuke, and Mark. Indeed, some have speculated that Thomas may in
\nfact be “Q”. Unlike the synoptic Gospels, and like “Q”, the
\nGospel of Thomas has no narrative connecting the various Sayings.
\nIn form, it is simply a list of 114 Sayings, in no particular
\norder. Comparison with New Testament parallels show that Thomas
\ncontains either more primitive versions of the Sayings, or
\ndevelopments of more primitive versions. Either way, Thomas seems
\nto preserve earlier traditions about Jesus than the New
\nTestament.
\nAlthough it is not possible to attribute the Gospel of
\nThomas to any particular sect, it is clearly Gnostic in nature.
\nAs the preamble indicates, these are “secret sayings”, and are
\nintended to be esoteric in nature. The Sayings are not intended
\nto be interpreted literally, as their New Testament parallels
\noften are, but to be interpreted symbolically, as attested by
\nSaying #1. While a literal interpretation may make sense, only by
\nunderstanding the deeper meanings of the Sayings can one truly
\nunderstand them. Thus in Saying #114, it is to be understood that
\n“male” symbolizes the pneumatic (spiritual, or Gnostic)
\nChristians, and “female” symbolizes the psychic (unenlightened,
\nor orthodox) Christians, rather than actually referring to males
\nand females. Keep in mind that true understanding of this text
\nwas meant to come from PERSONAL contact with the Divine,
\ninspiration from within.
\nI will now present translations of both the Greek and Coptic
\nversions of the Gospel of Thomas. Of the 114 Sayings in the
\ncomplete work, and all of the fragments of the Greek text.
\nAlso, the Greek version contains one Saying not found in the Coptic
\nversion, which comes between Sayings 32 and 33 of the Coptic
\nversion. I will enter the Coptic version first, as it is more
\ncomplete, followed by the Greek version. After both translations,
\nI’ve provided a listing of New Testament parallels for all 114
\nsayings for easier comparison.
\nNote that for the Coptic version, I use the standard NHL
\ntranslation, except for saying 70, where I have substituted the
\ntranslation found in Elaine Pagels’ “The Gnostic Gospels”, as it
\nseems a better translation.
\nPeace & Enlightenment be yours!<\/p>\n
—————————————————————–
\nIA: Editorial Symbols<\/p>\n
I have followed the Nag Hammadi Library standard for
\ntypographical symbols in this file. Text contained within [square
\nbrackets] indicates a damaged portion of the manuscript where the
\ntranslators have attempted a reconstruction. Text within
\n(parentheses) indicates comments or text added by the translator
\nfor clarification purposes. Text within indicates a scribal error (spelling, grammatical, etc) in the
\noriginal, where the translator has made a correction. Text within
\n{funky brackets} indicates superfluous text added by the scribe.<\/p>\n
—————————————————————–
\nII: Coptic Gospel of Thomas<\/p>\n
P) These are the secret sayings which the living Jesus spoke
\nand which Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down.<\/p>\n
1) And He said, “Whoever finds the interpretation of these
\nsayings will not experience death.”<\/p>\n
2) Jesus said, “Let him who seeks continue seeking until he
\nfinds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes
\ntroubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All.”<\/p>\n
3) Jesus said, “If those who lead you say, ‘See, the Kingdom is
\nin the sky,’ then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they
\nsay to you, ‘It is in the sea,’ then the fish will precede you.
\nRather, the Kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you.
\nWhen you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and
\nyou will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living
\nFather. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty
\nand it is you who are that poverty.”<\/p>\n
4) Jesus said, “The man old in days will not hesitate to ask a
\nsmall child seven days old about the place of life, and he will
\nlive. For many who are first will become last, and they will
\nbecome one and the same.”<\/p>\n
5) Jesus said, “Recognize what is in your sight, and that which
\nis hidden from you will become plain to you. For there is nothing
\nhidden which will not become manifest.”<\/p>\n
6) His disciples questioned Him and said to Him, “Do you want
\nus to fast? How shall we pray? Shall we give alms? What diet
\nshall we observe?”
\nJesus said, “Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate,
\nfor all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing
\nhidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain
\nwithout being uncovered.”<\/p>\n
7) Jesus said, “Blessed is the lion which becomes man when
\nconsumed by man; and cursed is the man whom the lion consumes,
\nand the lion becomes man.”<\/p>\n
8) And He said, “The Kingdom is like a wise fisherman who cast
\nhis
\nnet into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of small fish.
\nAmong them the wise fisherman found a fine large fish. He threw
\nall the small fish back into the sea and chose the large fish
\nwithout difficulty. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”<\/p>\n
9) Jesus said, “Now the sower went out, took a handful (of
\nseeds), and scattered them. Some fell on the road; the birds came
\nand gathered them up. Others fell on the rock, did not take root
\nin the soil, and did not produce ears. And others fell on thorns;
\nthey choked the seed(s) and worms ate them. And others fell on
\nthe good soil and produced good fruit: it bore sixty per measure
\nand a hundred and twenty per measure.”<\/p>\n
10) Jesus said, “I have cast fire upon the world, and see, I am
\nguarding it until it blazes.”<\/p>\n
11) Jesus said, “This heaven will pass away, and the one above
\nit will pass away. The dead are not alive, and the living will
\nnot die. In the days when you consumed what is dead, you made it
\nwhat is alive. When you come to dwell in the light, what will you
\ndo? On the day when you were one you became two. But when you
\nbecome two, what will you do?”<\/p>\n
12) The disciples said to Jesus, “We know that You will depart
\nfrom us. Who is to be our leader?”
\nJesus said to them, “Wherever you are, you are to go to
\nJames the righteous, for whose sake heaven and earth came into
\nbeing.”<\/p>\n
13) Jesus said to His disciples, “Compare me to someone and tell
\nMe whom I am like.”
\nSimon Peter said to Him, “You are like a righteous angel.”
\nMatthew said to Him, “You are like a wise philosopher.”
\nThomas said to Him, “Master, my mouth is wholly incapable of
\nsaying whom You are like.”
\nJesus said, “I am not your master. Because you have drunk,
\nyou have become intoxicated by the bubbling spring which I have
\nmeasured out.”
\nAnd He took him and withdrew and told him three things. When
\nThomas returned to his companions, they asked him, “What did
\nJesus say to you?”
\nThomas said to them, “If I tell you one of the things which
\nhe told me, you will pick up stones and throw them at me; a fire
\nwill come out of the stones and burn you up.”<\/p>\n
14) Jesus said to them, “If you fast, you will give rise to sin
\nfor yourselves; and if you pray, you will be condemned; and if
\nyou give alms, you will do harm to your spirits. When you go into
\nany land and walk about in the districts, if they receive you,
\neat what they will set before you, and heal the sick among them.
\nFor what goes into your mouth will not defile you, but that which
\nissues from your mouth – it is that which will defile you.”<\/p>\n
15) Jesus said, “When you see one who was not born of woman,
\nprostrate yourselves on your faces and worship him. That one is
\nyour Father.”<\/p>\n
16) Jesus said, “Men think, perhaps, that it is peace which I
\nhave come to cast upon the world. They do not know that it is
\ndissension which I have come to cast upon the earth: fire, sword,
\nand war. For there will be five in a house: three will be against
\ntwo, and two against three, the father against the son, and the
\nson against the father. And they will stand solitary.”<\/p>\n
17) Jesus said, “I shall give you what no eye has seen and what
\nno ear has heard and what no hand has touched and what has never
\noccurred to the human mind.”<\/p>\n
18) The disciples said to Jesus, “Tell us how our end will be.”
\nJesus said, “Have you discovered, then, the beginning, that
\nyou look for the end? For where the beginning is, there will the
\nend be. Blessed is he who will take his place in the beginning;
\nhe will know the end and will not experience death.”<\/p>\n
19) Jesus said, “Blessed is he who came into being before he
\ncame into being. If you become My disciples and listen to My
\nwords, these stones will minister to you. For there are five
\ntrees for you in Paradise which remain undisturbed summer and
\nwinter and whose leaves do not fall. Whoever becomes acquainted
\nwith them will not experience death.”<\/p>\n
20) The disciples said to Jesus, “Tell us what the Kingdom of
\nHeaven is like.”
\nHe said to them, “It is like a mustard seed, the smallest of
\nall seeds. But when it falls on tilled soil, it produces a great
\nplant and becomes a shelter for birds of the sky.”<\/p>\n
21) Mary said to Jesus, “Whom are Your disciples like?”
\nHe said, “They are like children who have settled in a field
\nwhich is not theirs. When the owners of the field come, they will
\nsay, ‘Let us have back our field.’ They (will) undress in their
\npresence in order to let them have back their field and give it
\nback to them. Therefore I say to you, if the owner of a house
\nknows that the thief is coming, he will begin his vigil before he
\ncomes and will not let him into his house of his domain to carry
\naway his goods. You, then, be on your guard against the world.
\nArm yourselves with great strength lest the robbers find a way to
\ncome to you, for the difficulty which you expect will (surely)
\nmaterialize. Let there be among you a man of understanding. When
\nthe grain ripened, he came quickly with his sickle in his hand
\nand reaped it. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”<\/p>\n
22) Jesus saw infants being suckled. He said to His disciples,
\n“These infants being suckled are like those who enter the
\nKingdom.”
\nThey said to Him, “Shall we then, as children, enter the
\nKingdom?”
\nJesus said to them, “When you make the two one, and when you
\nmake the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside,
\nand the above like the below, and when you make the male and the
\nfemale one and the same, so that the male not be male nor the
\nfemale female; and when you fashion eyes in the place of an eye,
\nand a hand in place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, and
\na likeness in place of a likeness; then will you enter [the
\nKingdom].”<\/p>\n
23) Jesus said, “I shall choose you, one out of a thousand, and
\ntwo out of ten thousand, and they shall stand as a single one.”<\/p>\n
24) His disciples said to Him, “Show us the place where You are,
\nsince it is necessary for us to seek it.”
\nHe said to them, “Whoever has ears, let him hear. There is
\nlight within a man of light, and he (or “it”) lights up the whole
\nworld. If he (or “it”) does not shine, he (or “it”) is darkness.”<\/p>\n
25) Jesus said, “Love your brother like your soul, guard him
\nlike the pupil of your eye.”<\/p>\n
26) Jesus said, “You see the mote in your brothers eye, but you
\ndo not see the beam in your own eye. When you cast the beam out
\nof your own eye, then you will see clearly to cast the mote from
\nyour brother’s eye.”<\/p>\n
27) “If you do not fast as regards the world, you
\nwill not find the Kingdom. If you do not observe the Sabbath as a
\nSabbath, you will not see the Father.”<\/p>\n
28) Jesus said, “I took my place in the midst of the world, and
\nI appeared to them in the flesh. I found all of them intoxicated;
\nI found none of them thirsty. And My soul became afflicted for
\nthe sons of men, because they are blind in their hearts and do
\nnot have sight; for empty they came into the world, and empty too
\nthey seek to leave the world. But for the moment they are
\nintoxicated. When they shake off their wine, then they will
\nrepent.”<\/p>\n
29) Jesus said, “If the flesh came into being because of spirit,
\nit is a wonder. But if spirit came into being because of the
\nbody, it is a wonder of wonders. Indeed, I am amazed at how this
\ngreat wealth has made its home in this poverty.”<\/p>\n
30) Jesus said, “Where there are three gods, they are gods.
\nWhere there are two or one, I am with him.”<\/p>\n
31) Jesus said, “No prophet is accepted in his own village; no
\nphysician heals those who know him.”
\n32) Jesus said, “A city being built on a high mountain and
\nfortified cannot fall, nor can it be hidden.”<\/p>\n
33) Jesus said, “Preach from your housetops that which you will
\nhear in your ear {(and) in the other ear}. For no one lights a
\nlamp and puts it under a bushel, nor does he put it in a hidden
\nplace, but rather he sets it on a lampstand so that everyone who
\nenters and leaves will see its light.”<\/p>\n
34) Jesus said, “If a blind man leads a blind man, they will
\nboth fall into a pit.”<\/p>\n
35) Jesus said, “It is not possible for anyone to enter the
\nhouse of a strong man and take it by force unless he binds his
\nhands; then he will (be able to) ransack his house.”<\/p>\n
36) Jesus said, “Do not be concerned from morning until evening
\nand from evening until morning about what you will wear.”<\/p>\n
37) His disciples said, “When will You become revealed to us and
\nwhen shall we see You?”
\nJesus said, “When you disrobe without being ashamed and take
\nup your garments and place them under your feet like little
\nchildren and tread on them, then [will you see] the Son of the
\nLiving One, and you will not be afraid”<\/p>\n
38) Jesus said, “Many times have you desired to hear these words
\nwhich I am saying to you, and you have no one else to hear them
\nfrom. There will be days when you look for Me and will not find
\nMe.”<\/p>\n
39) Jesus said, “The Pharisees and the scribes have taken the
\nkeys of Knowledge and hidden them. They themselves have not
\nentered, nor have they allowed to enter those who wish to. You,
\nhowever, be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves.”<\/p>\n
40) Jesus said, “A grapevine has been planted outside of the
\nFather, but being unsound, it will be pulled up by its roots and
\ndestroyed.”<\/p>\n
41) Jesus said, “Whoever has something in his hand will receive
\nmore, and whoever has nothing will be deprived of even the little
\nhe has.”<\/p>\n
42) Jesus said, “Become passers-by.”<\/p>\n
43) His disciples said to him, “Who are You, that You should say
\nthese things to us?”
\n“You do not realize who I am from what
\nI say to you, but you have become like the Jews, for they
\n(either) love the tree and hate its fruit or love the fruit and
\nhate the tree.”<\/p>\n
44) Jesus said, “Whoever blasphemes against the Father will be
\nforgiven, and whoever blasphemes against the Son will be
\nforgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not
\nbe forgiven either on earth or in heaven.”<\/p>\n
45) Jesus said, “Grapes are not harvested from thorns, nor are
\nfigs gathered from thistles, for they do not produce fruit. A
\ngood man brings forth good from his storehouse; an evil man
\nbrings forth evil things from his evil storehouse, which is in
\nhis heart, and says evil things. For out of the abundance of the
\nheart he brings forth evil things.”<\/p>\n
46) Jesus said, “Among those born of women, from Adam until John
\nthe Baptist, there is no one so superior to John the Baptist that
\nhis eyes should not be lowered (before him). Yet I have said
\nwhichever one of you comes to be a child will be acquainted with
\nthe Kingdom and will become superior to John.”<\/p>\n
47) Jesus said, “It is impossible for a man to mount two horses
\nor to stretch two bows. And it is impossible for a servant to
\nserve two masters; otherwise he will honor the one and treat the
\nother contemptuously. No man drinks old wine and immediately
\ndesires to drink new wine. And new wine is not put into old
\nwineskins, lest they burst; nor is old wine put into a new
\nwineskin, lest it spoil it. An old patch is not sewn onto a new
\ngarment, because a tear would result.”<\/p>\n
48) Jesus said, “If two make peace with each other in this one
\nhouse, they will say to the mountain, ‘Move Away,’ and it will
\nmove away.”<\/p>\n
49) Jesus said, “Blessed are the solitary and elect, for you
\nwill find the Kingdom. For you are from it, and to it you will
\nreturn.”<\/p>\n
50) Jesus said, “If they say to you, ‘Where did you come from?’,
\nsay to them, ‘We came from the light, the place where the light
\ncame into being on its own accord and established [itself] and
\nbecame manifest through their image.’ If they say to you, ‘Is it
\nyou?’, say, ‘We are its children, we are the elect of the Living
\nFather.’ If they ask you, ‘What is the sign of your father in
\nyou?’, say to them, ‘It is movement and repose.'”<\/p>\n
51) His disciples said to Him, “When will the repose of the dead
\ncome about, and when will the new world come?”
\nHe said to them, “What you look forward to has already come,
\nbut you do not recognize it.”<\/p>\n
52) His disciples said to Him, “Twenty-four prophets spoke in
\nIsrael, and all of them spoke in You.”
\nHe said to them, “You have omitted the one living in your
\npresence and have spoken (only) of the dead.”<\/p>\n
53) His disciples said to Him, “Is circumcision beneficial or
\nnot?”
\nHe said to them, “If it were beneficial, their father would
\nbeget them already circumcised from their mother. Rather, the
\ntrue circumcision in spirit has become completely profitable.”<\/p>\n
54) Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor, for yours is the Kingdom
\nof Heaven.”<\/p>\n
55) Jesus said, “Whoever does not hate his father and his mother
\ncannot become a disciple to Me. And whoever does not hate his
\nbrothers and sisters and take up his cross in My way will not be
\nworthy of Me.”<\/p>\n
56) Jesus said, “Whoever has come to understand the world has
\nfound (only) a corpse, and whoever has found a corpse is superior
\nto the world.”<\/p>\n
57) Jesus said, “The Kingdom of the Father is like a man who had
\n[good] seed. His enemy came by night and sowed weeds among the
\ngood seed. The man did not allow them to pull up the weeds; he
\nsaid to them, ‘I am afraid that you will go intending to pull up
\nthe weeds and pull up the wheat along with them.’ For on the day
\nof the harvest the weeds will be plainly visible, and they will
\nbe pulled up and burned.”<\/p>\n
58) Jesus said, “Blessed is the man who has suffered and found
\nlife.”<\/p>\n
59) Jesus said, “Take heed of the Living One while you are
\nalive, lest you die and seek to see Him and be unable to do so.”<\/p>\n
60) a Samaritan carrying a lamb on his way to Judea.
\nHe said to his disciples, “(Why does) that man (carry) the lamb
\naround?”
\nThey said to him, “So that he may kill it and eat it.”
\nHe said to them, “While it is alive, he will not eat it, but
\nonly when he has killed it and it has become a corpse.”
\nThey said to him, “He cannot do so otherwise.”
\nHe said to them, “You too, look for a place for yourself
\nwithin the Repose, lest you become a corpse and be eaten.”<\/p>\n
61) Jesus said, “Two will rest on a bed: the one will die, and
\nother will live.”
\nSalome said to him, “Who are You, man, that You, as though
\nfrom the One, have come up on my couch and eaten from my table?”
\nJesus said to her, “I am He who exists from the Undivided. I
\nwas given some of the things of my Father.”
\n“I am Your disciple.”
\n“Therefore I say, if he is ,
\nhe will be filled with light, but if he is divided, he will be
\nfilled with darkness.”<\/p>\n
62) Jesus said, “It is to those [who are worthy of My] mysteries
\nthat I tell My mysteries. Do not let your left hand know what
\nyour right hand is doing.”
\n63) Jesus said, “There was a rich man who had much money. He
\nsaid, ‘I shall put my money to use so that I may sow, reap,
\nplant, and fill my storehouse with produce, with the result that
\nI shall lack nothing. Such were his intentions, but that same
\nnight he died. Let him who has ears hear.”<\/p>\n
64) Jesus said, “A man had received visitors. And when he had
\nprepared the dinner, he sent his servant to invite guests. He
\nwent to the first one and said to him, “My master invites you.’
\nHe said, ‘I have claims against some merchants. They are coming
\nto me this evening. I must go and give them my orders. I ask to
\nbe excused from the dinner.’ He went to another and said, ‘My
\nmaster has invited you.’ He said to him, ‘I have just bought a
\nhouse and am required for the day. I shall not have any spare
\ntime.’ He went to another and said to him, ‘My master invites
\nyou.’ He said to him, ‘My friend is going to get married, and I
\nam to prepare the banquet. I shall not be able to come. I ask to
\nbe excused from the dinner.’ He went to another and said to him,
\n‘My master invites you.’ He said to him, ‘I have just bought a
\nfarm, and I am on my way to collect the rent. I shall not be able
\nto come. I ask to be excused.’ The servant returned and said to
\nhis master, ‘Those whom you invited to the dinner have asked to
\nbe excused.’ The master said to his servant, ‘Go outside to the
\nstreets and bring back those whom you happen to meet, so that
\nthey may dine.’ Businessmen and merchants will not enter the
\nPlaces of My Father.”<\/p>\n
65) He said, “There was a good man who owned a vineyard. He
\nleased it to tenant farmers so that they might work it and he
\nmight collect the produce from them. He sent his servant so that
\nthe tenants might give him the produce of the vineyard. They
\nseized his servant and beat him, all but killing him. The servant
\nwent back and told his master. The master said, ‘Perhaps did not recognize .’ He sent another servant. The tenants
\nbeat this one as well. Then the owner sent his son and said,
\n‘Perhaps they will show respect to my son.’ Because the tenants
\nknew that it was he who was the heir to the vineyard, they seized
\nhim and killed him. Let him who has ears hear.”<\/p>\n
66) Jesus said, “Show me the stone which the builders have
\nrejected. That one is the cornerstone.”<\/p>\n
67) Jesus said, “Whoever believes that the All itself is
\ndeficient is (himself) completely deficient.”<\/p>\n
68) Jesus said, “Blessed are you when you are hated and
\npersecuted. Wherever you have been persecuted they will find no
\nPlace.”<\/p>\n
69) Jesus said, “Blessed are they who have been persecuted
\nwithin themselves. It is they who have truly come to know the
\nFather. Blessed are the hungry, for the belly of him who desires
\nwill be filled.”<\/p>\n
70) Jesus said, “If you bring forth what is within you, what you
\nbring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is
\nwithin you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”<\/p>\n
71) Jesus said, “I shall destroy [this] house, and no one will
\nbe able to rebuild it.”<\/p>\n
72) [A man said] to Him, “Tell my brothers to divide my father’s
\npossessions with me.”
\nHe said to him, “O man, who has made Me a divider?”
\nHe turned to His disciples and said to them, “I am not a
\ndivider, am I?”<\/p>\n
73) Jesus said, “The harvest is great but the laborers are few.
\nBeseech the Lord, therefore, to send out laborers to the
\nharvest.”<\/p>\n
74) He said, “O Lord, there are many around the drinking trough,
\nbut there is nothing in the cistern.”<\/p>\n
75) Jesus said, “Many are standing at the door, but it is the
\nsolitary who will enter the bridal chamber.”<\/p>\n
76) Jesus said, “The kingdom of the Father is like a merchant
\nwho had a consignment of merchandise and who discovered a pearl.
\nThat merchant was shrewd. He sold the merchandise and bought the
\npearl alone for himself. You too, seek his unfailing and enduring
\ntreasure where no moth comes near to devour and no worm
\ndestroys.”<\/p>\n
77) Jesus said, “It is I who am the light which is above them
\nall. It is I who am the All. From Me did the All come forth, and
\nunto Me did the All extend. Split a piece of wood, and I am
\nthere. Lift up the stone, and you will find Me there.”<\/p>\n
78) Jesus said, “Why have you come out into the desert? To see a
\nreed shaken by the wind? And to see a man clothed in fine
\ngarments like your kings and your great men? Upon them are the
\nfine [garments], and they are unable to discern the truth.”<\/p>\n
79) A woman from the crowd said to Him, “Blessed are the womb
\nwhich bore You and the breasts which nourished You.”
\nHe said to her, “Blessed are those who have heard the word
\nof the Father and have truly kept it. For there will be days when
\nyou will say, ‘Blessed are the womb which has not conceived and
\nthe breasts which have not given milk.'”<\/p>\n
80) Jesus said, “He who has recognized the world has found the
\nbody, but he who has found the body is superior to the world.”<\/p>\n
81) Jesus said, “Let him who has grown rich be king, and let him
\nwho possesses power renounce it.”<\/p>\n
82) Jesus said, “He who is near Me is near the fire, and he who
\nis far from Me is far from the Kingdom.”<\/p>\n
83) Jesus said, “The images are manifest to man, but the light
\nin them remains concealed in the image of the light of the
\nFather. He will become manifest, but his image will remain
\nconcealed by his light.”<\/p>\n
84) Jesus said, “When you see your likeness, you rejoice. But
\nwhen you see your images which came into being before you, and
\nwhich neither die not become manifest, how much you will have to
\nbear!”<\/p>\n
85) Jesus said, “Adam came into being from a great power and a
\ngreat wealth, but he did not become worthy of you. For had he
\nbeen worthy, [he would] not [have experienced] death.”<\/p>\n
86) Jesus said, “[The foxes have their holes] and the birds have
\n[their] nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head
\nand rest.”<\/p>\n
87) Jesus said, “Wretched is the body that is dependant upon a
\nbody, and wretched is the soul that is dependent on these two.”<\/p>\n
88) Jesus said, “The angels and the prophets will come to you
\nand give you those things you (already) have. And you too, give
\nthem those things which you have, and say to yourselves, ‘When
\nwill they come and take what is theirs?'”<\/p>\n
89) Jesus said, “Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Do you
\nnot realize that he who made he inside is the same one who made
\nthe outside?”<\/p>\n
90) Jesus said, “Come unto me, for My yoke is easy and My
\nlordship is mild, and you will find repose for yourselves.”<\/p>\n
91) They said to Him, “Tell us who You are so that we may
\nbelieve in You.”
\nHe said to them, “You read the face of the sky and of the
\nearth, but you have not recognized the one who is before you, and
\nyou do not know how to read this moment.”<\/p>\n
92) Jesus said, “Seek and you will find. Yet, what you asked Me
\nabout in former times and which I did not tell you then, now I do
\ndesire to tell, but you do not enquire after it.”<\/p>\n
93) “Do not give what is holy to dogs, lest they
\nthrow them on the dung-heap. Do not throw the pearls to swine,
\nlest they grind it [to bits].”<\/p>\n
94) Jesus [said], “He who seeks will find, and [he who knocks]
\nwill be let in.”<\/p>\n
95) [Jesus said,] “If you have money, do not lend it at
\ninterest, but give [it] to one from whom you will not get it
\nback.”<\/p>\n
96) Jesus [said], “The Kingdom of the Father is like a certain
\nwoman. She took a little leaven, [concealed] it in some dough,
\nand made it into large loaves. Let him who has ears hear.”<\/p>\n
97) Jesus said, “The Kingdom of the [Father] is like a certain
\nwoman who was carrying a jar full of meal. While she was walking
\n[on] a road, still some distance from home, the handle of the jar
\nbroke and the meal emptied out behind her on the road. She did
\nnot realize it; she had noticed no accident. When she reached her
\nhouse, she set the jar down and found it empty.”<\/p>\n
98) Jesus said, “The Kingdom of the Father is like a certain man
\nwho wanted to kill a powerful man. In his own house he drew his
\nsword and stuck it into the wall in order to find out whether his
\nhand could carry through. Then he slew the powerful man.”<\/p>\n
99) The disciples said to Him, “Your brothers and Your mother
\nare standing outside.”
\nHe said to them, “Those here who do the will of My Father
\nare My brothers and My mother. It is they who will enter the
\nKingdom of My Father.”<\/p>\n
100) They showed Jesus a gold coin and said to Him, “Caesar’s men
\ndemand taxes from us.”
\nHe said to them, “Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, give
\nGod what belongs to God, and give Me what is Mine.”<\/p>\n
101) “Whoever does not hate his father and his
\nmother as I do cannot become a disciple to Me. And whoever does
\n[not] love his father and his mother as I do cannot become a
\n[disciple] to Me. For My mother [gave me falsehood], but [My]
\ntrue [Mother] gave me life.”<\/p>\n
102) Jesus said, “Woe to the Pharisees, for they are like a dog
\nsleeping in the manger of oxen, for neither does he eat nor does
\nhe let the oxen eat.”<\/p>\n
103) Jesus said, “Fortunate is the man who knows where the
\nbrigands will enter, so that he may get up, muster his domain,
\nand arm himself before they invade.”<\/p>\n
104) They said [to Jesus], “Come, let us pray today and let us
\nfast.”
\nJesus said, “What is the sin that I have committed, or
\nwherein have I been defeated? But when the bridegroom leaves the
\nbridal chamber, then let them fast and pray.”<\/p>\n
105) Jesus said, “He who knows the father and the mother will be
\ncalled the son of a harlot.”<\/p>\n
106) Jesus said, “When you make the two one, you will become the
\nsons of man, and when you say, ‘Mountain, move away,’ it will
\nmove away.”<\/p>\n
107) Jesus said, “The Kingdom is like a shepherd who had a
\nhundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the
\nninety-nine sheep and looked for that one until he found it. When
\nhe had gone to such trouble, he said to the sheep, ‘I care for
\nyou more than the ninety-nine.'”<\/p>\n
108) Jesus said, “He who will drink from my mouth will become
\nlike Me. I myself shall become he, and the things that are hidden
\nwill become revealed to him.”<\/p>\n
109) Jesus said, “The Kingdom is like a man who had a [hidden]
\ntreasure in his field without knowing it. And [after] he died, he
\nleft it to his son. The son did not know (about the treasure). He
\ninherited the field and sold [it]. And the one who bought it went
\nplowing and found the treasure. He began to lend money at
\ninterest to whomever he wished.”<\/p>\n
110) Jesus said, “Whoever finds the world and becomes rich, let
\nhim renounce the world.”<\/p>\n
111) Jesus said, “The heavens and the earth will be rolled up in
\nyour presence. And one who lives from the Living One will not see
\ndeath.” Does not Jesus say, “Whoever finds himself is superior to
\nthe world?”<\/p>\n
112) Jesus said, “Woe to the flesh that depends on the soul; woe
\nto the soul that depends on the flesh.”<\/p>\n
113) His disciples said to Him, “When will the Kingdom come?”
\n“It will not come by waiting for it. It will
\nnot be a matter of saying ‘Here it is’ or ‘There it is.’ Rather,
\nthe Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and men
\ndo not see it.”<\/p>\n
114) Simon Peter said to Him, “Let Mary leave us, for women are
\nnot worthy of Life.”
\nJesus said, “I myself shall lead her in order to make her
\nmale, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you
\nmales. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the
\nKingdom of Heaven.”<\/p>\n
—————————————————————–
\nIII: Fragments of Greek Gospel of Thomas<\/p>\n
Several fragments of a Greek version of Thomas were found
\namong the Oxyrhynchys Papyri in the late 19th century. These
\nfragments consist of the preamble, and sayings 1-6, 26-28, 30-32,
\n36-38, and 39, as well as a saying not found in the Coptic
\nversion, which follows 32. These fragments are found on
\nOxyrhynchus Papyri 1, 654, and 655. Generally, the sayings are
\nessentially the same in both versions. However, the equivalent of
\nsaying 30 adds the end of the Coptic version’s saying 77.
\nThe translation used here is a combination of thranslations
\nby B.P. Grenfell and A.S. Hunt and Bentley Layton.<\/p>\n
P) These are the secret sayings which were spoken by Jesus the
\nLiving One, and which Judas, who is called Thomas, wrote down”<\/p>\n
1) He said to them: “Whoever hears these words shall never taste
\ndeath.”<\/p>\n
2) [Jesus said]: “Let him who seeks not cease until he finds,
\nand when he finds he shall wonder; wondering he shall reign,
\nand reigning shall rest.”<\/p>\n
3) Jesus said, “If those who attract you say, ‘See, the Kingdom is
\nin the sky,’ then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they
\nsay to you, ‘It is under the earth,’ then the fish of the sea will
\nprecede you. Rather, the Kingdom of God is inside of you, and it is
\noutside of you. [Those who] become acquainted with [themselves]
\nwill find it; [and when you] become acquainted with yourselves, [you
\nwill understand that] it is you who are the sons of the living
\nFather. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty
\nand it is you who are that poverty.”<\/p>\n
4) Jesus said: “Let the old man who is full of days not
\nhesitate to ask the child of seven days about the place of life;
\nthen he will live. For many that are first will be last, and
\nlast, first, and they will become a single one.”<\/p>\n
5) Jesus said: “Recognize what is before your face and that
\nwhich is hidden from the you will be revealed to you. For there is
\nnothing hidden which shall not be made manifest, nor buried which
\nshall not be raised.”<\/p>\n
6) His disciples asked him and said to him, “How do you want us
\nto fast? And how shall we pray? And how [shall we] give alms? And
\nwhat kind of diet shall we follow?”
\nJesus said, “Do not lie, and do not do what you hate, for all
\nthings are disclosed before truth. For there is nothing hidden
\nwhich shall not be shown forth.”<\/p>\n
27) Jesus said: “Unless you fast to the world, you shall in no
\nway find the Kingdom of God; and unless you sabbatize the
\nSabbath, you shall not see the Father.”<\/p>\n
28) Jesus said: “I stood in the midst of the world, and in the
\nflesh I was seen by them, and I found all drunken, and I found
\nnone among them thirsty. And my soul grieved over the souls of men,
\nbecause they are blind in their heart and see not. […]<\/p>\n
30\/77) Jesus said: “Where there are [two, they are not] without
\nGod, and when there is one alone, [I say,] I am with him. Raise
\nthe stone, and there you will find me; cleave the wood, and there
\nI am.”<\/p>\n
31) Jesus said: “A prophet is not acceptable in his own country,
\nneither does a physician work cures upon those that know him.”<\/p>\n
32) Jesus said: “A city built on the top of a high hill and
\nfortified can neither fall nor be hid.”<\/p>\n
–) Jesus said: “Thou hearest with one ear, [but the other thou
\nhas closed].<\/p>\n
36) Jesus said, “Do not worry from dawn to dusk and from dusk to
\ndawn about [what food] you [will] eat, [or] what [clothing] you
\nwill wear. [You are much] better than the [lilies], which [neither]
\ncard nor spin. And for your part, what [will you wear] when you
\nhave no clothing? Who would add to your stature? It is he who
\nwill give you your clothing.<\/p>\n
37) His disciples said to him, “When will you be visible to us,
\nand when shall we behold you?”
\nHe said, “When you strip naked without being ashamed, and
\ntake your garments and put them under your feet like little
\nchildren and tread upon them, then you will see the child of the
\nLiving, and you will not be afraid.”<\/p>\n
—————————————————————–
\nIV: Canonical Comparisons of Thomas Sayings<\/p>\n
I have grouped the sayings in the Gospel of Thomas into 5
\ncategories. Sayings that are variants of or close parallels to
\ncanonical passages (22 of these), sayings that appear more
\nremotely parallel or similar in some way (28), sayings which
\ncontain parts parallel to several unconnected passages (13),
\nsayings parallel to non-canonical traditions of Jesus (only 1 of
\nthese), and those with no apparent parallels (50!!).
\nDue to space limitations, I have decided only to cite
\npassages, and you can go through and compare them using any
\nBible. I haven’t attempted to make any comparisons to the
\nvarious Apocryphal or other Christian and Gnostic texts.<\/p>\n
A: Variants\/Close Parallels
\n—————————
\n9: Mt13:3-8, Mk4:3-8, Lk8:5-8
\n10: Lk12:49
\n16: Mt10:34-36, Lk12:51-53
\n20: Mt13:31-32, Mk4:30-32, Lk13:18-19
\n26: Mt7:3-5, Lk6:41-42
\n34: Mt15:14, Lk6:39
\n35: Mt12:29, Mk3:27, Lk11:21-22
\n41: Mt25:29, Lk19:26
\n45: Mt7:16-20, Lk6:43-46
\n46: Mt11:11, Lk7:28
\n54: Mt5:3, Lk6:20
\n64: Mt22:3-9, Lk14:16-24
\n65: Mt21:33-39, Mk12:1-8, Lk20:9-15
\n66: Mt21:42, Mk12:10, Lk20:17; Psalm118:22
\n73: Mt9:37-38, Lk10:2
\n86: Mt8:20, Lk9:58
\n89: Lk11:39-40
\n93: Mt7:6
\n94: Mt7:7-8, Lk11:9-10
\n100: Mk12:13-17, Lk20:22-25
\n103: Mt24:43, Lk12:39
\n107: Mt18:12-13, Lk15:3-7<\/p>\n
B: Remote Parallels
\n——————-
\n1: Jn8:51
\n3: Lk17:21
\n5: Mt10:26, Lk10:2
\n8: Mt13:47-48
\n17: 1Cor2:9; Isiah64:4
\n30: Mt18:20
\n31: Mk6:4, Lk4:23-24, Jn4:44
\n32: Mt5:14
\n36: Mt6:25, Lk12:22
\n40: Mt15:13
\n44: Mt12:32, Mk3:28-29, Lk12:10
\n48: Mt18:19, Mk11:23-24
\n57: Mt13:24-30
\n58: Mt11:28
\n59: Jn7:34, Jn13:33
\n63: Lk12:16-21
\n68: Mt5:11, Lk6:22
\n71: Mk14:58
\n72: Lk12:13-15
\n75: Mt22:14
\n78: Mt11:7-9, Lk7:24-26
\n90: Mt11:28-30
\n95: Lk6:34-35, Lk14:12-14
\n96: Mt13:33, Lk13:20-21
\n99: Mt12:46-50, Mk3:31-35
\n101: Mt10:37, Lk14:26
\n109: Mt13:44
\n113: Lk17:20-21<\/p>\n
C: Multiple Parallels
\n———————
\n14a: no parallels
\n14b: Lk10:8-9
\n14c: Mt15:11, Mk7:15
\n21a: no parallels
\n21b: Mt24:43, Lk12:39
\n21c: Mk4:26-29
\n22a: Mt18:3, Lk18:17
\n22b: Mt5:29-30, Mk9:43-48
\n24a: Jn13:36
\n24b: Mt6:22-23, Lk11:34-36
\n33a: Mt10:27
\n33b: Mt5:15, Mk4:21, Lk8:16, Lk11:33
\n39a: Lk11:52
\n39b: Mt10:16
\n43a: Jn8:25
\n43b: Mt7:16-20, Lk6:43-46(?)
\n55a: Lk14:26
\n55b: Mt10:37
\n62a: Mt13:11, Mk4:11, Lk8:10
\n62b: Mt6:3
\n69a: Mt5:8 (cf. Thomas saying 68)
\n69b: Mt5:6, Lk6:21
\n76a: Mt13:45-46
\n76b: Mt6:20, Lk12:33
\n79a: Lk11:27-28
\n79b: Lk23:29
\n91a: Jn9:36
\n91b: Lk12:54-56<\/p>\n
D: Non-Canonical Parallels
\n————————–
\n42: Some stands of Islamic tradition attribute this saying to
\nJesus.<\/p>\n
E: No Parallels
\n—————
\nAll the following sayings have no parallels in the Bible or
\nother non-Gnostic traditions:
\n2 23 51 77 98
\n4 25 52 80 102
\n6 27 53 81 104
\n7 28 56 82 105
\n11 29 60 84 106
\n12 37 61 85 108
\n13 38 67 87 110
\n15 47 70 88 111
\n18 49 73 92 112
\n19 50 74 97 114<\/p>\n
THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS
\nCommentary & Typing by Craig Schenk
\n6\/17\/92<\/p>\n
Made available to the net by
\nPaul Halsall <HALSALL@MURRAY.FORDHAM.EDU><\/p>\n