The Gospel According to Thomas: Introduction, Translation and Commentary (Apocryphes) (Apocryphes, 16) 9782503584904, 250358490X

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The Gospel According to Thomas

APOCRYPHES collection de poche de l’aelac

Direction Anne-Catherine Baudoin Alain Desreumaux Zbigniew Izydorczyk Enrico Norelli Jean-Michel Roessli Volume 16

Maquette de couverture : Vincent Gouraud Composition et montage : Alain Hurtig

© 2019, Brepols Publishers n.v., Turnhout, Belgium All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.

D/2019/0095/111 ISBN 978-2-503-58490-4 e-ISBN 978-2-503-58491-1 DOI 10.1484/M.APOCR-EB.5.117535 ISSN 1263-946X e-ISSN 2565-9219 Printed on acid-free paper

The Gospel According to Thomas Translated, with Introduction and Commentary by André Gagné

BREPOLS

APOCRYPHES aelac’s Paperback Series To be published The Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin Mary, by Stephen Shoemaker Les Actes de Barnabé, par Maïeul Roquette Les Actes éthiopiens d’Étienne, par Damien Labadie

APOCRYPHES AELAC’S PAPERBACK SERIES

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fragment of papyrus found in the tomb of a Coptic monk in Egypt, a fable telling the story of the manger, a Romanesque fresco on a Poitevin wall, a serialized Latin novel detailing the adventures of the apostles . . . all bear witness to the variety and wide diffusion of Christian writings known as Apocrypha. In turn sought after and rejected, exploited and reviled, translated and forgotten, apocryphal works remain mysteriously and powerfully evocative. A mere mention of the word “Apocrypha” frequently summons intimations of an unexpected revelation, of a secret finally unveiled, of a long forgotten truth. However, those who plunge into apocryphal literature in hope of discovering knowledge they have long sought after may discover only disappointment. Some Apocrypha, indeed, claim to initiate the reader into truths about Jesus: one reports an esoteric teaching He entrusted to his disciple Thomas; another, the Gospel of Nicodemus, faithfully relates the story of Jesus’s visit to hell as narrated by two men He had brought back to life. Many others, however, have no such pretensions: the Letter Fallen from Heaven appears only to justify the payment of tithes and the observation of Sunday. Similarly, stories about an apostle turning the wife of a high Roman official away from her conjugal duties (as in the Acts

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of Philip, for example) merely reflect some contemporary sexual mores, here a call to chastity in marriage. For those who thirst after glimpses of eternity, documents such as these are of scant attraction. And yet, if readers approach them without expectations of profound, secret revelations about Jesus, his disciples, or His kingdom of heaven, Apocrypha can be a source of enduring profit and pleasure. Indeed, the import of apocryphal texts lies elsewhere: they reveal how Christians at different times and in different places understood and represented the figure of Jesus, the meaning of his message, the role of the apostles, the origin of their local churches, and other similar topics. Apocrypha testify to the issues that stirred and provoked early Christians to respond with stories and reflections: what is the true nature of Christ, asks the Ascension of Isaiah; and how was He both royal and divine, asks the Acts of Pilate. Some Apocrypha are very old and reflect traditions contemporaneous with those that ultimately appeared in the New Testament. To historians of Christianity and biblical scholars, such texts offer a unique perspective, still little explored, on the nascent forms of Christian traditions. They do not give access to historical truths about Jesus or His apostles any more than do the canonical gospels, but they shed light on how the first Christian communities lived and what they believed. Imagination was in Apocrypha a vehicle for profound, creative reflection. Thus, the mid-second century Infancy Gospel of Thomas, a narrative of the various misdeeds of the child Jesus, does not simply construct a biography of His early years that indulges in unbridled, or sacrilegious, imagination. Rather, the text questions the very terms of the Incarnation, wondering at the fullness of divine grace made manifest in the infant Jesus. Thomas also attempts to explain what the Gospel of Luke meant by saying that “the child grew and became

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strong in spirit.” As reflections on exegetical, dogmatic, and moral issues of the utmost importance to the early Christian communities, the Apocrypha in the present collection reveal their richness, not to those who seek in them what such texts cannot offer, but to those who heed Paul Valéry’s sentiment that “all stories gain depth as fables.” Far from projecting a unified image of Christianity, Apocrypha introduce us to a profusion of its doctrines, mythologies, and languages. The picture of Christianity that emerges from these texts is that of an ensemble of astonishingly diverse communities. Bearing witness to this diversity, many Apocrypha have come down to us in multiple versions. Thus, the Doctrine of Addai has been transmitted in Greek, Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopic, Arabic, Armenian, Georgian, and Slavic forms. Each bears the marks of the socio-cultural environment that produced it, and each in its own way preserves various inflections of doctrine in the first centuries of Christianity. That is why, when Christianity became the religion of the Empire and the authorities attempted to give it a unified image, some Fathers of the Church reviled Apocrypha as carriers of nonconformity and heresy. Today, however, as scholarship rediscovers the extraordinary profusion of Christianities in the early centuries, there is a need to place within public reach those ancient sources carrying traces of that richness and—sometimes in just a few lines—illuminating the still shadowy traces of Christianity’s past. Faced with such diversity of practice, belief, and text, the early Church had some difficult choices to make. The Apocalypse attributed to John came close to being excluded from the canon; the Shepherd of Hermas narrowly missed out on being included. In fact, one could argue that there is no intrinsic difference between the canonical and the apocryphal. The New Testament came about when ecclesiastical authorities

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selected, from a wide range of texts, a smaller corpus to serve as a point of reference for the Christian faith. Many works not chosen continued to nourish Christian piety for centuries and inspired traditions still alive today. For instance, monastic readings for the feasts of the Apostles in the Martyrology draw on edifying stories going back to the apocryphal Acts of the Apostles; and the names of Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, the three Magi whom the evangelical tradition refrains from naming, already appear in Coptic paintings in the Egyptian oasis of Bawit. To forget Apocrypha is tantamount to erasing the frescoes in our Romanesque churches and smashing the stained-glass windows in our Gothic cathedrals; to rendering forever incomprehensible Dante’s Inferno and many pages in Flaubert. As ignorance of Christian history grows ever more obvious and disturbing, it is a matter of some urgency to translate and disseminate at least some of the apocryphal texts long a part of our religious and cultural memory. This present series offers translations from the original sources edited and published in the Series Apocryphorum of the Corpus Christianorum. The translators are also scholars engaged in original research and members of the Association pour l’étude de la littérature apocryphe chrétienne [AELAC]. Aiming to make apocryphal literature accessible to a broad spectrum of readers, individual volumes introduce each text with a historical preface, provide simple but precise notes, and include indexes. Translators hope that they will lead their readers on exciting journeys of discovery, beyond initial horizons and into the colourful, instructive, and rewarding world of Christian Apocrypha.

Table of Contents Acknowledgments

3

Introduction A Collection of Sayings Is the Gospel According to Thomas a Gospel? Hidden Sayings Other Attestations of the Sayings of Jesus P.Oxy. 654 and Sayings 1–7 P.Oxy. 1 and Sayings 26–33; 77b P.Oxy. 655 and Sayings 24; 36–39 Who was Didymus Judas Thomas? Where did the Gospel According to Thomas originate? What is Thomas’ point of view? The Gospel According to Thomas and the New Testament Gospels Reading the Gospel According to Thomas

5 6 7 8 10 12 17 22 25 26 28

English Translation of the Coptic Text

43

Commentary on the Gospel According to Thomas

73

33 38

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For Further Reading Plates, Transcriptions of Coptic and Greek texts, and Translations Commentaries Compositional History of the Gospel According to Thomas General Studies on the Gospel According to Thomas

241 241 242 243 244

Subject Index

247

Sources Index Gospel According to Thomas Hebrew Bible New Testament Nag Hammadi Tractates Apostolic Fathers Patristic and Medieval Authors Christian Apocrypha Judaica Classical Authors Other Related Sources

257 257 262 263 268 268 269 270 270 270 270

Index of Modern Authors

271

Acknowledgments

I

wish to express my appreciation to those who made this work possible. I would like to thank Jean-Michel Roessli and the editors for inviting me to write this new introduction, translation and commentary on the Gospel According to Thomas in Brepols’ Apocryphes, collection de poche series. I also wish to express my profound gratitude to Zbigniew Izydorczyk for his extremely valuable corrections and review, as well as his insightful comments and suggestions. Many thanks as well to Anne-Catherine Baudoin, Derek Bateman and JeanMichel Roessli who also thoroughly and patiently reviewed the final draft of my manuscript. In my years of research leading to the production of this work, I have been assisted by many student researchers, whose work was extremely valuable. Similarly, exceptional students and colleagues who participated in our weekly Nag Hammadi Seminar at Concordia University from 2009 to 2017 contributed greatly to my understanding of this enigmatic text. In particular, I wish to thank Jennifer Chalut, Lindsey Sandul, Carly Daniel-Hughes, Lorenzo Di Tommaso, John Ashley, Marc-André Argentino, Costa Babalis, Taylor Baruchel, Miriam Bergo, Nick Botsas, Joseph Brito, Race Capet, Anthony Gadzinski, Mary Harvan, Sabi Hinkson, Sandra Hlavenka, Brice C. Jones, Luigi Laricchuita, Spyridon Loumakis, Stéphanie Machabée, Meaghan Matheson, Calogero Miceli, Michael Nakic, Adrienne Phillips,

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Jonathan Raddatz, and Bradley Rice. Over the years, colleagues from the Groupe de recherche sur le christianisme ancien et l’antiquité tardive (GRECAT) were also very supportive of my research on Thomas; many thanks to Anne Pasquier, Louis Painchaud, Paul-Hubert Poirier, and Wolf-Peter Funk. I am also extremely thankful to Simon Claude Mimouni and Arnaud Sérandour for inviting me to the École pratique des hautes études (Paris) as directeur d’études invité to teach on the Gospel According to Thomas in April-May 2017. This seminar gave me the opportunity to present aspects of my research included in this volume. The interactions I had with students and colleagues helped me refine some of my views on Thomas. All this work would not have been possible without the support of my wife Nathalie and my two sons Jacob and Nathan; I am extremely grateful for their encouragement and patience.

Introduction

I

n December 1945, an amazing discovery was made. It was a finding that would redefine Christian origins and open an exciting new field of research: Nag Hammadi Studies. As the story goes,1 two Egyptian peasants, Mohammad Ali al-Samman and his brother Kalifah, found 13 codices (books) containing 52 Coptic tractates 2 at Nag Hammadi (Egypt), near the ancient town of Chenosbokion, the alleged place where St. Pachomius converted to Christianity in the fourth century CE. The collection originally contained some 1304 pages; of these, 1196 pages are now extant (1156 of which contain written text).3 1. For more on the Nag Hammadi discovery, see J. M. Robinson, “From the Cliff to Cairo. The Story of the Discoverers and the Middlemen of the Nag Hammadi Codices,” Colloque international sur les textes de Nag Hammadi. Québec, 22-25 août 1978 (ed. B. Barc; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 1; Québec, Louvain: Les Presses de l’université Laval, Peeters, 1981), 21–58. 2. Among these are several doublets: Gospel of Truth (NH I,3; XII,2); Writing without Title–On the Origin of the World (NH II,5; XIII,2); Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit (NH III,2; IV,2), Eugnostos the Blessed (NH III,3; V,1). The Apocryphon of John is found in three codices (NH II,1; III,1; IV,1). 3. P.-H. Poirier, “La bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi : sa nature et son importance,” Sciences religieuses/Studies in Religion 15 (1986): 306–7.

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The Gospel According to Thomas (Gos.Thom.) is the second tractate in Codex 2. This exceptionally well preserved text is comprised of 20 written pages, the only complete version of the Gos.Thom. in existence. This Coptic version is dated somewhere in the middle of the fourth century CE.

A Collection of Sayings The best way to understand a text is to determine its literary genre. In the case of the Gos.Thom., the reader is presented with a clue to the work’s genre right in its opening lines, or incipit: These are the hidden sayings which the living Jesus spoke and which Didymus Judas Thomas wrote down. Clearly, this work presents a collection of sayings or statements (Greek plur. logia, sing. logion; Coptic šaje), mostly devoid of narrative content, attributed to Jesus. Modern editions have divided the sayings into 114 logia. Very few of them provide context for what is said,4 and most contain only a short introductory formula: “Jesus said” (peje iēsous).5 A number of logia are introduced with a question posed by a disciple (Sayings 6, 12, 18, 20, 24, 37, 43, 51, 52, 53, 99, 113),6 while others have no such introduction (Sayings 27, 93, 101). There are also a few 4. For some exceptions, see Gos.Thom. 13; 22; 60; 79; 100. 5. Several logia are introduced differently; they may begin with “he said” (Sayings 1, 8, 65, 74), “they said to him” (Sayings 91 and 104), “a man said to him” (Saying 72), “a woman in the crowd said to him” (Saying 79), or “Simon Peter said to them” (Saying 114). 6. Saying 21 includes also a question posed by Mary (Mary Magdalene?).

Introduction

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doublets, where some of the material is repeated (Sayings 5//6, 21//103, 48//106, 55//101, 56//80, 92//94).

Is the Gospel According to Thomas a Gospel? The collection of sayings concludes with a closing statement, or colophon, that refers to the preceding text as “The gospel according to Thomas” (peuangelion pkata thomas). This colophon was most probably a secondary addition, meant to impart some authority and validity to the work. It also testifies to the various ways the term “gospel” was understood in Early Christianity. Many scholars associate this term with the literary genre that originated with the Gospel according to Mark; a “gospel” is thus often represented as a narrative of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. However, the term “gospel” (Greek euangelion and the related verb euangelízō) was not at first used to define a corpus of Christian texts. It simply meant “a reward for good news” or “good tidings.” Early Christian writers later adopted the expression as a way of referring to the good news about Jesus. In the second century, the canonical writings (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) were officially labelled by Christians as “gospels.” It is interesting to note, however, that the only canonical text that is explicitly designated as a “gospel” is Mark (Mark 1:1). Matthew is described as a “book/record of the genealogy/birth of Jesus Christ” (Matthew 1:1); Luke is presented as an “orderly account” (Luke 1:3); and John is called a “testimony” of a certain Beloved disciple (John 21:24). It is noteworthy that the Fourth Gospel never even mentions the word “gospel;” instead, it consists, by and large, of a long collection of speeches by Jesus. There are then no formal restrictions on what constitutes a “gospel,” at least from the

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perspective of a literary genre. Among the Nag Hammadi tractates, one finds several other “gospels” that lack the narrative dimension and do not concern the ministry of Jesus (Gospel of Truth, Gospel of Philip, and Gospel of the Egyptians). This clearly goes to show that the idea of a “gospel” is not restricted to an established story about the life of Jesus but can also include teachings ascribed to or about him. It is within such broader understanding of the term “gospel” that the Gos.Thom., a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus written down by Didymus Judas Thomas, situates itself. The logia or sayings it contains are essentially the “good news” according to Thomas.

Hidden Sayings The incipit of the Gos.Thom., that is, the beginning words of its text, states that the sayings are “hidden” or “secret” (hēp). The question that begs an answer is how can these sayings be “secret” if they were put down in writing by Thomas? This enigma is solved in the following logion, in which the reader is urged to search for (he e-) 7 the correct interpretation of these sayings in order to gain life everlasting (Saying 1). It is not the content of the sayings that is “hidden,” but rather their meaning. To discover the correct interpretation, the reader must engage in a quest for wisdom, whereby one actively seeks out the significance of the text. According to the Gos.Thom., the search for meaning is laborious, but it will inevitably lead to true life (Sayings 1 and 58). The idea that life everlasting is closely linked to the teachings of Jesus and is also found in the New Testament. The Gospel

7. The literal meaning of the Coptic formula “he e-” is “to fall upon.”

Introduction

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according to John suggests a similar idea: “Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death” (John 8:51). Everlasting life is also promised to those who “keep” (tēreō) Jesus’ word, which is synonymous to believing in him.8 Even if his word is not “hidden,” not everyone can understand Jesus’ teaching (John 8:43) and, therefore, believe in him or keep his word.9 It is given only to those who are called by the Father (John 6:44.47).10 Thus, the Gos.Thom. and John share something in common: the notion that the message of Jesus will not be understood by everyone. The sense of his teaching is secret, hidden from those who are not elect.11 Not surprisingly, Jesus is recorded as saying: “I tell my mysteries to those who are worthy of my mysteries” (Saying 62). It is only the “worthy”—or the elect—who can find (or fall upon) the interpretation of the secret sayings of Jesus. This does not mean 8. The Fourth Gospel was most probably written for people who had already believed that Jesus was the Christ (John 20:31). The theological complexity of the Johannine Gospel favors an understanding of the verb pisteuēte (believe) as a subjunctive present rather than as a variant of pisteusēte, a subjunctive aorist. The subjunctive present speaks of “continued belief” in Jesus Christ, meaning that the gospel was written for Christians who needed to strengthen their faith. The subjunctive aorist, on the other hand, is interpreted as if the gospel was written to non-believers in order that they may “come to believe” that Jesus is the Christ. 9. John 8:43: “Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word.” 10. John 6:44.47: “No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me;. . . Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life.” 11. In the Gos.Thom., true disciples are also referred to as the “elect” (sōt ep; Gos.Thom. 23; 49–50).

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that the Gos.Thom. encourages believers to passively wait for an illumination: just as the believers must “keep” the word of Jesus (continue believing in him), so must Thomasine readers actively seek out the meaning of Jesus’ secret sayings.

Other Attestations of the Sayings of Jesus Before the discovery of the Coptic version of the Gos.Thom. among the Nag Hammadi texts, scholars had unearthed three Greek fragments from different papyri, which contained what they thought were unknown sayings of Jesus.12 They were discovered in Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, in 1897 (P.Oxy. 1) and 1903 (P.Oxy. 654 and 655). After the Nag Hammadi find, many scholars came to believe that these scraps of papyri represent early witnesses of approximately 20 of the 114 logia contained in the Coptic version of the Gos.Thom.13 P.Oxy. 654, which is currently housed in London’s British Library and indexed as Papyrus 1531, is a fragment of a scroll dated around 250 CE. It is comprised of sayings that closely parallel the incipit and Sayings 1–7 of the Gos.Thom. P.Oxy. 1 is now preserved in the Bodleian Library in Oxford as MS. Gr. Th. E 7 (P). Dated to 200 CE, this double-sided fragment exhibits a peculiar sequence 12. The standard edition of P.Oxy. 1, 654, and 655 is that of H. W. Attridge, “Gospel of Thomas. The Greek Fragments,” Nag Hammadi Codex II, 2-7 together with XIII, 2*, Brit. Lib. Or. 4926(1), and P.Oxy. 1, 654, 655 (ed. B. Layton; Nag Hammadi Studies 20; Leiden: Brill, 1989), 95–128. 13. It is in 1954 that H.-C. Puech noticed for the first time the similarities between the Gos.Thom. and the P.Oxy.; see J. Doresse, L’Évangile selon Thomas. Les Paroles secrètes de Jésus (Monaco: Éd. du Rocher, 1988), 39.

Introduction

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of sayings similar to Sayings 26–33 and 77b. Consisting of eight fragments from a papyrus scroll, P.Oxy. 655—now kept at the Houghton Library, Harvard University as SM 4367—is dated on paleographical grounds somewhere between 200–250 CE and shows similarities with Sayings 24 and 36–39.14 Many scholars are thus of the opinion that a form of a Greek version of the Gos.Thom. probably circulated as early as 200 CE. The discovery of Oxyrhynchus papyri has also led specialists to believe that the Gos.Thom. was originally composed in Greek. However, several researchers have also noted that the apocryphon contains a significant number of Semitisms, with several sayings suggesting an Aramaic or Syriac substratum.15 This has been interpreted as either a sign that the Gos.Thom. has incorporated some earlier (mid-first century) material or as an indication that it was influenced by the Diatessaron (second-half of

14. At the time of the Oxyrhynchus discovery, Grenfell and Hunt did not see any link between P.Oxy. 655 and the other two fragments (1 et 654). They initially thought that fragment 655 was part of a gospel written in Egypt before 150; see B. P. Grenfell, and A. S. Hunt, ed. The Oxyrhynchus Papyri. Part IV (London, Egypt: Exploration Fund, 1904), 28; also C. W. Hedrick, “An Anecdotal Argument for the Independence of the Gospel of Thomas from the Synoptic Gospels,” For the Children, Perfect Instruction. Studies in Honor of HansMartin Schenke on the Occasion of the Berliner Arbeitskreis für koptischegnostische Schriften’s Thirtieth Year (eds H.-G. Bethge, S. Emmel, K. King, and I. Schletterer; Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies 44; Leiden: Brill, 2002), 114–16. 15. A. D. DeConick estimates that approximately 42% of the 114 sayings of the Gos.Thom. contain Semitisms, that is words or expressions found in Syriac literature or in the Aramaic language; see The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation (New York: T&T Clark, 2007), 12–15.

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the second century).16 Those who reject the idea of a Semitic Vorlage argue that the awkward expressions in the apocryphon are still best explained by a Greek original.17 Whatever the case may be, the four extant manuscript witnesses allow for only partial comparisons, with the Coptic version providing the only complete text of the Gos.Thom.

P.Oxy. 654 and Sayings 1–7 Comparing the four different manuscripts that appear to contain parallel passages from the Gos.Thom., we notice some interesting differences.18 Although it corresponds to the Coptic Sayings 1–7, P.Oxy. 654 shows a striking variant in the name of the implied author given at the beginning of the text. In the Coptic version (Saying 1), the collection is said to have been written down by “Didymus Judas Thomas,” whereas the Greek fragment (P.Oxy. 654.2) omits any mention of “Didymus” and simply reads “Judas Thomas.” The word “Didymus” (Greek for “twin”) was probably inserted for the

16. A. D. DeConick is a proponent of the early material, whereas N. Perrin favors the idea that Thomas was influenced by the Diatessaron; see N. Perrin, Thomas and Tatian. The Relationship Between the Gospel of Thomas and the Diatessaron (Academia Biblica 5; Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2002). 17. S. J. Gathercole, The Composition of the Gospel of Thomas. Original Language and Influences (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series 151; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012), 24–104. 18. For the sayings of the Oxyrhynchus papyri, see the translation and footnotes.

Introduction

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benefit of those who did not understand the Aramaic meaning of the word “Thomas” (“twin”). Another disjunctive variant is found in Saying 2.19 In the Greek fragment, the reader is “[seeking until] he finds, and when he finds, [he will be troubled]; being troubled, he will reign; [having reigned], he will [rest]” (P.Oxy. 654.6–9). In the Coptic version, however, the reader must seek “... until he finds, and when he finds, he will be troubled; being troubled, he will be rendered speechless and will rule over all things.” There is a progression of thought in each version of the Saying that leads to the ultimate state of “rest” or “rule:” Greek: seek find | find amazed | amazed reign rest. Coptic: seek find | find troubled | troubled rendered speechless | rendered speechless

reign |

rule.

How can one explain the differences between these two versions? The Nag Hammadi text, most probably transcribed from a Coptic version which had been translated from an earlier Greek text,20 contains the verb “to be troubled” (štort er) and omits the reference to “rest” (Greek: anapaēsetai; GrecoCoptic: anapausis). Were these differences already present in the Coptic model? Some have speculated that the scribe of the Coptic translation, basing himself on a Greek version similar to that of P.Oxy. 654, could have misread ana panta (Coptic: ejem ptērf = “over all things”) for anapaēsetai (rest).21 19. Similar parallels of this saying are found in Clement of Alexandria’s quotes from the Gospel of the Hebrews in Stromata 2.9.45; 5.14.95, as well as in the book of Thomas the Contender 145.12–16 and the Acts of Thomas 146. 20. We cannot know for certain if the scribe of the Coptic text made his translation from a Greek version similar to P.Oxy. 654.

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It is quite possible that the change from “rest” to “over all things” is accidental, since anapausis (“rest;” “repose”) is a recurring theme in several other Thomasine sayings (Sayings 50, 51, 60, 90). In Saying 3, P.Oxy. 654.9–21 exhibits further differences. The Greek fragment refers to those who say the Kingdom is “under the earth” (P.Oxy. 654.13), while the Nag Hammadi Coptic text speaks of the Kingdom being “in the sea.” In what follows, P.Oxy. 654.14 mentions “the fish of the sea,” whereas the Coptic version alludes to “the fish” only. The Coptic text breaks the symmetry present in the Greek version: P.Oxy. 654: the Kingdom is in the sky the birds of the sky will precede you; it is under the earth the fish of the sea will precede you. Saying 3: the Kingdom is in the sky the birds of the sky will precede you; it is in the sea the fish will precede you. The second part of the saying, where the discrepancy occurs, parallels Deuteronomy 30:13 and more specifically Romans 10:7.22 Since the abyss was believed to be the abode of the dead and was closely linked to the sea, the P.Oxy. reference to “under the earth” and the Coptic variant “in the sea” are synonymous with the abyss.23 21. See for example, J.-É. Ménard, L’Évangile selon Thomas (Nag Hammadi Studies 5; Leiden: Brill, 1975), 79. 22. Deuteronomy 30:13: Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?;” Romans 10:7: Who will descend into the abyss?—that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. 23. For example, see Jonah 2; Revelation 20:13.

Introduction

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A few lines further down, one encounters the following phrase in the Greek text: “He who knows himself will find it” (P.Oxy. 654.16–17). This is absent from Saying 3, even though both versions include reflexes of a Lukan passage that precedes it: “But the Kingdom is within you and it is outside of you.” After the comment on self-knowledge, the Greek and Coptic texts coincide once again. The famous dominical saying “Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first” (cf. Matthew 19:30; 20:16; Mark 10:31; Luke 13:30) is found only at the end of the Greek text (P.Oxy. 654.25–26); Saying 4 omits the conclusion of this saying. The last two lines of P.Oxy. 654.26–27 are difficult to restore, and scholars do not agree on their potential content. Where the Coptic version reads “. . . and they will become one and the same,” the restored final portion of P.Oxy. 654.26–27 is usually given either as “. . . and they will have eternal life” 24 or as “. . . and they will become one.” 25 The second option 24. J. A. Fitzmyer restored: kai [zōēn aiōnion hexou]sin; see “The Oxyrhynchus Logoi of Jesus and the Coptic Gospel of Thomas,” in Essays on the Semitic Background of the New Testament (ed. J. A. Fitzmyer; Sources for Biblical Study 5; Missoula, Mont.: Society of Biblical Literature and Scholars Press, 1974), 379–81. 25. This ending was restored in two different ways: (1) Hofius: kai [heis genēsou]sin; (2) Marcovich: kai [eis hen katantēsou]sin; see O. Hofius, “Das koptische Thomasevangelium und die Oxyrhynchus-Papyri Nr. 1, 654 und 655,” Evangelische Theologie 20 (1960): 32– 34; M. Marcovich, “Textual Criticism on the Gospel of Thomas,” Journal of Theological Studies 20 (1969): 60–61. After my own work on this fragment, I tend to agree with A. D. DeConick that Marcovich’s proposal of 15 letters is too much for the space available in the lacuna. Hofius’ reconstruction (9 letters) seems much more probable; see A. D. DeConick, The Original Gospel of Thomas (New York: T&T Clark, 2007), 59.

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corresponds better to the Coptic text and is also clearly in line with the emphasis on “oneness” or unity with the transcendent realm evident in the Gos.Thom.26 Another discrepancy between the Nag Hammadi text and P.Oxy. 654.30–31 occurs at the end of Saying 5, a saying which is also found in the synoptic gospels: “For there is nothing hidden that will not become manifest” (cf. Mark 4:22; Matthew 10:26; Luke 8:17; 12:2). The Nag Hammadi version is clearly similar to the Coptic version of the New Testament.27 The last restored lines of the Oxyrhynchus papyrus,28 containing the words “. . . and buried that will not be raised,” is omitted by the Nag Hammadi version.29 The additional words turn P.Oxy. 654.30–31 into a testimony of faith in the resurrection, the effect missing from the Coptic Gos.Thom.

26. See R. Charron, “À propos des ⲟⲩⲁ ⲟⲩⲱⲧ et de la solitude divine dans les textes de Nag Hammadi,” in Coptica–Gnostica–Manichaica. Mélanges offerts à Wolf-Peter Funk (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 7; Québec, Paris, Louvain: Presses de l’université Laval, éditions Peeters, 2006), 124. 27. W. Schrage has shown that this famous saying aligns itself with the Sahidic versions of Mark 4:22 and Luke 8:17; see W. Schrage, Das Verhältnis des Thomas-Evangeliums zur synoptischen Tradition und zu den koptischen Evangelienübersetzungen. Zugleich ein Beitrag zur gnostischen Synoptikerdeutung (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 29; Berlin, Töpelman, 1964), 34–35. 28. The restoration of this Greek fragment was made possible through the discovery of a burial shroud (5th-6th century) acquired by H.-C. Puech in 1953; see H.-C. Puech, “Un logion de Jésus sur bandelette funéraire,” Bulletin de la société Ernest Renan 3 (1954): 6–9. 29. P.Oxy. 654.30-31: kai thethammenon ho o[uk egerthēsetai].

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The last readable section of P.Oxy. 654 slightly resembles Saying 6.30 Therein, we find another divergence between the Greek and Coptic versions. The Oxyrhynchus papyrus reads: “because all things appear before truth” (P.Oxy. 654.37–38) 31 while the Nag Hammadi text has: “because all these things are manifest in the face of heaven.” The change from “truth” to “heaven” could be the result of a mistake in the transcription of the Coptic text by the Nag Hammadi scribe, who may have confused the words “truth” (Coptic: me) and “heaven” (Coptic: pe) in Coptic.32

P.Oxy. 1 and Sayings 26–33; 77b Scholars have also tried to establish connections between the Greek fragment P.Oxy. 1 and the fourth century Coptic text. P.Oxy. 1.1–4 contains a text close to Matthew 7:5 (//Luke 6:42) and differs only slightly from the Greek New Testament parallel (especially Matthew’s version). The Coptic

30. Most critical editions and commentaries do not compare logion 7 with P.Oxy. 654.40-42 because of the fragmentary nature of the Oxyrhynchus text. 31. J. A. Fitzmyer restores these lines differently: “For all things will be full of truth before heaven.” His proposal, however, has not been retained by most critical editions; see “The Oxyrhynchus Logoi of Jesus and the Coptic Gospel of Thomas,” in Essays on the Semitic Background of the New Testament (ed. J. A. Fitzmyer; Sources for Biblical Study 5; Missoula, Mont.: Society of Biblical Literature and Scholars Press, 1974), 385. 32. A. D. DeConick, The Original Gospel of Thomas (New York: T&T Clark, 2007), 65.

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Saying 26 basically corresponds to Matthew and Luke’s Sahidic versions.33 The saying in P.Oxy. 1.4–11 differs from Saying 27 at two points. The Greek text has the usual introductory formula “Jesus said” (P.Oxy. 1.4–5), absent from the Coptic text. Furthermore, P.Oxy. 1 speaks of the “Kingdom of God” (lines 7–8), whereas the Nag Hammadi text simply refers to the “Kingdom.” This is an important distinction, for the Sayings of the Gos.Thom. rarely use the word “God;” instead, the term “Father” is preferred to describe the supreme divine being.34 In the Coptic text, the term “Kingdom” is synonymous with “the all” or Pleroma, the realm of divine fullness.35 The text P.Oxy. 1.11–21 corresponds to about one half of Saying 28. This is one of those rare cases where the content of the Oxyrhynchus papyri runs very close to the Nag Hammadi text. It is interesting to note that Jesus is said to have stood / taken his place in the midst of the world, and appeared to the sons of men in the flesh (Greek: estēn en mesōi kosmou kai en sarkei ōphthēn autois; Coptic: aeiōhe erat h en tmēte

33. W. Schrage, Das Verhältnis des Thomas-Evangeliums zur synoptischen Tradition und zu den koptischen Evangelienübersetzungen. Zugleich ein Beitrag zur gnostischen Synoptikerdeutung (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 29; Berlin, Töpelman, 1964), 71–73. 34. For more on the use of “God” and “Father” in the Gos.Thom., see A. Gagné, “The Gospel according to Thomas and the New Testament,” in Christian Apocrypha. Receptions of the New Testament in Ancient Christian Apocrypha (eds J.-M. Roessli and T. Nicklas; Novum Testamentum Patristicum; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2015), 27–39. 35. On the enigmatic expression “to sabbatize the sabbath” (sabbatisēte to sabbaton; P.Oxy. 1.9–11), see the commentary on Saying 27.

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mepkosmos auō aeiouōnh ebol nau hensarks). Some scholars understand this passage as referring to the incarnation (John 1:14).36 Others are of the opinion that the statement conveys a docetic Christology, and that the various forms of the verb ōphthēn are usually “used to express the revelation of someone or something belonging to the supernatural sphere.” 37 This saying of Jesus is unattested in the canonical gospels. Even if there are thematic similarities between P.Oxy. 1.11–21 and the Johannine prologue—such as the incarnation and human ignorance—there is no evidence of any direct literary connection between the two traditions.38 Line 22 is written on the recto of P.Oxy. 1, where the fibers run horizontally. This portion of the text is badly damaged, and one can only speculate on its content. The only readable letters form part of the word “poverty” (Greek: ptōcheian). This is why scholars suggest that the line 22 corresponds to Saying 29, which also mentions poverty (Coptic: m enethēke). P.Oxy. 1.23–30 presents a unique case because it combines what are two separate sayings in the Nag Hammadi text. Lines 23–26 roughly match what is found in Saying 30, whereas lines 27–30 are close to what one reads in Saying 77. The

36. For example U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 95. 37. B. Gärtner, The Theology of the Gospel According to Thomas (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1961), 142; also J.-É. Ménard, L’Évangile selon Thomas (Nag Hammadi Studies 5; Leiden: Brill, 1975), 123. 38. I. Dunderberg, “Thomas’ I-Sayings in the Gospel of John,” in Thomas at the Crossroads. Essays on the Gospel of Thomas (ed. R. Uro; Studies of the New Testament and Its World; Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1998), 33–64.

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cryptic content of the first four lines is generally well preserved even if it slightly differs from the Coptic counterpart. In the Greek fragment, the first two lines read: “where there are [three], [they are] not gods;” 39 the Coptic version, on the other hand, has the following: “where there are three gods, they are gods.” Although some scholars prefer to rely on the Coptic to reconstruct the Greek text because the meaning in the former seems clearer than in the latter, the reconstruction provided by Attridge, the editor of P.Oxy. 1, makes perfect sense. Lines 27–30 of P.Oxy. 1 are similar to the second part of Saying 77 in the Coptic version, but in a reverse order. The Greek text reads: “Lift up the stone, and you will find me there. Split the piece of wood and I am there.”40 It is reasonable to think that P.Oxy. 1.23–30 might represent a more archaic form of this saying.41 In the Coptic text, the author/ compiler used the verb pōh (to attain; to split) as a catchword

39. Attridge’s English translation in his own edition reads: “where there are [three], they are without God,” and Plisch has: “where there are [three], [they are] godless.” A. D. DeConick disagrees with Attridge stating that there is insufficient letter space to justify his reconstruction. She translates the last part of line 24 as follows: “where there are [three], gods are there.” But Brice C. Jones and I have also examined this fragment and attest that there is plenty of space to warrant Attridge’s reconstruction of atheoi. From what I gather, the text should be translated as “where there are [three], [they are] not gods.” For DeConick’s perspective on this issue, see The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation (New York: T&T Clark, 2007), 135–37. 40. Saying 77b of the Coptic reads: “Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone and you will find me there.” 41. See K. H. Kuhn, “Some Observations on the Coptic Gospel According to Thomas,” Le Muséon 73 (1960): 317–23.

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to artificially link together Saying 77a and 77b. The first part (77a) ends with the word pōh in the sense of “to reach, to attain,” whereas the second part (77b) begins with pōh meaning “to split, to divide.” This play on words suggests that the Coptic text of Saying 77 is most probably secondary in nature. P.Oxy. 1.30–46 are clear parallels to Sayings 31 (lines 30–35), 32 (lines 36–41), and part of 33 (lines 41–42). The sayings are almost identical in the Greek and Coptic versions.42 P.Oxy. 1.30–35 roughly corresponds to Luke 4:23–24. The proverb on the reception of the prophet is also mentioned in Mark 6:4, Matthew 13:57, and John 4:44. Only Luke’s version mentions both the physician and the prophet, but its maxim about the physician is unlike what one finds in the Gos.Thom. P.Oxy. 1.36–41 resonates with the proverb found in Matthew 5:14b, but it mentions a high mountain and fortified city, whereas the Matthean tradition omits these qualifiers.43 Lines 41–42 of P.Oxy. 1 are badly damaged, and the only words one can restore are: “Jesus says: you hear in your one ear [. . .].” The remainder of the text (lines 43–46) cannot be restored. What is extant in the Greek version is similar to the first few words of the Coptic text. One might assume that 42. The differences between the Greek and Coptic versions are insignificant. Attridge already noted that P.Oxy. 1.32 reads “country,” while the Coptic (39.6) has “village,” and P.Oxy. 1.36–37 has the verb “built,” while the Coptic (39.8) should be translated as “being built;” see H. W. Attridge, “Gospel of Thomas. The Greek Fragments,” in Nag Hammadi Codex II, 2-7 together with XIII, 2*, Brit. Lib. Or. 4926(1), and P.Oxy. 1, 654, 655 (ed. B. Layton; Nag Hammadi Studies 20; Leiden: Brill, 1989), 101. 43. U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 100–1.

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what followed corresponded to the rest of the saying found in Codex 2. Several scholars have noted the complex relationship between Sayings 32–33 and a similar sequence of statements in Matthew’s gospel.44 The Gos.Thom. follows the sequence of Matthew 5:14b–15, except for the beginning of Saying 33 (Jesus said: you hear in your one ear [. . .].), which is to be found in Matthew 10:27b. This does not necessarily mean that Sayings 32–33 depend directly on Matthew, but it serves as a good example of the complex transmission history of the sayings of Jesus.

P.Oxy. 655 and Sayings 24; 36–39 Originally P.Oxy. 655 was comprised of eight fragments identified with letters from a to h. Only four fragments (a–d) contain readable information and can be compared to the Coptic sayings. P.Oxy. 655 (d) consists of five damaged lines, and its full content is very difficult to decipher. The only words that can be read are “light” ([ph]ōteinōi), “world” ([k]osmō), and the verb “is” ([e]stin). These words are also found in Saying 24, so P.Oxy. 655 (d) could contain a parallel fragment of a similar saying.

44. See for example, S. J. Patterson, The Gospel of Thomas and Jesus (Sonoma: CA; Polebridge Press, 1993), 32–33; U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 102; M. Grosso, Vangelo secondo Tommaso (Roma: Carocci editore, 2011), 164–65; S. J. Gathercole, The Composition of the Gospel of Thomas. Original Language and Influences (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series 151; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012), 131.

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Much has been written concerning P.Oxy. 655 col. i. 1–17, its canonical parallels in Matthew 6:25–33 and Luke 12:22–31, and its potential pre-canonical status.45 What we can say for certain is that P.Oxy. 655 col. i. 1–17 contains a more elaborate version of Saying 36. Like the canonical versions, this Greek fragment mentions clothing and food, as well as Jesus’ metaphor of the lilies and the saying about the span of life. The parallels between the Greek text and the Nag Hammadi version are limited to temporal references and to injunctions about clothing. The Coptic version is clearly shorter than the Greek, but it is difficult to know if it is a condensed version of the latter or if it depends on a completly different Greek Vorlage.46 Col. i. 17–col. ii. 1 of P.Oxy. 655 is usually understood to correspond to Saying 37. This saying is absent from the canonical tradition, but scholars have noted the similarities between this logion and the one quoted by Clement of Alexandria from the Gospel of the Egyptians (Stromata 3.92.2–93.1).47 Because of the fragmented nature of the Oxyrhynchus papyrus, the Greek text is shorter than the Coptic, which contains a more elaborate version of the saying. However, as far as they can be compared, the two texts seem to be almost identical. The last 45. For more details, see J. M. Robinson, “A Pre-Canonical Greek Reading in Saying 36 of the Gospel of Thomas,” in Colloque international ‘L’Évangile selon Thomas et les textes de Nag Hammadi’ (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 8; Québec, Paris, Louvain: Presses de l’université Laval, éditions Peeters, 2007), 515–57. 46. U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 106. 47. For more on this, see J.-É. Ménard, L’Évangile selon Thomas (Nag Hammadi Studies 5; Leiden: Brill, 1975), 137.

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six lines of col. i are too damaged to be restored. This pertains also to P.Oxy. 655 col. ii 2–11, where the text is practically illegible. However, some scholars, relying on the Coptic version, have suggested ways to reconstruct the text 48 on the assumption that lines 2–11 of col ii actually correspond to Saying 38.49 The last saying of fragment P.Oxy. 655 is found on col. ii 11– 23, and it could be compared to Saying 39. The reconstruction of this damaged section is made possible only through a Greek retroversion from the Coptic saying.50 For many scholars, the source behind this saying is Matthew 23:13 and Luke 11:52. Others, however, incline towards a greater dependence on Luke because of the usual redactional particularities associated with the author of the Lukan gospel found in the Gos.Thom. Since the sayings of Jesus were most probably transmitted by means of oral performance,51 one might, perhaps, expect the 48. L. Hurtado, however, has rightly cautioned scholars against making conjectural restorations of the Greek fragments using the Coptic text; see “The Greek Fragments of the Gospel of Thomas as Artefacts: Papyrological Observations on Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 1, Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 654 and Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 655,” Das Thomasevangelium: Entstehung – Rezeption –Theologie (eds J. Frey, E. E. Popkes, and J. Schröter; Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 157; Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2008), 27. 49. See for example H. W. Attridge, “Gospel of Thomas. The Greek Fragments,” in Nag Hammadi Codex II, 2-7 together with XIII, 2*, Brit. Lib. Or. 4926(1), and P.Oxy. 1, 654, 655 (ed. B. Layton; Nag Hammadi Studies 20; Leiden: Brill, 1989), 123. 50. See for example U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 110. 51. For a discussion of the various source critical issues related to this saying, see A. D. DeConick, The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation (New York: T&T Clark, 2007), 157–59.

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existence of different versions of this saying, given a rhetorical character of the culture. Be that as it may, the Greek fragment is in a very poor condition, and it remains impossible to determine with absolute certainty whether the Coptic version of Saying 39 was faithfully translated from a Greek text similar to P.Oxy. 655 col. ii 11–23.

Who was Didymus Judas Thomas? The Gos.Thom. is said to have been written down by a certain Didymus Judas Thomas.52 The name “Judas Thomas” is also found in two Syriac versions of John 14:22: where the Greek text reads “Judas, not the Iscariot,” the Curetonian (Syc) and Sinaitic (Sy s) versions, respectively, have “Judas Thomas” and “Thomas.” The legend of King Abgar (Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History 1.13; Doctrine of Addai 53) mentions the double name of “Judas Thomas,” and the opening lines of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas (1,1) refer to a certain Thomas; both texts are linked to an Eastern Syrian milieu, possibly the city of Edessa. Moreover, it would seem that Judas (not the Iscariot) was assimilated to the figure of Thomas Didymus in John 20:24.54

52. One of the Greek fragments of the Gos.Thom. (P.Oxy. 654) omits the name “Didymus” in the incipit; it represents the collection of sayings as having been written down by Judas Thomas. 53. For the Doctrine of Addai, see in this collection, A. Desreumaux, Histoire du roi Abgar et de Jésus. Présentation et traduction du texte syriaque intégral de La Doctrine d’Addaï (Apocryphes 3, Turnhout: Brepols, 1993). 54. John 20:24: “But Thomas, who was called Didymus, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.”

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Another peculiarity of the East Syrian Christian tradition was that it understood Judas Thomas to be Jesus’ “twin” brother. This idea possibly stems from the fact that one of Jesus’ brothers is called Judas in Mark 6:3. Later Syrian tradition amalgamated Judas, the brother of Jesus, with Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples, making him both the biological and spiritual twin of Jesus.55

Where did the Gospel According to Thomas originate? Some scholars assume that the Thomasine gospel originated in Syria, most probably in Edessa.56 The diary of a nun from Galilee, called Egeria (dated to the end of the fourth century CE), containing an account of her travels to Edessa and her visit to the tomb of Thomas the apostle, might support this assumption. In preparation for her pilgrimage, she said to have read certain writings ascribed to Thomas, and scholars speculate that they may have included the Gos.Thom.57 Egeria’s diary and other texts from the Syrian tradition appear to suggest that the apocryphon could have originated in Edessa. However, scholarly 55. See Book of Thomas the Contender 138:4-10 and Acts of Thomas 11; 39. 56. For example, see H. Koester, “GNOMAI DIAPHOROI: The Origin and Nature of Diversification in the History of Early Christianity,” in Trajectories through Early Christianity (eds J. M. Robinson and H. Koester; Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971), 114–57. 57. See Peregrinatio Aetheriae 19:2–4; see J. Wilkinson, Egeria’s Travels (Oxford: Aris & Phillips, 2006), as well as P. Maraval, Égérie, Journal de voyage (Itinéraire). Introduction, texte critique, traduction, notes, index et cartes (Collection Sources chrétiennes 296; Paris: Cerf, 1982; repr. 1997 and 2002).

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opinion is not unanimous about its place of origin.58 Some scholars argue that the Gos.Thom. went through several stages of development. It is quite possible, they point out, that the final form of the Gos.Thom. grew out of a collection of older sayings circulating either in Jerusalem 59 or in a bilingual environment, such as Antioch.60 Whatever the case may be, the 58. For a thorough review and assessment of the questions surrounding the Edessan origin of the Gos.Thom., see J. Gregory Given, “ ‘Finding’ the Gospel of Thomas in Edessa,” Journal of Early Christian Studies 25:4 (2017): 501–30. 59. J. D. Crossan and S. L. Davies were among the first scholars to speculate that Thomas contained very early traditions from Jerusalem; see S. L. Davies, The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom (Bardic Press, 2005) and J. D. Crossan, The Historical Jesus.The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant (New York: Harper San Francisco, 1991). Expanding on an idea expressed by R. McL. Wilson in 1960, A. D. DeConick more recently provided an elaborate model for the composition history of the Gos.Thom. According to DeConick, Thomas is a product of various communities building on a traditional core or kernel; the Gos.Thom. should be seen as a “rolling corpus” (a term originally applied to the book of Jeremiah by William McKane). DeConick believes that the kernel gospel was composed in Jerusalem between 30–50 C.E. She also identifies three stages of accretions that correspond to different periods in the life of the Thomas community: (i) accretions dealing with relocation of the community and its leadership crisis (50–60 CE); (ii) accretions concerned with the acceptance of Gentiles and eschatological crisis (60–100 CE); and (iii) accretions which incorporate encratic and hermetic traditions (80–120 CE); see A. D. DeConick, Recovering the Original Gospel of Thomas. A History of the Gospel and Its Growth (Library of New Testament Studies 286; London: T&T Clark, 2005), 55–63 and 153. 60. M. Desjardins and P. Piovanelli are of the opinion that the early Thomas tradition originated from Antioch in Syria between 50–70 CE. Piovanelli understands Edessa to be the final destination of the

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East Syrian milieu may have played an important role in the early reception of the Thomasine tradition.

What is Thomas’ point of view? The first studies of the Gos.Thom. described the text as being “Gnostic,” 61 or tried to show that it could have been written by the Naasenes 62 or even the Valentinians.63 There is currently much scholarly debate surrounding the terms “Gnostic,” “Gnosis,” and “Gnosticism,” 64 calling into question both their tradition, not its origin; see M. Desjardins, “Where was the Gospel of Thomas Written?” Toronto Journal of Theology 8 (1992): 121–33; P. Piovanelli, “Thomas in Edessa? Another Look at the Original Setting of the Gospel of Thomas,” in Myths, Martyrs, and Modernity: Studies in the History of Religions in Honour of Jan N. Bremmer (eds J. Dijkstra, J. Kroesen and Y. Kuiper; Leiden: Brill, 2010), 443–61. 61. For example, see J. Doresse, Les Livres secrets des gnostiques d’Égypte. L’Évangile selon Thomas, ou Les Paroles secrètes de Jésus (Paris: Plon, 1959); R. McL. Wilson, Studies in the Gospel of Thomas (London: A. R. Mowbray, 1960); B. Gärtner, The Theology of the Gospel of Thomas (London: Collins, 1961); E. Haenchen, Die Botschaft des ThomasEvangeliums (Theologische Bibliothek Töpelmann 6; Berlin: Töpelmann, 1961); R. M. Grant and D. N. Freedman, The Secret Sayings of Jesus (Garden City: Doubleday, 1960); H.-C. Puech, En quête de la Gnose 2. Sur l’Évangile selon Thomas. Esquisse d’une interprétation systématique (Bibliothèque des sciences humaines; Paris: Gallimard, 1978). 62. K. Smyth, “Gnosticism in the ‘Gospel according to Thomas’,” Heythrop Journal 1 (1960): 189–98. 63. L. Cerfaux and G. Garitte, “Les paraboles du Royaume dans l’Évangile de Thomas,” Le Muséon 70 (1957): 307–27. 64. For more on this issue, see M. A. Williams, Rethinking ‘Gnosticism’. An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category (Princeton: Princeton

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definitions and the very existence of “Gnosticism.” 65 Given these controversies, why do certain scholars continue to place the Gos.Thom. under this banner? 66 The answer seems to lie in the meanings attached to those terms and the relationships among them. The modern construct called “Gnosticism” actually stems from the negative characterization of certain early Christian groups mentioned in the heresiological catalogues of Irenaeus, Pseudo-Hippolytus, Pseudo-Tertullian, and Epiphanius of Salamis. Scholars now recognize that, in Antiquity, there might never have been an actual religion or a coherent religious movement called “Gnosticism.” However, there existed different religious groups that valued “gnosis” (knowledge) as a means of spiritual progression and salvation; 67 it is in this sense that certain texts could legitimately be labelled

University Press, 1996); K. L. King, What is Gnosticism? (Cambridge; Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2003); A. Marjanen, ed. Was There a Gnostic Religion? (Publications of the Finnish Exegetical Society 87; Helsinki: Finnish Exegetical Society / University of Helsinki, 2005). 65. Even the famous 1966 international colloquium on the origins of Gnosticism did not settle this question; see U. Bianchi, ed. Le Origini dello Gnosticismo: Colloquio di Messina 13-18 Aprile 1966 (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1967). 66. For example, M. Fieger, Das Thomasevangelium, 4, who writes: “. . . das gnostische Denken ist der hermeneutische Schlüssel für das ganze ThEv;” see also, G. Lüdemann, Jesus After 2000 Years. What He Really Said and Did (Amherst: N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 2001), 589. 67. Many scholars are now convinced that a variety of Greco-Roman, Judaic, and Christian religious groups in Antiquity sought out “Gnosis;” see C. Markschies, Gnosis. An Introduction (trans. J. Bowden; London: T&T Clark, 2003).

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as “Gnostic.” Thomas might thus be described as “Gnostic” —recognizing that it emphasizes knowledge—without associating it with what some scholars consider to be a modern construct of “Gnosticism.” According to Thomas, eternal life is attained through the correct interpretation of the hidden sayings of Jesus (Saying 1). Those who engage in a quest for knowledge and discover their secret meanings gain eternal life (Sayings 1, 2, 18, 108). This special value placed on knowledge (gnosis) was important not only for groups mentioned by the heresiologists, but also for writers such as Clement of Alexandria, who even refers to Christians as “Gnostics.” 68 Encratism is another lens through which some scholars view the Gos.Thom.69 They read the encratic ideas into the sayings that seem to promote sexual abstinence (Sayings 16, 22, 23, 55, 79, 101, 114) and voluntary poverty (Sayings 27 and 110). In a similar vein, asceticism has also been used as an interpretative grid for some of the sayings.70 Those sayings 68. See for example, Stromata IV, 21; VII, 1; 3; 7; 8; 11–14. 69. G. Quispel presents this idea in a collection of articles published between 1957 and 1972 in a volume entitled Gnostic Studies II (Uitgaven van het Nederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut te Istanbul 34/2; Istanbul: Nederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut te Istanbul, 1975). A. D. DeConick has adopted some of Quispel’s ideas on this issue. For her, Thomas contains some elements akin to Syrian encratism; see, for example, Recovering the Original Gospel of Thomas. A History of the Gospel and Its Growth (Library of New Testament Studies 286; London: T&T Clark, 2005), 175–94. 70. See R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997) and “Is the Gospel of Thomas Ascetical? Revisiting an Old Problem with a New Theory,” Journal of Early Christian Studies 7 (1999): 55–81; also S. J. Patterson, The Gospel of Thomas and Jesus (Sonoma: CA; Polebridge Press, 1993) and

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imply that the ascetic is expected to experience a transformation of his identity through the various “performances” suggested by the text. Such performances alter the reader and his rapport with the world around him.71 This is why Thomas insists that the disciples abandon certain religious practices deemed unnecessary (Sayings 14, 53, 106), do not worry about food and clothing (Saying 36), renounce power and wealth (Sayings 81, 95, 110), endure persecution (Sayings 68 and 69), love others in the community (Sayings 25 and 26), and hate the members of their own families (Sayings 55 and 101). Still other scholars view Thomas as being rooted in Jewish apocalyptic and wisdom literature. Davies, for example, believes that the Gos.Thom. is not a systematic collection of sayings, but rather a random assemblage of logia used to instruct in the faith newly baptized Christians.72 In Thomas’ sapiential framework, Jesus seems to be presented as both a teacher and a personification of wisdom.73 R. Uro, “Asceticism and Anti-Familial Language in the Gospel of Thomas,” Constructing Early Christian Families. Family as Social Reality and Metaphor. (ed. H. Moxnes; New York: Routledge, 1997), 216–34. 71. According to R. Valantasis: “It must be clear, however, that the Gospel of Thomas does indeed present a recognizable and articulated theology, but both the mode and content of that theology differs from other theological discourses [. . .]. I would characterize this theology as a performative theology whose mode of discourse and whose method of theology revolves about effecting a change in thought and understanding in the readers and hearers (both ancient and modern)” (R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas [New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997], 7). 72. S. L. Davies, The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom (Bardic Press, 2005). 73. T. Zöckler, Jesu Lehren im Thomasevangelium (Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies 47; Leiden: Brill, 1999).

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For A. D. DeConick, the Gos.Thom. has close ties with Jewish mysticism and Greco-Egyptian hermeticism.74 Thomas presents believers as the elect of the Father, who were originally created as luminous beings in the image of God. The fall of Adam caused the loss of humankind’s glorious image, and man can only recover his original state if he embraces encratism. According to DeConick, human beings can regain their pre-lapsarian condition by means of a visio Dei, giving them renewed access to the Kingdom of heaven. S. Patterson’s more recent work has been defending the notion that Thomas should be read in the light of MiddlePlatonic ideas.75 He identifies five significant themes associated with Platonic thought found in Thomas: (1) the gnomic adage “know thyself,” (2) the Platonic anthropology of “mind, soul, body,” (3) the Philonic interpretation of the “image of God,” (4) the symbolism of “light,” and (5) the notion of “motion and rest.” In the end, Patterson does not necessarily think that Thomas is a Middle-Platonic theological text, but rather that it emerged and developed from such a current.

74. A. D. DeConick wrote and edited several books that dealt specifically with this question in relation to the Gos.Thom.; see Voices of the Mystics. Early Christian Discourse in the Gospels of John and Thomas and Other Ancient Christian Literature (London: T&T Clark, 2001); Paradise Now. Essays on Early Jewish and Christian Mysticism (Society of Biblical Literature Symposium Series 11; Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2006). 75. S. Patterson, “Jesus meets Plato: The Theology of the Gospel of Thomas and Middle Platonism,” in Das Thomasevangelium: Entstehung – Rezeption – Theologie (eds J. Frey, E. E. Popkes, and J. Schröter; Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 157; Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2008), 181–205.

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There is no consensus on which interpretative grid one should use in reading Thomas.76 In fact, it is possible to find all of the abovementioned perspectives in the Thomasine gospel. But with such an intricate web of possibilities, one should probably rather try to read Thomas on its own terms and avoid reading into it a worldview which may have been far removed from its author’s concerns.

The Gospel According to Thomas and the New Testament Gospels Scholars have tried to determine whether or not there exists a relationship (direct or indirect) between the Gos.Thom. and the canonical tradition—more specifically with the synoptic gospels—since both contain similar sayings of Jesus. At the present time, there is no clear consensus on this issue. Some specialists favor the idea that Thomas is independent of the New Testament, while others think that the Thomasine tradition borrows material from the canonical gospels. Early on, scholars understood Thomas to be independent of the synoptic tradition, even though it may have been influenced by “synoptic type” sources, such as the Gospel of the Hebrews, the Diatessaron, the Western text of the New Testament, and Pseudo-Clementines.77 Other specialists have argued 76. For more on Thomas scholarship, see C. W. Skinner, What Are They Saying About the Gospel of Thomas? (Mahwah, NJ.: Paulist Press, 2012). 77. See G. Quispel, “The Gospel of Thomas Revisited,” in Colloque International sur les textes de Nag Hammadi (ed. B. Barc; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 1; Québec, Paris, Louvain: Presses de l’université Laval, éditions Peeters, 1981), 218–66. Similarly,

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that the logoi sophon (wisdom sayings) form of Thomas is evidence of the primitiveness of its tradition, making it independent from the synoptic one. They believe that the sapiential character of Jesus’ words as found in the synoptic tradition would have appeared at the beginning of the Christian wisdom tradition, and was not secondary in nature.78 Some scholars argue that the absence of narrative material —as in the Q source—provides another indication of the independence of Thomas and supports the argument that it antedates the canonical gospels.79 Even if Thomas and Q are sometimes viewed as independent from each other, these scholars estimate that both collections might have been written around the same time. This is why Patterson, for

B. Chilton spoke of an indirect dependency of Thomas on the synoptic gospels; B. Chilton, “The Gospel According to Thomas as a Source of Jesus’ Teaching,” Gospel Perspectives 5. The Jesus Tradition Outside the Gospels (ed. D. Wenham; Sheffield: Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Press, 1985), 159–62. 78. For example, Koester understands 1 Corinthians 1-4 and Q to be parallel wisdom traditions in the early Christian communities; see H. Koester, “Apocryphal and Canonical Gospels,” Harvard Theological Review 73 (1980): 105–30. 79. S. L. Davies, The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom (Bardic Press, 2005), 60-61. McLean also believed that Thomas and Q exhibit a primitive form of Jesus’ sayings; see B. H. McLean, “On the Gospel of Thomas and Q,” in The Gospel Behind the Gospels. Current Studies on Q (ed. R. A. Piper; Novum Testamentum Supplement 75; Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1995), 321–45, as well as W. Arnal, “The Rhetoric of Marginality: Apocalypticism, Gnosticism, and Sayings Gospels,” Harvard Theological Review 88 (1995): 471–94, and M. Meyer, Secret Gospels. Essays on Thomas and the Secret Gospel of Mark (New York: Trinity Press, 2003), 6–7.

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example, once referred to the Gos.Thom. as an “autonomous tradition” 80 composed between 70 and 80 CE.81 In some cases, the Gos.Thom. is even understood as a source of the authentic independent sayings of Jesus, which were edited in two stages. It is believed that the first layer, containing all the Thomasine sayings attested also in other independent sources, was edited in Jerusalem under the patronage of James around 50 CE; whereas the second layer, dated to 60–70 CE and incorporating unique material, was completed in Edessa (Syria) under the aegis of Thomas.82

80. This perspective comes as a reaction to the work of Schrage who favored Thomas’ dependency on the synoptic gospels; see S. J. Patterson, The Gospel of Thomas and Jesus (Sonoma: CA; Polebridge Press, 1993), 93; R. Nordsieck, Das Thomas Evangelium (NeukirchenVluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 2004). See also W. Schrage, Das Verhältnis des Thomas-Evangeliums zur synoptischen Tradition und zu den koptischen Evangelienübersetzungen. Zugleich ein Beitrag zur gnostischen Synoptikerdeutung (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 29; Berlin, Töpelman, 1964); also, M. Fieger, Das Thomasevangelium. Einleitung Kommentar und Systematik (NTAbh 22; Münster, Aschendorff, 1991). 81. S. J. Patterson, The Gospel of Thomas and Jesus (Sonoma: CA; Polebridge Press, 1993), 118–20; 158–70. 82. J. D. Crossan, The Historical Jesus.The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant (New York: Harper San Francisco, 1991), 427–28. According to Kaestli, the content of the strata is somewhat arbitrarily determined. There is no reason to favor the chronological precedence of one type of material over another; see J.-D. Kaestli, “L’utilisation de l’évangile de Thomas dans la recherche actuelle sur les paroles de Jésus,” Jésus de Nazareth: nouvelles approches d’une énigme (eds D. Marguerat, E. Norelli and J.-M. Poffet; Monde de la Bible 38; Genève: Labor et Fides, 1998), 384–87.

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However, several scholars defend the idea that Thomas is dependent on the synoptic tradition. In 1964, W. Schrage compared many Thomasine logia with what he considered to be parallels in the Coptic versions of the canonical gospels.83 Scholars have also tried to identify in Thomas specific redactional traits of the canonical gospels84 or to look for verbatim agreements between the P.Oxy. fragments and the Greek New Testament, as proof of either dependency on, or familiarity with, the synoptic gospels.85 Arguments supporting the idea that the original language of Thomas was Greek—counterbalancing the emphasis on total or partial influence of Aramaic or Syriac—also favor its dependence on the synoptic gospels.86 Many also attempt to recapture the original Gos.Thom. by

83. See W. Schrage, Das Verhältnis des Thomas-Evangeliums zur synoptischen Tradition und zu den koptischen Evangelienübersetzungen. Zugleich ein Beitrag zur gnostischen Synoptikerdeutung (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 29; Berlin, Töpelman, 1964), 15. 84. See, for example, M. Fieger, Das Thomasevangelium. Einleitung Kommentar und Systematik NTAbh 22; Münster, Aschendorff, 1991); J.-P. Meier, A Marginal Jew. Rethinking the Historical Jesus.Volume One: The Roots of the Problem and the Person (New York: Doubleday, 1991), 123–39, and more recently, S. J. Gathercole, The Composition of the Gospel of Thomas. Original Language and Influences (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series 151; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012), 168–208. 85. M. Goodacre, Thomas and the Gospels. The Making of an Apocryphal Text (London: SPCK, 2012). 86. For a good review of the various proposals concerning the original language of Thomas, see S. J. Gathercole, The Composition of the Gospel of Thomas. Original Language and Influences (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series 151; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012), 19–23.

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means of retroversion, whereby the Coptic text is translated back into what is believed to have been its Greek equivalent. This exercise can, in fact, be quite useful and shed light on the precise meaning of certain words or expressions.87 But other specialists have been more nuanced in their approach to the relationship between Thomas and the canonical gospels, realizing that there is a genuine “possibility of secondary assimilation to the canonical texts in the course of the history of the transmission of the text of Thomas,” and that scholars need to be aware of “the complexity of the history of the Coptic text of the NT.” 88 The latter problem has been highlighted as a result of Schrage’s comparative work on Thomas and the Coptic versions of the New Testament.89

87. In his commentary, Plisch provides Greek retroversions of most of the Thomasine sayings; see U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008). 88. C. Tuckett, “Thomas and the Synoptics,” Novum Testamentum 30 (1988): 136. In another article, however, Tuckett is critical of this same perspective; see “The Gospel of Thomas: Evidence for Jesus?” New Testament Studies 52 (1998):17–32. For example, the complexity of Greek to Coptic translations of the New Testament has been addressed by C. Askeland, John’s Gospel.The Coptic Translations of Its Greek Text (Arbeiten zur Neutestamentlichen Textforschung, Band 44; Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2012). 89. For J.-É. Ménard, Schrage’s work showed the correspondence between Coptic Thomas and the Coptic gospels, but not with the Greek New Testament. Ménard believed that the final redactor of Thomas aligned his text with that of the Coptic versions of the gospels; see J.-É. Ménard, L’Évangile selon Thomas (Nag Hammadi Studies 5; Leiden: Brill, 1975), 23.

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Reading the Gospel According to Thomas 90 As we have seen, the majority of scholars investigating the Gos.Thom. have been interested in the history of its text. This historical research has certainly been useful in trying to recapture the apocryphon’s sources and milieu, but all too often it leaves aside the interpretation of the text. It might be time for researchers to ask what the text means,91 or at least how ancient readers/audiences could have plausibly interpreted this collection of sayings. The same sentiment was expressed a few years ago by S. Patterson, who wrote: Thomas, interestingly, operates on a heuristic model that might be regarded as thoroughly post-modern: the real meaning of the text resides not in the text itself, but 90. I also presented my approach to Thomas in “Jésus, la lumière et le Père Vivant. Principe de gémellité dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” Apocrypha 23 (2012): 209–21. 91. P. Sellew addressed the same issue several years ago, “I suggest that we should now seek literary questions and literary answers about the Gospel of Thomas. [. . .] The text obviously must have meant something, [. . .] perhaps the arrangement or sequence of statements and groups of statements does indeed convey meaning, though not necessarily the sort of meaning that we see even in other gospel sayings or in wisdom books. To explore this possibility requires adopting a more literary sensibility, a focusing of attention on reading the text in its own terms, searching out its hermeneutical soteriology. The task is difficult, and the meanings provided by stark juxtapositions are not always obvious. Perhaps that obscurity is part of the point.” (P. Sellew, “The Gospel of Thomas: Prospects for Future Research,” in  The Nag Hammadi Library After Fifty Years. Proceedings of the 1995 Society of Biblical Literature Commemoration [eds J. D. Turner and A McGuire; Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies 44; Leiden: Brill, 1997], 335).

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in the reader, the seeker after wisdom and insight. [. . .] When the implied author indicates that the meaning of the text will not be obvious, our approach must be completely different. Interpreting Thomas must be a matter not of disclosing the intended meaning of the implied author, but rather, exploring the possibilities of meaning that a particular saying might hold for an ancient reader / hearer. [. . .] One should probably assume that the author, or more properly, the collector, is content not to give the seeker too much of an agenda, but to leave more room for thought.92 Our introduction to Thomas seeks to read the text in a similar way. The focus will be broad, encompassing the Thomasine sayings as a whole, and mainly synchronic.93 This approach will, nevertheless, allow for some references to the canonical and non-canonical traditions so the readers may compare them with Thomas. Likewise, certain translational issues will also be discussed as well as the way certain clusters of sayings are structured.94 92. See S. Patterson, “The Gospel of Thomas and Historical Jesus Research,” in Coptica–Gnostica–Manichaica. Mélanges offerts à WolfPeter Funk (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 7; Québec, Louvain, Paris: Presses de l’université Laval, Peeters, 2006), 680. 93. One of the first scholars to emphasize the need to read Thomas from a synchronic perspective was J.-M. Sevrin; see “Un groupement de trois paraboles contre les richesses dans l’Évangile selon Thomas. EvTh 63, 64, 65,” in Les Paraboles évangéliques. Perspectives nouvelles. XII e Congrès de l’ACFEB, Lyon 1987 (ed. J. Delorme; Lectio Divina 135; Paris: Cerf, 1989), 425–39. 94. An interesting proposal concerning the way Thomas is structured as a text can be found in A. Pasquier and F. Vouga, “Le genre littéraire et la structure argumentative de l’Évangile selon Thomas et leurs implications

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The opening lines of the Gos.Thom. invite readers on a quest to find the interpretation of the secret sayings of Jesus. Thomas may be much more than a disorganized collection of sayings, loosely connected by catchwords. The implied author/ compiler could have purposefully arranged the material in a way that made sense to him, and the reader’s goal is to uncover the relationship or internal consistency between the sayings of the collection.95 If one assumes purpose in the structure of the work, then what at first sight appears to be disorderly, may in fact function as a pedagogical tool for teaching secret wisdom. It is quite possible to understand the Gos.Thom. as a group of enigmatic sayings which, collectively, lead to salvific knowledge.96 Such a quest takes the reader on a journey across christologiques,” in Colloque international ‘L’Évangile selon Thomas et les textes de Nag Hammadi’ Québec 21-31 mai 2003 (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 8; Québec, Louvain, Paris: Presses de l’université Laval, Peeters, 2007), 335–62. 95. See J.-M. Sevrin, “L’interprétation de l’Évangile selon Thomas, entre tradition et rédaction,” in The Nag Hammadi Library After Fifty Years. Proceedings of the 1995 Society of Biblical Literature Commemoration (eds J. D. Turner and A McGuire; Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies 44; Leiden: Brill, 1997), 353–58, and “ ‘Ce que l’œil n’a pas vu. . .’ 1 Co 2,9 comme parole de Jésus,” in Lectures et relectures de la Bible. Festschrift P.-M. Bogaert (eds J.-M. Auwers and A. Wénin; Bibliotheca Ephermeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium 144; Leuven: University Press, Peeters, 1999), 314–15. A similar perspective is found in R. Valantasis’ commentary, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 24–27. 96. In a way, this is similar to what J. S. Kloppenborg said about Thomas as exhibiting a kind of “hermeneutics of penetration;” see The Formation of Q: Trajectories in Ancient Wisdom Collections (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987), 305–6; also J.-M. Sevrin, “Remarque sur le

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different themes that need to be correctly liaised with each other. For example, it is sometimes possible to detect a chain of themes that link individual sayings into a group; at other times, the interpretation of the text unfolds in successive sequences, as one saying cascades into another. There is always the impression that one is constantly running after the elusive meaning. Readers are thus required to decipher a complex network of themes and then to participate in the construction of the text’s overall meaning.97 To find the interpretation of Jesus’ words, the reader must establish a network of meanings by following up a number of intra-textual references. The pedagogical function of writing is well attested in Antiquity. In his Stromata, for example, Clement of Alexandria compares scripture to a veil.98 He insists that the activity of interpretation is tedious and that it requires a lot of work. genre littéraire de l’Évangile selon Thomas (II,2),” in Les Textes de Nag Hammadi et le problème de leur classification. Actes du colloque tenu à Québec du 15 au 19 septembre 1993 (eds L. Painchaud and A. Pasquier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 3; Québec, Louvain: Presses de l’université Laval, Peeters, 1995), 272–78 and “Thomas, Q et le Jésus de l’histoire,” in The Sayings Source Q and the Historical Jesus (ed. A. Lindemann; Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium 158; Leuven: University Press, Peeters, 2001), 463 and 469. 97. I have developed this idea in an article entitled: “Connaissance, identité et androgynéité. Conditions du salut dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” in Pratiques et constructions du corps en christianisme (eds M. Allard, D. Couture and J.-G. Nadeau; Héritage et Projet 75; Montréal: Fides, 2009), 131–47. 98. For more details concerning Scripture functionning as a veil, see A. Le Boulluec, “Voile et ornement : le texte et l’addition de sens selon Clément d’Alexandrie,” in Questions de sens. Homère, Eschyle, Sophocle, Aristote,Virgile, Apulée, Clément (ed. P. Salat; Études de littérature ancienne 2; Paris: Presses de l’École normale supérieure,

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That is why only true Gnostic Christians can unravel the mystery of God’s divine secrets. Clement also asserts that the nature of his own writing is difficult to understand: It is written, ‘There is nothing secret which shall not be revealed, nor hidden which shall not be disclosed,’ let him also hear from us, that to him who hears secretly, even what is secret shall be manifested. This is what was predicted by this oracle. And to him who is able secretly to observe what is delivered to him, that which is veiled shall be disclosed as truth; and what is hidden to the many, shall appear manifest to the few. [. . .] Some things my treatise will hint; on some it will linger; some it will merely mention. It will try to speak imperceptibly, to exhibit secretly, and to demonstrate silently. [. . .] For I do not mention that the Stromata, forming a body of varied erudition, wish artfully to conceal the seeds of knowledge. As, then, he who is fond of hunting captures the game after seeking, tracking, scenting, hunting it down with dogs; so truth, when sought and got with toil, appears a delicious thing.99  In some ways, the Gos.Thom. is similar to Clement’s Stromata; it is patchwork of teachings in the form of Jesus’ sayings that the reader needs to decode in order to access the hidden meaning of the text. So let us now turn our attention to the secret sayings of the Gos.Thom. and try to uncover its possible meaning(s).

1982), 53–64. This article is also reproduced in Alexandrie antique et médiévale. Clément et Origène, deuxième édition revue et augmentée (Collection des études augustiniennes. Série Antiquité [EAA 178]; Paris: Institut d’études augustiniennes, 2006). 99. Stromata I 1.13.3; 1.15.1; 2.20-21.

The Gospel According to Thomas English Translation of the Coptic Text Incipit These are the hidden sayings 1 which the living Jesus 2 spoke and which Didymus 3 Judas Thomas wrote down.

Saying 1 And he said: Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death.4

Saying 2 Jesus said: He who seeks, let him not stop seeking until he

1. This can also be translated as “secret sayings.” 2. A title attributed to the resurrected Jesus in Luke 24:5; here, however, Jesus is to be understood as living through his words. 3. In the Greek language, the name “Didymus” means “twin.” It is therefore possible to translate the Coptic text as “Judas Thomas, the twin.” See the “Introduction” for differences with P.Oxy. 654.1–5. 4. This is an idiomatic expression meaning “will not die” or “will not experience death”; it is also found in Sayings 18, 19, 85 and 111.

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finds, and when he finds, he will be troubled; being troubled, he will be rendered speechless 5 and will rule over all things.6

Saying 3 Jesus said: If your (pl.) 7 leaders 8 say to you, ‘Look, the Kingdom is in heaven,’ then the birds of heaven will precede you; if they say to you, ‘It is in the sea,’ then the fish will precede you. But the Kingdom is inside you, and it is outside of you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are the sons of the living Father.9 But if you do not know yourselves, then you dwell in poverty, and you are poverty.

5. Literally, “astounded,” “amazed,” or “astonished.” This state of being corresponds to Thomas’ own revelatory experience as described in Saying 13. 6. This could also be translated as “the All,” a technical term referring to the Pleroma or the divine realm. This saying is also found in two quotations from the Gospel of the Hebrews by Clement of Alexandria (Stromata 2.45.5; 5.96.3), as well as in the Book of Thomas (140.1–141.3; 145.10–16). See the “Introduction” for differences with P.Oxy 654.5–9. 7. The abbreviation “(pl.)” means that the preceding term is grammatically plural; the remainder of the second person pronouns should therefore be understood as plurals, unless indicated otherwise. 8. Saying 3 should be read jointly with Saying 113. See the “Introduction” for discussion of P.Oxy. 654.9–17. 9. The phrase could also be translated as “the children of the living Father.”

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Saying 4 Jesus said: The old man 10 will not hesitate to question a little child seven days old about the place of life, and he will live. For many who are first will be last, and they will become one and the same.11

Saying 5 Jesus said: Know what is in front of your face, and that which is hidden from you will be revealed to you. For there is nothing hidden that will not be manifest.12

Saying 6 His disciples questioned him and said to him: Do you want us to fast? How are we to pray and give alms? What diet are we to follow? 13 Jesus said: Do not lie, and do not do what you (pl.) hate, for all things are revealed in the face of heaven.14 For there is nothing hidden that will not become manifest, and there is nothing covered that will not be revealed.

10. Literally, “the man old in days.” 11. See the “Introduction” for comparison with P.Oxy. 654.21–27. 12. This saying is quoted in the Manichaean Kephalaia 65 163.28–29: “Know what exists in front of you and that which is hidden from you will be revealed to you.” See the “Introduction” for differences with P.Oxy. 654.27–31. 13. The answers to the disciples’ questions are given by Jesus at the beginning of Saying 14. These questions and answers form an inclusio, framing similar material at the beginning and at the end of Sayings 6 and 14. 14. Some scholars correct the word “heaven” in the Coptic text and replace it with the word “truth,” a variant from P.Oxy. 654.38.

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Saying 7 Jesus said: Blessed is the lion which the man will eat; the lion becomes a man. Abominable is the man whom the lion will eat; the lion will become a man.15

Saying 8 And he said: The man is like a wise fisherman who threw his net into the sea. He pulled it up from the sea filled with little fish. Among them, the wise fisherman found a good large fish. He threw all the little fish back into the sea; 16 he chose the large fish without difficulty. He who has ears to listen, let him listen!

Saying 9 Jesus said: Look, a sower went out; he filled his hand (with seeds); he threw (them). Some fell on the road; the birds came and gathered them. Others fell on the rock; they did not take root down in the soil and did not sprout up 17 ears of grain to heaven. Others fell on thorns; they choked the seeds and the worms ate them. Others fell on good soil; it gave good fruit up into heaven.18 It sustained sixty per measure and one hundred and twenty per measure.

15. Several scholars prefer correcting the text as follows: “the man will become a lion.” 16. A similar parable is found in Matthew 13:47–48 and Clement of Alexandria, Stromata 6.95.3. 17. The verb here means to “send forth” or “produce” and is to be understood as “shooting up” or “sprouting up” to heaven. 18. Most other translations fail to translate the phrase “into heaven;” some exceptions are Ménard (1975) and Sevrin (2007).

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Saying 10 Jesus said: I have cast 19 a fire upon the world, and look, I am keeping it until it is illuminated.20

Saying 11 Jesus said: This heaven will pass away, and the one 21 above it will pass away, and those who are dead are not alive and those who are living will not die. The days when you (pl.) ate what was dead, you made it alive. When you will be in the light, what will you do? On the day you were one, you made two. However, when you become two, what will you do? 22

Saying 12 The disciples said: We know that you will leave us. Who will be great over us? Jesus said to them: From the place where you (pl.) will have come, you will go to James the righteous, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being.23

19. The verb “to throw” serves as a structuring element and catchword in Sayings 8-10. 20. In the Coptic text, either the fire or the world can be illuminated. There is a parallel saying in Luke 12:49. 21. The antecedent of the Coptic feminine substantivized relative pronoun is the feminine noun “heaven;” consequently, “the one” refers to another heaven above “this heaven.” 22. The move from one into two is understood negatively, since unity and singularity are valued against multiplicity. 23. James the righteous is portrayed as the leader of the Judean Christian community of Jerusalem.

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Saying 13 Jesus said to his disciples: Compare me; tell me whom I am like. Simon Peter said to him: You are like a righteous messenger. Matthew said to him: You are like a wise philosopher. Thomas said to him: Master, my mouth will utterly not accept that I say whom you are like. Jesus said: I am not your master. Because you drank, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring which I have measured out. And he took him, withdrew, and told him three words. When Thomas returned to his companions, they asked him: What did he say to you? Thomas said to them: If I tell you (pl.) one of the words that he had said to me, you will take up stones and throw them at me, and a fire will come out of the stones and burn you up.

Saying 14 Jesus said to them: If you (pl.) fast, you will bring forth sin upon yourselves; if you pray, you will be condemned; if you give alms, you will do harm to your spirits.24 If you go into any land and walk in the regions, if they receive you, eat what they will place before you. Heal the sick among them. For it is not what enters your mouth that will defile you; rather, it is what comes out of your mouth that will defile you.

24. The answers given by Jesus at the beginning of this saying form an inclusio with the disciples’ questions about fasting, prayer and giving alms in Saying 6.

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Saying 15 Jesus said: When you (pl.) see the one who was not born of the woman, fall on your faces, worship him; that one is your Father.

Saying 16 Jesus said: Perhaps men think that I have come to cast peace upon the world, and they do not know that I have come to cast some division upon the world; fire, sword, war. For there will be five in a house; there will be three against two, and two against three; the father against the son, and the son against the father. They will stand 25 as solitaries.

Saying 17 Jesus said: I will give you (pl.) what eye has not seen, what ear has not heard, what hand has not touched, and has not come up to the heart of man.26

Saying 18 The disciples said to Jesus: Tell us how our end will be. Jesus said: Since you (pl.) are asking about the end, you have, therefore, uncovered the beginning! For where the beginning is, there will be the end. Blessed is he who will stand in the beginning: he will know the end and will not taste death. 25. The action of standing or establishing oneself is recurrent in the Gos.Thom.; see Sayings 16, 18, 23, 28, 50. 26. This is a famous saying, often presented with slight variations; for example, see Isaiah 64:4; Pseudo-Philo, Biblical Antiquities 26:13; 1 Corinthians 2:9; 1 John 1:1; 2 Clement 11:7; Prayer of the Apostle Paul A 26–35; Dialogue of the Savior 57. The “hand” is mentioned only in 1 John 1:1.

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Saying 19 Jesus said: Blessed is he who existed before he came into existence. If you (pl.) will be my disciples, listen to my words; these stones will serve you. For you have five trees in paradise, which do not move in summer and winter; and their leaves do not fall. He who will know them will not taste death.27

Saying 20 The disciples said to Jesus: Tell us what the Kingdom of heaven is like. He said to them: It is like a grain of mustard, smallest of all seeds; but when it falls on cultivated ground, it produces a large branch; it becomes a shelter for the birds of the sky.

Saying 21 Mary said to Jesus: Who are your disciples like? He said: They are like slaves who occupy a field that is not theirs. When the owners of the field come, they will say; ‘Give us back our field.’ They strip-off their clothes in their presence to cause them to leave it to them, to give their field to them.28 This is why I say, if the owner of a house knows that the robber is coming, he will be alert before he comes and will not let him dig into the house of his kingdom to take his belongings. You (pl.), therefore, be alert against the world. Arm yourselves with great strength, so that the thieves do not find a way to come to you; otherwise, the stress you are

27. The catchword makarios (blessed) serves to connect Sayings 18 and 19. 28. The relationship between the personal pronouns and nouns in the first parable is difficult to resolve. See the “Commentary” for more details.

Translation

51

expecting will be found. May there be an intelligent man among you! When the fruit was ripe, he came in a hurry with his sickle in his hand and reaped it. He who has ears to listen, let him listen!

Saying 22 Jesus saw little ones suckling. He said to his disciples: These little ones who suckle are like those who enter the Kingdom. They said to him: Shall we, then, enter the Kingdom as little ones? 29 Jesus said to them: 30 When you (pl.) make two into one, and when you make the inside as the outside, and the outside as the inside, and the above as the below, so that you make the male and the female a single one; that the male not be male, and the female not 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 in [the Kingdom].31

Saying 23 Jesus said: I will choose you, one from a thousand and two from ten-thousand, and they will stand as a single one.

29. For parallels, see Matthew 18:1–5; Mark 9:33-37 and Luke 9:46– 48, as well as Matthew 19:13–15; Mark 10:13–15 and Luke 18:15–17. 30. Part of Jesus’ answer is quoted in the Gospel of the Egyptians (Stromata 3.92.2) and 2 Clement 12:2. 31. Brackets are used to indicate reconstructed words in damaged portions in the manscript.

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Saying 24 His disciples said: Teach us about the place where you are, for it is necessary for us to seek it. He said to them: He who has ears to listen, let him listen! There is light inside a man of light, and he shines on the entire world. If he does not shine, it is darkness.32

Saying 25 Jesus said: Love your brother like your life; protect him like the pupil of your eye.

Saying 26 Jesus said: You see the mote of straw in your brother’s eye, but you do not see the beam of wood in your eye! When you cast out the beam of wood from your eye, then you will be able to see (and) to cast out the mote of straw from your brother’s eye.33

Saying 27 If you (pl.) do not abstain from the world, you will not find the Kingdom. If you do not make the Sabbath a Sabbath,34 you will not see the Father.

32. See the “Introduction” for comments on the fragmentary nature of P.Oxy. 655 (d). 33. See the “Introduction” for a comparison with P.Oxy. 1.1–4. 34. See the “Introduction” and the “Commentary” on the various ways to interpret the phrase “make the Sabbath a Sabbath,” as well as on the differences between the Coptic text and P.Oxy. 1.4–11.

Translation

53

Saying 28 Jesus said: I stood in the midst of the world, and I was manifest to them in the flesh. I found all of them drunk; I found none of them thirsting. My soul was in pain for the sons of men, for they are blind in their heart and they do not see. For they came empty into the world; as well, empty they seek to come out of the world. But now they are drunk. When they shake off their wine, then they will repent.35

Saying 29 Jesus said: It is amazing that the flesh came into being because of the spirit! It is amazingly amazing that the spirit (came into being) because of the body! But me, I am amazed at this: how this great wealth has come to dwell in this poverty.36

Saying 30 Jesus said: Where there are three gods, they are gods. Where there are two or one, I am with him.37

Saying 31 Jesus said: A prophet is not received in his town; a doctor does not heal those who know him.38

35. See the “Introduction” for a comparison with P.Oxy. 1.11–21. 36. For a trace of Saying 29 in P.Oxy. 1.22, see the “Introduction.” 37. The Greek text conflates the content of Saying 30 with the last part of Saying 77; see the “Introduction” for differences between P.Oxy. 1.23–30 and the Coptic version. 38. For a discussion on P.Oxy. 1.30–35, see the “Introduction.”

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Saying 32 Jesus said: A city built on a high mountain, fortified, cannot fall nor can it be hidden.39

Saying 33 Jesus said: That which you will hear in your ear, in the other ear proclaim it on your (pl.) rooftops. For no one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel basket, nor puts it in a hidden place. He rather puts it on a lamp-stand, so that everyone who goes in and comes out will see its light.40

Saying 34 Jesus said: If a blind leads a blind, they both fall into a pit.

Saying 35 Jesus said: It is impossible for someone to enter the house of the strong and take it by force, unless he binds his hands, then he will plunder his house.

Saying 36 Jesus said: Do not worry from morning to evening and from evening to morning about what you (pl.) will wear.41

39. This saying is similar to Matthew 5:14. See the “Introduction” for details on P.Oxy. 1.36–41. 40. For a brief discussion of the Greek fragment in P.Oxy. 1.41–43, see the “Introduction.” 41. A longer version of this saying is found in Matthew 6:25 and Luke 12:22. See also the “Introduction” for the differences between the Coptic version and P.Oxy. 655 col. i. 1–17.

Translation

55

Saying 37 His disciples said: On what day will you appear to us and on what day will we see you? Jesus said: When you (pl.) will strip-off your shame, and take your clothes, put them under your feet like little children, trample on them, then [you will see] the son of the Living One and you will not be afraid.42

Saying 38 Jesus said: Many times you (pl.) desired to listen to these words which I speak to you, and you have none other from whom to hear them.43 There will be days when you will seek me; you will not find me.44

Saying 39 Jesus said: The Pharisees and the scribes took the keys of knowledge 45 (and) hid them. They did not enter and prevented those who wished to enter. You (pl.), however, be shrewd as serpents and pure as doves.46

Saying 40 Jesus said: A grapevine was planted outside of the Father, and since it is not sturdy, it will be plucked out by its roots and destroyed.

42. For a comparison with P.Oxy. 655 col. i. 17—col. ii. 1, see the “Introduction.” 43. The first part of this saying is also quoted by Matthew (13:17) and by Luke (10:24). 44. P.Oxy. 655 col. ii 2–11 is so badly damaged that it is practically impossible to restore its content; see the “Introduction.” 45. Cf. Luke 11:52 and Matthew 23:13. 46. See the “Introduction” for comments on P.Oxy. 655 col. ii 11–23.

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Saying 41 Jesus said: He who has in his hand, it will be given to him; and he who does not have, even the little that he has will be taken from his hand.

Saying 42 Jesus said: Be passers-by.47

Saying 43 His disciples said to him: Who are you to say these things to us? From what I say to you (pl.), do you not realize who I am? But you have become like the Judeans, for they love the tree, (but) hate the fruit; or they love the fruit, (but) hate the tree.48

Saying 44 Jesus said: He who blasphemes the Father shall be forgiven, and he who speaks against the Son shall be forgiven; but he who blasphemes the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven, neither on earth nor in heaven.

Saying 45 Jesus said: Grapes are not harvested from a thorn tree, nor are figs from thistles, [for] they do not give fruit. [A good] man brings out good from his treasure; an [evil] man brings

47. This is the shortest saying in the collection; see the “Commentary” for more details. 48. For similarities with the Johannine tradition, see John 8:25 and 14:9. References to the tree and the fruit, the criticism of Jesus by the Judeans, and the believer’s ethical way of life are also present in Matthew 7:17-18; 12:33, and Luke 6:43.

Translation

57

out wicked things from his bad treasure which is in his heart, and he speaks wicked things. For out of the abundance of the heart, he brings out wicked things.

Saying 46 Jesus said: From Adam to John the Baptist, among those born of women, there is none more elevated than John the Baptist,49 so that his eyes should not be broken.50 But I said, ‘He among you (pl.) who becomes little, he will know the Kingdom and will be elevated above John.’

Saying 47 Jesus said: It is impossible for a man to mount two horses and stretch two bows, and it is impossible for a servant to serve two masters or he will honor one and act insolently toward the other. No man drinks old wine and immediately desires to drink new wine; and new wine is not poured into old wineskins, because they might burst, and old wine is not poured into (a) new wineskin, because it might lose it. An old patch is not sewn on a new garment, because there would be a tear.

Saying 48 Jesus said: If two make peace with each other in this one house, they will say to the mountain, ‘Move out!’ and it will move.

49. Cf. Matthew 11:11 and Luke 7:28. 50. See the “Commentary” on Saying 46 for the meaning of this phrase.

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Saying 49 Jesus said: Blessed are the solitary and the elect, for you (pl.) will find the Kingdom. For you are from it; you will return there.

Saying 50 Jesus said: If they say to you (pl.), ‘Where are you from?’ say to them, ‘We came from the light, the place where the light came into being by itself, established [itself], and it appeared in their image.’ If they say to you, ‘Is it you?’ say, ‘We are its sons and 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 a movement and a rest.’ 51

Saying 51 His disciples said to him: On what day will the rest of the dead be, and on what day will the new world come? He said to them: That for which you (pl.) are looking has come, but you do not know it.

Saying 52 His disciples said to him: Twenty-four prophets have spoken in Israel,52 and they all spoke in you. He said to them: You (pl.) have renounced the Living One in your presence, and you have spoken concerning those who are dead.

51. This series of questions is similar to the one in 1 Apocalypse of James 3:33.11–34.20. 52. This could be a reference to the number of books in the Hebrew Bible as understood in 2 Esdras 14:45.

Translation

59

Saying 53 His disciples said to him: Is circumcision advantageous to us or not? He said to them: If it were advantageous, their father would beget them circumcised from their mother. But the true circumcision in spirit has become completely profitable.53

Saying 54 Jesus said: Blessed are the poor, for the Kingdom of heaven is yours (pl.).

Saying 55 Jesus said: He who does not hate his father and his mother cannot be a disciple to me; he who does not hate his brothers and his sisters, and does not carry his cross like me, will not be worthy of me.

Saying 56 Jesus said: He who has known the world has found a cadaver; he who has found a cadaver, the world is not worthy of him.

Saying 57 Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a man who had [good] seed. His enemy came in the night, sowed weed among the good seed. The man did not let them pluck out the weed. He said to them, ‘Lest (while) you go to pluck out the weed, you pluck out the grain with it.’ For on the day of the harvest, the weeds will be manifest, plucked out, (and) burned.

53. This saying is comparable to Romans 2:25–26.

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Saying 58 Jesus said: Blessed is the man who has toiled; he has found life.

Saying 59 Jesus said: Look for the Living One while you (pl.) are alive, for fear that you die and seek to see him, and you are not able to see (him).

Saying 60 A Samaritan carried a lamb as he went into Judea. He said to his disciples: (What will) he (do) with the lamb? They said to him: Kill it and eat it. He said to them: As long as it is alive, he will not eat it, but if he kills it, it becomes a cadaver. They said: No other way can he do it. He said to them: You (pl.) too seek a place of rest for yourselves, so that you might not become cadavers and be eaten.

Saying 61 Jesus said: Two will rest on a bed; one will die, one will live. Salome said: Who are you, man? You climbed on my bed and ate at my table as a stranger. Jesus said to her: I am he who comes forth from the one who is undivided. I was given some of the things of my Father. I am your disciple. Therefore, I say, ‘When he becomes equal, he will be full of light; but when he is divided, he will be full of darkness.’

Translation

61

Saying 62 Jesus said: I tell my mysteries to those [who are worthy of my] mysteries. That which your right (hand) will do, let not your left (hand) realize what it does.

Saying 63 Jesus said: There was a wealthy man who had many goods. He said, ‘I will make use of my goods so that I may sow, reap, plant, fill my storehouse with fruit so that I may lack nothing.’ These were the things he was thinking in his heart, and on that night, he died. He who has ears to listen, let him listen!

Saying 64 Jesus said: A man had guests, and when he had prepared dinner, he sent his slave to invite the guests. He went to the first, said to him, ‘My master invites you.’ He said, ‘I have money with merchants, they are coming to me in the evening. I will go and give them orders. Excuse me from the dinner.’ He went to another, said to him, ‘My master has invited you.’ He said to him, ‘I purchased a house, and I am requested for a day. I will not have time.’ He came to another, said to him, ‘My master invites you.’ He said to him, ‘My friend is going to get married, and I am the one who will make the dinner. I cannot come. Excuse me from the dinner.’ He went to another one, said to him, ‘My master invites you.’ He said to him, ‘I purchased a small village; 54 I am going to collect taxes. I cannot come. Excuse me from the dinner.’ The slave came to his master and said, ‘Those whom you invited to the dinner have excused themselves.’ The master said to his slave, ‘Go outside to the roads. Those you will find, bring them so that

54. The word can mean “estate” or “domain.”

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they may dine. Buyers and salesmen [will] not [enter] the places of my Father.’

Saying 65 Jesus said: A [. . .]55 had a vineyard; he gave it to farmers that they might work on it, (and) he might receive its fruit from them. He sent his slave so that the farmers might give him the fruit of the vineyard. They took hold of his slave; they beat (and) nearly killed him. The slave went (and) told his master. His master said, ‘Maybe he did not recognize them.’ He sent another slave; the farmers beat the other one (also). Then, the master sent his son. He said, ‘Maybe they will respect my son.’ These farmers, when they realized that he was the heir of the vineyard, seized him (and) murdered him. He who has ears to listen, let him listen!

Saying 66 Jesus said: Show me the stone that the builders have rejected; it is the cornerstone.

Saying 67 Jesus said: He who knows all (but) lacks (the knowledge of) himself, lacks everything.

Saying 68 Jesus said: Blessed are you (pl.) when you are hated (and) persecuted, and they will find no place where they have persecuted you.

55. Scholars have filled the lacuna with either “good person” or “usurer.”

Translation

63

Saying 69 Jesus said: Blessed are those who have been persecuted in their heart, they are those who have truly known the Father. Blessed are those who are hungry, so that the belly of him who wishes will be satisfied.

Saying 70 Jesus said: When you (pl.) bring forth that which is in you, that which you have will save you. (But) if you do not have this in [you], that which you do not have in you [will] kill you.

Saying 71 Jesus said: I will [tear down this] house and no one will be able to build it [. . .].

Saying 72 A [. . .] 56 said to him: Tell my brothers they have to divide my father’s assets with me. He said to him: O man, who made me a divider? He turned to his disciples (and) said to them: I am not a divider, am I?

Saying 73 Jesus said: The harvest is indeed abundant, but there are few workers. Entreat the Lord to send out workers to the harvest.

Saying 74 He said: Lord, there are many around the well, but there is no one in the .

56. Most probably: “A man said to him. . .”

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Saying 75 Jesus said: There are many standing at the door, but the solitary will enter the bridal chamber.

Saying 76 Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a salesman who had merchandise (and) found a pearl. That salesman was wise; he sold his merchandise and bought for himself that unique pearl. You, too, seek for his treasure which does not perish, which endures; the place where no moth approaches to eat, nor a worm to destroy.

Saying 77 Jesus said: I am the light which is above all of them. I am the All. The All came out of me and the All reached me. Split a piece of wood, I am there; lift the rock, and you (pl.) will find me there.57

Saying 78 Jesus said: Why did you (pl.) come out to the countryside? To see a reed stirred by the wind, and to see a man wearing fine clothes [like your] kings and magnates? They are the ones who wear fine clothes, and they [will] not be able to know the truth.

Saying 79 A woman in the crowd said to him: Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts that fed you. He said to [her]:

57. P.Oxy. 1.23–30 contains Saying 30 and the end of Saying 77; see “Introduction” for more details.

Translation

65

Blessed are those who have heard the word of the Father (and) have retained it in truth. For there will be days when you (pl.) will say, ‘Blessed is this womb that has not conceived, and these breasts that have not given milk.’

Saying 80 Jesus said: He who has known the world has found the body, but he who has found the body, the world is not worthy of him.58

Saying 81 Jesus said: He who has become rich, let him reign, and he who has power, let him renounce (it).59

Saying 82 Jesus said: He who is near me is near the fire, and he is who is far from me is far from the Kingdom.60

Saying 83 Jesus said: The images are manifest to man, and the light, which is in them, is hidden. In the image of the light of the Father, it will be revealed, but his image is hidden by his light.

Saying 84 Jesus said: The days you (pl.) see your likeness, you rejoice, but when you see your images which came into being before your origin, which neither die nor are manifest, how much will you endure? 58. Cf. Saying 56. 59. Cf. Sayings 56, 80, and 110. 60. For other uses of “fire,” see Sayings 10, 13, and 16.

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Saying 85 Jesus said: Adam came from a great power and a great wealth, and he was not worthy of you, for if he had been worthy, [he would] not [have tasted] death.61

Saying 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.

Saying 87 Jesus said: Miserable is the body which hangs 62 on a body, and miserable is a soul which hangs on these two.

Saying 88 Jesus said: The messengers and prophets are coming to you (pl.), and they will give you what you have; and you, too, give them what is in your hands (and) say to yourselves, ‘On what day will they come and take what is theirs?’

Saying 89 Jesus said: Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Do you not understand that the one who made the inside is also the one who made the outside?

Saying 90 Jesus said: Come to me for my yoke is mild and my lordship is gentle, and you (pl.) will find rest for yourselves.

61. One could also translate: “would not have died” or “would not have experienced death.” 62. See also Saying 112.

Translation

67

Saying 91 They said to him: Tell us who you are that we may believe in you. He said to them: You (pl.) assess the face of the sky and of the earth, and you did not recognize the one who is before you and do not know how to assess this moment!

Saying 92 Jesus said: Seek and you (pl.) will find, but the things you asked me in those days, I did not tell you at that time; now I am willing to tell them (to you), but you do not seek them.

Saying 93 Do not give what is holy to the dogs, for fear they cast it on the dunghill; do not cast the pearls [to] swine, for fear they make it [. . .].

Saying 94 Jesus said: He who seeks will find, [he who knocks], it will be opened to him.

Saying 95 [Jesus said:] If you (pl.) have money, do not lend it with interest, but give [it] to him from whom you will not get it back.

Saying 96 Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a woman. She took a little leaven, [hid] it in dough (and) she made it into large loaves of bread. He who has ears to listen, let him listen!

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Saying 97 Jesus said: The Kingdom of the [Father] is like a woman carrying a jar full of ground grain. As she was walking [on a] distant road, the handle of the jar broke (and) the ground grain spilled behind her [on] the road. She did not realize it; she did not know how to labour. When she reached her house, she put down the jar (and) found it empty.

Saying 98 Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a man who wanted to kill a magnate. He drew his sword in his own house and thrust it in the wall to know that he could rely on his hand. He then slaughtered the magnate.

Saying 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, these are my brothers and my mother. They are the ones who will enter the Kingdom of my Father.

Saying 100 They showed Jesus a gold piece and they said to him: Caesar’s people extort taxes from us. Jesus said to them: Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s, and what is mine, give it to me.

Saying 101 He who does [not] hate his [father] and his mother like me cannot be a [disciple to] me, and he who does not love [his Father and] his Mother like me cannot be [a disciple to] me. For my mother [. . .], but [my] true [Mother] gave me life.

Translation

69

Saying 102 Jesus said: Woe to them, the Pharisees, for they are like a dog lying in the manger of oxen. For neither does he eat, [nor] does he [let] the oxen eat.63

Saying 103 Jesus said: Blessed is the man who knows [from where] the thieves are coming, so that [he] may rise and gather his [kingdom], and arm himself before they come in.

Saying 104 They said [to him]: Come, let us pray and fast today. Jesus said: What sin have I committed or in what have I been overcome? But when the bridegroom comes out from the bridal chamber, then let them fast and pray.

Saying 105 Jesus said: Whoever knows the Father and the Mother will be called the son of a prostitute.

Saying 106 Jesus said: When you (pl.) make two into one, you will become sons of man, and when you say, ‘Mountain, move out!’ it will move out.

Saying 107 Jesus said: The Kingdom is like a shepherd who had one hundred sheep. One of them went astray; it was the largest. He left (the) ninety-nine, sought after that one until he found

63. The lesson is similar to that of Saying 39.

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it. After he had toiled, he said to that sheep, ‘I love you more than the ninety-nine.’

Saying 108 Jesus said: He who will drink from my mouth will become like me. I myself will become he, and the hidden things will be revealed to him.

Saying 109 Jesus said: The Kingdom is like a man who unknowingly had a [hidden] treasure in his field, and [after] his death, he left it to his [son]. The son was unaware. He took the field and gave [it, and he] who acquired it came (and), while he was plowing, [he found] the treasure. He began lending money with interest to those he wished.

Saying 110 Jesus said: He who has found the world (and) became rich, let him renounce the world.64

Saying 111 Jesus said: The heavens and the earth will be rolled-up in your presence, and he who lives from the Living One will not see death. Does not Jesus say, ‘He who finds himself, the world is not worthy of him.’

Saying 112 Jesus said: Woe to the flesh which hangs on the soul; woe to the soul which hangs on the flesh.65

64. The saying contains ideas found in Sayings 56, 80, and 81. 65. This is comparable to Saying 87.

Translation

71

Saying 113 His disciples said to him: On what day will the Kingdom come? It will not come by watching (for it). They will not say, ‘Look, here’ or ‘Look, there.’ Rather, the Kingdom of the Father is spread out on the earth, and men do not perceive it.

Saying 114 Simon Peter said to them: Let Mary go out from among us, for women are not worthy of life. Jesus said: Look, I myself will lead her to make her male, so that she might also be a living spirit like you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the Kingdom of heaven. The Gospel According to Thomas66

66. Many ancient writers give the title of their work at the end of the text. This is the case for most of the tractates found in the Nag Hammadi collection.

Page 32 of Codex II from the Nag Hammadi codices. The title “Apocryphon of John” in the middle of the page indicates the end of tractate I; it is followed by the opening lines of the Gospel According to Thomas (tractate II), including the incipit as well as Sayings 1 and 2 and half of Saying 3.

Commentary on the Gospel According to Thomas Incipit Coptic: These are the hidden sayings which the living Jesus spoke and which Didymus Judas Thomas wrote down. Greek: These are the [secret] sayings [which] the living Jesus [spo]ke a[nd which Judas, who is] Thomas [wrote down]. As with the other tractates of Nag Hammadi codex 2, the incipit is not preceded by any title; instead, a reference to the Gospel According to Thomas occurs at the end of the collection. The title was most likely added at the end by the scribe who copied the text. The first lines of the text contain a prologue, describing the process by which the collection has been transmitted. From the start, one can readily identify the genre of this text: a collection of hidden or secret sayings. The incipit is followed by a group of sayings which readers are invited to decipher. According to the prologue, these hidden sayings were spoken by the living Jesus and written down by Didymus Judas Thomas. The title “living Jesus” was also used to describe the resurrected Jesus in Luke 24:5. However, there is no evidence in the Gos.Thom. that the title describes Jesus’ resurrected state. Rather, it seems to serve to connect Jesus

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to the “living Father” in Sayings 3, 37, 50, 52, 59, and 111. For the compiler of the collection, Jesus simply “lives” through his sayings. The triple name Didymus Judas Thomas occurs only in the Coptic version; the Greek fragment P.Oxy. 654.2 omits the name “Didymus.” Both “Didymus” (in Greek) and “Thomas” (in Aramaic) mean “a twin.” The use of “Judas Thomas” is attested in the Syrian tradition, in a variant of John 14:22, to clearly distinguish him from Judas Iscariot. The Greek text of John gives Thomas the alternate name of “Didymus” (John 11:16; 20:24; 21:2). The use of a double name “Judas Thomas” has led scholars to speculate that the Gos.Thom. may have originated in Syria, since it is also found in other Syrian texts.

Saying 1 Coptic: And he said: Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death. Greek: And he said: Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not taste [death]. It is not clear to whom the pronoun “he” refers: is it Jesus or Thomas? Even if both characters could be implied, the pronoun most likely refers to Jesus, for according to the incipit, the living Jesus spoke the words and Thomas wrote them down.1 The text invites readers to engage in the interpretation of the sayings. This quest for meaning ultimately leads to salvation. All are called to interpret the words of Jesus, but only 1. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 196.

commentary

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those who correctly understand their meaning will have life. Salvation seems to be linked to the idea of eternal life. The idiomatic expression “not to taste death” 2 means “not to die” or “not to experience death.” 3 Here again the emphasis is not on the content of the sayings, but rather on their significance. The Gos.Thom. does not provide the interpretation of the words of Jesus; this is why they are “secret” or “hidden.” It is up to the reader to uncover the purpose of the collection. The text only gives discreet clues such as catchwords that link sayings together and / or thematic repetitions. The Gos.Thom. puts forth a peculiar hermeneutic strategy whereby the interpretation lies not within the text but within the reader. The reader constructs the meaning of the text by establishing a network of sayings through various catchwords and themes scattered throughout the collection.4

2. In the New Testament, this expression is found (in exactly the same or in a slightly modified form) in Mark 9:1//Matthew 16:28; Luke 9:27 and John 8:51-52. It also occurs in Sayings 18, 19, 85, and 111. 3. See also B. D. Chilton, “ ‘Not to Taste Death:’ A Jewish, Christian and Gnostic Usage,” in Studia Biblia 1978; II: Papers on The Gospels: Sixth International Congress on Biblical Studies, Oxford 3–7 April 1978 (ed. E. Livingston; SJSNT 2; Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1980), 29–36, and A. Gagné, “The Gospel according to Thomas and the New Testament,” in Christian Apocrypha. Receptions of the New Testament in Ancient Christian Apocrypha (eds J.-M. Roessli and T. Nicklas; Novum Testamentum Patristicum 26; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2014), 27–39. 4. On the idea that the meaning resides within the reader and on the reader’s role in the construction of interpretation in the Gos.Thom., see A. Gagné, “Jésus, la lumière et le Père Vivant. Principe de gémellité dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” Apocrypha 23 (2013): 210–14.

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Saying 2 Coptic: Jesus said: He who seeks, let him not stop seeking until he finds, and when he finds, he will be troubled; being troubled, he will be rendered speechless and will rule over all things. Greek: [Jesus says]: He who see[ks], let him not stop [seeking until] he finds, and when he finds, [he will be troubled]; being troubled, he will reign; [having reigned], he will [rest]. This saying describes the quest to which the reader is called. It is also found in the P.Oxy. text, the Gospel of the Hebrews 5 and the Book of Thomas.6 There is a clear thematic link with Saying 1: the catchword “find.” 7 The reader must seek until he finds. It is quite similar to Jesus’ other saying, in Matthew 7:7– 8//Luke 11:8–9, on asking, seeking, and finding. In Saying 2, however, “seeking and finding” leads one to being troubled and rendered speechless,8 which in turn gives one the power to rule over all things. The Coptic word ptēr ef sometimes refers to “the All,” a technical term used to define the Pleroma or the divine realm.9 In the context of Saying 2, the word most likely refers to “all things,” that is, the created world. 5. See Clement of Alexandria (Stromata 2.45.5; 5.96.3). 6. B.Thom. 140.1–141.3; 145.10–16. 7. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 203. 8. The term špēre means “astounded,” “amazed” or “astonished.” This state of being corresponds to Thomas’ own revelatory experience as described in Saying 13. 9. See A. B. Logan, “The Meaning of the Term ‘the All’ in Gnostic Thought,” in Studia Patristica,Vol. XIV: Papers presented to the Sixth Inter-

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The power to “rule over all things” is exemplified in Saying 13. After Jesus questions his disciples concerning his identity, Thomas’ refusal to answer will result in additional revelation. Questioned by the other disciples on the content of Jesus’ revelation to him, Thomas insists that he cannot share this knowledge with them; they would seek to kill him with stones. He warns his companions that the stones would then send out a devouring fire, killing them. In Sayings 2 and 13, revelation produces a sense of wonder, renders one speechless, and gives power to rule over the created world.

Saying 3 Coptic: Jesus said: If your (pl.) leaders say to you, ‘Look, the Kingdom is in heaven,’ then the birds of heaven will precede you; if they say to you, ‘It is in the sea,’ then the fish will precede you. But the Kingdom is inside you, and it is outside of you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are the sons of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you dwell in poverty, and you are poverty. Greek: Je[sus] says: [If] those who guide (or drag) you [say to you, ‘Look], the Kingdom is in heaven,’ then the birds of hea[ven will precede you; if they say], ‘It is under the earth,’ then the fish of the sea [will enter it, preceding] you. But the Kin[gdom of heaven] is inside you, [and outside of you. He who knows himself], will find it, [and national Conference on Patristic Studies held in Oxford 1971; Part III:Tertullian, Origenism, Cappadocian Fathers, Augustiniana (ed. E. A. Livingston; Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1976), 203–8.

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Scholars have noted that Sayings 3 and 113 form an inclusion; both are concerned with those who seek for signs of the coming Kingdom. The opening statement is clearly a critique of the religious authorities (“If your leaders say / If those who guide you say. . .”) and their incorrect teaching about the Kingdom. This saying is also found in Luke 17:21, where Jesus speaks of the hidden nature of the Kingdom, imperceptible to the naked eye. In the context of the Lukan passage, the leaders are identified as the Pharisees, whereas in Saying 3, there are no indications as to the identity of the leaders. Could these leaders be James, Peter and Matthew, mentioned in Sayings 12–13? There is also not much difference between the idea of the “sea” (Coptic) and “under the earth” (Greek), since both are understood as the biblical “abyss.” 10 Compared to the Lukan passage, the Gos.Thom. presents the Kingdom as an internal reality, found at the core of one’s being. The saying sums up the famous Delphic maxim: Know thyself ! Only through self-reflection can one understand his own origin, which is the Kingdom (Saying 49), and know of his filial relationship with the living Father (Saying 50). In Saying 3, the Kingdom is also “outside of you.” This clearly aligns with Saying 113, where the Kingdom “is spread out on the earth.” Unfortunately, men do not perceive it, and those who lack such 10. See C. Skinner, “The Gospel of Thomas’ Rejection of Paul’s Theological Ideas,” in Paul and the Gospels: Christologies, Conflicts, and Controversies (eds M. Bird and J. Willitts; Library of New Testament Studies 411; London: T & T Clark, 2011): 220–41; and S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 208.

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self-awareness and discernment simply dwell in poverty that defines them. Poverty is most likely a metaphor for the fleshly body that seems to be devalued in Thomas (see Saying 29).

Saying 4 Coptic: Jesus said: The old man will not hesitate to question a little child seven days old about the place of life, and he will live. For many who are first will be last, and they will become one and the same. Greek: [Jesus says:] An [old man] will not hesitate to question [a little child seven days old] about the place [of life, and] he will [live], for many who are [first] will be [last, and] the last will be first and [they will become one and the same.] This saying, which has parallels in other non-canonical sources,11 contradicts the conventional wisdom of the biblical tradition, which states that life experience and wisdom comes with age, not the other way around.12 The text presents the little child as the bearer of secrets and the old man 13 as a person in quest for answers! Those who search for the “place of life” will live, and many who are first will be last. To decipher this enigmatic statement, one needs to understand

11. For example, Refutatio 5.7.20: “He who seeks me will find me in children seven years old, for there, hidden in the fourteenth eon, I will reveal myself.” For a list of parallel references, see W. D. Stroker, Extracanonical Sayings of Jesus (Society of Biblical Literature Resources for Biblical Study 18; Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1989), 94–96. 12. See, for example, Leviticus 19:32; 1 Kings 12:6–8; Job 12:12; 32:4–9. 13. This can also be translated as “the man old in days.”

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the temporal distance that exists between the old man and the little child. From a temporal perspective, the man comes first and the child comes last into the world. Wisdom usually lies with the elder, but in this case, it is to be found with the child; he is the one who knows the “place of life.” There is likely a connection with Saying 18, where those standing in the beginning know the end and will “not taste death.” In Saying 4, “life” could be synonymous with the idea of “not tasting death” in Saying 18. The little child is comparable to the one standing at the beginning (Saying 18), but there is a reversal in Saying 4: the child is last, the old man is first. According to Saying 18, the old man would need to return to the beginning—that is, to the place where the child stands—in order to know and live. As for the last portion of Saying 4, those who become “one” (Greek: heis) or “one and the same” (Coptic: oua ouōt) are also characterized as “standing” (Greek: estanai; Coptic: ōhe erate). All these are expressions of transcendence.14

Saying 5 Coptic: Jesus said: Know what is in front of your face, and that which is hidden from you will be revealed to you. For there is nothing hidden that will not be manifest. Greek: Jesus says: [Know what is in front of] your face, and [that which is hidden] from you will be revealed to 14. See R. Charron, “À propos des ⲟⲩⲁ ⲟⲩⲱⲧ et de la solitude divine dans les textes de Nag Hammadi,” in Coptica – Gnostica – Manichaica. Mélanges offerts à Wolf-Peter Funk (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 7; Québec, Paris, Louvain: Presses de l’université Laval, éditions Peeters, 2006), 124.

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you. [For there is nothing] hidden that [will] not [be] manifest, and buried that [will not be raised.] Saying 5 features, once again, the revelation of hidden things. As in the incipit and the opening words of the Gos.Thom., knowledge of secret things is given to those who seek. But what exactly is meant by the expression “in front of your face?” To whom is the statement addressed? The relative pronouns are all in the singular form, and no specific characters are mentioned other than Jesus. We can most likely assume that this saying is addressed to “whoever” (Saying 1), that is, to any reader or listener at any given time. But will that “in front of your face” provide the revelation of “that which is hidden?” In Saying 108, he who drinks from the mouth of Jesus will become like him and will receive the revelation of hidden things. In Saying 13, Thomas could receive revelation concealed from the other disciples because he had been drinking from the bubbling spring, which Jesus measured out. The beginning of the Gos.Thom. also characterizes Jesus’ words as hidden or secret, and finding their meaning gives life (incipit + Saying 1). In establishing a network of meaning among these various sayings, it is possible that the phrase “what is in front of your face” (Saying 5) could refer to the sayings of Jesus in the Gos.Thom.15 To summarize, if one knows the sayings— that is, drinks from Jesus’ mouth and / or the bubbling spring (Sayings 13 and 108)—and seeks their interpretation (Saying 1), one will receive the revelation of that which is hidden. The last part of Saying 5 is paralleled in Mark 4:22; Matthew 10:26 and Luke 8:17, and is also found in Saying 108. The additional line was restored in the Greek fragment through the discovery

15. R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 62.

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of this saying on a burial shroud.16 It is a testimony on the resurrection of the body, absent from the Coptic version.

Saying 6 Coptic: His disciples questioned him and said to him: Do you want us to fast? How are we to pray and give alms? What diet are we to follow? Jesus said: Do not lie, and do not do what you (pl.) hate, for all things are revealed in the face of heaven. For there is nothing hidden that will not become manifest, and there is nothing covered that will not be revealed. Greek: [His disciples] questioned him [and said]: How [shall we] fast? [How shall we pray?] [How shall we give alms?] What [diet shall we] to follow? Jesus says: [Do not lie, and] do not do [what you (pl.) hate, for all things are revealed in the face of] truth. [For there is nothing] hidden [that will not become manifest.] For the first time in the Gos.Thom., the disciples ask Jesus a question. In Coptic, the disciples inquire whether or not Jesus wants them to fast, how they should pray and give alms, and what diet they should follow. In the Greek version, one reads four questions—the second question in Coptic is divided into two questions—all, for the most part, on how to fast, pray and give alms. The question concerning the diet is identical in both the Greek and Coptic texts. It is interesting to note that Jesus never really answers their questions, at least, not in this saying. Readers have to wait until Saying 14 for a reply: “Jesus said to

16. H.-C. Puech, “Un logion de Jésus sur bandelette funéraire,” Bulletin de la société Ernest Renan 3 (1954): 6–9.

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them: If you (pl.) fast, you will bring forth sin upon yourselves; if you pray, you will be condemned; if you give alms, you will do harm to your spirits. If you go into any land and walk in the regions; if they receive you, eat what they will place before you.” It is possible that Sayings 6 and 14 form an inclusion and serve to delimit a unit of sayings that should be grouped together.17 In this context, it is clear that Jesus condemns Judaic practices,18 since they seem to be useless for obtaining what can only be understood only through revelation. The ending of Saying 6 resonates with the last part of Saying 5 and is also found in the synoptic tradition (Mark 4:22; Matthew 10:26; Luke 8:17).

Saying 7 Coptic: Jesus said: Blessed is the lion which the man will eat; the lion becomes a man. Abominable is the man whom the lion will eat; the lion will become a man. Greek:.. . [bl]ess[ed] is [...].. . Saying 7 is fully preserved only in Coptic. The text is one of the most enigmatic sayings of the entire collection. Many 17. For more on this rhetorical possibility, see C. Babalis, “Logion 7 of the Gospel according to Thomas and the Notion of ‘Oneness’: A Rhetorical Analysis” (M.A. diss., Department of Theological Studies, Concordia University, 2014). 18. Other Judaic practices are also criticized in Sayings 6, 14, 27, 39, 43, 52, 89, 102, and 104. See C. Gianotto’s important article, “Quelques aspects de la polémique anti-juive dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” in Colloque international ‘L’Évangile selon Thomas et les textes de Nag Hammadi’ Québec, 29-31 mai 2003 (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 8; Québec: Presses de l’université Laval; Louvain – Paris: Peeters, 2007), 157–73.

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scholars see in it an influence of Plato’s Republic,19 while others interpret the saying as reflecting the struggle of human beings against the enslavement of the material world,20 as a call to ascetical living,21 and even as an expression of the resurrection.22 There is also a debate on whether or not there is a scribal error in the Coptic text at the very end of the saying, where some emend the text as follows: “the man will become a lion.” 23 However, it might be preferable to leave the Coptic text as is since the fourth century text seems to have been received as such. How is one to understand such an enigmatic saying? This is the first beatitude of the Gos.Thom. (cf. also Sayings 18, 19, 49, 54, 68, 69 [twice], 79, 103), where the state of “blessedness” is attainable only in death. The “blessed’ are

19. See, for example, H. M. Jackson, The Lion Becomes Man: The Gnostic Leontomorphic Creator and the Platonic Tradition (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1985) and L. R. Lanzillotta, “Gospel of Thomas Unravelled; An Inter-textual Approach to a Locus Vexatus,” in Between Text and Text:The Hermeneutics of Inter-Textuality in Ancient Cultures and their Afterlife in Medieval and Modern Times (eds Michaela Bauks, Wayne Horowitz, Armin Lange; Göttingen, Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht, 2013), 116–32. 20. See C. Gianotto, “Évangile selon Thomas,” in Écrits apocryphes chrétiens (eds. F. Bovon and P. Geoltrain: Bibliothèque de la Pléiade; Paris: Gallimard, 1997), 37. 21. R. Valantasis, “Is the Gospel of Thomas Ascetical? Revisiting an Old Problem with a new Theory,” Journal of Early Christian Studies 7.1 (1999): 55–81. 22. A. Crislip, “Lion and Human in Gospel of Thomas Logion,” Journal of Biblical Literature 126 (2007): 595–613. 23. See S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 228–29.

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in a sense associated to death.24 In the first part of the text, man eats the lion, meaning that the lion is “dead.” It is, therefore, in a state of “death” that the lion is called “blessed.” In the lion’s case, death might thus be a positive thing, since the dead lion is called “blessed.” In the second part of the saying, man is called “abominable.” 25 Here, there seems to be an inversion of meaning: Abominable is the man who is eaten by the lion because death is extended to man. In this section, the lion is an agent of death. Could it, therefore, represent something that hinders or is an obstacle to attaining life? If so, maybe the lion represents that which prevents “whoever” from finding the interpretation of the hidden sayings of Jesus in order “not to taste death” (Saying 1).

Saying 8 And he said: The man is like a wise fisherman who threw his net into the sea. He pulled it up from the sea filled with little fish. Among them, the wise fisherman found a good large fish. He threw all the little fish back into the sea; he chose the large fish without difficulty. He who has ears to listen, let him listen! The third person masculine singular pronoun most certainly refers to Jesus. The text is connected with Saying 7 by the catchword “man,” that is, the wise fisherman. This parable is similar to the one attributed to Jesus in Matthew 13:47– 48 and Clement of Alexandria’s Stromata 6.95.3. The usual 24. C. Babalis, “Logion 7 of the Gospel according to Thomas and the Notion of ‘Oneness’: A Rhetorical Analysis” (M.A. diss., Department of Theological Studies, Concordia University, 2014), 32–41. 25. This word can also be translated as “polluted” or “cursed.”

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point of comparison in Jesus’ parables is the “Kingdom.” One would usually expect a parable to begin with: “The Kingdom (of God or heaven) is like a man. . .” Who is the man? Is it the same man mentioned by Jesus in Saying 7? It is difficult to know for certain, but both sayings promote the ideas of oneness, singularity, and uniqueness. In Saying 7, the lion and the man are “one” in death (positively and negatively), and Saying 8 emphasizes the “one” over the “many.” The value of “oneness” over “multiplicity” is striking. It seems contrary to logic that a fisherman would throw away the “many” in favour of “one large fish.” In fact, why throw away any of the fish, why not keep both the “many” and the “one?” However, that would defeat the lesson of this parable: the “one” over the “many.” The fisherman is wise because he is focused on a unique thing. The “one big fish” represents the state of oneness that brings about life, where one will “not taste death.” The fisherman toils by throwing his net into the sea. He is like the one who cultivates the soil in order to produce “one large branch” (Saying 20), like the one who labors and has found life (Saying 58), and like the shepherd who left the ninety-nine sheep to actively seek out the “one largest” that was lost (Saying 107). These texts repeat the same thing: oneness must be favored over multiplicity, a state of being that can only be attained through effort. In the Gos.Thom., the reader must actively find the interpretation of Jesus’ words to inherit life (Saying 1), and such a quest leads to oneness with Jesus (Saying 108). The end of this saying is found elsewhere in the New Testament 26 and in the Gos.Thom. (see Sayings 21, 24, 63, 65, 96).

26. For example, Mark 4:9.23; Matthew 11:15; 13:9.43; Luke 8:8; 14:35; Revelation 2:7.11.17; 3:6.13.22; 13:19.

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Saying 9 Jesus said: Look, a sower went out; he filled his hand (with seeds); he threw (them). Some fell on the road; the birds came and gathered them. Others fell on the rock; they did not take root down in the soil and did not sprout up ears of grain to heaven. Others fell on thorns; they choked the seeds and the worms ate them. Others fell on good soil; it gave good fruit up into heaven. It sustained sixty per measure and one hundred and twenty per measure. Versions of this story are found in Mark  4:3–9, Matthew 13:3–9, and Luke 8:5–8. There is a significant difference, however: whereas the canonical accounts provide allegorical interpretations of the parable, the Gos.Thom. does not. It is up to the readers to find the interpretation of the saying (Saying 1). The meaning, therefore, is not given in the text, but rather it is construed by the readers / hearers of the story. In the canonical versions of this parable, the secrets of the Kingdom of heaven were revealed to Jesus’ disciples (Mark 4:11). In the Gos.Thom., the Kingdom is already in them (Saying 3). Consequently, revelation is given to those who drink from the mouth of Jesus, the bubbling spring that he measured out (Sayings 13 and 108). In comparison to the synoptic versions of the story, the Gos.Thom. places little emphasis on the “seed.” 27 In the Coptic text, the sower simply “throws”—the reader presupposes that the main character throws “seeds,” but the text does not specifically provide this information. The story is also more concerned with idea of “good soil,” not unlike the land that has been cultivated (see Saying 20). Compared to 27. J.-M. Sevrin, “Évangile selon Thomas,” in Écrits gnostiques. La Bibliothèque de Nag Hammadi (eds J.-P. Mahé and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque de la Pléiade 538; Paris: Gallimard, 2007), 310–11.

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the synoptic gospels, the story in the Gos.Thom., both in this saying and in the later ones (Sayings  54 and 107), is about labour. A lazy hand and an untilled land will not bring about good fruit. The canonical versions relate the various soils to the dispositions and attitudes of people who hear the gospel message. The Gos.Thom., in contrast, is concerned with the work of the sower and the cultivation of the land. The story serves to remind readers / hearers of the quest that is needed to find the meaning of Jesus’ hidden sayings.

Saying 10 Jesus said: I have cast a fire upon the world, and look, I am keeping it until it is illuminated. Sayings 8 to 10 are connected by the catchword verb “to throw” (Coptic: nouje); the wise fisherman “throws” or “casts” his net into the sea (Saying 8), the sower “throws” the seeds (Saying 9), and Jesus “throws” or “casts” a fire upon the world (Saying 10). This saying is nevertheless quite obscure, since it is difficult to determine the antecedent of the objective and nominative pronoun “it.” In Coptic, that pronoun is the third person masculine pronoun (fai), and as such can refer either to the fire (kōhet) or to the world (kosmos), which are both masculine nouns. There are, therefore, four ways to understand this saying: I am keeping the fire until the fire is illuminated. I am keeping the fire until the world is illuminated. I am keeping the world until the fire is illuminated. I am keeping the world until the world is illuminated.28 28. For the same list of possibilities but with a different translation, see U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 57.

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Is it possible that the fire is similar to the seed thrown by the sower on the soil in Saying 9? The effects can also be similar if one understands and translates the Coptic verb jerō as “to illuminate” rather than as “to burn.” If one interprets the fire as representative of Jesus’ words,29 then it is possible to see the world as being illuminated by his teaching (= Thomasine sayings). If the fire represents Jesus’ words, then it makes no sense for Jesus to keep his word until the world is illuminated (Option  2), since the world can only receive illumination through his revelation. Option 4 would then make the most sense: Jesus keeps the world until it is illuminated by the fire of his word. The “illumination” of the world is positive, just like the good fruit (Saying 9) and the good large fish (Saying 8). To be “illuminated” means to know oneself (Saying 3), to know the place of life (Saying 4), and to know what is before you (Saying 5). This is only possible through the unveiling of Jesus’ hidden words. The result will once again be everlasting life (Saying 1). Note that this saying is also found in Luke 12:49, where the context is that of persecution and judgment.

Saying 11 Jesus said: 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. The days when you (pl.) ate what was dead, you made it alive. When you will be in the light, what will you do? On the day you were one, you made two. However, when you become two, what will you do? 29. See S. L. Davies, The Gospel of Thomas. Annotated and Explained (Woodstock: Skylight, 2002), 10.

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It is possible that Saying 11 could be a combination of two pairs of sayings.30 In any case, the text should still be read as a whole since the question of life and death is central to this entire unit. It is also important to note the recurrent themes and catchwords throughout sayings 7–11, such as: man (7; 8), eating (7; 11), throwing or casting (8; 9; 10) and oneness (7; 8; 11). The opening statement predicts the coming destruction of the heavens (“this heaven, and the one above it”). This can be a reference to the belief in multilayered heavens in Judaic and Christian traditions. It also echoes Saying 111: “heavens and the earth will be rolled-up.” When he says, “Those who are dead are not alive,” Jesus most likely refers to the spiritual condition of those who are physically alive but spiritually dead. The same goes for “those who are living will not die.” This must be read in light of the Thomasine promise of everlasting life for those who find the interpretation of the hidden sayings of Jesus (Saying 1). These are the elect, those who come from the light and are children of the living Father (Sayings 3 and 50). The second part of Saying 11 can also be translated: “The days when you ate what was dead, you made him alive.” Some scholars understand this to be a cryptic Eucharistic or other sacramental statement, as it is mentioned alongside the theme of light.31 This saying could also be seen as a commentary on the enigmatic Saying 7, serving as a way to delimit Sayings 7–11 as a larger unit. Saying 7 could then be read as follows: Abominable is the man who is eaten by the lion because that which was dead (the lion) has become alive and extended death to man. It 30. P. Pokorný, A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas: From Interpretations to the Interpreted (New York: T & T Clark, 2009), 61. 31. For more details, see U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 59.

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is quite possible that the lion represents death; making it alive means that death itself overcomes man. In the very last part of Saying 11, Jesus also values singularity over multiplicity, a common idea found throughout the Thomasine gospel.

Saying 12 The disciples said: We know that you will leave us. Who will be great over us? Jesus said to them: From the place where you (pl.) will have come, you will go to James the righteous, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being. This saying opens with a question asked by the disciples (cf. Sayings 6, 18, 20, 24, 37, 43, 51, 52, 53, 99, and 113). They seem to be aware that Jesus will eventually depart from this world. Despite this, the disciples are still portrayed as misunderstanding the words of Jesus.32 They ask what will happen to them after his departure. Who will be their leader and rule over them? 33 The first part of Jesus’ answer is somewhat 32. See more specifically R. Trevijano Etcheverria, “La Incomprensión de los Discípulos en el Evangelio de Tomás,” in Studia Patristica XVIII: Part I (ed. E. A. Livingston; Oxford: Pergamon, 1982), 243–50. 33. For more on this, see A. Gagné, “The Gospel according to Thomas and the New Testament,” in Christian Apocrypha. Receptions of the New Testament in Ancient Christian Apocrypha (eds J.-M. Roessli and T. Nicklas; Novum Testamentum Patristicum 26; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2014), 27–39. J.-M. Sevrin had hinted that James was contrasted with Thomas in Saying 13; Sevrin, “Évangile selon Thomas,” in Écrits gnostiques. La Bibliothèque de Nag Hammadi (eds J.-P. Mahé and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque de la Pléiade 538; Paris: Gallimard, 2007), 311.

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ambiguous since it is not clear from which “place” the disciples “will have come.” Maybe this is a glimpse of the social condition of the disciples, many of whom were itinerant preachers, going from place to place, proclaiming the gospel and receiving support from those who welcomed them in their midst (see Saying 14). The most interesting part of Jesus’ answer concerns the disciples’ specific question: Who will be great over us? Jesus points to James the righteous as the one whom the disciples will follow. Many understand Jesus’ assessment of James as an endorsement of his leadership role. The fact that James is called “the righteous” serves to clearly identify him as the leader of the Jerusalem church. Insightful readers remember that Thomas speaks out against Judaic practices, especially those related to Judaic identity (Sayings 6, 14, 27, 39, 43, 52, 89, 102). In the Gos.Thom., heaven and earth are inherently negative; both are doomed to destruction when self-knowledge is attained (Saying 111). Believers are also urged to abstain from the world in order to inherit the Kingdom (Saying 27), and the “elect” are expected to leave this world in order to return to the Kingdom (Saying 49). For Jesus, the world is a place of ignorance (Saying 28). It is, therefore, doubtful that the heaven and earth created for the sake of James should be interpreted in a positive vein.34

34. There has been too much work done on the figure of James to provide a complete bibliography here. One useful reference is P. J. Hartin, James of Jerusalem: Heir to Jesus of Nazareth (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2004).

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Saying 13 Jesus said to his disciples: Compare me; tell me whom I am like. Simon Peter said to him: You are like a righteous messenger. Matthew said to him: You are like a wise philosopher. Thomas said to him: Master, my mouth will utterly not accept that I say whom you are like. Jesus said: I am not your master. Because you drank, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring which I have measured out. And he took him, withdrew, and told him three words. When Thomas returned to his companions, they asked him: What did he say to you? Thomas said to them: If I tell you (pl.) one of the words that he said to me, you will take up stones and throw them at me, and a fire will come out of the stones and burn you up. Jesus’ question to the disciples about his own identity is similar to that found in the synoptic tradition.35 This text is most likely connected to the previous saying concerning the status of James. It is possible that both texts serve as a way to establish the pre-eminence of Thomas over other leaders of the early Christian movement. Similarly, James, Peter, and Matthew seem to be inadequate guides and are not cognizant of Jesus’ true identity. The fact that Peter incorrectly answers Jesus’ question is a clear critique of his position as head of the apostles, as seen in the canonical account of Matthew 16:16–19. It is quite possible that the inclusion of Matthew among inadequate leaders was prompted by the Christological outlook of the gospel that bears his name. Maybe the fact that Jesus speaks as a sage and is identified as Wisdom itself (Matthew 11:19) can

35. For the references, see the note in the translation.

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explain Matthew’s reply to Jesus. Some scholars have also recognized the early influence of the Gospel of Matthew on early Christian communities and their literature.36 The saying might simply be an expression of a rivalry among early Christian groups. Be that as it may, the emphasis is on Thomas’ reply to Jesus and the subsequent actions that result from his statement. This saying perfectly illustrates the principle found in Saying 2, where those who persistently seek will find, and when they find, they will be troubled; being troubled, the revelation will render them utterly speechless. Saying 2 also ends with the idea of ruling over all things. The fire coming from stones in Saying 13 exemplifies the idea of such authority over all things. Thomas was able to reply correctly because he drank from the bubbling spring measured out by Jesus. In a similar manner, drinking from Jesus’ mouth leads to the unveiling of hidden things in Saying 108.

Saying 14 Jesus said to them: If you (pl.) fast, you will bring forth sin upon yourselves; if you pray, you will be condemned; if you give alms, you will do harm to your spirits. If you go into any land and walk in the regions, if they receive you, eat what they will place before you. Heal the sick among them. For it is not what enters your mouth that will defile you; rather, it is what comes out of your mouth that will defile you. 36. This has been recognized since É. Massaux’s seminal work, originally written in French (1950) and subsequently translated into English; see The Influence of the Gospel of Saint Matthew on Christian Literature Before Saint Irenaeus (New Gospel Studies; Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1994).

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It is possible that this familiar saying 37 functioned as part of an inclusion with Saying 6. The questions the disciples asked Jesus in Saying 6 are answered here. This Thomasine saying completely negates all the rituals mentioned by the disciples; none are required to understand and adhere to Jesus’ message as expressed in Thomas. These rituals are not only useless, but they are also harmful. No specific reasons are given as to why fasting will bring forth sin, why praying results in condemnation, and why giving alms leads to self-destruction.38 Could it be that none of these can be accomplished with true sincerity and purity of heart? This seems to be what Jesus replied to the disciples in Saying 6: “Do not lie, and do not do what you (pl.) hate, for all things are revealed in the face of heaven. For there is nothing hidden that will not become manifest, and there is nothing covered that will not be revealed.” None of these pious practices can truly contribute to one’s understanding of Jesus’ hidden sayings that lead to everlasting life (Saying 1). Therefore, such rituals can do little for the spiritual wellbeing of the disciples; they are focused exclusively on the physical realm and the appearance of piety. To demonstrate the uselessness of dietary regulations, Jesus urges his disciples 37. This saying of Jesus is also found in Mark 7:15, Matthew 10:8; 15:11, and Luke 10:8–9, as well as in and Matthew 15:11. These three ritual practices are also presented together in 2 Clement 16:4. 38. For a more elaborate discussion on this text, see R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 78–79 and C. Gianotto, “Quelques aspects de la polémique anti-juive dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” in Colloque international ‘L’Évangile selon Thomas et les textes de Nag Hammadi’ Québec, 29-31 mai 2003 (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 8; Québec: Presses de l’université Laval; Louvain – Paris: Peeters, 2007), 162–63.

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to eat whatever is presented to them. This last part of the saying has often been understood as providing an insight into the social condition of those who embraced the Thomasine tradition.39 It is difficult, however, to specify precisely the characteristics of such a group. Is the Gos.Thom. addressed to a particular “community” as some scholars have supposed 40 or is it directed to “whoever” reads / hears the sayings of Jesus? This remains a challenging and hotly debated question.

Saying 15 Jesus said: When you (pl.) see the one who was not born of the woman, fall on your faces, worship him; that one is your Father. This saying can be difficult to understand when taken in isolation from the rest of the Thomasine collection. What is the identity of “the one not born of the woman?” Can it be a reference to Jesus? Several reasons support such an interpretation.41 The Gos.Thom. never portrays Jesus’ mother in a positive light. In Saying 79, for example,42 a woman cries out

39. S. J. Patterson, The Gospel of Thomas and Jesus (Sonoma, CA: Polebridge Press, 1993), 128–33. 40. A. D. DeConick, Recovering the Original Gospel of Thomas. A History of the Gospel and Its Growth (Library of New Testament Studies 286; London: T&T Clark, 2005). 41. For more on Saying 15 and the possible intra-textual links with other Thomasine references, see Gagné, “Jésus, la lumière et le Père Vivant. Principe de gémellité dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” Apocrypha 23 (2013): 219. 42. Cf. a parallel saying in Luke 11:27–28.

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“Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts that fed you!” However, Jesus’ reaction is to shift the attention from his earthly mother to those who have heard and retained the word of the Father. In Saying 99, one reads the story of Jesus’ brothers and mother who stand waiting for him outside, while he is conversing with his disciples inside the house. The answer given to the disciples is the same as in the synoptic tradition: 43 “Those here, who do the will of my Father, these are my brothers and my mother. They are the ones who will enter the Kingdom of my Father.” This is hardly a positive assessment of his earthly family. Elsewhere in the Gos.Thom. (Saying 101), Jesus tells his disciples that they are to hate their father and mother, just as he does: “He who does [not] hate his [father] and his mother like me cannot be a [disciple to] me.” In the same text, however, Jesus instructs his disciples that they must also love his Father and Mother as he does. At the end of the Saying 101, there seems to be a clear distinction between Jesus’ earthly mother and the one he calls his “true” Mother. The latter is most likely an inter-textual reference to the Spirit, who is understood to be the mother of Jesus in the Gospel of the Hebrews.44 If one also takes Sayings 50 and 77 into consideration, the Father—who is non-begotten light from which all things emanate—could be understood as Jesus himself. This could certainly qualify him as “the one who was not born of the woman.”

43. See Mark 3:32–35; Matthew 12:46–50; Luke 8:19–21. 44. Fragment 3: “Even so did my mother, the Holy Spirit, take me by one of my hairs and carry me away on to the great mountain Tabor.”

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Saying 16 Jesus said: Perhaps men think that I have come to cast peace upon the world, and they do not know that I have come to cast some division upon the world; fire, sword, war. For there will be five in a house; there will be three against two, and two against three; the father against the son, and the son against the father. They will stand as solitaries. This saying is similar to the one found in Matthew 10:34–36 and Luke 12:51–53. In the Gos.Thom., the teaching of Jesus is disruptive for those who are attached to earthly institutions and the realm of this world.45 The message divides households, creates dissentions, death and chaos. In the name of Jesus, the disciples will face a hostile world, opposed to the message of the Gos.Thom. which negates the current state of the world. As with many of the sayings in the Gos.Thom., believers are called to leave this world in order to return to their place of origin, that is, to the Kingdom (see Sayings 4 and 49). The end of Saying 16 is somewhat difficult to understand. What does “standing” and “solitary” mean? The idea of “standing” is found in other texts from the Nag Hammadi collection. It connotes stability, strength, and even transcendent immobility, and is most often a characteristic of the elect.46 The term “solitary” comes from the Greco-Coptic word monakhos. In the Gos.Thom., it clearly designates the elect 45. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 278. 46. See M. Williams, The Immovable Race: A Gnostic Designation and the Theme of Stability in Late Antiquity (Nag Hammadi Studies 29; Leiden: Brill, 1985); also M. Grosso, Vangelo secondo Tommaso (Roma: Carocci editore, 2011), 143.

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who come from the Kingdom and the light (Saying 49). The conflicts described in Saying 16 will lead one to become a “solitary.” The word monakhos is also found in Saying 75, where it is applied to those who will enter the bridal chamber. Once again, the apocryphon emphasizes singularity over multiplicity, the “one” instead of the “many.” It is difficult to determine if the Gos.Thom. understands monakhos in terms of celibacy as some scholars have speculated.47

Saying 17 Jesus said: I will give you (pl.) what eye has not seen, what ear has not heard, what hand has not touched, and has not come up to the heart of man. Saying 17 resembles the quote from Isaiah 64:4 found in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (2:9).48 The saying is also found in various forms in a multitude of other sources.49 However, the Thomasine text is set apart by the addition of

47. For an in-depth analysis of the term “solitary” in the Gos.Thom., see A. Gagné, “Des étrangers issus du Royaume et de la lumière (EvTh 49-50),” Laval théologique et philosophique 70.1 (2015): 105–17. 48. On the question of Pauline influence on Saying 17, see S. J. Gathercole’s analysis in The Composition of the Gospel of Thomas. Original Language and Influences (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series 151; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012), 237–49. 49. For more references, see translation notes. See also A. D. DeConick, The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation (New York: T&T Clark, 2007), 100–1; Grosso, Vangelo secondo Tommaso (Roma: Carocci editore, 2011), 145.

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the phrase “what hand has not touched.” 50 Some have seen it as a possible contamination from 1 John 1:1.51 In any case, the Gos.Thom. insists that Jesus’ revelatory message is unique and that divine reality is intangible and cannot be accessed through natural senses and material means.52 This is true of Jesus in the Gos.Thom.: he is a revealer of secret or hidden knowledge. As already noted, it is not so much the content of Jesus’ words that is hidden as the meaning of his words. Readers / hearers of the collection need to embark on a quest to find the correct interpretation (Saying 1), which implies that Jesus’ words are not easily grasped or understood: it is a revelation that the “. . . eye has not seen,.. . ear has not heard,.. . hand has not touched, and has not come up to the heart of man.” This is Thomas’ own experience in Saying 13, when he receives Jesus’ three secret words concealed from the other 50. Most of the versions are compared in U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 72–74; see also J.-D. Dubois, “L’utilisation du centon biblique cité dans 1 Corinthiens 2,9 (le passage isaïen et paulinien dans La Prière de Paul),” in Selon les Septante. Trente études sur la Bible grecque des Septante en hommage à Marguerite Harl (eds G. Dorival and O. Munnich; Paris: Cerf, 1995), 371–79, and C. Clivaz, “Trois éléments du dossier sans fin des sources et réécritures de 1 Cor 2, 9,” in La littérature apocryphe chrétienne et les Écritures juives (eds R. Gounelle and B. Mounier; Lausanne: Éditions du Zèbre, 2015), 439–58. 51. J.-M. Sevrin, “ ‘Ce que l’œil n’a pas vu. . .’: 1 Co 2,9 comme parole de Jésus,” in Lectures et relectures de la Bible: Festschrift P.-M. Bogaert. (eds J.-M. Auwers and A. Wénin; Louvain: Leuven University Press / Peeters, 1999), 307-24. 52. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 284.

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Saying 18 The disciples said to Jesus: Tell us how our end will be. Jesus said: Since you (pl.) are asking about the end, you have, therefore, uncovered the beginning! For where the beginning is, there will be the end. Blessed is he who will stand in the beginning: he will know the end and will not taste death. The disciples are asking a question of eschatological proportion: What will their “end” be like? One can ask what exactly is meant by the “end.” Are the disciples concerned about the end of times or the end of their own existence? There is little evidence in the Gos.Thom. that the disciples are concerned that their own lives could be terminated through martyrdom.54 And yet, the answer provided by Jesus can be seen as addressing the two types of questions. A return to the beginning can refer to a return to the paradisiacal state of being, a time when the elect will experience the Kingdom; at 53. For more on Saying 62 and the idea of revealed mysteries, see A. Gagné, “Sectarianism, Secrecy and Self Definition: Relational Features between Jesus, the Disciples and the Outsiders,” in Jesus in Continuum (ed. T. Holmén; Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, Reihe I, 289; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2012), 232–34. 54. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 287.

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the same time, this return seems intricately linked to the physical life of the disciples, as suggested by the phrase “(he) will not taste (or experience) death.” Even if the disciples die physically, they are promised life everlasting; that is, finding the beginning necessarily leads one to finding the end. The readers / hearers can establish several connections with other sayings in order to decipher this enigmatic text. For example, Saying 18 can certainly be understood in the light of Saying 4. The old man, representing the end, is compared to the seven-days-old child, understood as the beginning. It is only when the old man (the end) questions the child (the beginning) about the place of life that he finds an answer and experiences life (he will not taste death). Those who “stand at the beginning” are blessed since they will “know the end.” This evokes the idea of “standing” found in Saying 16, where the term is applied to the “solitaries,” also known as the “elect” in Saying 49. The beginning and the end are, therefore, synonymous with the “place of life” (Saying 4) or the “Kingdom” (Saying 49). This is where the elect had originated and where they will return.55

Saying 19 Jesus said: Blessed is he who existed before he came into existence. If you (pl.) will be my disciples, listen to my words; these stones will serve you. For you have five trees in paradise, which do not move in summer and winter; 55. See A. Gagné, “Connaissance, identité et androgynéité. Conditions du salut dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” in Pratiques et constructions du corps en christianisme (eds M. Allard, D. Couture and J.-G. Nadeau; Héritage et Projet 75; Montréal: Fides, 2009), 144–45, and “Des étrangers issus du Royaume et de la lumière (EvTh 49–50),” Laval théologique et philosophique 70.1 (2015): 112–14.

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and their leaves do not fall. He who will know them will not taste death. This saying is clearly connected to the previous one, as there seems to be a clear parallel between several of the ideas found in both texts: 56 A: Blessed (makarios) is he who will stand at the beginning B: He will know (souōn) the end and will not taste death (ji tipe an emmou) A′: Blessed (makarios) is he who was before he came into existence B′: He who will know (souōn) them will not taste death (ji tipe an emmou) To “stand at the beginning” (Saying 18) means to realize that one’s existence was “before he came into being” (Saying 19). Once again, this anticipates the ideas developed in Saying 49, where the use of “blessed” (makarios) is associated with the origin and return to the Kingdom: “Blessed are the solitary and elect, for you (pl.) will find the Kingdom. For you are from it; you will return there.” The reference to “stones” as servants of the disciples clearly echoes Saying 2, where only those who seek and find will rule over all things. Authority over the physical world is also manifest in Saying 13, where “stones” will consume with fire those who opposed Jesus’ revelation to Thomas. In the end, the disciples of Jesus who listen to his words (that is, who find the interpretation of the hidden sayings), wield authority over the material world 56. This is also discussed in A. Gagné, “The Gospel according to Thomas and the New Testament,” in Christian Apocrypha. Receptions of the New Testament in Ancient Christian Apocrypha (eds J.-M. Roessli and T. Nicklas; Novum Testamentum Patristicum 26; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2014), 31.

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and truly experience everlasting life. The “five trees in paradise” represent the return to the paradisiac state; they denote stability and rest, themes found in the Sayings 16, 18, and 50. Scholars have come up with a multitude of interpretations concerning the “five trees,” as well as a list of citations containing this enigmatic expression.57

Saying 20 The disciples said to Jesus: Tell us what the Kingdom of heaven is like. He said to them: It is like a grain of mustard, smallest of all seeds; but when it falls on cultivated ground, it produces a large branch; it becomes a shelter for the birds of the sky. The disciples’ question is similar to the one they posed in Saying 18. Parallels to Jesus’ parable in Saying 20 are also found in Mark and Luke,58 where Jesus himself poses the question. The formulation “the Kingdom of heaven” is strikingly similar to what seems to be a typical usage in Matthew’s gospel.59 However, the Gos.Thom. rarely uses this specific expression,60 57. For the various interpretations and citations of the “five trees in paradise,” see S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 291–92 and 293–96, as well as E. Crégheur, “Le motif des cinq arbres dans l’Évangile selon Thomas (log. 19) et la littérature ancienne,” Zeitschrift für Antikes Christentum 19.3 (2015): 430–51. 58. Jesus’ rhetorical question is found only in Mark and Luke; it is absent from Matthew’s version of the parable. 59. See M. Goodacre, Thomas and the Gospels.The Making of an Apocryphal Text (London: SPCK, 2012), 66–69. 60. “Kingdom of heaven” is found only in Sayings 20, 54, and 114.

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preferring instead “the Kingdom of the (my) Father” (Sayings 3 [twice], 21, 22 [three times], 27, 46, 49, 82, 103, 107, 109, 113) or simply “Kingdom” (Sayings  57, 76, 96, 97, 98, 99, 113). Another important difference between the Thomasine parable and the synoptic parallels (Mark 4:30–32; Matthew 13:31–32; Luke 13:18–19) has to do with the fact that Thomasine emphasis falls not on the grain of mustard itself, but rather on what it becomes when it is planted in cultivated or tilled ground.61 As is the case with many Thomasine sayings, the quest for the meaning of the secret words of Jesus is represented through references to work or labour. So far, readers / hearers have been urged to find (Saying 1), to seek (Saying 2), to know themselves (Sayings 3 and 5), to question (Saying 4), to be wise and listen (Saying 8), and to “stand” (Sayings 16, 18). All these “actions” are required to experience everlasting life. The life is never promised unconditionally, but it always entails “work;” the ground needs to be cultivated (worked) so that a branch can sprout from the mustard seed. In the end, there is the recurrent emphasis on “singularity:” “a large branch” is produced under which the birds of the air find shelter; a place where they all come to find rest as “one.” Elsewhere in the Gos.Thom., singularity is also reiterated with the reference to “a large fish” (Saying 8), “large loaves” (Saying 96), and “a large sheep” (Saying 107).

61. J.-M. Sevrin has rightly noted the importance of the “tilled” ground in this saying and its resonance with the idea of “labour” in the Gos.Thom.; see “Évangile selon Thomas,” in Écrits gnostiques. La Bibliothèque de Nag Hammadi (eds J.-P. Mahé and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque de la Pléiade 538; Paris: Gallimard, 2007), 313.

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Saying 21 Mary said to Jesus: Who are your disciples like? He said: They are like slaves who occupy a field that is not theirs. When the owners of the field come, they will say; ‘Give us back our field.’ They strip-off their clothes in their presence to cause them to leave it to them, to give their field to them. This is why I say, if the owner of a house knows that the robber is coming, he will be alert before he comes and will not let him dig into the house of his kingdom to take his belongings. You (pl.), therefore, be alert against the world. Arm yourselves with great strength, so that the thieves do not find a way to come to you; otherwise, the stress you are expecting will be found. May there be an intelligent man among you! When the fruit was ripe, he came in a hurry with his sickle in his hand and reaped it. He who has ears to listen, let him listen! This saying is a combination of three different parables. Two are paralleled in Matthew 24:42–44 and Luke 12:39–40 (the robber), and one in Mark 4:29 (the ripe fruit). The lesson to be learned is that of determination: obtaining what is desired requires sacrifice (the slaves), keen insight (the robbers), and patience (the ripe fruit). This is the first saying where a woman named Mary directly asks a question of Jesus. We do not know who Mary is and whether or not she considers herself to be his disciple.62 Her status in Saying 21 is not as clearly defined as that of Salome in Saying 61, who is

62. For Antti Marjanen, Mary is simply Mary Magdalene; see A. Marjanen, The Woman Jesus Loved. Mary Magdalene in the Nag Hammadi Library and Related Documents. (Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies 40; Leiden: Brill, 1996), 39–43.

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described as a disciple of Jesus. In Saying 114, Peter belittles Mary and tries to have her removed from the group of disciples. Jesus replies to Peter that he will guide Mary to become like the male disciples. Her status in the last saying of the collection seems closer to that of a disciple. The personal pronouns and nouns in the first parable are a potential source of confusion. It is the owners of the field who ask the slaves to give them back their field. The slaves react by taking off their clothes in the presence of the owners, in order to obtain the field. Plisch provides an annotated translation to help resolve the difficulty: “They are like slaves who are entrusted with a field that is not theirs (the slaves’). When the owners of the field come, they (the owners) will say, ‘Let us have our field.’ They (the slaves) are totally devoid of (their clothes) before them (the owners) in order to give them (the clothes) to them (the owners) so that they (the owners) sell to them (the slaves) their (the owners’) field.” 63 The Kingdom belongs to those who labour and give everything they own to obtain life everlasting. The disciple is urged to be alert against the world and those who would like to rob him of his possessions. These belongings could likely refer to the knowledge gained through the hidden sayings of Jesus. One must protect his possessions, and not cast one’s “pearls [to] swine” (Saying 93). Jesus reveals his mysteries only to those who are worthy (Saying 62); believers must not let the outside world deprive them of the truth concerning their true origin and ultimate destiny (Saying 49).

63. U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 82.

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Saying 22 Jesus saw little ones suckling. He said to his disciples: These little ones who suckle are like those who enter the Kingdom. They said to him: Shall we, then, enter the Kingdom as little ones? Jesus said to them: When you (pl.) make the two into one, and when you make the inside as the outside, and the outside as the inside, and the above as the below, so that you make the male and the female a single one; that the male not be male, and the female not 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 in [the Kingdom]. Saying 22 seems to be structured as follows: 64 [A]: Opening scene and initial saying Recurrent vocabulary: “Little ones” (2×) / “enter into the Kingdom” [A′]: Misunderstanding and Jesus’ response Recurrent vocabulary: “Little ones” / “enter into the Kingdom” (2×) The episode is very closely related to a story found in Matthew  18:1–5 (//Mark  9:33–37 and Luke  9:46–48), and Mark 10:13–15 (//Matthew 19:13–15 and Luke 18:15–17), where children are compared to those who enter the Kingdom of heaven. In contrast to the synoptic parallels, however, Jesus 64. For a complete analysis of what is called the maxi and mini structures of this saying, see A. Gagné, “Lire un apocryphe en synchronie. Analyse structurelle et intratextuelle du logion 22 de l’Évangile selon Thomas,” in En marge du canon: études sur les écrits apocryphes juifs et chrétiens (eds A. Gagné and J.-F. Racine; Coll. L’écriture de la Bible 2; Paris: Cerf, 2012), 225–49.

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never says that the disciples need to become like children to access the Kingdom; this seems to be the disciples’ own misunderstanding. What Jesus actually requires from them is that they emulate the actions of the little ones who crave nourishment, that, like newborns, they desire the pure spiritual milk (cf. 1 Peter 2:1–3). From an intra-textual perspective, the little ones who suckle correspond to those who drink from the mouth of Jesus (Saying 108) and from the bubbling spring which he measured out (Saying 13). By drinking from his mouth, they become like him, and like Thomas, the twin. Their own identity merges with that of their master. The second part of Jesus’ answer contains spatial and bodily metaphors relating to abolishing duality and differences in order to attain oneness. This ultimately leads to transcendence and entry into the Kingdom.

Saying 23 Jesus said: I will choose you, one from a thousand and two from ten thousand, and they will stand as being a single one. This short saying of Jesus focuses on the idea of election. The text is found in other sources, such as Origen’s On the Pascha and three references in the Manichaean corpus.65 The Coptic verb set ep (to choose), found also in Saying 8, comes from the noun sot ep, which is translated “elect” in Sayings 23, 49, and 50. The use of this verb creates a sense of elitism, implied 65. For references in Origen and the Manichaean corpus, see U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 87–88.

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in the election of a few over many. This is paralleled in one of the synoptic sayings: “Many are called, but few are chosen” (see Matthew 22:14). This idea recalls several military stories in the Hebrew Bible, where the god of the Israelites selects a few individuals over many. The Thomasine text resonates with Deuteronomy 32:30: “How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight. . .?” 66 and with the book of Judges, which recounts the story of Gideon and his band of 300 men defeating the Midianites (Judges 7:1–7). The outcome of Jesus’ election is that those who are chosen by Jesus will stand as a single entity. The action of “standing” is also found in Sayings 16, 18, 28, and 50. As previously noted, the idea of “standing” connotes stability, strength, and even transcendent immobility, and is a characteristic of the elect.67 Sayings 22 and 23 are linked by the expression “single one,” which is a reference to a state of ultimate oneness.68 This oneness speaks of the transformation of the elect, when they return to the primordial origin, to a state of complete unity and solitude. This transformation results from the abolition of duality and

66. See S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 314. 67. M. Williams, The Immovable Race: A Gnostic Designation and the Theme of Stability in Late Antiquity (Nag Hammadi Studies 29; Leiden: Brill, 1985), and Grosso, Vangelo secondo Tommaso (Roma: Carocci editore, 2011), 143. 68. See R. Charron, “À propos des ⲟⲩⲁ ⲟⲩⲱⲧ et de la solitude divine dans les textes de Nag Hammadi,” in Coptica – Gnostica – Manichaica. Mélanges offerts à Wolf-Peter Funk (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 7; Québec, Paris, Louvain: Presses de l’université Laval, Peeters, 2006), 130–31.

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differences, and is expressed through the spatial and bodily metaphors in Saying 22. This ultimately points to a myth of androgyny, understood in the context of a peculiar interpretation of the Genesis creation story.

Saying 24 His disciples said: Teach us about the place where you are, for it is necessary for us to seek it. He said to them: He who has ears to listen, let him listen! There is light inside a man of light, and he shines on the entire world. If he does not shine, it is darkness. This short saying, which is also possibly quoted in the badly deteriorated P.Oxy. 655 (d) Greek fragment,69 mentions the disciples’ desire to learn about Jesus’ abode. The question is quite unusual, as it assumes that Jesus is not with the disciples. The short dialogue almost seems to be part of the discussion between Jesus and his disciples in John 14:3–5: “(Jesus said).. . ‘And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.  And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ ” The Johannine Jesus is talking to his disciples about a place he is going to prepare for them, and promises to return and take them with him. Thomas then says that the disciples do not know where Jesus is going, or the way to get there. Saying 24 appears to pick up the conversation after Jesus had gone to that place and is about to return to his disciples. Their question is, therefore, about the 69. For comments on the fragmentary nature of P.Oxy. 655 (d), see “Introduction.”

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place where he currently is. Jesus does not seem to answer their question. Instead, he speaks of the light in a man of light70 that shines on the whole world. If he does not shine—because of the lack of light—it is darkness.71 Even if Jesus does not reply to the question, an insightful reader / hearer can establish a connection between words such as “place” and “light.” In Saying 4, the “place” of life can be equated with the Kingdom, and in Saying 50, the Kingdom is the place from which the elect originate and to which they return. If questioned about their place of origin, the elect say that they are “children of light,” who come from the “light.” The reader most likely knows the answer to Thomas’ own question found elsewhere in the Thomasine gospel: the place the disciples are seeking is the “Kingdom.” In Saying 77, Jesus says that he comes from the light, and that he is himself the light. It seems that Jesus, the Kingdom, and light are all interconnected. In the end, the disciples simply need to seek Jesus and his words.

Saying 25 Jesus said: Love your brother like your life; protect him like the pupil of your eye. In the first part of this saying, one can find similarities with passages in the Hebrew Bible as well as in the New Testament, for example in Leviticus 19:18; Mark 12:31; Matthew 19:19; 22:39; and Luke 10:27. These parallels are not always exact and show occasional lexical substitutions, such as “brother” for

70. The Greek fragment could possibly be translated as “luminous person” instead of a “man of light.” 71. Cf. Matthew 6:22-23 and Luke 11:34-36.

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“neighbor,” or “life” for “yourself.” A close parallel is also found in the Epistle of Barnabas 19:5, which reads: “Love your brother more than your soul.” The Greek word for “soul” (psychē) can also mean “life.” The second part of the saying is found in Deuteronomy 32:10, Psalms 17:8, Proverbs 7:2, Sirach 17:22 and Epist. Barn. 19:9. The New Testament connects the image of “light”—which is mentioned in the previous saying—with that of an “eye” present in Saying 25 (cf. Matthew 6:22–23// Luke 11:34–36).72 This commandment hints at a communal responsibility. Could this be an indication that a Thomasine community actually existed? It is difficult to say for sure, but the Thomasine saying suggests that similar minded people should guard or protect each other. The command to protect one’s brother is reminiscent of Genesis 4:9, where Cain asks if he should be his brother’s keeper. Some early Christian commentators, such as Clement of Alexandria, adopt a more symbolic reading of the “pupil of your eye,” which they understand as the “Gnostic” inner being / soul 73 or the elect seed.74 In his Excerpta ex Theodoto 1,3, Clement offers an example of such an interpretation: “We admit that the elect seed is both a spark kindled by the Logos and a pupil of the eye and a grain of mustard seed and leaven which unites in faith the generation which appear to be divided.” In the context of the teachings of Theodotus, Clement notes that the elect seed 72. See U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 91. 73. See for example J.-É. Ménard, L’Évangile selon Thomas (Nag Hammadi Studies 5; Leiden: Brill, 1975), 118. 74. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 319.

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is also compared to a grain of mustard and the leaven, two images found also in Sayings 20 and 96.

Saying 26 Coptic: Jesus said: You see the mote of straw in your brother’s eye, but you do not see the beam of wood in your eye! When you cast out the beam of wood from your eye, then you will be able to see (and) to cast out the mote of straw from your brother’s eye. Greek:.. . and then you will see clearly to remove the straw which is in your brother’s eye. Saying 26 is linked to the previous saying by the catchwords “brother” and “eye.” Parallels are offered by Matthew 7:3–5 and Luke 6:41–42. In the context of the Gos.Thom. and its insistence on seeking insight in order to experience life everlasting, one must first “see the light” before hoping to enlighten others about the truth. The quest for meaning is understood as an expression of brotherly love, since it is done not only for one’s own sake, but also for the salvation of one’s brother. This is how Saying 26 is connected to Jesus’ previous statement about loving one’s brother and protecting him like the pupil of one’s own eye. The meaning in the Gos.Thom. is somewhat different than in the synoptic tradition, where the emphasis is more ethically oriented. The canonical gospels focus on the hypocrisy of individuals who seek to change others without first changing themselves. Note that the synoptic parallels use the word “hypocrite” to characterize the brother who fails to see the beam of wood in his own eye. This word is completely absent from the Coptic version. The second part of the Coptic saying sounds less like a rebuke against hypocrisy than does its synoptic counterpart. In fact,

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the Coptic version reads more like an advice on how to assist one’s brother: removing the beam of wood from one’s own eye brings one an insight necessary to remove the mote of straw from a brother’s eye. This saying anticipates also the idea found in Saying 34: “Jesus said: If a blind leads a blind, they both fall into a pit.” One cannot lead others to the light—which is equivalent to casting out the mote of straw from the brother’s eye—without first having discovered and experienced insight, that is, without casting out the beam of wood from your own eye. The saying in the Gos.Thom. is not about self-judgment, as in the synoptic tradition; rather, Jesus is speaking about one’s responsibility in attaining spiritual insight to successfully lead others towards salvation.

Saying 27 Coptic: If you (pl.) do not abstain from the world, you will not find the Kingdom. If you do not make the Sabbath a Sabbath, you will not see the Father. Greek: Jesus says: If you (pl.) do not abstain from the world, you will not find the Kingdom of God. If you do not make the Sabbath a Sabbath, you will not see the Father. The saying is similar in both the Greek and Coptic versions, except for the absence of the usual “Jesus said” in the Coptic text. The ending of the first line in the Greek version speaks of the Kingdom of God, whereas the Coptic version refers only to the Kingdom. This is quite typical of the Coptic Gos.Thom. as the text uses the word “God” to denote either the judges who are understood as “gods” (Saying 30) or the demiurge (Saying 100); it is never used as a reference to the Father of Jesus. Another interesting feature of this saying

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is the expression “to make the Sabbath a Sabbath” (literally: “to sabbatize the sabbath”). The expression is found in the LXX, in Leviticus 23:32 and 2 Chronicles 36:21. Both Greek and Coptic versions of this saying are translated the same way. However, the saying remains rather enigmatic. Some understand this expression to be an invitation to keep the Sabbath in order to attain a visionary experience; for others, it is a call to observe the entire week as a Sabbath,75 still others connect the statement to “abstaining from the world.” The expression is found in Clement of Alexandria and in the Liber Graduum,76 where “to sabbatize the Sabbath” is given a spiritual interpretation. The real observance of the Sabbath means abstention from the world and its values. Some early Christian authors, such as Justin, Ptolemy, and the writer of the Interpretation of Knowledge (NHC XI,1), shared the idea that keeping the Sabbath meant refraining from evil works.77 But the expression can also simply be understood as a critique of the Sabbath, a Judaic ritual practice that the Gos.Thom. rejects as being of this world. Thus, “to sabbatize the Sabbath” might actually mean to abstain from the Sabbath.78 75. A. D. DeConick, Seek to See Him, 126-143 and P. Brown, “The Sabbath and the week in Thomas 27,” Novum Testamentum 34 (1992): 193. 76. A. Baker, “Fasting to the World,” Journal of Biblical Literature 84 (1965): 291–94. 77. A. Marjanen, “Thomas and Jewish Religious Practices,” in Thomas at the Crossroads. Essays on the Gospel of Thomas (ed. R. Uro; Studies of the New Testament and Its World; Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1998), 177–78. 78. J.-M. Sevrin, “Évangile selon Thomas,” in Écrits gnostiques. La Bibliothèque de Nag Hammadi (eds J.-P. Mahé and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque de la Pléiade 538; Paris: Gallimard, 2007), 314.

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Saying 28 Coptic: Jesus said: I stood in the midst of the world, and I was manifest to them in the flesh. I found all of them drunk; I found none of them thirsting. My soul was in pain for the sons of men, for they are blind in their heart and they do not see. For they came empty into the world; as well, empty they seek to come out of the world. But now they are drunk. When they shake off their wine, then they will repent. Greek: Jesus says: I stood in the midst of the world, and I was manifest to them in the flesh. I found all of them drunk; I found none of them thirsting. My soul was in pain for the sons of men, for they are blind in their heart and they do not see. . . The content of the Greek fragment is very close to the Coptic version, despite the fact that part of the saying is missing. There is a clear connection between Sayings  27 and 28 through the use of the catchword “world.” Saying 27 emphasizes the necessity of abstaining from the world in order to find the Kingdom, and Saying 28 gives an example of those who discard this idea. Drunkenness characterizes those who do not abstain from the world. As a consequence, they are empty and blind in their hearts, incapable of finding the Kingdom. Jesus’ manifestation in the flesh resonates with the idea of the logos made flesh in John 1:14. There is, however, no direct literary dependence between the Gos.Thom. and John’s prologue. The saying also aligns itself with the personification of Lady Wisdom in the book of Proverbs (chapters 1; 8; 9). Men must thirst for wisdom and knowledge, just as Thomas does in Saying 13 and those who drink from the mouth of Jesus in Saying 108. Saying 28 is also linked to the light mentioned in Saying 50. Jesus standing in

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the midst of the world and manifesting himself in the flesh (Saying 28) evokes the light (Saying 50) that established itself —“stand” and “establish” translate the same in Coptic—and was manifest in humankind’s image. It is therefore possible to think of Jesus in the Gos.Thom. as the light, as in the case of John’s prologue, where he is understood as the light of the world (John 1:9), and in Saying 77, where he is the light above all things.79

Saying 29 Coptic: Jesus said: It is amazing that the flesh came into being because of the spirit! It is amazingly amazing that the spirit (came into being) because of the body! But me, I am amazed at this: how this great wealth has come to dwell in this poverty. Greek:.. . poverty. There is very little to compare between the two versions, since only one word is legible in the Greek fragment. This enigmatic saying resonates with Sayings 87 and 112. In all three

also mentioned by Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:7; 5:1–4. The apostle speaks of the body as a “clay vessel” and an “earthly tent.” The word “flesh” also connects this saying with Jesus’ manifestation in the flesh in the midst of the world. Saying 29 could be a comment on Jesus taking a fleshly body. In one of the first commentaries on the Gos.Thom., Rodolphe Kasser noted

79. See A. Gagné, “Des étrangers issus du Royaume et de la lumière (EvTh 49-50),” Laval théologique et philosophique 70.1 (2015): 115–16.

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some verbal parallels that can be helpful in creating a network of meaning among several Thomasine sayings:80

2

29

Know

56

80

Know World Find

Know World Find

Flesh/ Cadaver body Spirit Wealth Poverty Poverty

87

110

112

Find World

Body Body

Flesh

Soul

Soul Rich

Certain sayings can thus be grouped together due to their common vocabulary. This is useful when reading and interpreting the Gos.Thom. as a whole: when attentive readers or hearers of the gospel encounter recurring vocabulary, they actively engage in the construction of meaning.

Saying 30 Coptic: Jesus said: Where there are three gods, they are gods. Where there are two or one, I am with him. Greek: [Jesus say]s: Where there are [three], [they are] not gods, and [where] there is one alone, [I say] I am with him. Lift the stone and you will find me, split the wood and I am there. 80. Chart translated and adapted from R. Kasser, L’Évangile selon Thomas. Présentation et commentaire théologique (Bibliothèque théologique; Neuchâtel: Delachaux & Nieslé, 1961), 65.

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The first part of this saying is unique to the Gos.Thom. The reference to “three gods” can most likely be understood in the light of the rabbinic interpretation of Psalm 82 found in Pirqé Abot 3.6.81 It served as a basis for Jewish law where legislation required that at least three judges be present to render a verdict in God’s presence. The judges were, therefore, described as “gods.” 82 The idea of a group of people having the authority to render verdicts and pronounce judgments in a communal context is also found in Matthew  18:15–20 and John 20:23. These texts seem to rely on some form of community legislation inspired by Judaic practices at the time. The second part of Jesus’ saying is especially reminiscent of Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Some commentators also see a parallel between Saying 30 and a comment by Clement of Alexandria on Matthew 18:20 about the demiurge being with the three (husband, wife and child), while the true God is with the solitaryelect.83 The Gos.Thom. appears to foreground an opposition between the “three gods” and the presence of Jesus with the “two or one.” The Thomasine sayings undermine multiplicity in favour of singularity, so this could be another way to remind the reader of this important principle. The text could also be understood as a critique of the Judaic tradition, where one is to reject the Judaic law exercised by those who are perceived as “gods.” Elsewhere in the Gos.Thom. one finds critical comments 81. See A. Guillaumont, “Sémitismes dans les logia de Jésus retrouvés à Nag-Hamâdi,” Journal asiatique 246 (1958): 113–23. 82. In a different context, the Gospel of John refers to Psalm 82 when speaking of judges as “gods;” see John 10:33–34. 83. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 340.

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about Judaic laws and practices (Sayings 6, 14, 27, 39, 43, 52, 89, 102), so Saying 30 could also be a way for the Gos.Thom. to challenge the authority of such a tradition. The presence of Jesus with those who are two or one—notice that they are not referred to as “gods”—is sufficient in matters of judgment.

Saying 31 Coptic: Jesus said: A prophet is not received in his town; a doctor does not heal those who know him. Greek: Jesus says: A prophet is not received in his homeland, nor does a doctor heal those who know him. This familiar saying is also found in Mark 6:4, Matthew 13:57, and John 4:44, but its closest parallel seems to be in Luke 4:23– 24. Saying 31 is part of a series of proverbs involving things that are impossible or not expected to happen.84 The usual context of the saying in the canonical gospels has to do with the rejection of Jesus’ ministry in his homeland and his inability to perform miracles in his own town because of the people’s lack of faith. The Gos.Thom. offers no narrative context and no indication that Jesus is to be understood as the “prophet” and “doctor;” in fact, it usually portrays prophets in a negative light, often associated with the inadequacy of the Judaic tradition (Sayings 52 and 89).85 Gathercole notes that part of Saying 31 and the whole of Saying 32 are not literally true. There 84. Also, Sayings 32–35; see S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 343–44. 85. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 344.

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are plenty of references in antiquity to rulers who had their own physicians, that is, to doctors well known to their patients.86 One might, therefore, ask why such statements found their way into this collection of sayings. What can be the purpose of such de-contextualisation? It is possible that these sayings are to be read as expressions of unconventionality, as statements meant to go against the common sense. If this is the case, then the purpose of such sayings would be to alert the reader / hearer that the wisdom to be sought is not what is usually expected and that such wisdom defies the common sense. In the Gos.Thom., salvation comes through a deconstruction of conventional wisdom, in a way similar to that described by Paul. In 1 Corinthians 1:18–19.21, Paul wrote: “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’. . . For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe.”

Saying 32 Coptic: Jesus said: A city built on a high mountain, fortified, cannot fall nor can it be hidden. Greek: Jesus says: A city built on a high mountain, and fortified, cannot fall nor can be hidden.

86. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 345.

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This saying can be interpreted in a similar way as the preceding one. Some cities could still be conquered despite their strategic location and fortifications. This saying could thus be read to mean that true, unassailable spiritual insight is found in unexpected places and through unconventional means. According to some commentators, the saying describes the “Gnostic” believer who cannot fall and is represented by a “city” on a high mountain, in opposition to the lower material world. Those who lack “gnosis,” however, are destined to fall and perish.87 For other scholars, this saying refers to the Thomasine community’s mission and to the promise of their protection and success.88 It is also possible to understand it as referring to the “missionary” work of those who have found the knowledge that brings about everlasting life (see the incipit). The saying expresses what is usually expected: a fortress on a hilltop is impregnable. However, the Gos.Thom. insists that insight into the secret sayings of Jesus is not to be expected from conventional wisdom. This also resonates with the idea that the wisdom of God is foolishness for those who perish (1 Corinthians 1:18). As in Paul’s first Letter to the Corinthians, unconventional wisdom, according to the Gos.Thom., is also to be proclaimed by those who have found the interpretation of Jesus’ hidden words. In this sense, their message is unconventional, as is the thought that conquering a fortified city on a high mountain is an impossible task.

87. J.-É. Ménard, L’Évangile selon Thomas (Nag Hammadi Studies 5; Leiden: Brill, 1975), 129. 88. See R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 107 and M. Grosso, Vangelo secondo Tommaso (Roma: Carocci editore, 2011), 163–64.

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Saying 33 Coptic: Jesus said: That which you will hear in your ear, in the other ear proclaim it on your (pl.) rooftops. For no one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel basket, nor puts it in a hidden place. He rather puts it on a lampstand, so that everyone who goes in and comes out will see its light. Greek: Jesus says: you hear in your one ear. . . In Coptic, the words “ear” and “bushel basket” are homonyms and possibly served as catchwords to conflate two sayings which circulated independently of each other: (1) Matthew 10:27; Luke 12:3, and (2) Mark 4:21; Matthew 5:15; Luke 8:16; 11:33. Saying 33 belongs to the list of “impossibilities” found in in Sayings 31–35.89 These are proverbs concerning things that are impossible or not expected to happen.90 In the Gos.Thom., Sayings 32 and 33 follow for the most part the sequence found in Matthew 5:14–15. Those who have uncovered the secret sayings of Jesus in the Gos.Thom. are now expected to proclaim the message for everyone to hear. The saying describes conventional action: no one hides a lamp. However, it is not impossible to hide a lamp; people can hide or cover a lamp if they wish so, but it would be unconventional to engage in such behaviour. Again, the message contained in Jesus’ secret sayings is not what one might expect. Despite the alternate meanings found in the canonical context, Thomasine sayings hold the key to one’s experience of eternal life (cf. incipit and

89. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 349. 90. See commentary on Saying 31.

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Saying 1). The purpose of this call to preach is that “everyone who goes in and comes out will see its light.” What does the pronoun “its” refer to? We can suppose that it is a reference to the lamp’s light. One might understand the light of the lamp to represent the truths found in the secret sayings of Jesus, and the lamp to stand for the words themselves. Believers, metaphorically speaking, can be seen as lamp-stands on which the light of the lamp rests. In a nutshell, the compiler of this collection of sayings most likely believed that only the proclamation of Jesus’ hidden words (i.e. the Gospel of Thomas) could truly illuminate or enlighten those who hear.

Saying 34 Jesus said: If a blind leads a blind, they both fall into a pit. Here is another “impossibility” saying which parallels Matthew 15:14 and Luke 6:39. Blindness can be understood metaphorically as failing to perceive the true meaning of Jesus’ teaching.91 The blind who “lead” remind us of the “leaders” in Saying 3, that is, those who point the believers in the wrong direction with respect to the coming Kingdom. They lead people astray or drag them on an erroneous course.92 In the context of the synoptic gospels, this saying of Jesus speaks of the Pharisees, who lead the masses that blindly follow them, 91. R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 109–10. 92. S. Gathercole rightly notes that the verb “lead” comes from the Coptic sôk hēt⸗, which means “to drag”; see, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 351. Note that the same Coptic expression is used in Saying 3 when referring to the “leaders” or “guides.”

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instead of taking heed of Jesus’ message. In the context of the Gos.Thom., the leaders are most likely the influential people who hold different ideas about salvation than the ones hinted at in the collection. Jesus’ warning seems to be that no one will find the Kingdom if they follow teachings other than the one contained in the Thomasine gospel. The “falling into a pit” probably refers to the devastation that will befall those who follow the blind leaders.93

Saying 35 Jesus said: It is impossible for someone to enter the house of the strong and take it by force, unless he binds his hands, then he will plunder his house.94 This is the last of the “impossibility” sayings. In contrast to the synoptic gospels (Mark 3:27; Matthew 12:29; Luke 11:21– 22), the Coptic version here is devoid of any eschatological references. There is no allusion to Jesus plundering Satan’s kingdom through his powers of exorcism. In the canonical gospels, Jesus himself offers an allegorical interpretation, saying that the strong man represents Satan, and that he can bind him. The Thomasine gospel, however, offers no hint of such an interpretation; rather, the text seems to be presenting a general recommendation to believers. Some scholars have understood this statement as a reference to the interior struggle waged by the soul against passions in order to experience true freedom. 93. See U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 104. 94. This wisdom saying attributed to Jesus is also mentioned in Mark 3:27; Matthew 12:29; Luke 11:21–22.

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For example, DeConick quotes a spiritual interpretation of Jesus’ parable by Clement of Alexandria: 95 “And the Saviour exhorts us to bind it (the body) and to seize its possessions as those of a strong man who is making war against the heavenly soul” (Exc.Theod. 52.1). Gathercole notes that another Nag Hammadi text from Codex II, the Gospel of Philip (53.10-13), describes how the life (soul) fell into the hands of the robbers (evil forces?) and the saviour had to battle to save it: 96 “. . . he came forth to take it (his life or soul) back, since it had been laid down as a deposit. It had fallen into the hands of the robbers and been stolen, but he saved it.” It is clear that Philip echoes John 10, where it is said that Jesus laid down his life for his followers. There seems, however, to be a conflation between the Johannine theme of Jesus’ death and that of the strong man in the synoptic gospels. In all these cases (Thomas, Philip and Clement), the soul (life) is at the heart of the battle against the forces of evil.

Saying 36 Coptic: Jesus said: Do not worry from morning to evening and from evening to morning about what you (pl.) will wear. 95. A. D. DeConick, The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation (New York: T&T Clark, 2007), 148. 96. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 354.

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Greek: [. . .] from morning [until evening] or from eve[ning until mor]ning, neither [about] your [food], what you will eat [nor] about your clo[thing], what you [will] wear. [You are much] greater than the [lilies] which [neither] card nor [spin. . .] have [. . .g]ar[ment], what [. . .]? Who might add to your stature? He will himself give you your garment. This saying is longer in Matthew 6:25 and Luke 12:22 because, while in the Gos.Thom. the emphasis is strictly on clothing, Matthew and Luke admonish the reader not worry about life, food, drink (in Matthew), body and clothes. The Greek text in P.Oxy. 655 col. i. 1–17 is also longer than the Coptic version as it mentions eating and clothing.97 It is possible that the unique focus on clothes was introduced intentionally to connect Sayings  36 with 37, in which stripping one’s clothes should be understood as metaphor for the body. The attitude that one should adopt is similar to the one expressed in the canonical gospels: disciples should focus on what truly matters. The secret sayings of Jesus are meant to lead towards attaining eternal life, and away from worrying about material needs. Up to this point, the Thomasine collection has invited readers to seek out their true origin (Sayings 2, 3, 11, 17, 18, 19, 24 and 27). Such insight can be gained by learning to abstain from the world (Saying 28). In this context, it is not surprising that Jesus exhorts his followers not be worried about what they 97. See J. M. Robinson, “A Pre-Canonical Greek Reading in Saying 36 of the Gospel of Thomas,” in Colloque international ‘L’Évangile selon Thomas et les textes de Nag Hammadi’ (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 8; Québec, Paris, Louvain: Presses de l’université Laval, éditions Peeters, 2007), 515–57.

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will wear. If this saying is read in conjunction with the one that follows, one can assume that Jesus is making a reference to the body. Such a connection would, therefore, correspond with the generally negative outlook on the body (or flesh) and the material world in the Gos.Thom. (Sayings 3, 10, 16, 27, 28, 29, 56, 60, 80, 87, 110, 111, 112). As we will see in the following saying, only the abandonment of the world and body can provide knowledge of the Son of the Living One.

Saying 37 Coptic: His disciples said: On what day will you appear to us and on what day will we see you? Jesus said: When you (pl.) will strip-off your shame, and take your clothes, put them under your feet like little children, trample on them; then [you will see] the son of the Living One and you will not be afraid. Greek: His disciples said to him: When will you appear to us, and when will we see you? He said: When you strip naked and are not ashamed [. . .]. This saying starts with the disciples’ question: when will Jesus reveal himself to them and when will they see him? This question seems rather strange given that Jesus is already present among them. The suggestion here is that they lack perception and insight into the true identity of Jesus: they are blind to the fact that he is the son of the Living One. Jesus then instructs them how they can reach a deeper insight into this ultimate divine reality. The experience will only be possible when they “strip off” their shame, take off their clothes and trample on them. J. Z. Smith thought that the saying described an ancient 98. For more details, see J. Z. Smith, “Garments of Shame,” History of Religions 5 (1966): 217–38.

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baptismal ritual.98 His reading of it was later questioned by DeConick and Fossum, who believed that the saying has nothing to do with baptism but is rather a teaching on selfcontrol and self-denial, in preparation “for salvation and ascension in heaven.” 99 DeConick later argued that “stripping” and “trampling” (on garments) refers to the removal of the physical body in Early Jewish and Christian literature. Clement of Alexandria quotes a similar saying from the Gospel of the Egyptians (Stromata 3.92.2). The act of stripping off one’s clothes and trampling them underfoot is probably a sign of a ritual practice. It could have been similar to baptism, as it represents the believer’s union with Christ in his death and resurrection. The ritual in Saying 37 most likely served to re-enact the state of transcendence that would ultimately come at the moment of death. The Coptic phrase translated here as “little children” translates as “slaves” in Saying 21. Both the “little children” (Saying 36) and the “slaves” (Saying 21) strip off their clothes. The “slaves” are characters in the parable, while the “little children” seem to represent believers in a ritual setting.

Saying 38 Coptic: Jesus said: Many times you (pl.) desired to listen to these words which I speak to you, and you have none other from whom to hear them.100 There will be days when you will seek me; you will not find me.101 Greek: P.Oxy. 655 col. ii 2–11 is too badly damaged to restore its content. 99. See A. D. DeConick and J. Fossum, “Stripped Before God: A New Interpretation of Logion 37 in the Gospel of Thomas,” Vigiliae Christianae 45 (1991): 124–25. 100. This part of the saying is similar to Matthew 13:17 and Luke 10:24. 101. See Luke 17:22 and John 7:34.

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As proposed by Davies,102 this saying may be an echo of the call of Wisdom found in Proverbs 1:28 and 2:28: They will seek me diligently but will not find me [. . . ] When they call upon me, I will not answer them. When they search for me, they shall not find me. The disciples know that Jesus is the source of wisdom (see, for example, Saying 13), but there will come a time when their master will no longer be with them. The disciples will have to rely on the secret sayings of Jesus, written down by Didymus Judas Thomas (see the incipit). One might wonder what is meant by the “days” when his disciples will not be able to seek him. Is this a reference to Jesus’ departure, his return to the Kingdom, or can this be an allusion to the time of death? In Saying 59, Jesus says, “Look for the Living One while you (pl.) are alive, for fear that you die and seek to see him, and you are not able to see (him).” Throughout the Gos.Thom., the disciples are called to a quest, to seek and to find (Sayings 2, 92 and 94). They are to seek Jesus (59), the place where Jesus is (24), a place of rest (60), an imperishable treasure (76); and they are to find the Kingdom (49), themselves (111), the interpretation of the sayings of Jesus (1), life (58), and a large good fish and one large sheep (i.e., oneness; 8 and 107). In all these cases, the quest is always somehow associated with wisdom, since seeking and finding are attributes of a wise action. For example, the salesman in Saying 76 and the fisherman in Saying 8 are both called wise. It is clear that for the compiler of the Thomasine collection, readers need to keep seeking for the truth despite Jesus’ physical absence; this is what constitutes the mark of true wisdom. 102. See S. L. Davies, The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom (Bardic Press, 2005), 95.

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Saying 39 Coptic: Jesus said: The Pharisees and the scribes took the keys of knowledge (and) hid them. They did not enter and prevented those who wished to enter. You (pl.), however, be shrewd as serpents and pure as doves. Greek: Too damaged to transcribe with any accuracy. The first part of this saying resembles Matthew 23:13 and Luke 11:52. Matthew’s version prefers the term “Kingdom” instead of “knowledge” (in the Gos.Thom. and Luke). The second part of the saying is closer to Matthew 10:16. Jesus’ saying fits quite well with the context and serves as an admonition arising from what was said in Saying 38. Since Jesus will be at some point absent, the believers will need to continue seeking wisdom. They must heed Jesus’ warning: beware of those who seem to display knowledge. According to Jesus, these people hinder others from attaining knowledge and prevent them from entering the Kingdom. But where are the disciples to enter? Even if there is no direct mention of the Kingdom in this specific saying, the other Thomasine sayings strongly suggest that it is the Kingdom they are to enter—or something synonymous with the Kingdom, such as “life” (Sayings 4, 58, 114) or the “rest” (Sayings 50, 51, 60, 90). There is also an important Judaic marker in this text: the Pharisees. We know that in many instances the Gos.Thom. is quite critical of the Judaic tradition and its actors.103 Jesus’ statement is just another way for the Thomasine collection to reinforce this negative stance. 103. The Judaic practices criticized by the Gos.Thom. can be found in Sayings 6; 14; 27; 43; 52; 89; 102; 104. For an in-depth discussion on this issue, see C. Gianotto’s important article, “Quelques aspects de la polémique anti-juive dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” in Colloque international ‘L’Évangile selon Thomas et les textes de Nag Hammadi’

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According to the Gos.Thom., true wisdom and knowledge are not to be expected from such a tradition; the Pharisees deliberately prevented people from seeking the knowledge and attaining the Kingdom. How did they do it? By their insistence on rituals and laws which have no value for salvation. The last portion of Saying 39 invites readers to adopt a shrewd (wise and careful) attitude as displayed by serpents—there is no negative connotation here, just an exhortation to caution and wisdom. This attitude is characteristic of the seekers of wisdom in the Gos.Thom., such as the wise fisherman and the salesman in Sayings 8 and 76, respectively.

Saying 40 Jesus said: A grapevine was planted outside of the Father, and since it is not sturdy, it will be plucked out by its roots and destroyed. In the synoptic version of this text (Matthew 15:13), Jesus reacts to the religious hypocrisy of the Pharisees. It is interesting that the Gos.Thom. inserts this saying after Jesus’ previous negative assessment of the Pharisees. The grapevine is often invoked as an image of Israel in the Hebrew Bible (see Jeremiah 2:21; 6:9; Isaiah 5:1–12); therefore, it is quite possible that an informed reader would have made a connection between the previous saying, which appears to criticize the Pharisees, and the grapevine of Saying 40. There are also numerous texts in the New Testament that use symbolic vegetal references to describe the relationship between the god of Québec, 29-31 mai 2003 (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 8; Québec: Presses de l’université Laval; Louvain – Paris: Peeters, 2007), 157–73.

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Israel and his people (e.g., 1 Corinthians 3:6–7; Romans 11:11; Mark 4:1–9.26–29 [and parallels]; 11:12–14.20–25 [and parallels]; 13:28–31 [and parallels]; Matthew 7:16; 13:31; Luke 6:44; 23:31; Hebrews  6:7–8; Revelation  22:2.14.19).104 Both the Gos.Thom. and the New Testament could be viewed as disapproving of the Judaic tradition and its practitioners.105 In any case, the text focuses on those who have not embraced the Thomasine way of thinking. Jesus specifically targets the Judaic authorities, but his censure can certainly be applied to all those who have not been chosen by the Father. According to the Gos.Thom., only the solitary-elect can be saved and return to the Kingdom, their place of origin (Saying 49). Only those who come from the light will return to the light (Saying 50; 77), and those circumcised in the spirit—in contrast to those who are circumcised in the flesh—will experience what is most profitable (Saying 53). It is also clear that only the solitary will enter the bridal chamber (the Kingdom) even though many others may stand at the door (Saying 75). In the Gos.Thom. 62, Jesus tells his mysteries only to those who are worthy of them, which means that not everyone will have the knowledge to experience everlasting life. Such a sectarian attitude is also manifest in Saying 13, where Thomas withholds from the other disciples what Jesus has revealed to him. Jesus’ own exclusivist tendency is also found in Mark 4:10–12, when he refuses to interpret his parables to those outside his circle of disciples.

104. For more details, see M. Grosso, Vangelo secondo Tommaso (Roma: Carocci editore, 2011), 172. 105. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 375.

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Saying 41 Jesus said: He who has in his hand, it will be given to him; and he who does not have, even the little that he has will be taken from his hand. This saying is found in three canonical gospels (Mark 4:25; Matthew 13:12; 25:29; Luke 8:18; 19:26) and is usually associated to the idea of the Kingdom.106 As is often the case in the Gos.Thom., Jesus’ statement goes against the conventional logic. The first part of the sentence does not seem to make sense: If something is in your possession, it cannot be given to you since you already have it. It is also usual to assume that what someone does not have cannot be taken away from him, since he does not have anything in the first place.107 How can we, then, understand such a paradoxical statement? One way to interpret this enigmatic saying is to approach it from the perspective of determinism, similar to the meaning of the saying in the synoptic gospels, where Jesus warns that people are not the masters of their own destiny. In the context of the parable of the Sower (Mark 4:25; Matthew 13:12; Luke 8:18), the seed is productive only under certain conditions, despite the fact that it is sown everywhere. Saying 41 is also found in the context of the parable of the talents / pounds (Matthew 25:29; Luke 19:26); a story about the consequences of mismanagement. In the parable of the talents, money was initially given and not gained through merit. Returning to the Gos.Thom., the same lesson

106. P. Pokorný, A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas: From Interpretations to the Interpreted (New York: T & T Clark, 2009), 86. 107. S. Gathercole wrestles with such incoherence in The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 376.

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applies. As in the previous saying (Saying 40), only those planted (i.e., those who have been chosen) by the Father will thrive; the sense of election is palpable here. The Gos.Thom. definitely embraces a deterministic outlook on salvation. Only those who find the interpretation of Jesus’ hidden sayings will experience everlasting life (Saying 1). However, in order to find it, one needs to drink from Jesus’ mouth (i.e., to ingest his teaching; see Saying 13 and 108), and only the solitary-elect will attain the Kingdom. Therefore, the outlook is deterministic because they must be led by Jesus (Saying 114). At the same time, determinism does not excuse one from actively seeking in order to find life (Saying 2).

Saying 42 Jesus said: Be passers-by. This is the shortest saying in the collection, but scholars still debate its possible meaning.108 It could be an instruction on to how the believers must behave in the world, that is, as sojourners or itinerants destined for the Kingdom. The meaning could be comparable to what is found in the New 108. For an in-depth analysis of various perspectives on this short saying, see J.-D. Dubois, “« Soyez passants », ou l’interprétation du logion 42 de l’Évangile selon Thomas,” in Colloque international ‘L’Évangile selon Thomas et les textes de Nag Hammadi’ Québec, 29-31 mai 2003 (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section “études” 8; Québec: Presses de l’université Laval; Louvain – Paris: Peeters, 2007), 93-105. There is also a good summary of the various interpretations of this saying by S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 379–82.

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Testament, for example, in 1 Peter 2:11, which compares believers to “strangers” and “sojourners.” Such an understanding is compatible with what is said elsewhere in the Gos.Thom. about believers. The readers are told that they should guard themselves against the world and not be attached to it (Sayings 22, 27, 28, 56, 80, 110), and that the world is also destined for destruction (Sayings 10, 12, 16 and 111). If this is the condition of the present world, then the believers should strive to leave and go back to their place of origin, that is, the Kingdom (Sayings 3, 22, 27, 46, 49, 54, 82, 99, 114), in order to find “life,” (Sayings 58, 114) “the place of life,” (Saying 4) the “place(s),” (Sayings 24, 50, 60, 64, 76) “rest,” (Saying 50) or the “light” (Sayings 11, 50, 61, 77, 83). Being a passer-by is the same thing as being a solitary (Sayings  16, 49, 75), like someone who shuns the things of this world and does not worry about what to wear (Saying 36).109

Saying 43 His disciples said to him: Who are you to say these things to us? From what I say to you (pl.), do you not realize who I am? But you have become like the Judeans, for they love the tree, (but) hate the fruit; or they love the fruit, (but) hate the tree. The disciples’ question is somewhat similar to the question the Judeans ask Jesus concerning his own identity in John 8:25.53: “They (the Judeans) said to him, ‘Who are you?’. . . ‘Who do you claim to be?’ ” This may explain why 109. R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 118.

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the Gos.Thom. has Jesus compare his disciples to the Judeans, since they seem incredulous about his identity and his teaching. This is the first question posed by the disciples after a sequence of sayings (37–42), in which Jesus negatively compares them to Judeans. The mention of “these things” suggests that the disciples are referring to what Jesus has been teaching them.110 Jesus’ reply in the second part of Saying 43 is somewhat similar to the response he gives to Philip in John 14:9: “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me?” The disciples’ question proves that some of them have not understood his message or realized who he is (see for example Saying 13). One can almost wonder if the disciples are not accusing Jesus of being a false prophet. This is exactly what the Judeans did, and Jesus uses here the same fruit-and-tree metaphor in his reply as in the synoptic tradition; he also repeats the fruit-and-tree metaphor when he warns his disciples against the wiles of impostors (Matthew 7:17– 18; 12:33 and Luke 6:43). This metaphor is always used in the context of questions about Jesus’ identity and the legitimacy of his teaching. True prophets are recognized by their fruits, that is, by their ethical way of life. Is Jesus inviting his disciples to examine his ethical way of life? This does not seem to be the case in the Gos.Thom.111 Maybe the tree and fruit that are to be loved represent the truth of Jesus’ teaching? 112 This 110. See R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 119 and I. Dunderberg, The Beloved Disciple in Conflict? (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), 22. 111. R. Kasser, L’Évangile selon Thomas. Présentation et commentaire théologique (Bibliothèque théologique; Neuchâtel: Delachaux & Nieslé, 1961), 72–73. 112. J.-É. Ménard, L’Évangile selon Thomas (Nag Hammadi Studies 5; Leiden: Brill, 1975), 143–44.

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would be the ultimate test of Jesus’ identity, as clearly seen in the example of Thomas who acknowledges his masters’ identity, anticipated and invited by Jesus in Saying 13.

Saying 44 Jesus said: He who blasphemes the Father shall be forgiven, and he who speaks against the Son shall be forgiven; but he who blasphemes the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven, neither on earth nor in heaven. This saying ties in very well with the preceding one: they are connected in a way reminiscent of Matthew’s version of the Beelzebul controversy (12:22–37). In the Gos.Thom., however, the warning is aimed at the disciples who question Jesus’ identity and teaching (Gos.Thom. 43), and not at the Pharisees. The same saying is also invoked by Mark (3:28–30) and Luke (12:10). Saying 44 is the only place in the entire Thomasine collection that explicitly mentions the Holy Spirit. A veiled reference to the Holy Spirit may, perhaps, be found in Saying 101, in which Jesus is speaking of his true Mother.113 Another unique feature of Saying 44 is its reference to the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. As in the synoptic tradition, an offence is most serious when it is committed not against the Father or the Son but against the Holy Spirit. Valantasis proposes that, in the text, the Spirit is operative through the voice of Jesus, serving as a way to reveal the identity of the living Jesus to the readers. The Spirit illuminates the readers’ interpretative processes, and it is through the Spirit that readers are capable of 113. Parts of Saying 101 are badly damaged, and the reference to Jesus’ true Mother is restored on the assumption that it is influenced by Gospel of the Hebrews 3.

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uncovering the meaning of Jesus’ hidden sayings, which leads to everlasting life (Saying 1). According to Valantasis, denigrating the voice and presence of Jesus in these hidden sayings would, therefore, amount to a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.114 Be that as it may, it is clear that the statement fits well within the context, following the disciples’ questioning of Jesus’ identity, an attitude similar to that of the Judeans. Rejecting Jesus and failing to recognize who he is must inevitably lead to destruction. Saying 13, for example, warns the disciples about refusing the revelation given by Jesus to Thomas, who is presented as the true interpreter of the master’s hidden words.

Saying 45 Jesus said: Grapes are not harvested from a thorn tree, nor are figs from thistles, [for] they do not give fruit. [A good] man brings out good from his treasure; an [evil] man brings out wicked things from his bad treasure which is in his heart, and he speaks wicked things. For out of the abundance of the heart, he brings out wicked things. Elements from Sayings 43–45 are found in various places in the synoptic gospels. Sayings 43–44 are in a different order but comparable to Matthew  12:31–33. Saying 45 parallels Luke 6:44–45 and contains features also found in Matthew 7:16 and 12:35.115 Saying 45 is a continuation of Jesus’ assessment 114. R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 121. 115. For more details concerning the similarities and differences between Saying 45 and the synoptic tradition, see U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 119–20, as well

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of the disciples’ question about his identity and teaching. In the context of the Gos.Thom., misunderstanding who Jesus is reveals one’s misguided and evil heart. This is clearly in line with what was said by the disciples about Jesus. Now, Jesus turns the table on them: what a disciple says reveals the true nature of his heart. This is how Jesus now questions the identity of his own disciples, of those who claim to be his followers. Those who truly believe in Jesus’ message produce good fruit; those who refuse his teaching do not yield fruit but bring forth wicked things from their evil hearts.116 Two of several parallel texts adduced by DeConick 117 are particularly relevant and could help understand the meaning of Saying 45 in the Gos.Thom.: Its fruit discloses the cultivation of the tree. So the expression of a thought discloses the cultivation of a man’s mind. Sirach 27:6 All that makes for a soul’s perfection follows in their train, for nobody who professes faith will commit sin, and nobody who possesses love can feel hatred. As the tree is known by its fruits, so they who claim to belong to Christ are known by their actions. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Ephesians 14 as W. Schrage, Das Verhältnis des Thomas-Evangeliums zur synoptischen Tradition und zu den koptischen Evangelienübersetzungen. Zugleich ein Beitrag zur gnostischen Synoptikerdeutung (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 29; Berlin, Töpelman, 1964), 100–5. 116. See R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 122. 117. A. D. DeConick, The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation (New York: T&T Clark, 2007), 170.

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In both cases, the disciple is recognized through his actions and his speech. Jesus can, therefore, be suspicious of the disciples’ motives after they have questioned his identity and teaching in Saying 43.

Saying 46 Jesus said: From Adam to John the Baptist, among those born of women, there is none more elevated than John the Baptist, so that his eyes should not be broken.118 But I said, ‘He among you (pl.) who becomes little will know the Kingdom and will be elevated above John.’ 119 The first part of Saying 46 is closely related to Matthew 11:11 and Luke 7:28, both of which are concerned with John the Baptist’s question about Jesus’ identity. In the second portion of Saying 46, Jesus ironically refers to the disciples’ naive question in Saying 22, where he instructs his followers about the conditions that must be met before they enter the Kingdom. There is no contradiction between Sayings 22 and 46. Jesus’ reference to the “little ones” in Saying 46 does not mean that he endorses the misunderstanding of the disciples in Saying 22. The purpose of the irony is to remind them that they had previously misunderstood the status of the “little ones;” by recalling their previous misunderstanding, he reinforces the earlier message that knowing the Kingdom is contingent on many circumstances. In the Gos.Thom., knowledge of the Kingdom does not emanate from the status of some

118. That is, John should not avert or lower his eyes. 119. See Mark 10:15, Matthew 18:3 and Luke 18:17 for references to the theme of “humility and the Kingdom.”

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illustrious personage, such as John the Baptist; rather, it can be learned from the insights into the hidden words Jesus conveyed to Thomas, and that is why Jesus’ disciples have an advantage over those who lived from Adam to John. That is precisely what distinguishes them from John. Saying 46 also plays on a certain ambiguity inherent in “being little” by juxtaposing that state with the idea of “elevation.” Jesus foregrounds the opposition between “little” and “elevation” by contrasting John with the disciples. Those who will become “little” will know the Kingdom and will be “elevated above” John. This presupposes that John the Baptist never reached such an understanding of the Kingdom. As Saying 22 shows, it is not so much the idea of “being little” that matters as what characterizes the disciples as the “little ones.” Once again, Saying 22 provides the answer: those who enter the Kingdom are like those who suckle. The disciples of Jesus “suckle” like the “little ones,” and that is why they may rise above John and know the Kingdom. In the Gos.Thom., those “little ones” who suckle are easily comparable to those who drink from the mouth of Jesus and to whom all things are revealed (Saying 108).

Saying 47 Jesus said: It is impossible for a man to mount two horses and stretch two bows, and it is impossible for a servant to serve two masters or he will honor one and act insolently toward the other.120 No man drinks old wine and immediately desires to drink new wine; and new wine is not poured into old wineskins, because they might burst, and old wine is not poured into (a) new 120. See Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13.

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wineskin, because it might lose it. An old patch is not sewn on a new garment, because there would be a tear.121 In this saying, singularity is emphasized over multiplicity, hence the stress on one horse, one bow or one master, not two. The comparison between the old and the new wine is also in Luke 5:39, but in the Gos.Thom. the saying highlights the desirability of singularity and the preference for one wine over the other. The synoptic gospels (Mark 2:22; Matthew 9:17; Luke 5:37–39) expand the example and mention the pouring of new wine into new wineskins. In the Gos.Thom., however, there is no pouring of the wine; it seems as if it is ingested immediately. The mixture of wine with wineskin is avoided; one should not make one (wine) into two (wine and wineskin). Singularity, or “oneness,” is also the lesson taught in this wisdom saying: one cannot join together two pieces of clothes (old and new). The danger, according to the Gos.Thom., is not so much the opposition between the old and new122—as seems to be the case in the synoptic tradition—or the exclusive commitment to Jesus and his message,123 but rather the problem of multiplicity.124 121. Parallels are in Mark 2:21, Matthew 9:16, and Luke 5:36. 122. Some scholars have interpreted Saying 46 as being all about the opposition between the old and the new; see R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 124; P. Pokorný, A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas: From Interpretations to the Interpreted (New York: T & T Clark, 2009), 92; G. Riley, “The Influence of Thomas Christianity on Luke 12:14 and 5:39,” Harvard Theological Review 88 (1995): 234. 123. See A. D. DeConick, The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation (New York: T&T Clark, 2007), 173–77 and M. Grosso, Vangelo secondo Tommaso (Roma: Carocci editore, 2011), 180. 124. See J.-É. Ménard, L’Évangile selon Thomas (Nag Hammadi Studies 5; Leiden: Brill, 1975), 149.

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Singularity, or oneness, is to be sought over plurality or multiplicity. This is a recurrent theme in the Gos.Thom.: becoming one and the same (Saying 4); keeping the one large fish (Saying 8); making two into one (Sayings 22 and 106); being a single one (Saying 24); peace in one house (Saying 48); finding the one large sheep (Saying 107). Such a state of singularity or transcendent oneness must be attained to enter and know the Kingdom.

Saying 48 Jesus said: If two make peace with each other in this one house, they will say to the mountain, ‘Move out!’ and it will move. One can find parallels to this saying in Mark 11:23, Matthew 17:20; 18:19; 21:21 and 1 Corinthians 13:2. As in the previous text, oneness, or singularity and its transformative power is the focus of this saying. Gathercole is correct in noting that the saying has nothing to do with prayer—as in the canonical parallels—but, rather, the Gos.Thom. is concerned with salvation.125 The emphasis here is on two people making peace in one house. The principle of unity, oneness, and singularity is taught through the analogy of a house in conflict. The story teaches that one must avoid division and seek unity under one roof; it is again another warning about multiplicity. According to Pokorný, the idea of making peace consists essentially in “overcoming individual differences” and “common communication

125. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 402.

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with God (cf. log. 22:4–7).” He also sees the idea of making peace as another way to describe “the return to the original unity of human beings created in God’s image.” 126 In any case, Saying 48 is comparable to Saying 106, in which one must “make two into one,” before one is able to move mountains. It is interesting to note that “oneness” is linked to the authority over the physical realm. This resonates with Saying 2, which implies that he who perseveres in his quest for knowledge will rule over all things. Similarly, in Saying 13, Thomas rules over the physical realm (the stones will burn his adversaries), after being given a revelation by Jesus—all of this because he sated his thirst by drinking from the bubbling spring that Jesus measured out. As we have seen, “oneness” is also the theme of Saying 108: he who drinks from the mouth of Jesus will be “one” with him, and the hidden things will be revealed to him. In sum, “oneness,” singularity, or “making two into one” is attained through knowledge. And what exactly does this knowledge entail? The answer can be discovered only through the correct interpretation of the hidden sayings of Jesus (Saying 1).

Saying 49 Jesus said: Blessed are the solitary and the elect, for you (pl.) will find the Kingdom. For you are from it; you will return there. It is important to note that the solitary and the elect are not two different groups of individuals; both are the same and

126. P. Pokorný, A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas: From Interpretations to the Interpreted (New York: T & T Clark, 2009), 86.

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could be referred to as the “solitary-elect.” 127 Sayings 49 and 54 form an inclusio, which is delimited by two beatitudes (Greco-Coptic: makarios) and comprised of a concentric structure that can be represented as follows: A: Beatitude (Saying 49) B: Questions about the identity of the elect and the sign of your Father (Saying 50) C: The repose of the dead and the new world unrecognized (Saying 51) C′: The words of the dead and the Living One abandoned (Saying 52) B-1: A question about the usefulness of circumcision; the sign of their father (Saying 53) A′: Beatitude (Saying 54) The focus of this section is on identity (“solitary;” “elect;” “sons;” “father;” “circumcision”) and eschatology (“new world;” “repose of the dead”).128 It is noteworthy that Saying 49 uses the third person plural pronoun in the first portion of the text, and then changes to the second person plural in the second part of saying.129 The use of the second person plural and 127. For more on how to translate nmonakhos auō etsotp, see A. Gagné, “Des étrangers issus du Royaume et de la lumière (EvTh 49-50),” Laval théologique et philosophique 70.1 (2015): 111. 128. The structure of this section is discussed in detail in A. Gagné, “Structure and Meaning in Gos. Thom. 49–53. An Erotapokritic Teaching on Identity and Eschatology,” in The Apocryphal Gospels within the Context of Early Christian Theology (ed. J. Schröter; Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium 260; Leuven: Peeters, 2013), 529–37. 129. U.-W. Plisch also notes this peculiarity; see The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 127.

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the repetition of the word “elect” (Coptic: sotp) establishes a clear link with Saying 50. The text shapes the identity of the readers / listeners, forcing them to align or identify themselves with the solitary-elect.130 According to Thomas, the final destination of the solitary-elect is also the place from which they originated, that is the Kingdom. This resembles what Jesus said in Saying 18: “For where the beginning is, there will be the end. Blessed (Greco-Coptic: makarios) is he who will stand in the beginning: he will know the end and will not taste death.”

Saying 50 Jesus said: If they say to you (pl.), ‘Where are you from?’ say to them, ‘We came from the light, the place where the light came into being by itself, established [itself], and it appeared in their image.’ If they say to you, ‘Is it you?’ say, ‘We are its sons and 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 a movement and a rest.’ In this saying, Jesus speaks of the origin and the Father of the solitary-elect. This is the second part of the concentric structure found in Sayings 49–54, which corresponds to [B]: Questions about the identity of the elect and the sign of your Father, and is parallel to [B-1]: A question about the usefulness of circumcision; the sign of their father (Saying 53). This antithetical parallelism [B//B-1] focuses on the identity of the implied audience. In Saying 50, the implied author asks about the “sign of your Father in you.” This is in direct opposition

130. See R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 126.

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to “circumcision” (Saying 53), which is also the sign of “their father.” Both sayings are antithetical, since they oppose two signs and two types of individuals. The possessive pronoun “your” (second person plural) in Saying 50 stands in contrast to “their” (third person plural) in Saying 53. The two antithetical sayings serve as a way of constructing a new “race” by opposing it to the “race” established by the physical mark in the flesh that is circumcision.131 Such polemical language appears early on in the New Testament and in other Christian texts, such as Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho.132 As the “sons of the light,” believers originated from the light itself. The Kingdom (Saying 49) and the light (Saying 50) are synonymous: it is the place from which the solitary-elect have come and to which they will return. It is interesting to note that the series of questions in Saying 50 closely parallels those of the archons during the soul’s ascent in the First Apocalypse of James (3:33.11-34.20). While ascending back to heaven, the soul needs to correctly answer questions from the archons to overcome the evil forces preventing its return to the divine realm. The “movement” and 131. See A. Gagné, “Structure and Meaning in Gos. Thom. 49–53. An Erotapokritic Teaching on Identity and Eschatology,” in The Apocryphal Gospels within the Context of Early Christian Theology (ed. J. Schröter; Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium 260; Leuven: Peeters, 2013), 532. 132. Dial. Trypho 19,3–4: “For if it (circumcision) were necessary, as you suppose, God would not have made Adam uncircumcised, would not have had respect to the gifts of Abel when, being uncircumcised, he offered sacrifice, and would not have been pleased with the uncircumcision of Enoch, who was not found, because God had translated him.”  There was also a debate about the value of circumcision between Tinneius Rufus, the Roman governor of Judea during the Bar Kokhba revolt, and R. Akiba (Midrash Tahuma b. 7.18a).

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“rest” constitute the return to the place of origin: the Kingdom and the light. The sign of the Father in the elect is their yearning and quest to return to the Kingdom.

Saying 51 His disciples said to him: On what day will the rest of the dead be, and on what day will the new world come? He said to them: That for which you (pl.) are looking has come, but you do not know it. The word “rest” (Greco-Coptic: anapausis) serves as a link between Sayings 50 and 51. The heart of the concentric structure (Sayings 49 to 54) is comprised of the following synonymic parallelism that focuses on eschatology: [C] the repose of the dead and the new world unrecognized (Saying 51), and [C′] the words of the dead and the Living One abandoned (Saying 52). This parallelism is characterized by the repetitive use of the Coptic netmoout (those who are dead; the dead). In Saying 51, the repose of the dead is associated with the new world. For Jesus, the two events have already been accomplished, but the eschatological moment needs to be recognized. In Saying 52, the dead refer to the Hebrew prophets. The disciples rely on the prophecies of the dead, when they should trust the Living One in their presence. This is where the theme of eschatology comes into play. The difference between the true elect and those whom the implied author characterizes as the non-elect is found in the recognition of the eschatological moment. The disciples ask: When will the rest (resurrection) of the dead and the coming of the new world take place? Jesus answers that the rest of the dead and the new world are already present. The Pharisees ask Jesus a similar question about the

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coming of the Kingdom of God in Luke 17:20–21. Jesus’ reply is that the Kingdom is already present among them. The Pharisees in Luke and the disciples in the Gos.Thom. both lack perception: they fail to see the presence of the Kingdom in the world.133 As Plisch correctly notes, Saying 51 is an example of the early Christians’ concern about whether the resurrection of the dead had already taken place, or whether it was going to happen in the future. Even in 1 Corinthians, Paul seems to be debating with people who believed that the resurrection had already taken place (see 1 Corinthians 15).134 The Gospel of Philip also alludes to a similar tradition: “Those who say they will die first and then rise are in error. If they do not first receive the resurrection while they live, when they die they will receive nothing.” (73:1–4).

Saying 52 His disciples said to him: Twenty-four prophets have spoken in Israel, and they all spoke in you. He said to them: You (pl.) have renounced the Living One in your presence, and you have spoken concerning those who are dead. Saying 52 is part of the synonymic parallelism [C//C′] mentioned in the previous section and retains its emphasis on 133. A. Gagné, “Structure and Meaning in Gos. Thom. 49–53. An Erotapokritic Teaching on Identity and Eschatology,” in The Apocryphal Gospels within the Context of Early Christian Theology (ed. J. Schröter; Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium 260; Leuven: Peeters, 2013), 535–36. 134. See U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 132.

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eschatology.135 The disciples’ lack of perception referred to at the end of Saying 51 is reiterated with the mention of the 24 prophets in Israel in the first part of Saying 52. Most scholars agree that this is likely a reference to the books in the Hebrew Bible.136 The disciples are told that they have omitted or abandoned the Living One in their presence. The living Jesus brings about the repose of the dead and the new world. He is not the culminating point of Israel’s prophetic tradition, since the writings of the Hebrew Bible also seem to be rejected.137 Reliance on the prophecies of dead prophets brings failure to recognize the true eschatological moment. DeConick provides an interesting parallel with a tradition from Augustine,138 which contains the answer Jesus gives his disciples in Saying 52: But he said, when the apostles asked how the Jewish prophets were to be regarded, who were thought to have 135. For more on the role of Saying 52 in the concentric structure of Gos.Thom. 49-54, see A. Gagné, “Structure and Meaning in Gos. Thom. 49–53. An Erotapokritic Teaching on Identity and Eschatology,” in The Apocryphal Gospels within the Context of Early Christian Theology (ed. J. Schröter; Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium 260; Leuven: Peeters, 2013), 552–53. 136. See for example H. Löhr, “Jesus und die Tora als ethische Norm nach dem Thomas-Evangelium,” in Das Thomasevangelium: Entstehung – Rezeption – Theologie (eds J. Frey, E. E. Popkes and J. Schröter; Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche 157; Berlin – New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2008), 366–67. 137. J.-M. Sevrin, “Évangile selon Thomas,” in Écrits gnostiques. La Bibliothèque de Nag Hammadi (eds J.-P. Mahé and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque de la Pléiade 538; Paris: Gallimard, 2007), 318. 138. A. D. DeConick, The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation (New York: T&T Clark, 2007), 185.

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proclaimed his coming beforehand, our Lord, disturbed that they still held this conception, answered, “You have forsaken the Living One who is before you and speak about the dead.” We are presented here, once again, with a critique of the Jewish tradition, extended even further, to the circumcision, in Saying 53.139

Saying 53 His disciples said to him: Is circumcision advantageous to us or not? He said to them: If it were advantageous, their father would beget them circumcised from their mother. But the true circumcision in spirit has become completely profitable. Circumcision is a “mark” of “Jewishness,” 140 and it is the physicality of this “mark” and of those who bear it that is 139. This saying is polemical against the Judaic tradition as in Sayings 6, 14, 27, 39, 43, 52, 89, 102, 104. For more on this issue, see C. Gianotto, “Quelques aspects de la polémique anti-juive dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” in Colloque international ‘L’Évangile selon Thomas et les textes de Nag Hammadi’ Québec, 29-31 mai 2003 (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 8; Québec: Presses de l’université Laval; Louvain – Paris: Peeters, 2007), 157–74 and E. E. Popkes, Das Menschenbild des Thomasevangeliums: Untersuchungen zu seiner religionsgeschichtlichen und chronologischen Einordnung (Tübingen, Mohr Siebeck, 2007), 56–67. 140. See D. Boyarin, “Semantic Differences; or, ‘Judaism’/’Christianity’,” in The Ways that Never Parted. Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages (eds A. H. Becker and A. Yoshiko Reed; Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 2007 [20031]), 67–68.

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shown in a negative light. According to Jesus, physical circumcision is not beneficial; only the true “cut” in the spirit is profitable. This negative perception of the Judaic tradition and identity is evident in Saying 50, where the “sign” of the elect is confronted with the “sign” (circumcision) of the Judeans, contrasting the true elect (the “solitary-elect”) and the nonelect (the Judeans). Each group is identified by the “sign” of “their father” (“repose and movement” vs. “circumcision”). Some scholars argue that the Gos.Thom. is indebted for this point to Paul.141 The letter to the Romans asks about the benefit of the circumcision (Romans 3:1), and the idea of being circumcised in the spirit is likewise Pauline (Romans 2:29). Paul argues that circumcision is only valuable if one obeys the law (Romans 2:25). If the uncircumcised keep the requirements of the law, their lack of circumcision should be counted as circumcision (Romans 2:26). In the Gos.Thom., the “new race” mentioned in Saying 50 is of divine origin, unlike those mentioned in Saying 53. This “new race,” which is now understood as the “solitary-elect,” does not rely on the physical “circumcision,” since this circumcision is not “true” in its essence. However, the Gos.Thom. characterizes those “circumcised” in the flesh in a similar way as the non-circumcised in Romans 2:25–26; the New Testament refers to the non-circumcised as Gentiles. Those who have traditionally seen themselves as the “elect” and who bear the physical circumcision are now

141. See for example S. J. Gathercole, “The influence of Paul on the Gospel of Thomas (§§ 53.3 and 17),” in Das Thomasevangelium: Entstehung – Rezeption – Theologie (eds J. Frey, E. E. Popkes and J. Schröter; Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche 157; Berlin – New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2008), 77–78.

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the “non-elect.” The true solitary-elect have the mark of their Father; it is a movement and a repose, the ascent to the final rest in the place of light, that is the Kingdom (Saying 49).142

Saying 54 Jesus said: Blessed are the poor, for the Kingdom of heaven is yours (pl.). This saying forms the closing part of the inclusio of Sayings 49–54: [A] Beatitude (Saying 49), and [A′] Beatitude (Saying 54).143 Both refer to the “blessed” and the “Kingdom.” The text is clearly paralleled in Matthew 5:3 and Luke 6:20. Ménard believed that the omission of Matthew’s reference to “in spirit” by the Gos.Thom. emphasizes that the believers are expected to live a real life of poverty.144 True spirituality would be living as a passer-by (Saying 45), a monakhos or solitary (Sayings 16, 49, 75), and would require one to hate one’s own parents (Sayings 55 and 101). In any case, the “poor,” in the

142. A. Gagné, “Structure and Meaning in Gos. Thom. 49–53. An Erotapokritic Teaching on Identity and Eschatology,” in The Apocryphal Gospels within the Context of Early Christian Theology (ed. J. Schröter; Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium 260; Leuven: Peeters, 2013), 534–35. 143. See A. Gagné, “Structure and Meaning in Gos. Thom. 49–53. An Erotapokritic Teaching on Identity and Eschatology,” in The Apocryphal Gospels within the Context of Early Christian Theology (ed. J. Schröter; Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium 260; Leuven: Peeters, 2013), 532. 144. J.-É. Ménard, L’Évangile selon Thomas (Nag Hammadi Studies 5; Leiden: Brill, 1975), 157.

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context of the Gos.Thom., could be understood as those who reject the present world (Sayings  27, 56, 80, 110) and seek the Kingdom. There appears to be a close link between the “solitary” (monakhos; Saying 49) 145 and the “poor” (hēke; Saying 54), since both those groups fulfill the conditions associated with the Kingdom. In the end, Sayings 49–54 most likely served to shape a sense of identity among the readers of the Gos.Thom. But the implied author also constructs another social group: the false or the non-elect; the “other.” The Gos.Thom., therefore, creates its own heresiological category of individuals 146 evident in (1) the appropriation of the idea of the “elect,” which was usually associated to the Judean race (49– 50); (2) the depreciation of the prophetic scriptures (Saying 51); and (3) the rejection of circumcision (Saying 53).

145. For more on the idea of monakhos, see, F.-E. Morard, “Monachos, Moine. Histoire du terme grec jusqu’au 4e siècle. Influence bibliques et gnostiques,” Freiberger Zeitschrift für Philosophie und Theologie 20 (1973): 332–411; D. F. Bumazhnov, “Some Ecclesiological Patterns of the Early Christian Period and Their Implications for the History of the Term MONAXOS (monk),” in Einheit der Kirche im Neuen Testament (eds A. Anatoly, C. Karakolis and U. Luz; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2008), 251–64. 146. On the heretical other, see A. Le Boulluec, La Notion d’hérésie dans la littérature grecque, II e et III e siècles (Paris: Études augustiniennes, 1985); also D. Boyarin, “Two Powers in Heaven, or, the Making of a Heresy,” in The Idea of Biblical Interpretation. Essay in Honor of James L. Kugel (eds H. Najman and J. H. Newman; Brill, Leiden, 2004), 331–70, and A. Schremer, Brothers Estranged. Heresy, Christianity and Jewish Identity in Late Antiquity (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), 87–99.

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Saying 55 Jesus said: He who does not hate his father and his mother cannot be a disciple to me; he who does not hate his brothers and his sisters, and does not carry his cross like me, will not be worthy of me. This saying is comparable to Matthew  10:37–38 and Luke 14:26–27, and is paralleled in Saying 101. It is interesting to note from a textual perspective the use of the staurogram (⳨ = ⲧ + ⲣ) in the word “cross” on page 42 of the Coptic manuscript (ⲥ⳨ⲟⲥ = ⲥⲧⲁⲩⲣⲟⲥ; pronounced stauros).147 As a representation of abnegation and death, the cross in Saying 55 is what the “poor” in Saying 54 are to bear as they are called to reject and die to worldly relationships. Such abnegation echoes Saying 16, in which Jesus says that he has come to bring division into the world (fire, sword, war), and that dissent will divide family members living in one house. Saying 55 is simply a call to complete devotion to Jesus. Only those who learn to die to worldly relationships are worthy of him, and to those, the Gos.Thom. promises revelation and spiritual insight (Sayings 13 and 62). The mention of the cross in Saying 55 represents the only reference to the death of Jesus. Does this mean that the disciples are to imitate Jesus in his death through martyrdom? This seems unlikely.148 147. See S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 425. 148. F. Vouga seems to understand the reference to the cross in a similar way as that of the canonical writings; F. Vouga, “Mort et résurrection dans la Source des logia et dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” in Coptica – Gnostica – Manichaica. Mélanges offerts à Wolf-Peter Funk (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 7; Québec, Paris, Louvain: Presses de l’université Laval, éditions Peeters, 2006), 1009–24.

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The mention of the cross is probably a reminder that one must reject or abandon the world, must willingly sacrifice something most people held dear. In the case of Saying 55, the cross would be identified with the world.149 The statement is, therefore, similar to what Jesus told his disciples in Saying 27: “If you (pl.) do not abstain from the world, you will not find the Kingdom.” According to Jesus, a disciple will only be able to “carry his cross like me” when he drinks from his mouth to become like him (Saying 108). This condition was met by Thomas after he became intoxicated by drinking from the bubbling spring that Jesus measured out (Saying 13). The disciples of Jesus are, therefore, called to emulate Thomas, for only then will they be worthy of Jesus.

Saying 56 Jesus said: He who has known the world has found a cadaver; he who has found a cadaver, the world is not worthy of him. Sayings 55 and 56 are linked by the catchword “worthy” and the themes of rejecting and dying to the world. Saying 56 is almost identical with Saying 80, which reads, “Jesus said: He who has known the world has found the body, but he who has found the body, the world is not worthy of him.” There is an inversion of the idea of “worthiness” in Sayings 55–56. In the first saying, the disciple must become worthy of Jesus by rejecting the world and its relationships. In Saying 56, the world becomes “unworthy” of the one who has known it; it

149. R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 132–33.

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is a cadaver and belongs to the realm of death. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul writes in similar terms: “May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14). To Paul, the world itself has been crucified through Christ’s death on the cross, so metaphorically speaking, the apostle finds the world to be a cadaver to him. But Paul himself has become a cadaver to the world as well, since the world had no more hold on him; Paul has “died” to it (cf. also Romans 6). Saying 56 must, therefore, be read in conjunction with Saying 55, in which the disciples are to take their cross like Jesus and to be sacrificed to the world. The last part of the saying, “the world is not worthy of him,” echoes Hebrews 11:38, which invokes the heroes of faith “of whom the world was not worthy.” 150

Saying 57 Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a man who had [good] seed. His enemy came in the night, sowed weed among the good seed. The man did not let them pluck out the weed. He said to them, ‘Lest (while) you go to pluck out the weed, you pluck out the grain with it.’ For on the day of the harvest, the weeds will be manifest, plucked out, (and) burned. This parable is similar to Matthew 13:24–30 but lacks the allegorical explanation given by Jesus in Matthew 13:36–43. Does this necessarily mean that the parable needs to be inter-

150. See M. Grosso, Vangelo secondo Tommaso (Roma: Carocci editore, 2011), 192.

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preted differently? Matthew’s version speaks of the Kingdom of heaven, whereas the Gos.Thom. refers to the Kingdom of the Father. In both cases, the parable is a story about the Kingdom. What exactly does the parable compare? In Matthew, the Kingdom of heaven is “compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field” (Matthew 13:24); in the Gos.Thom., the Kingdom of the Father is “like a man who had good seed.” Gathercole rightly wonders what the point of comparison might be. Is the kingdom compared to a sower / man who sows / man who had seed? Or is the Kingdom compared to the lesson of the entire parable? It is difficult to determine the exact extent of the comparison, and it could therefore be read both ways.151 In any case, the overall meaning of the parable still needs to be interpreted. Ménard notes that there are two elements missing from the Thomasine version of the parable: the field and the master’s slaves (cf. Matthew 13:24.27).152 The master’s slaves might be implicitly present in the Thomasine text, as the man did not let them pluck out the weed, but explained to them the danger of plucking out the grain with the weed. In the end, the parable most likely has a similar meaning to the one given in Matthew 13:24–30. The weed and grain can be understood as the elect and the non-elect currently living in the world. At the end of times, they will be separated, and only the elect will be saved.

151. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 432. 152. J.-É. Ménard, L’Évangile selon Thomas (Nag Hammadi Studies 5; Leiden: Brill, 1975), 159.

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Saying 58 Jesus said: Blessed is the man who has toiled; he has found life. “Toiling” leads to life and is the reason why a person who has toiled is called “blessed” (Greco-Coptic: makarios), a term not unlike the “solitary-elect” of Saying 49 and the “poor” of Saying 54. The Coptic word for “toiled” (hise) can also be translated as “struggled” or “suffered.” In the context of the Gos.Thom., it is best to understand this as a reference to work or labour. Pokorný notes that “labour” can sometimes refer to martyrdom (Apocryphon of James 4:22-5:36),153 while other scholars interpret “labour” as resistance to trials and tribulations, such as those mentioned in James and 1 Peter:154 Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. 1 Peter 3:14a However, the labour described in Saying 58 is not physical, but spiritual in nature. It should probably be understood as a “labour of interpretation” rather than as physical, “ascetic” type of toiling.155 It reflects the fact that one needs to actively seek 153. P. Pokorný, A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas: From Interpretations to the Interpreted (New York: T & T Clark, 2009), 86. 154. For references, see A. D. DeConick, The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation (New York: T&T Clark, 2007), 196. 155. See S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 434.

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and find the interpretation of Jesus’ hidden sayings in order to achieve life (Sayings 1–2): only the “tilled” (Coptic: er hôb) ground produces fruit (Saying 20), and the large sheep is found only after the shepherd has “toiled” (Saying 107). To “find life” is synonymous with finding the Kingdom and the place of life (Saying 4).

Saying 59 Jesus said: Look for the Living One while you (pl.) are alive, for fear that you die and seek to see him, and you are not able to see (him). Life and death are the recurrent themes in Sayings 58–61 and 63.156 This particular saying echoes what Jesus already said in Saying 38: “Many times you (pl.) desired to listen to these words which I speak to you, and you have none other from whom to hear them. There will be days when you will seek me; you will not find me.” However, the context of Saying 59 seems to differ from the object of the quest in Saying 38. Here, the “Living One” could be identified with the Father, whereas Saying 38 calls on the disciples to look for Jesus. Could Jesus have been talking about himself in the third person? The ambiguity comes from the fact that both the Father (Sayings 3, 4, 38, 51, and 111[?]) and Jesus (Prologue, Saying 52) are referred to as the “Living One” in the Gos.Thom. Gathercole 157 notes that Saying 59 is similar to Isaiah 55:6: “Seek the Lord while he 156. M. Goodacre, Thomas and the Gospels.The Making of an Apocryphal Text (London: SPCK, 2012), 186. 157. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 436.

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may be found, call upon him while he is near.” The call to salvation is now; the disciples are to understand the urgency of seeking the “Living One” before it is too late.

Saying 60 A Samaritan carried a lamb as he went into Judea.158 He said to his disciples: (What will) he (do) with the lamb? They said to him: Kill it and eat it. He said to them: As long as it is alive, he will not eat it, but if he kills it, it becomes a cadaver. They said: No other way can he do it. He said to them: You (pl.) too seek a place of rest for yourselves, so that you might not become cadavers and be eaten. This is a difficult passage to interpret, and most scholars resort to emendations since they believe that the beginning of the saying is missing. The editio princeps adds: “They saw” at the beginning of the text;159 others prefer “He saw” since the previous option does not seem to make sense with the rest of the saying.160 Sayings 56 and 80 speak of the world as a cadaver or

158. See the English translation of the editio princeps; A. Guillaumont et alii, The Gospel According to Thomas: Coptic Text Established and Translated (Leiden, London, New York: Brill, Collins, Harper & Brothers, 1959). 159. For example, T. O. Lambdin, “The Gospel According to Thomas,” in Nag Hammadi Codex II,2-7 together with XIII,2*, Brit. Lib. OR. 4926(1), and P.Oxy. 1, 654, 655, 1 (ed. B. Layton; Nag Hammadi Studies 20; Leiden: Brill, 1989). 160. See J.-D. Dubois and R. Kuntzmann, Nag Hammadi – Évangile selon Thomas (Cahiers Évangile Supplément 58; Paris: Cerf, 1987), 52.

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a dead body. In Saying 60, the disciples must find a place of rest in order to avoid becoming cadavers. In the Gos.Thom., the Kingdom is understood as the place of life (Saying 4) and of rest (Sayings 49–50). Like the lamb in this story, death (and the state of being a cadaver) causes one to be eaten. The Gos.Thom. could be making connections between the following sequences of ideas: being eaten connotes death = cadaver = world; not being eaten connotes life = rest = Kingdom. The saying could, therefore, serve as a warning. Life, rest, and the Kingdom are guaranteed only to those who avoid becoming one with the world. Oneness with the world transforms one into a cadaver and leads to death. As a result, the world engulfs or eats one who does not learn to abstain from the world (Saying 27). Sayings 60 exhibits some similarities with Saying 7, which also contains the idea of consumption (eating) in the story of the lion and the man: 161 death is represented in the latter by the lion and in the former by the lamb (Saying 60). In both cases, “consumption” amounts to conquering or mastering one’s enemy; in the case of humankind, the ultimate enemy is death.

Saying 61 Jesus said: Two will rest on a bed; one will die, one will live. Salome said: Who are you, man? You climbed on my bed and ate at my table as a stranger.

161. U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 148.

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Jesus said to her: I am he who comes forth from the one who is undivided. I was given some of the things of my Father. I am your disciple. Therefore, I say, ‘When he becomes equal, he will be full of light; but when he is divided, he will be full of darkness.’ This is the only saying in the Gos.Thom. in which a woman by the name of Salome is mentioned. The beginning of Jesus’ statement about those who rest, live, and die is also found in Luke 17:34 and, in a different way, in Matthew 24:40. The contexts of the canonical versions of this saying are clearly eschatological: at the time of the judgment, one will be taken, while the other will be left behind. In contrast, the version in the Gos.Thom. serves rather to highlight the undividedness that exists between the master and his disciples. Salome’s first interaction with Jesus is not easy to translate. The Coptic text is difficult to decipher and is most probably corrupt.162 Some translate the second sentence as: “You climbed on my bed and ate at my table as from one (or someone).” 163 Following Jesus’ reply, the claim “I am your disciple” is to be attributed to Salome, since the Coptic possessive pronoun tek is feminine. Jesus then speaks anew, and his words resonate with what is said elsewhere in the Gos.Thom. about the equality that exists between the master and his true disciples (cf., for example, Sayings 13 and 108). Some scholars think that the words “Therefore I say” are 162. For some, the Coptic text is not necessarily corrupt; see for example, I. Dunderberg, “Thomas’ I-Sayings and the Gospel of John,” in Thomas at the Crossroads. Essays in the Gospel of Thomas (ed. R. Uro; Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1998), 51. 163. For example, M. Meyer, The Gospel of Thomas.The Hidden Sayings of Jesus (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1992), 47.

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not spoken by Jesus but were a Coptic gloss inserted by a commentator.164 There is no way to know for certain. In any case, where we translated the word “equal” in the last reply, the Coptic manuscript has šēf (destroyed). Scholars, however, are of the opinion that the word should be corrected to šēš, which means equal. In summary, this saying speaks of undividedness or unity. Jesus comes from the one who is undivided, equal or one; those who are equal, or one, are understood as being full of light. Being divided brings about darkness.165

Saying 62 Jesus said: I tell my mysteries to those [who are worthy of my] mysteries. That which your right (hand) will do, let not your left (hand) realize what it does. The saying is comparable to Mark 4:11 (with parallels in Matthew 13:11 and Luke 8:10), where Jesus says that the mysteries of the Kingdom are not revealed to outsiders but only to the disciples: And he said to them: To you has been given the secret of the Kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables. What follows in the canonical accounts is a series of parables with allegorical interpretations for each. In the Gos.Thom., three parables come after Saying 62, but Jesus does not provide 164. See U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 152. 165. See B. Gärtner, The Theology of the Gospel According to Thomas (London: Collins, 1961), 134–36.

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any interpretation. The last part of Saying 62 resembles Matthew 6:3. The lacuna in Saying 62 can also be restored with the words “those who seek my mysteries.” Who qualifies as being “worthy” of Jesus’ mysteries? What emerges from the Gos.Thom. so far, is that the “worthy” are most likely the ones who pursue the hermeneutical program of Saying 1: Those who seek this secret knowledge, who are on the quest for the interpretation of the words of Jesus, will find salvation. The “worthy” can also be associated with those who drink from the mouth of Jesus in order to become like him (Saying 108). This is also precisely what happens to Thomas in Saying 13. Revelation is only given to the “worthy,” to those who have nourished themselves from the mouth of Jesus. In some cases, revelation is given after Jesus takes a disciple away from the others (Saying 13; see also Gos.Mary 10.19) or asks a disciple to separate himself from the others (Gos.Jud. 35.23-24).166 But those who do not drink from the mouth of Jesus are unworthy of his mysteries. Those outsiders will not reach the elevated sense of perception required to be saved.167 The “worthy” are, therefore, the solitary-elect who came from the Kingdom, the place of light, and will return to it (Sayings 49–50). 166. This is what one reads in the Kasser and Wurst critical edition of the Tchacos Codex; see R. Kasser, G. Wurst, M. Meyer and F. Gaudard, The Gospel of Judas Together with the Letter of Peter to Philip, James, and A Book of Allogenes from Codex Tchacos. Critical Edition (Washington, DC: National Geographic Society, 2007), 188–89. 167. A. Gagné, “Sectarianism, Secrecy and Self Definition: Relational Features between Jesus, the Disciples and the Outsiders,” in Jesus in Continuum (ed. T. Holmén; Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, Reihe I, 289; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2012), 236 and 239.

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Saying 63 Jesus said: There was a wealthy man who had many goods. He said, ‘I will make use of my goods so that I may sow, reap, plant, fill my storehouse with fruit that I may lack nothing.’ These were the things he was thinking in his heart, and on that night, he died. He who has ears to listen, let him listen! This parable of Jesus is also found in Luke 12:16–20. In the Lukan passage, the lesson of the parable is summarized as follows: “So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God” (Luke 12:21). The context of Luke 12:16–20 is that of a dispute between brothers concerning the family heritage. Jesus says that he is not in a position to be an arbitrator in their dispute. The dialogue then shifts from the accumulation of material possessions to the importance of spiritual goods. In Luke’s account, the god of the parable speaks to the man about the futility of accumulating riches and about the imminent death. The canonical account is clearly ethical in nature: personal accumulation of wealth in this life for one’s own enjoyment is useless; material goods are to be shared with others. The Thomasine version of the parable is quite different. There is no specific ethical lesson to learn, there is no god who speaks to the man, and there is nothing to encourage him to share his wealth with others. The series of parables in Sayings 63, 64, and 65 should be read together. They all teach a lesson on the importance of labour. There is a contrast between the rich man who spends all his money (Saying 63) and the slaves who labour in the vineyard (Saying 65). The middle parable (Saying 64) condemns those who excuse themselves from attending the dinner because of various worldly engagements. The Gos.Thom. seems to be suggesting that it is useless

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to work on projects for worldly wealth: a person’s labour cannot be reduced to his material goods.168 How will the work done affect an individual’s ultimate destiny? At the moment of death, which kind of labour will be the most significant?

Saying 64 Jesus said: A man had guests, and when he had prepared dinner, he sent his slave to invite the guests. He went to the first, said to him, ‘My master invites you.’ He said, ‘I have money with merchants, they are coming to me in the evening. I will go and give them orders. Excuse me from the dinner.’ He went to another, said to him, ‘My master has invited you.’ He said to him, ‘I purchased a house, and I am requested for a day. I will not have time.’ He came to another, said to him, ‘My master invites you.’ He said to him, ‘My friend is going to get married, and I am the one who will make the dinner. I cannot come. Excuse me from the dinner.’ He went to another one, said to him, ‘My master invites you.’ He said to him, ‘I purchased a small village; 169 I am going to collect taxes. I cannot come. Excuse me from the dinner.’ The slave came to his master and said, ‘Those whom you invited to the dinner have excused themselves.’ The master said to his slave, ‘Go outside to the roads. Those you will find, bring them so that they may dine. Buyers and salesmen [will] not [enter] the places of my Father.’ 168. See J.-M. Sevrin, “Un groupement de trois paraboles contre les richesses dans l’Évangile selon Thomas. EvTh 63, 64, 65,” in Les Paraboles évangéliques. Perspectives nouvelles. XII e Congrès de l’ACFEB, Lyon 1987 (ed. J. Delorme; Lectio Divina 135; Paris: Cerf, 1989), 429. 169. The word can be translated as “estate” or “domain.”

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Luke 14:16–24 and Matthew 22:1–10 include versions of the same parable. In the Gos.Thom., the parable is simplified. The reason for the invitation of the guests is barely mentioned, and the invitees are not described; no one is forcefully compelled by the slaves to come to the dinner, and there is no obligation to fill up the banquet hall. The sequence of excuses in the Gos.Thom. is more in line with the idea of capitalist investment.170 People are apologizing for reasons that are strictly material: their labour is useless. There are also no implicit references to historical events in the Gos.Thom. (see Matthew’s version). The parable in the Gos.Thom. focuses on the reasons given for turning down the man’s dinner invitation. According to the Gos.Thom., the man calls those who rejected his invitation “buyers and merchants.” This is clearly a negative assessment in the context of the Thomasine gospel. Those who refused the invitation will not enter the places of the Father. The “places of my Father” bring to mind a verse from John 14:2: “In my Father’s house there are many dwellingplaces.” The expression in Saying 64 most certainly corresponds to such notions as the “place of life” (Saying 4) and the “place of rest” (Saying 60).171 In the end, only those who have toiled spiritually will find life (Saying 58).

170. J.-M. Sevrin, “Un groupement de trois paraboles contre les richesses dans l’Évangile selon Thomas. EvTh 63, 64, 65,” in Les Paraboles évangéliques. Perspectives nouvelles. XII e Congrès de l’ACFEB, Lyon 1987 (ed. J. Delorme; Lectio Divina 135; Paris Cerf, 1989), 430. 171. P. Pokorný, A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas: From Interpretations to the Interpreted (New York: T & T Clark, 2009), 110.

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Saying 65 Jesus said: A [. . .] had a vineyard; he gave it to farmers that they might work on it, (and) he might receive its fruit from them. He sent his slave so that the farmers might give him the fruit of the vineyard. They took hold of his slave; they beat (and) nearly killed him. The slave went (and) told his master. His master said, ‘Maybe he did not recognize them.’ He sent another slave; the farmers beat the other one (also). Then, the master sent his son. He said, ‘Maybe they will respect my son.’ These farmers, when they realized that he was the heir of the vineyard, seized him (and) murdered him. He who has ears to listen, let him listen! This parable can also be found in the synoptic tradition (Matthew 21:33–39; Mark 12:1–8; Luke 20:9–15). In comparison with the synoptic tradition, the Gos.Thom. takes a more ahistorical approach, removing any reference to eschatology, to Israel and its history, and to Jesus and his death.172 There is a lacuna at the beginning of Saying 65, which scholars have tentatively filled with the words like “good person” or “usurer.” If the man in the parable is a “usurer,” then he does not represent the god of the synoptic versions of the parable. The “usurer” is simply one who seeks his own interest. According to Sevrin, this parable rightly needs to be interpreted by inversion, that is, the slave is to be understood in negative

172. J.-M. Sevrin, “Un groupement de trois paraboles contre les richesses dans l’Évangile selon Thomas. EvTh 63, 64, 65,” in Les Paraboles évangéliques. Perspectives nouvelles. XII e Congrès de l’ACFEB, Lyon 1987 (ed. J. Delorme; Lectio Divina 135; Paris: Cerf, 1989), 434–35.

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terms while the farmers are to be seen in a positive light.173 Indeed, it is surprising that it is not the farmers who lack recognition, but rather the slave himself. However, the Coptic manuscript clearly uses the third person singular pronoun as the subject of the verb “recognize,” and not the third person plural. Many scholars still prefer to emend the text with the third person plural as subject of the verb: “Perhaps they did not recognize him.” 174 In contrast to the farmers, the “usurer” does not toil to get his fruit. His slave also embodies the usurer’s self-interest as the farmers are not given any consideration (“he did not recognize them”). As a result, the usurer suffers a loss through the death of his son. The lesson is this: the quest for earthly possessions leads to death, but the true spiritual labour—represented by the work of the farmers (see also Saying 20, which speaks of the tilled land)—leads to true life. All three parables (Sayings 63, 64, 65) repeat this same message.

Saying 66 Jesus said: Show me the stone that the builders have rejected; it is the cornerstone. Saying 65 is completely detached from the previous parable. In the synoptic tradition, this particular saying concludes the story of the farmers of the vineyard (see Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17). Saying 64 ended with the words: 173. J.-M. Sevrin, “Un groupement de trois paraboles contre les richesses dans l’Évangile selon Thomas. EvTh 63, 64, 65,” in Les Paraboles évangéliques. Perspectives nouvelles. XII e Congrès de l’ACFEB, Lyon 1987 (ed. J. Delorme; Lectio Divina 135; Paris: Cerf, 1989), 436. 174. See for example S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 462.

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“He who has ears to listen, let him listen!” But what does this saying mean in the context of the Gos.Thom.? What exactly does the “stone” represent? Gathercole lists four possible ways of understanding the meaning of the “stone;” it represents: (1) Jesus; (2) Jesus’ message or gnosis; (3) Jesus and his message/ gnosis; (4) the Thomasine community.175 It would make more sense, in the context of the Gos.Thom., to interpret the “stone” as a representation of Jesus and his message. As mentioned above, those worthy of Jesus’ mysteries will benefit from his revelation (Saying 62). One cannot experience everlasting life without drinking from Jesus’ mouth and becoming like him (Sayings 13 and 108). Those who accept his message inevitably accept him and can, therefore, be counted as the solitary-elect (Sayings 49–50). One might also wonder about the identity of the “builders.” It seems quite obvious from the earlier parables that they represent all those who labour for temporal goods: the wealthy man (Saying 63), the guests (Saying 64), and the usurer and his slave (Saying 64). They are the “builders” who rejected the “stone” (Jesus and his message), not realizing that it is the cornerstone which holds everything in place.

Saying 67 Jesus said: He who knows all (but) lacks (the knowledge of) himself, lacks everything. If one lacks essential knowledge (Coptic: sooun) about oneself, the person lacks everything that needs to be known. Jesus’ words are similar to those in Saying 3: “When you know yourselves, then you will be known. . . But if you do not know 175. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 464.

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yourselves, then you dwell in poverty, and you are poverty.” But why should one acquire such knowledge? According to Saying 3, the answer is that by knowing yourselves “. . . you will understand that you are the sons of the living Father.” The sons of the living Father know they are the solitary-elect who have come from the Kingdom (Saying 49) and originated from the light (Saying 50 and 77). The Coptic expression that translates “everything” (pma tēr ef ) has the sense of completeness or totality.176 Therefore, one who lacks knowledge of himself is utterly ignorant. For Thomas, the saying calls for an “all or nothing” attitude: accepting the Gos.Thom. only partially equals rejecting the whole.177 Perhaps the best way to understand this saying is to place it alongside two parallel quotes provided by DeConick: 178 For he who has not known himself has not known anything, but he who has known himself has at the same time already achieved knowledge about the depths of everything. Thomas the Contender 138.16-18 Whoever knows himself, knows everything. Definitions of Hermes Trismegistos IX, 4 176. See L. Painchaud, M.-P. Bussières and M. Kaler, “Le syntagme ⲡⲙⲁ ⲧⲏⲣϥ̄ dans quelques textes de Nag Hammadi,” in Coptica – Gnostica – Manichaica. Mélanges offerts à Wolf-Peter Funk (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 7; Québec: Presses de l’université Laval; Louvain – Paris: Peeters, 2006), 621. 177. This is S. Gathercole’s interpretation; see The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 467. 178. A. D. DeConick, The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation (New York: T&T Clark, 2007), 219.

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The absence of such knowledge is what constitutes ultimate ignorance, since one “lacks everything.”

Saying 68 Jesus said: Blessed are you (pl.) when you are hated (and) persecuted, and they will find no place where they have persecuted you. The first part of this saying is comparable to the canonical versions of the beatitude found in Matthew 5:11 and Luke 6:22. In Matthew and Luke, the beatitude is followed by a call for disciples to rejoice because their reward will be great in heaven. The last part of Saying 68 is more difficult to interpret. Haenchen’s work on the Gos.Thom. in the early 1960s has influenced some scholars to correct the end of the saying as follows: “But you will find a place where you will not be persecuted.” Haenchen made this change based on a quotation from this beatitude in Clement.179 It might be best, however, to simply keep the text as is,180 despite the interpretative challenge it poses. The second part of the saying is most likely directed against those who persecute the solitary-elect. It does not promise a blessing to those who are being persecuted but 179. E. Haenchen, “Spruch 68 des Thomasevangeliums,” Le Muséon 75 (1962): 19–29. 180. Some commentators do not follow Haenchen; see, for example, U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 165; P. Pokorný, A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas: From Interpretations to the Interpreted (New York: T & T Clark, 2009), 115; S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 469.

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punishment to the persecutors: there will be no place for them. Even the places they thought to have conquered will not be granted to them. Some scholars have tried to associate a possible historical event with the second part of the saying; for example, the Jews were expelled from Jerusalem after the Bar Kochba revolt in 135 C.E., having therefore no more place to go after their persecution of Christians in Jerusalem.181 In any case, it is difficult to place the last part of Saying 68 in a specific historical context because the text offers no indication of an event or of the identity of the persecutors (“they”).

Saying 69 Jesus said: Blessed are those who have been persecuted in their heart, they are those who have truly known the Father. Blessed are those who are hungry, so that the belly of him who wishes will be satisfied. Sayings 68 and 69 are linked by the catchwords “blessed” (makarios) and “persecuted” (diōke). The first beatitude of Saying 69 is also in Matthew 5:10, whereas the second one echoes Matthew 5:6 and Luke 6:21. What does being persecuted in one’s heart mean? It most likely refers to someone’s inner struggles to keep one’s heart pure. Ménard noticed an interesting parallel in Clement of Alexandria’s Quis dives salvetur 25, which might shed some light on this idea: 182 181. See G. Quispel, “The Gospel of Thomas Revisited,” in Colloque International sur les textes de Nag Hammadi (ed. B. Barc; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi 1; Québec: Presses de l’université Laval, 1981), 218–66. 182. J.-É. Ménard, L’Évangile selon Thomas (Nag Hammadi Studies 5; Leiden: Brill, 1975), 171. The following English translation can be

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There is a persecution which arises from without, from people assailing the faithful, either out of hatred, or envy, or avarice, or through diabolic agency. But the most painful persecution is internal, which proceeds from each person’s own soul being vexed by impious lusts, diverse pleasures, and base hopes, and destructive dreams [. . .] More grievous and painful is this persecution, which arises from within, which is ever with a person, and which the persecuted cannot escape, for he carries the enemy about everywhere in himself. Sayings  68 and 69 could be seen as a comment on the external and internal persecution of believers. The second beatitude seems to refer to the practice of “social fasting,” voluntary abstention from food to help those in need. Witetschek gives an example of this practice by highlighting a neglected text from Origen:183 So this, for Christians, is the reason for fasting. But there is also another one that is even more religious, the praise of which is even pronounced by the writings of certain Apostles. For in a certain book we find it said by the Apostles: ‘Blessed is he who also fasts in order that he may feed the poor one.’ This person’s fasting is highly appreciated with God and truly sufficient in dignity. For we imitate the one ‘who laid down his soul for his brothers.’ Origen, Homilies on Leviticus 10 found in S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 472. 183. S. Witetschek, “Going Hungry for a Purpose: On Gos.Thom. 69.2 and a Neglected Parallel in Origen,” Journal for the Study of the New Testament 32.4 (2010): 388.

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Saying 70 Jesus said: When you (pl.) bring forth that which is in you, that which you have will save you. (But) if you do not have this in [you], that which you do not have in you [will] kill you. According to some scholars, the language used in Saying 70 is similar to what can be found in Paul’s writings. In fact, the New Testament does suggest that the “inner being” of an individual is to be distinguished from the “outer self” (see Romans 7:22; 2 Corinthians  4:16–18 and Ephesians 3:16).184 However, this distinction seems to work differently than in Saying 70. In the Gos.Thom., the Kingdom resides in believers and self-knowledge is the process by which one attains it: “But the Kingdom is inside you, and it is outside of you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are the sons of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you dwell in poverty, and you are poverty” (Saying 3). The same idea is repeated in Sayings 49, 50 and 77: believers come from the Kingdom / light and they will return to it. “That which is in you” can also be synonymous with what is called the “great wealth” in Saying 29.185 The last sentence is a warning to those who “do not have this” in them; the consequence is death. The absence of such a “great wealth” is similar to what is said in Saying 41: “He who has in his hand, it will be given to him;

184. See U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 169–70. 185. R. Uro, Thomas. Seeking the Historical Context of the Gospel of Thomas (New York: T & T Clark, 2003), 64.

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and he who does not have, even the little that he has will be taken from his hand,”186 as well as in Saying 67: “He who knows all (but) lacks (to know) himself, lacks everything.” 187 It is interesting to note that salvation depends on “that which is in you,” and not—as is the case in some New Testament texts—either on faith or on good works. Riley correctly notes that the Gos.Thom. never recommends faith as a means for salvation, and Saying 70 reiterates this idea.188

Saying 71 Jesus said: I will [tear down this] house and no one will be able to build it [. . .]. The text is fragmented here and needs to be restored. It could be similar to Matthew 26:61; Mark 14:58, and maybe also John 2:19 (but the meaning in John is more spiritual). This is again a difficult saying to interpret. The key to this passage is the meaning of the reference to the “house.” Gathercole has provided a summary of various possibilities listed by scholars such as DeConick and Cameron. He suggests that the “house” can be interpreted in four ways: (1) the Jerusalem temple, (2) the family unit (see Saying 16), (3) the social conventions of this world, (4) the physical body (according to this last interpretation, the saying would be denying a physical

186. T. Zöckler, Jesu Lehren im Thomasevangelium (Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies 47; Leiden: Brill, 1999), 193. 187. M. Meyer, The Gospel of Thomas.The Hidden Sayings of Jesus (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1992), 96. 188. G. J. Riley, Resurrection Considered.Thomas and John in Controversy (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1995), 120–21.

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resurrection.) 189 It seems that the most plausible explanation would focus on the Jerusalem temple. Even if the controversy surrounding the destruction of the temple in the synoptic tradition is absent from the Gos.Thom. (see Mark 14:55–59; 15:29 and Matthew 26:59–61; 27:40), this could be another saying aimed against the Judaic tradition. As mentioned above, the teaching of the Gos.Thom. constantly discredits the validity of the Judaic tradition (see, for example, Sayings 6, 14, 27, 39, 43, 52, 89, 102, 104).190 It is noteworthy that, in the Gos.Thom., the saying on the destruction of the temple is attributed directly to Jesus, which is not the case in Mark and Matthew. Only the Johannine tradition has Jesus speaking directly about the temple’s destruction: “Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up’ ” (John 2:19). The difference between Mark, Matthew and John is the way Jesus interprets the temple in the fourth gospel: “But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken” (John 2:21–22). Nothing in the Gos.Thom., however, indicates that Jesus is talking about “the temple of his body.” The “house” can simply imply a denunciation of the Judaic tradition 189. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 478. 190. For more on the polemical stance of the Gos.Thom. on the Judaic tradition, see C. Gianotto, “Quelques aspects de la polémique anti-juive dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” in Colloque international ‘L’Évangile selon Thomas et les textes de Nag Hammadi’ Québec, 29-31 mai 2003 (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 8; Québec: Presses de l’université Laval; Louvain – Paris: Peeters, 2007), 157–73.

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and its liturgical practices. Some scholars think this saying can provide an indication of the date of the Thomasine gospel. If the “house” is a reference to the temple of Jerusalem and to the fact that it will never be rebuilt, then the Gos.Thom. may be pointing to a time after the Bar Kochba revolt (after 135 C.E.), when most believed that the temple could never be reconstructed.191

Saying 72 A [. . .] said to him: Tell my brothers to divide my father’s assets with me. He said to him: O man, who made me a divider? He turned to his disciples (and) said to them: I am not a divider, am I? The opening line has a lacuna that most likely contained the word “man.” The saying thus creates a scenario in which a man is asking Jesus to tell his brothers to split the family heritage with him. Jesus says that he has not come to divide. The story resonates with Luke 12:13–14. The saying, however, adds a rhetorical question posed by Jesus to the disciples: I am not a divider, am I? The answer is, obviously, no. It is not that Jesus doubts who he is and, therefore, asks this question; rather, the question is purely rhetorical in nature.192 In this saying,

191. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 117–21. 192. U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 174.

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Jesus has not come to divide but to lead the believers to become one. This idea stands in stark contrast to Saying 16, in which Jesus’ message leads to a conflict and division among family members. The Gos.Thom. amply shows that Jesus teaches about “oneness:” the disciples are required to abolish duality and differences in order to be “one” (Saying 22). Jesus himself comes from the one “who is equal” or “undivided” (Saying 61). Humankind has come from a divided world (Saying 11), and Jesus clearly teaches that it is impossible to remain divided in a transcendent state (Sayings 47 and 48). Jesus’ task is to lead humankind to the restoration of its primordial unity (Sayings 4, 89, 106 and 108). Saying 72 shows once more the predominance of spiritual matters over material concerns. Not surprisingly, Jesus will not submit to the material requests of the man.

Saying 73 Jesus said: The harvest is indeed abundant, but there are few workers. Entreat the Lord to send out workers to the harvest. This saying closely resembles Matthew 9:37–38 and Luke 10:2. It focuses on the workers needed to gather the harvest. As in the parable of Saying 65, the farmers are the ones working for the fruit; they should be recognized for their labour. The saying must be understood in the context of the Thomasine collection. The “harvest” carries different connotations than in the double tradition of Matthew and Luke. In the canonical accounts, the “harvest” refers to the people coming to believe in the message of the Kingdom proclaimed by Jesus and his disciples. “Laborers” or “workers” in the “harvest” are those who propagate the message of the Kingdom. A similar

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understanding of the harvest and the workers is found in the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:35–38. However, the Gos.Thom. seems to be emphasizing something different. Saying 73 does not present any narrative context. In the Thomasine tradition, references to “harvest,” “laborers,” and “fruit” serve as vehicles of instruction about the importance of “work” or the spiritual “quest” to which the Gos.Thom. urges its readers. Saying 57 uses a parable containing the imagery of “good seed,” “weed,” and “sowing” to teach a lesson on the co-habitation of the elect (good seed) and the non-elect (weed) until the “harvest,” that is, until the end times.193 In a general sense, however, the parables of the Sower (Saying 9) and the grain of mustard (Saying 20), emphasize the idea that “fruit” can only grow in “cultivated” or “tilled” soil. The parable of the farmers in Saying 64 also stresses the importance of laboring for the right kind of wealth. The quest for earthly possessions results in death, but spiritual labour, as seen in the work of the farmers, leads to life everlasting.

Saying 74 He said: Lord, there are many around the well,194 but there is no one in the .195 193. M. Grosso, Vangelo secondo Tommaso (Roma: Carocci editore, 2011), 217. 194. The Coptic manuscript reads jote which is simply a dialectical variant šote which refers to a “well.” 195. The second mention of the “well” is a correction. The Coptic manuscript most certainly contains an error since it reads the word “illness.”

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Sayings 74 and 75 are a unit. Both sayings teach the principle of labour. There is a clear parallelism between the two sayings: (74) He said: A: Lord, there are many (ouen hah) around the well, B: but THERE IS NO ONE (men laau) in the . (75) Jesus said: A′: There are many (ouen hah) standing at the door, B′: BUT THE SOLITARY (alla emmonakhos) will enter the bridal chamber. Once again, each saying promotes singularity against multiplicity. Even though there are many around the well, it is important to have someone digging in the well, likely in search for water. Many stand at the door, but only those who are “solitary” enter the bridal chamber. Saying 74 aligns itself with the first lines of the Gos.Thom. (incipit + Saying 1). References to “thirst,” (Sayings 13 and 28) “bubbling spring,” (Saying 13) “well,” (Saying 74) and “drinking” (Sayings 13 and 108) are all related to the quest for the meaning of the secret sayings of Jesus (Sayings 1 and 2). The parallel structure of the Sayings 74 and 75 establishes a link between the need for someone to be digging in the well and the need of the solitary. Those in the well labour for water and are placed in opposition to those who are simply gathered around the well. Those in the well will quench their thirst, just as the solitary will enter the bridal chamber. Those in the well are comparable to the solitary-elect (monakhos). The parallel structure of these two sayings certainly provides the intended readers a way to understand how one goes from quest to “oneness:” the answer is through labour.

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Saying 75 Jesus said: There are many standing at the door, but the solitary will enter the bridal chamber. As explained above, Sayings 74 and 75 present parallel ideas: (A/A′) many around the well//many standing at the door; (B/B′) no one in the well//the solitary one enters the bridal chamber. What is essential in both these sayings is the value of singularity over multiplicity; the “many” are merely standing at the door, and it is only the solitary—one of those who are “unique” or “single”—who will enter the bridal chamber. In the Gos.Thom., the bridal chamber is not necessarily equivalent to the idea of a sacrament or an initiation rite, as is sometimes understood in the Gospel of Philip.196 In the context of the Thomasine collection, this metaphor is most likely just another way of referring to the Kingdom.197 In other words, entering the bridal chamber is synonymous with entering the Kingdom; the imagery is similar to that of the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1–13, where only those who were ready at the arrival of the bridegroom were able to enter the wedding banquet.198 The virgins ready to enter the wedding

196. For more on the ritual aspect to the “bridal chamber,” see E. Segelberg, “The Coptic-Gnostic Gospel according to Philip and Its Sacramental System,” Numen 7 (1960): 189–200. 197. R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 154; U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 178. 198. For more on the comparison with the parable of the ten virgins, see G. Quispel, Makarius, das Thomasevangelium, und das Lied von der Perle (Novum Testament Supplement 15; Leiden, E. J. Brill, 1967), 26.

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banquet are like the solitary-elect in Saying 49.199 Those who are solitary (monakhos) can enter the bridal chamber because they are unlike those who stand at the door (Saying 75). Once again the principle is similar to the gospel statement that many are called, but few are chosen (see Matthew 22:14).

Saying 76 Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a salesman who had merchandise (and) found a pearl. That salesman was wise; he sold his merchandise and bought for himself that unique pearl. You, too, seek for his treasure which does not perish, which endures; the place where no moth approaches to eat, nor a worm to destroy. Saying 76 is similar to the parable of the Kingdom of heaven and the pearl merchant in Matthew 13:45–46. The ending of the saying is conflated with another text on the quest for an imperishable treasure in Matthew 6:19–20 and Luke 12:33. Students of the Gos.Thom. have speculated on the meaning of the “pearl,” which has been understood as: (1) a reference to the journey of the divine spark in the world, associated to the Hymn of the Pearl in the Acts of Thomas 108–113; (2) Jesus; (3) the human soul and its divine core.200 The most likely meaning in Saying 76 is the same lesson that has been insistently repeated throughout the Gos.Thom.: the pearl represents the acquisition 199. R. Uro, “Is Thomas an encratite gospel?” in Thomas at the Crossroads. Essays on the Gospel of Thomas (ed. R. Uro; Studies of the New Testament and Its World; Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1998), 159. 200. See S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 491.

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of what is unique and singular. The salesman sold his merchandise to gain this one single and singular object. The same idea is expressed with the catch of the one good, large fish (Saying 8) and the one large sheep (Saying 107). This “unique” pearl also represents what is superior to any material and temporal gain. Jesus, therefore, invites his disciples to seek for an imperishable treasure. Is there a connection between the “pearl” and the “treasure” at the end of Saying 76? It is possible. If this is the case, then the “pearl” can be understood as a “treasure” which does not perish. This “treasure” seems to be a “place” (Coptic: pma) where the moth does not eat or the worm does not destroy. In Luke 12:33, the moth (and not the worm) destroys, and it is associated with thieves that can steal the treasure. How is one, therefore, to interpret the “place where no moth approaches to eat, nor a worm to destroy?” The “place” may be a reference to “life,” as in the “place of life” (Saying 4) or the Kingdom. The reasoning could be as follows: the merchant gets the unique “pearl;” the “pearl” is the “treasure” the disciples are to seek. The “treasure” is a “place” where death cannot rule (the metaphor of the moth that eats and the worm that destroys could stand for death). Those who find the meaning of Jesus’ hidden sayings (Saying 1) will not taste death, enabling them to return to their true place of origin, the Kingdom (Saying 49).

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Saying 77 Coptic: Jesus said: I am the light which is above all of them. I am the All. The All came out of me and the All reached me. Split a piece of wood, I am there; lift the rock, and you (pl.) will find me there. Greek: Li[f]t the stone and you will [f]ind me, split the wood and I am there.201 This saying seems to equate Jesus, the “light” and the “All” (Coptic: ptērf). The “All” has originated from the “light,” that is, Jesus, and will return to him. The “All” (tērf), used with the article (p-), should be understood as the technical term designating the Pleroma, the divine realm from which all things emanate.202 Another Nag Hammadi text, the Gospel of Truth (18.31–19.10), sheds light on the meaning of the “All” and can, perhaps, be read as an expanded commentary of Saying 77: As for the incomprehensible, inconceivable one, the Father, the perfect one, the one who made the All (pteref), within him is the All (pteref) and of him the All (pteref) has need. Although he retained their perfection within himself which he did not give to the All (pteref), the Father was not jealous. What jealousy indeed (could there be) between himself and his members? For, if this aeon had thus [received] their [perfection], they could not have 201. P.Oxy. 1.23–30 contains the ending of the Saying 77 but conflates it with Saying 30. 202. See A. B. Logan, “The Meaning of the Term ‘the All’ in Gnostic Thought,” in Studia Patristica,Vol. XIV: Papers presented to the Sixth International Conference on Patristic Studies held in Oxford 1971; Part III: Tertullian, Origenism, Cappadocian Fathers, Augustiniana (ed. E. A. Livingston; Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1976), 203–8.

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come [. . .] the Father. He retains within himself their perfection, granting it to them as a return to him and a perfectly unitary knowledge. It is he who fashioned the All (pteref), and within him is the All (pteref) and the All (pteref) was in need of him. The Gospel of Truth describes the “All” as the place where the emanations, in need of the Father, must return (see Gos. Truth 17.5-6; 27.11; 41.17). In Saying 77, the “All” comes forth from Jesus, described as the “light,” and will return to him. This encapsulates the same ideas that were expressed in Saying 49: the solitary-elect originate from the Kingdom and will return to it. Similarly, in Saying 18, the believers need to “stand at the beginning to know the end.” All these formulations refer to the place of origin and return.203 In a sense, since Jesus is the “light,” he is also the origin of the elect, the sons of light (Saying 50).

Saying 78 Jesus said: Why did you (pl.) come out to the countryside? To see a reed stirred by the wind, and to see a man wearing fine clothes [like your] kings and magnates? They are the ones who wear fine clothes, and they [will] not be able to know the truth. This saying is comparable to Jesus’ testimony concerning John the Baptist in Matthew 11:7–8 and Luke 7:24–25. The 203. See A. Gagné, “The Gospel according to Thomas and the New Testament,” in Christian Apocrypha. Receptions of the New Testament in Ancient Christian Apocrypha (eds J.-M. Roessli and T. Nicklas; Novum Testamentum Patristicum 26; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2014), 37.

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only major difference between the Gos.Thom. and the canonical accounts is that Saying 78 does not mention John. The lesson is in the conclusion: those who attach themselves to the world and its possessions cannot know the truth. Clothes can also represent the physical body which one needs to shake-off in order to see the Living One. The ritual practice in Saying 37 —which seems to be similar to a baptismal ritual—most certainly symbolizes the experience of transcendence and illumination at the time of death. Saying 78 can also be presenting a message against the powerful. It creates an opposition between power (represented by those wearing fine clothes like kings and magnates) and truth (the man ordinarily dressed). Truth does not depend on status and riches.204 As in Saying 54, the Kingdom belongs to the poor. The Gos.Thom. does not always identify the poor with those who are materially disadvantaged. Sometimes the poor are the solitary-elect who seek Jesus’ revelation in order to return to their place of origin (see the parallelism in Sayings 49 and 54). But seeking material wealth at the expense of spiritual labour (Saying 58) is also clearly condemned (see, for example, Sayings 63, 64, and 65). The lesson of Saying 78 is similar to the conclusion of the passage on John the Baptist in Matthew 11:25–26: “At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will’.”

204. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 496.

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Through Saying 78 Jesus tells his disciples again that it will be difficult for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of heaven (see Matthew 19:23–24).

Saying 79 A woman in the crowd said to him: Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts that fed you. He said to [her]: Blessed are those who have heard the word of the Father (and) have retained it in truth. For there will be days when you (pl.) will say, ‘Blessed is this womb that has not conceived, and these breasts that have not given milk.’ This is one of a handful of sayings that contain a short narrative introduction (cf. also Sayings 22, 60 and 100). It advocates for the physicality of Jesus by presenting him as having a real body rather than being a disembodied, or non-corporeal, being.205 Jesus goes against the typical Near Eastern norms by devaluing the woman’s indirect blessing.206 He stresses the importance of keeping the Father’s word over and against worldly relationships (cf. Sayings 16, 55, and 99). In comparison with Luke 11:27–28 and 23:29, which also preserve parts of this saying,207 the Gos.Thom. uses the expression “word of the 205. G. J. Riley, Resurrection Considered (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1995), 129. 206. U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 187. 207. For a source-critical analysis of Luke 11:22-28; 23:29 and Saying 79, see M. Goodacre, Thomas and the Gospels. The Making of an Apocryphal Text (London: SPCK, 2012), 97–108.

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Father” instead of “word of God” and adds the prepositional phrase “in truth,” absent from Luke.208 As it will become apparent in connection with Saying 100, the Gos.Thom. never uses the noun “god” to refer to the Father of Jesus. It contains a clear eschatological component evident in the use of “. . . there will be days when. . .” The context of Jesus’ saying in Luke 23 is absent from the Gos.Thom.; hence, Saying 79 invites a timeless interpretation by the implied reader.209 The beatitude in the eschatological portion of this saying is aimed at those women who do not conceive.210 The eschatological moment described here might be when women “become male” (cf. Saying 114), as expressed in Saying 22, where entering the Kingdom is realized when “you make the male and the female a single one; that the male not be male, and the female not be female.”

Saying 80 Jesus said: He who has known the world has found the body, but he who has found the body, the world is not worthy of him. Saying 80 is almost the same as Saying 56: “Jesus said: He who has known the world has found a cadaver; he who has found a cadaver, the world is not worthy of him.” The only 208. B. Gärtner, The Theology of the Gospel According to Thomas (London: Collins, 1961), 252. 209. R. Uro, “Is Thomas an encratite gospel?” in Thomas at the Crossroads. Essays on the Gospel of Thomas (ed. R. Uro; Studies of the New Testament and Its World; Edinburgh, T&T Clark, 1998), 149. 210. S. J. Patterson, The Gospel of Thomas and Jesus (Sonoma, CA: Polebridge Press, 1993), 155.

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variant is in the use of the word “body” (sōma) instead of “cadaver” (tōma). There is no reason to interpret this saying in a different way than Saying 56. To know the world is to know that it is a physical body and belongs to the realm of death; for one who gains such knowledge, the world becomes unworthy of him. This sentiment echoes Hebrews 11:38, where the heroes of faith are those of “whom the world was not worthy.” The meaning of Sayings 56 and 80 can be compared to Paul’s statement in Galatians 6:14: “May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” The world was crucified to Paul through Christ’s own death. This is another way of saying that Paul considered the world to be a (dead) body, just as he was himself considered dead to the world. Analogous language is found in Romans 6, where the believers are said to have been baptized into Christ’s death. The body should, therefore, be interpreted as a negative entity, as in Saying 87.211

Saying 81 Jesus said: He who has become rich, let him reign, and he who has power, let him renounce (it). This saying brings up the ideas already hinted at in Sayings 56 and 80. Similarly, Saying 110, “Jesus said: He who has found the world (and) became rich, let him renounce the world,” can also be read in conjunction with and as a backdrop for Saying 81. The one who has found the cadaver, body, 211. U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 188.

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or the world can be understood as “rich,” since he has gained insight into the illusory nature of the material world. It is therefore necessary to renounce, or abstain from, the world in order to find the Kingdom (Saying 27). The Gos.Thom. does mention the fact that those who seek and find will rule or reign (Saying 2), and those who receive revelation from Jesus will rule over the material world, as demonstrated by Thomas’ authority over the physical elements (Saying 13). A comparable formulation occurs in another interesting text from the Nag Hammadi corpus, the Dialogue of the Savior, which reads: “I say to you, let him who possesses power renounce it and repent. And let him who [. . .] seek and find and rejoice” (19:13–14).212 The end of Saying 81 goes well with the insistence on the idea, well attested in the Gos.Thom. (Sayings 63, 64 and 65), that material gains are useless. Accumulation of wealth as a sign of status and power is strongly condemned. It is the poor who are blessed and obtain the Kingdom (Saying 54), and those who toil who find life (Saying 58). This is why Jesus says that the believers are to seek for the “treasure which does not perish, which endures; the place where no moth approaches to eat, nor worm to destroy” (Saying 76). Since wealth is often equated with power, it is therefore not surprising that Jesus would advise his disciples to renounce power.213

212. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 503. 213. R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 161.

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Saying 82 Jesus said: He who is near me is near the fire, and he is who is far from me is far from the Kingdom. Other attestations of this saying are found in the works of several ancient authors. Here are three examples: 214 (1) Origen’s Homilies on Jeremiah 3.3; (2) Didymus the Blind, Fragments of the Psalms 88; (3) (Pseudo-)Ephrem the Syrian, An exposition of the Gospel § 83: (1) Whoever is near me is near the fire; whoever is far from me is far from the Kingdom. (2) Whoever is near me is near the fire; but whoever is far from me is far from the Kingdom. (3) Whoever comes near me comes near the fire, and whoever moves away from me moves away from life. Scholars have proposed various ways of understanding the meaning of “fire” in Saying 82. It may represent judgment, martyrdom, suffering, moral purification through ascetic practices, illumination, or theophanic representation of God’s presence.215 The image of fire is also found in Sayings 10, 13, and 16, but there it is expressed through a different Coptic word (sate rather than kōhet) and linked with the “Kingdom,” whereas the Pseudo-Ephrem links it to “life.” The connotations of the image of fire are, therefore, not negative but rather

214. These examples are listed by U.-W. Plisch; see The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 190. 215. S. Gathercole provides a good summary of these various interpretations; The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 505–6.

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positive. In Saying 82, “fire” could easily mean the same as in Saying 10, where it represents the words of Jesus illuminating the world.216 The meaning of fire as illumination is easily transferable to the Kingdom and to life. To be illuminated is synonymous with knowing oneself (Saying 3), the place of life (Saying 4), and the Kingdom (Sayings 49–50). This is why Jesus calls his disciples to be near him in order to receive the words that will lead them to eternal life (Saying 1).

Saying 83 Jesus said: The images are manifest to man, and the light which is in them, is hidden. In the image of the light of the Father, it will be revealed, but his image is hidden by his light. This is one of the most difficult sayings to interpret.217 Some scholars correct the phrase “in the image of the light of the Father,” claiming that the Coptic scribe made a mistake by adding the preposition “in.” 218 The translation in this 216. S. Davies, The Gospel of Thomas. Annotated and Explained (Woodstock: Skylight, 2002), 10. 217. For a detailed analysis of Saying 83, see E. E. Popkes, “The Image Character of Human Existence: GThom 83 and GThom 84 as Core Texts of the Anthropology of the Gospel of Thomas,” in Das Thomasevangelium: Entstehung – Rezeption – Theologie (eds J. Frey, E. E. Popkes and J. Schröter; Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche 157; Berlin – New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2008), 416–34. 218. One of those who correct the text is U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 191–92.

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commentary does not correct the text.219 The Gos.Thom. implies that some human beings are to be understood as images that carry the light of the Father. The light in the images manifest or visible to man will only be revealed in the image of Father’s light. The Father’s own image cannot be seen; it is hidden by his own light. There is an inverted relationship between the images and light in humankind, and the image and light of the Father. Outwardly and visibly, images of human beings (their appearance) are seen by everyone, but the inner light is hidden. The Father’s image (appearance) cannot be seen because of his light: the image of the Father is hidden by the light. This could mean that the Father will never be fully disclosed. There will be a time when the image of the light of the Father will truly reveal the light within the images currently manifest to man. The image of the Father’s light will reveal whether a man was filled with light or darkness, as suggested at the end of Saying 24: “There is light inside a man of light, and he shines on the entire world. If he does not shine, it is darkness.” In Saying 61, Jesus mentions a similar idea: “When he becomes equal, he will be full of light; but when he is divided, he will be full of darkness,” which also resonates with becoming one and overcoming duality in Saying 22. This state of oneness can be attained by those who have gained insight into the hidden sayings of Jesus (Sayings 1 and 108).220 The bearers of “light” will return to the “light,” that is the Kingdom (Saying 49), since they are the solitaryelect, the children of the light (Saying 50). 219. A representative of those who do not correct the text is S. Davies, The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom (Bardic Press, 2005), 62 220. J.-É. Ménard, L’Évangile selon Thomas (Nag Hammadi Studies 5; Leiden: Brill, 1975), 185.

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Saying 84 Jesus said: The days you (pl.) see your likeness, you rejoice, but when you see your images which came into being before your origin, which neither die nor are manifest, how much will you endure? Sayings 83 and 84 are clearly connected through the use of the catchwords “image(s)” (hikōn) and “manifest” (ouōnh ebol).221 The “likeness” in Saying 84 most likely means the same as the “image” in Saying 83, whereas the “image” in Saying 84 corresponds to the “light” in the previous saying. These two sayings are rooted in the belief that human beings were created in the image of God (see Genesis  1:26–28). Humankind lost this “image” or was separated from it through Adam’s sin.222 The “likeness” (eine) can be understood as the human appearance in the world. The “image” (hikōn) is one’s perfect heavenly condition, in existence prior to one’s “likeness” in the world. The inferiority of the “likeness” is the cause of grief. The “likeness” is, therefore, one’s current state of being, and the “image” is otherworldly,223 which once again describes the condition of the solitary-elect. They will see their “images” when they return to the Kingdom, for they have come from it and there they will return (Saying 49). It is said that all things emerged from the light (see Saying 77), the place where the light itself came into being (Saying 50). This

221. S. J. Patterson, The Gospel of Thomas and Jesus (Sonoma, CA: Polebridge Press, 1993), 101. 222. A. D. DeConick, The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation (New York: T&T Clark, 2007), 249. 223. B. Gärtner, The Theology of the Gospel According to Thomas (London: Collins, 1961), 204–5.

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light has also appeared in the image of the solitary-elect (Sayings 49–50 and 83). The pre-existent state of being resonates with the beatitude of Saying 19: “Blessed is he who existed before he came into existence,” which is tied to Saying 18 about the importance of standing at the beginning in order to know the end. Otherworldly images are also mentioned in Saying 22, when the disciples are asked to “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” in order to enter into the Kingdom.224 Saying 22 uses spatial and bodily metaphors to insist on the necessity of abolishing duality and differences in order to attain oneness. This ultimately leads to transcendence as one enters the Kingdom. Salvation will result when the solitary-elect recover their “images,” when they return to the place of light which is the Kingdom.

Saying 85 Jesus said: Adam came from a great power and a great wealth, and he was not worthy of you, for if he had been worthy, [he would] not [have tasted] death.225 This saying should be read together with Sayings 83 and 84. The subtext most likely refers to the creation of humankind in the image of God recounted in Genesis 1:26–28. In Saying 85, the first human being is said to have come “from a great power and a great wealth.” In keeping with the context, the “great power and great wealth” could be another way 224. S. Davies, The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom (Bardic Press, 2005), 63. 225. One could translate literally: “would not have died” or “would not have experienced death.”

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to describe the “light” of Saying 83 and the “image” of Saying 84. It can also be a reference to the “spirit,” which is called a “great wealth” in Saying 29 and dwells in “poverty,” that is, in the body. If “power and wealth” are placed in opposition to “poverty,” then Adam did not “know himself,” and this made him unworthy. According to Saying 2, those who do not “know themselves,” that is, their true origin, dwell in poverty. Lacking self-awareness amounts to poverty, which is most likely a metaphor for the fleshly body. Unraveling the cause of unworthiness is the key to unlocking the meaning of this saying. In Sayings 56 and 80, the one who has known the world, symbolically referred to as a body or a cadaver, discovers that the world is not worthy of him. Similarly, Saying 111 informs the readers that “he who finds himself, the world is not worthy of him.” Now, if Jesus says that Adam is unworthy of the disciples (Saying 85), he means that Adam did not know the essence of the world and had not truly found himself. This state of ignorance is what leads to death (see Saying 1). How can one avoid death and become worthy? Through the revelation of Jesus’ words.226 In Saying 62, Jesus says that he reveals his mysteries only to those “worthy” of his mysteries, as illustrated in Saying 13, in which only Thomas receives additional revelation from Jesus, and those who drink from his mouth will know hidden things (Saying 108).

226. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 517.

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Saying 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. Versions of this saying are also found in Matthew 8:20 and Luke 9:58. The expression “son of man” is a title often given to Jesus in the synoptic tradition. The question is whether the phrase “son of man” has the same meaning when it is applied to Jesus as when it is applied to human beings in general. Saying 86 adds to the canonical versions the idea of “rest.” Usually in the Gos.Thom., “rest” (Sayings 50, 51, 60, and 90) is synonymous with life, light, and the Kingdom. But if “rest” is understood as a physical repose in this world, then it is possible that the title “son of man” might simply refer to Jesus, as in Matthew and Luke, and Saying 86 could, therefore, be a note on Jesus’ itinerant preaching ministry.227 If, however, “rest” speaks of a transcendent, otherworldly reality, it would be more difficult to interpret the phrase “son of man” as referring to Jesus, but would rather denote human beings in general. In this case, the entire saying would be geared towards those readers of the Gos.Thom. who need to realize that true rest is not of this world.228

227. See S. J. Patterson, The Gospel of Thomas and Jesus (Sonoma, CA: Polebridge Press, 1993), 233. 228. R. Valantasis provides both perspectives; see The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 166–67.

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Saying 87 Jesus said: Miserable is the body which hangs on a body, and miserable is a soul which hangs on these two. This saying means that the fleshly body is miserable if it is attached to the world—the world being understood as the second body.229 The soul attached to the body and the world is even more miserable. The saying addresses the suffering experienced by both the body and soul at the hands of the world (see also Saying 112). Speaking of the world as a “body” is consistent with the use of the term elsewhere in the Gos.Thom., for example, in Sayings 56 and 80. The word for “hang” (Coptic: aše = eiše) is the same as the one used to describe crucified bodies in the Coptic New Testament (for example, in Luke 23:39, in the Sahidic version). A Christian reader of the Gos.Thom. might also have been familiar with the interpretation of Jesus’ crucifixion as a curse: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’ ” (Galatians 3:13). It is quite possible that Saying 87 was using the crucifixion language,230 similar to that of Paul, when it referred to the body as “hanging” on a body (the world). The Greco-Coptic word talaipōron is usually translated by the term “miserable.” Saying 87 resonates with echoes of Romans 7:24: “O miserable man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” In that passage, Paul is speaking about his struggles with the law of sinful desires within his body, a principle which will lead him to death. According to Paul, deliverance from this misery is only possible because the 229. M. Grosso, Vangelo secondo Tommaso (Roma: Carocci editore, 2011), 232. 230. A. D. DeConick, The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation (New York: T&T Clark, 2007), 253.

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“old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin” (Romans 6:6). In practical terms, Paul was aware of the continual struggle with the “body of sin,” and this is why he urges his readers: “you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and. . . do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness” (Romains 6:12–13). In summary, there is suffering and misery when the body is crucified to the world (cf. Galatians 6:14).

Saying 88 Jesus said: The messengers and prophets are coming to you (pl.), and they will give you what you have; and you, too, give them what is in your hands (and) say to yourselves, ‘On what day will they come and take what is theirs?’ This saying appears to be describing the task of preachers and prophets, and informs the Christian community of its responsibilities towards them. Such recommendations are similar to those in Didache 11–13. Saying 88 could be referring to Christian missionaries coming to proclaim their message to the Thomasine group. It encourages the Thomasine believers to offer them material support (food, shelter, and financial assistance), what can be understood as personal belongings, literally “what is in your hands.” 231 According to the last portion of the saying, the Thomasine believers could also offer 231. See U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 198–99.

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the missionaries something other than material support. The missionaries have come to give what the believers already have: a message of eternal life; therefore, the material support is simply a gesture of grace. The missionaries are not bringing anything which the Thomasine group does not already have.232 These Christian prophets and messengers are most likely unaware of the revelation which the group possesses. Life everlasting is only possible through the insight into the hidden words of Jesus (incipit and Saying 1). What the solitary-elect have and what the Christian missionaries are lacking is knowledge of Jesus’ revelation in the Gos.Thom. In Saying 88, the Thomasine believers are asking whether the prophets and messengers will ever realize what they truly need.

Saying 89 Jesus said: Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Do you not understand that the one who made the inside is also the one who made the outside? This clearly resonates with Matthew 23:25–26 and Luke 11:39– 40. Is this saying a recommendation or a reproof? People who wash the outside should also wash the inside, for the entire cup has been made by one and the same. No distinction is to be made between the inside and the outside, at least not by the one who washes the cup. If the saying is a recommendation, then it could be addressing ritual purity: the outside and the inside are to be treated equally. This being said, the saying could also be understood as a reproof: nothing can improve the condition of the cup since both the outside and the inside 232. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 525.

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were made by the same person. If it is sullied on the outside, the entire cup is contaminated. The logic of Saying 89 might be comparable to that of Saying 53: 233 His disciples said to him: Is circumcision advantageous to us or not? He said to them: If it were advantageous, their father would beget them circumcised from their mother. But the true circumcision in spirit has found complete profit. Saying 53 is clearly a critique of physical circumcision as the basis of one’s status as a member of the elect and of one’s purity. A physical mark in the flesh is not a proof of a person’s election; only the true circumcision in the spirit is valued. Saying 53 is directed against the Judaic tradition of election. Can Saying 89 be directed against those who think their ritualistic practices are a guarantee of their election? If so, which ritual practice is this saying aiming at? It seems logical and consistent with the Thomasine tradition to see it aimed once more at the Judaic tradition as a whole.234 Nearly every parallel reference that mentions the cleansing of the cup is used as a critique of Jewish purification rituals.235 233. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 529. 234. C. Gianotto, “Quelques aspects de la polémique anti-juive dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” in Colloque international ‘L’Évangile selon Thomas et les textes de Nag Hammadi’ Québec, 29-31 mai 2003 (eds L.Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 8; Québec: Presses de l’université Laval; Louvain – Paris: Peeters, 2007), 157–73. 235. A. D. DeConick, The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation (New York: T&T Clark, 2007), 258.

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Saying 90 Jesus said: Come to me for my yoke is mild and my lordship is gentle, and you (pl.) will find rest for yourselves. This saying is similar Matthew 11:28–30, but it differs from it in two respects. First, it does not mention the word “burden” and omits a good portion of Matthew 11:29. And second, it refers to Jesus’ lordship, the idea only implied in Matthew’s version. In Saying 90, believers are to find “rest,” an important idea repeated in Sayings 50, 51, and 60. In the Thomasine collection, “rest” is a transcendent, otherworldly reality and is synonymous with the Kingdom, which is called the place of life (Saying 4) and of rest (Sayings 49–50). Life, rest, and the Kingdom are reserved for those who actively seek to understand the hidden sayings of Jesus (incipit and Gos.Thom. 1). This is what Jesus means when he calls his disciples to himself and urges them to submit to his lordship, since Jesus’ words procure true life. The Gos.Thom. is not emphasizing “faith” in Jesus, but rather the necessity for the believers to come to him in order to understand his teaching,236 which will grant them the rest they are seeking. The Gos.Thom. emphasizes, here and elsewhere, that Jesus is the light that came from above all, and he himself is the All (Saying 77). The purpose of his coming into the world was to reveal the Kingdom and to teach the solitary-elect how to return to their place of origin. This is quite similar to the poetic description the Son’s mission to the world in the Gospel of Truth 40:24–41:14:

236. J.-É. Ménard, L’Évangile selon Thomas (Nag Hammadi Studies 5; Leiden: Brill, 1975), 192.

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When, therefore, it pleased him that his name, which is loved, should be his Son, and he gave the name to him, that is, him who came forth from the depth, he spoke about his secret things, knowing that the Father is a being without evil. For that very reason, he brought him forth in order to speak about the place, and (about) his restingplace, from which he had come forth, and to glorify the pleroma, the greatness of his name, and the sweetness of the Father. About the place each one came from, he will speak, and to the region where he received his establishment, he will hasten to return again and to take from that place—the place where he stood—receiving a taste from that place, and receiving nourishment, receiving growth. And his own resting-place is his pleroma.

Saying 91 They said to him: Tell us who you are that we may believe in you. He said to them: You (pl.) assess the face of the sky and of the earth, and you did not recognize the one who is before you and do not know how to assess this moment! Those who ask the initial question are not identified, but the content is comparable to the inquiry of the blind man in John 9:36: “Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” The tone of the question is analogous to that in the Judeans’ impatient request to Jesus, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly” (John 10:24). Jesus’ reply resonates with the request for a sign on the part of the Pharisees in Matthew 12:38; 16:1–3, Mark 8:11, and Luke 11:16. It is also similar to what has been said in Saying 5: “Know what is in front of your face. . .” Jesus is rebuking those who are

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questioning him because they cannot discern the times; the Kingdom is present now, and they do not see it (Saying 13: “Jesus said to his disciples: Compare me; tell me whom I am like. Simon Peter said to him: You are like a righteous messenger. Matthew said to him: You are like a wise philosopher”). Like Peter and Matthew in Saying 13, they do not grasp the implications of Jesus’ identity. As a result, they will be deprived of the revelation given to Thomas, who correctly answered the question about Jesus’ identity. Those who ask Jesus about his identity in Saying 91 have clearly misunderstood the fact that he is revealed through his teaching. Jesus warns them in Saying 59: “Jesus said: Look for the Living One while you (pl.) are alive, for fear that you die and seek to see him, and you are not able to see (him).” Now they find themselves at the juncture in time when, “There will be days when you will seek me; you will not find me” (Saying 38).237

Saying 92 Jesus said: Seek and you (pl.) will find, but the things you asked me in those days, I did not tell you at that time; now I am willing to tell them (to you), but you do not seek them. A saying of Jesus about “seeking and finding” is also present in Matthew 7:7 and Luke 11:9. In the Gos.Thom., Sayings 92, 93, and 94 form a unit in the incessant search for insights into the meaning of Jesus’ words. Saying 92 divides the past and the present with respect to Jesus’ teaching. He did not answer certain questions from the audience in the past, but now that 237. P. Pokorný, A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas: From Interpretations to the Interpreted (New York: T & T Clark, 2009), 134.

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he is willing to answer them, no one is seeking his words.238 Seeking and finding are major themes in the Gos.Thom.239 They are mentioned at the beginning of the collection in Saying 2 (“Jesus said: He who seeks, let him not stop seeking until he finds. . .”), and are alluded to again in Saying 94, (“Jesus said: He who seeks will find, [he who knocks], it will be opened to him”). References to both seeking and finding occur in Sayings 2, 59, 92, and 94, but it is “seeking” that is constantly emphasized (see Sayings 2, 18, 24, 38, 59, 60, 76, 92, 94, 107). The rest of Saying 92 seems to address issues closely related to those raised in Sayings 38 and 59. Note that the Gos.Thom. also reiterates the ideas introduced in the incipit and Saying 1. Jesus said that one must find the interpretation of his hidden words in order to have life everlasting. There are essentially two categories of individuals in the Gos.Thom.: those who seek and those who refuse to seek. If one does not “seek,” one does not “find.” They correspond to the categories of “insiders” and “outsiders.” According to Saying 92, Jesus is willing to communicate his teaching to those (his disciples?) who now “seek;” he promises that they will “find.” The “seekers” are those whom Jesus characterized as being “worthy of his mysteries” in Saying 62: “I tell my mysteries to those [who are worthy of my] mysteries.” For Jesus, the “seeker” is also he who, according to Saying 108, drinks from his mouth —a reference to ingesting his words—and in the end “. . . the hidden things will be revealed to him.”

238. I. Dunderberg, “Thomas’ I-Sayings and the Gospel of John,” in Thomas at the Crossroads. Essays in the Gospel of Thomas (ed. R. Uro; Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1998), 45. 239. R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 172.

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Saying 93 Do not give what is holy to the dogs, for fear they cast them on the dunghill; do not cast the pearls [to] swine, for fear they make it [. . .]. The ending of this saying is completely lost; the beginning of the text, however, echoes Matthew 7:6. Sayings 92 and 93 invert the order of ideas found in their respective canonical counterparts, Matthew 7:7 and Matthew 7:6. Saying 93 extends the ideas emphasized in Saying 92 by means of an analogy: those who refuse to pursue Jesus’ teaching are like dogs or swine that do not recognize what is truly precious. This unit of sayings (92, 93, and 94) establishes a boundary between the “seekers” and those who refuse to seek.240 Those who genuinely engage in the quest for the meaning of Jesus’ words are sure to find it. Thus, Saying 93 and Matthew 7:6 may both share the same meaning. The history of interpretation of Matthew 7:6 presents “holy things and pearls” as metaphors for teaching, and “dogs and swine” represent those who neither understand nor appreciate the Christian message. The Apostle Paul makes a similar a point when he says that only the “spirituals” can understand the things of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:13–14): And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are discerned spiritually.

240. R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 175.

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Hilary of Poitiers, in his Commentary on Psalm 118, points out that heavenly teaching is not elementary in nature, and therefore fleshly or carnal individuals cannot receive it. He characterizes the heavenly doctrine as the things of the Spirit (spiritus). The believer must therefore “open the mouth of his heart” in order to attract this spiritual teaching (adtraxit spiritum). Hilary interprets the saying of Jesus in the same way: Christian teaching should not be given to those who do not have the capacity to receive it.241

Saying 94 Jesus said: He who seeks will find, [he who knocks], it will be opened to him. One might, for the sake of comparison, pair this saying with Matthew 7:8 and Luke 11:10; this, however, does not necessarily presuppose a genealogical relationship between Saying 94 and these two synoptic passages. It is interesting to note that the order of the sayings in the Gos.Thom. differs from that of Matthew, with Saying 92 corresponding to Matthew 7:7b, Saying 93 to Matthew 7:6, and Saying 94 to Matthew 7:8.242 Saying 94 is the closing segment of the parallel structure in Sayings 92–94, framed by the words “seek” (Coptic: šine) and “find” (Coptic: čine):

241. See M. Milhau, Hilaire de Poitiers. Commentaire sur le Psaume 118. Tome II (Sources chrétiennes 347; Paris: Cerf, 1988), 208–11. 242. For more on the comparison between the Thomasine and the canonical versions of these sayings, see S. J. Patterson, The Gospel of Thomas and Jesus (Sonoma, CA: Polebridge Press, 1993), 18-19.

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A: Jesus said: Seek and you (pl.) will find, but the things you asked me in those days, I did not tell you at that time; now I am willing to tell them, but you do not seek them. B: Do not give what is holy to the dogs, for fear they cast them on the dunghill; do not cast the pearls [to] swine, for fear they make it [. . .]. Aʹ: Jesus said: He who seeks will find, [he who knocks], it will be opened to him. This sequence of three sayings stresses seeking and finding. The first and last one offer a guarantee that perseverance in seeking will culminate in finding. A warning about those who do not seek is also introduced at the end of Saying 92: “now I am willing to tell them, but you do not seek them.” Saying 93 is the center of this structure since it admonishes the readers of the Gos.Thom. not to share the content and meaning of the secret sayings of Jesus (the holy things and pearls) with the “outsiders” (the dogs and swine), for the mysteries of Jesus will be revealed only those who are “worthy” (Saying 62), the idea reiterated several times in the Thomasine collection.

Saying 95 [Jesus said:] If you (pl.) have money, do not lend it with interest, but give [it] to him from whom you will not get it back. Similar ideas can be found in Luke 6:30.34–35 and Matthew 5:42. Saying 95 is surely a lesson in how one should conduct one’s life with regard to money.243 The Hebrew Bible prohibits 243. See U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 211.

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lending with interest (see Leviticus 25:35–37; Exodus 22:25; Deuteronomy 23:20–21). It is doubtful, however, that the saying would be promoting commandments from the Judaic tradition (cf. Saying 52). It is more likely that the Gos.Thom. is concerned with reminding the believers that they should disregard material wealth and hold it in contempt. This attitude toward the things of this world has already been mentioned in a series of parables in Sayings 63 and 64. The conclusion of Jesus’ recommendation supports this interpretation, since it states that one should lend money only to those who cannot repay. This shows a complete lack of concern, on the part of the lender, for the things of this world, as is the case for the believers who should not be anxious over things like food (Saying 14) and clothing (Saying 36).244

Saying 96 Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a woman. She took a little leaven, [hid] it in dough (and) she made it into large loaves of bread. He who has ears to listen, let him listen! Saying 96 belongs to a group of parables that occur also in Matthew 13 (Saying 8//Matthew 13:47–50; Saying 9//Matthew 13:3–8; Saying 20//Matthew  13:31–32; Saying 79//Matthew 13:45–46; Saying 96//Matthew 13:33).245 Irenaeus (Against Heresies 1.8.3) mentions that the Valentinians were familiar with a similar parable: 244. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 543-544. 245. See M. Goodacre, Thomas and the Gospels. The Making of an Apocryphal Text (London: SPCK, 2012), 80.

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For they teach that the woman represented Sophia; the three measures of meal, the three kinds of men—spiritual, animal, and material; while they say that the leaven denoted the saviour himself.246 Saying 96 is reminiscent especially of Matthew 13:33 and Luke 13:20–21. It reflects on the way a small amount of leaven can produce large loaves of bread, presenting a lesson akin to that contained in the story of the grain of mustard that becomes a large branch in Saying 20. Saying 96 also reminds the reader of the importance of labour, since the woman “took a little leaven. . . and made (Coptic: aa⸗, verb eire) it into large loaves of bread.” There would be no bread without a certain amount of work. This, too, echoes the parable of the grain of mustard. The large branch could not have grown until the ground had been “tilled” (Coptic: er hōb = to work). Notice that, in both cases, what is seen as insignificant (small = kouei or sobek) can be transformed into something of importance (large / great = noč). Saying 96 speaks of the inner quality, or hidden aspect, of the Kingdom, which needs to be brought to the light (Sayings 5 and 33).247 Thus, the parable of Saying 96 addresses the Kingdom of the Father and the need to labour that is somehow tied to it. With this saying in mind, one can better appreciate Saying 58: “Jesus said: Blessed is the man who has toiled; he has found life.” The idea of work mentioned in this saying (Coptic: hise), and “life” (Coptic: ōnh) is essentially

246. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 547. 247. P. Pokorný, A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas: From Interpretations to the Interpreted (New York: T & T Clark, 2009), 138.

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synonymous with “the place of life” (Coptic: ptopos empōnh) in Saying 4, which in turn corresponds to the idea of the Kingdom.

Saying 97 Jesus said: The Kingdom of the [Father] is like a woman carrying a jar full of ground grain. As she was walking [on a] distant road, the handle of the jar broke (and) the ground grain spilled behind her [on] the road. She did not realize it; she did not know how to labour. When she reached her house, she put down the jar (and) found it empty. Saying 97 is one of the three parables in the Gos.Thom. that have no synoptic parallels (cf. also Sayings 21 and 98). It is interesting to note that the Coptic word maaje needs to be translated as “ear” in Saying 96 and as “handle” in Saying 97, and serves as a catchword to connect both sayings. The parable of Saying 97 has been interpreted in many ways; 248 a survey of the various solutions shows that most commentators focus on the woman’s lack of perception. This indeed seems as the correct way to interpret the lesson. The woman’s lack of perception is clear since “she did not realize” that the jar was broken and that the flour was being lost. The flour that spills from her jar could represent the Kingdom. Just as the woman is unaware that the flour is being dissipated on the ground, many people are unaware of the Kingdom’s presence on the

248. S. Gathercole surveys the various interpretations of this parable; see The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 550–53.

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earth: “the Kingdom of the Father is spread out on the earth, and men do not perceive it” (Saying 113). Their lack of perception is a sign of their attachment to the things of this world. Saying 28 describes the general state of emptiness that characterizes people coming into the world; Jesus compares them to drunkards without real insight into the purpose of life. The Gos.Thom. urges its readers to shed ignorance and to “recognize,” or to “know,” the true nature of reality (see Sayings 5, 18, 19, 46, 51, 56, 65, 67, 69, 78, 80, 91, 97, 103, and 105). Furthermore, the woman’s loss was caused not only by her lack of perception, but also by her ignorance (Coptic: eime) how to labour (Coptic: hise). Her work was inadequate and inattentive; she displayed a nonchalant attitude. This lack of diligence resulted in her unfortunate loss, a loss that could have easily been prevented. Once again, work and toil are characteristic of those who seek the Kingdom and experience life everlasting.

Saying 98 Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a man who wanted to kill a magnate. He drew his sword in his own house and thrust it in the wall to know that he could rely on his hand. He then slaughtered the magnate. This strange parable about the Kingdom of the Father does not intend to teach how to kill a magnate; it does not promote physical violence. Rather, it speaks of the knowledge and commitment needed to enter the Kingdom, along the lines suggested in Luke 16:16, where Jesus says concerning the Kingdom: “The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the Kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force” (cf. also

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Matthew 11:12). A connection with the previous saying is implied by the repeated use of the Coptic verb eime: “. . . to know that he could rely on his hand.” Here, the man must know and be confident that he has the necessary skills and strength to accomplish the required deed. The lesson is similar to a series of short parables in Luke 14:28–32: 249 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” 31 Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. 33 So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions. Saying 98, therefore, reminds readers that they must be aware of the commitment that is required to enter the Kingdom. The cost is that of labour and toil, which will lead one towards insights into the hidden sayings of Jesus. This is a quest, and readers must be cognizant of the price associated to such an endeavour.

249. J.-M. Sevrin, “Évangile selon Thomas,” in Écrits gnostiques. La Bibliothèque de Nag Hammadi (eds J.-P. Mahé and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque de la Pléiade 538; Paris: Gallimard, 2007), 326.

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Saying 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, these are my brothers and my mother. They are the ones who will enter the Kingdom of my Father. This saying can be compared to Mark 3:32–35 (with parallels in Matthew  12:46–50 and Luke  8:19–21). In Mark and Matthew, the episode comes after the parable of the binding of the strong man (Mark 3:22–30; Matthew 12:24–32), whereas in Luke, the story comes three chapters before the Beelzebul controversy (Luke 11:15–22). The parable on the strong man is also found in the Gos.Thom. (Saying 35). It is interesting to note that the parable of the assassin (Saying 98) is mentioned just before the saying on Jesus’ true family. Maybe the parable in Saying 98 is a variant of the parable of the binding of the strong man. In any case, the lesson in the context of the Thomasine collection seems to be one of abandonment: the bonds of an earthly family are minimized in comparison with the spiritual ties that bind those that do the will of the Father. This is not surprising since Jesus had already redefined familial relationships in Sayings 25 and 55.250 He uses the expression “my Father” also in Sayings 61 and 64 as well as in the Matthean version of the story. Similarly, entering the Kingdom is mentioned in Sayings 22, 39, 64 and 114. In Saying 22, those who will enter the Kingdom have to “make two into one,” whereas in Saying 114, access to the Kingdom is reserved only for the woman who “makes herself male.” To

250. R. Valantasis, The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997), 180.

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enter the Kingdom, one needs “the keys of knowledge” according to Saying 39, and Saying 64 warns “buyers and salesmen” that they will not enter the “places of my Father.” These conditions for “entering the Kingdom” are most likely explanations of what it means, in the context of the Gos.Thom., to do the will of Jesus’ Father.

Saying 100 They showed Jesus a gold piece and they said to him: Caesar’s people extort taxes from us. Jesus said to them: Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s, and what is mine, give it to me. This saying is similar to Matthew 22:15–22, Mark 12:13–17, and Luke 20:20–26. However, the Gos.Thom. adds something unique at the end: “and what is mine, give it to me.” One can notice here that Jesus does not speak of the “Father”—as was the case in Sayings 96 to 99—but rather of “God.” 251 If Jesus is referring to the same being, the sudden change from “Father” to “God” is surprising and unusual, especially since the Coptic word for “God” is used only twice in the entire Gos.Thom. (Sayings 30 and 100). In fact, it is quite possible that Jesus’ “Father” is not the same as the “God” of Saying 100. This “God” is part of a hierarchy. He is one entity in a chain of characters ranked from lowest to highest: Caesar, 251. For a detailed analysis of this saying, see A. Gagné, “The Gospel according to Thomas and the New Testament,” in Christian Apocrypha. Receptions of the New Testament in Ancient Christian Apocrypha (eds J.-M. Roessli and T. Nicklas; Novum Testamentum Patristicum 26; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2014), 34-39.

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God, Jesus,252 and he seems to be inferior to Jesus. If this is true, Saying 100 might contain a veiled reference to the demiurge, the creator and ruler of the material world, and Saying 12 could be an implicit attack against the material world and the visible heavens. The Gos.Thom. presents a thoroughly negative view of the material world, which is compared to a cadaver (Saying 56), and must be renounced (Saying 110). Elsewhere, the material heaven and the earth will be rolled up like a scroll and pass away (See Sayings 11 and 111). The fact that Jesus is the highest ranked character in Saying 100 is not surprising. Saying 77 has already presented Jesus as the “light” that is above all things; even the “All” has come forth from him and will return to him. The difference between the synoptic versions of this story and Saying 100 hinges on the question of the return to the place of origin. What does Jesus mean when he says, “what is mine, give it to me?” As Sayings 18, 19, 49 and 50 have shown, the Gos.Thom. often refers to the origin and return of the elect. In Saying 50 and 77, “light” is understood as their place of origin and return. If Jesus is the “light” (Saying 77) and the solitary-elect are the “children of light” (Saying 50) who must return to their place of origin, then “what is mine” (Saying 100) is most likely a reference to those who belong to Jesus, that is, the solitary-elect.

Saying 101 He who does [not] hate his [father] and his mother like me cannot be a [disciple to] me, and he who does not love 252. See J.-M. Sevrin, “Évangile selon Thomas,” in Écrits gnostiques. La Bibliothèque de Nag Hammadi (eds J.-P. Mahé and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque de la Pléiade 538; Paris: Gallimard, 2007), 326.

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[his Father and] his Mother like me cannot be [a disciple to] me. For my mother [. . .], but [my] true [Mother] gave me life. This statement recalls Saying 55, in which Jesus admonishes his disciples to hate their earthly families. The lesson is one of complete detachment from worldly relationships. The same idea is also expressed in Saying 99, in which Jesus’ deprecates his own earthly family, and promotes the spiritual kinship that binds those who do the will of his Father and whom Jesus considers as his brothers and mother. Saying 101 goes one step further: it focuses more specifically on Jesus’ true Mother as opposed to his earthly mother. The question that remains is who Jesus’ “true [Mother]” is. From an intertextual perspective, some scholars have understood Jesus’ true Mother to be the Holy Spirit.253 Here are two texts from the Gospel of the Hebrews that present the Holy Spirit as a motherly figure and a giver of life: And it came to pass when the Lord was come up out of the water, the whole fount of the Holy Spirit descended upon him and rested on him and said to him: My son, in all the prophets was I waiting for you that you should come and I might rest in you. For you are my rest; you are my first-begotten Son who will reign forever. Gospel of the Hebrews, fragment 2 quoted in Jerome’s Commentary on Isaiah 4 And if any accept the Gospel of the Hebrews—here the Savior says: Even so did my mother, the Holy Spirit, 253. As a feminine power, Trevijano Etcheverria understands this to be the Holy Spirit as in Saying 44; see “La Madre de Jesús en el Evangelio de Tomás (Logia 55, 99, 101 y 105),” in Estudios sobre el Evangelio de Tomás (Fuentes Patristicas; Estudios 2; Madrid: Editorial Ciudad Nueva, 1997), 271.

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take me by one of my hairs and carry me away on to the great mountain Tabor. Gospel of the Hebrews, fragment 3 quoted in Origen’s Commentary on John 2.12.87 The damaged part of Saying 101 may have contained the words “brought me death,” which would contrast the actions of Jesus’ biological mother with those of his spiritual Mother who gave him life.254

Saying 102 Jesus said: Woe to them, the Pharisees, for they are like a dog lying in the manger of oxen. For neither does he eat, [nor] does he [let] the oxen eat. The beginning of Saying 102 can be compared to the famous woes in Matthew 23. The rest of the saying is a proverb quoted in Aesop’s fables (Proverbia 74): “A dog that lies on a trough: he does not eat himself, and he prevents the ass (from eating).” Similar versions of the proverb are also mentioned by two second-century authors, Lucian of Samosota (quoted twice) and Strato of Sardis: 255

254. See U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 222. 255. See U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 224 and S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 570.

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. . . like the dog in the manger which neither ate the barley itself, nor permitted the hungry horse to eat it. Lucian of Samosata, Timon 14 . . . like the dog lying in the manger, which does not eat the barley itself, nor lets the horse eat it which can. Lucian of Samosata, Adversus Indoctum 30 . . . like the dog in the manger with roses, and stupidly barking, it neither gives the good thing to itself nor to anyone else. Strato of Sardis, Greek Anthology 12 The lesson is the same as in Saying 39: the Pharisees and their beliefs are a hindrance to those who adhere to the worldview expressed in the Gos.Thom. They are ignorant, and they base their hopes of attaining the Kingdom on the Judaic tradition. However, true wisdom and knowledge cannot be found in such a tradition. Like the dog neither feeding himself nor letting the oxen eat, the Pharisees prevent people from seeking the knowledge that leads to the Kingdom. They do this harm through rituals and laws that are worthless for salvation.256

256. Judaic practices are criticized in Sayings 6, 14, 27, 43, 52, 89, 102, and 104; see C. Gianotto, “Quelques aspects de la polémique antijuive dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” in Colloque international ‘L’Évangile selon Thomas et les textes de Nag Hammadi’ Québec, 29-31 mai 2003 (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 8; Québec: Presses de l’université Laval; Louvain – Paris: Peeters, 2007), 157–73.

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Saying 103 Jesus said: Blessed is the man who knows [from where] the thieves are coming, so that [he] may rise and gather his [kingdom], and arm himself before they come in. This parable is also found in Matthew 24:43 and Luke 12:39. The beatitude is similar to a portion of Saying 21, which calls for preparedness to counter an attack. It also resonates with Saying 98 that speaks of the murder of the magnate and the assassin’s assessment of his abilities. Once more, the lesson in Saying 103 concerns careful planning as a mark of wisdom. This preparedness is to be understood in terms of labour or work, an important theme throughout the Thomasine gospel. Sayings 21, 98, and 103 exhibit the same elements, and each features a protagonist, an opponent, a danger, a need for preparedness, and a resolution: 257 Feature Protagonist Opponent Danger Preparedness Resolution

Saying 21 householder or king thief

Saying 98 assassin magnate

Saying 103 man or king thieves

thief stealing awareness / vigil preventing entry

weakness / failure practice thrust murder the aristocrat

thieves entering advance knowledge prepared for battle

257. The following chart is based on the one provided by S. Gathercole in The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 571, but it has been slightly modified.

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All these parables teach the same Thomasine truth: preparedness requires labour. Only those who diligently work will find life (Saying 58). The outcome is the same as in the story of the ten virgins waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom in Matthew 25:1–13. Five virgins were wise and five were foolish. Only the wise virgins, who were prepared and stayed awake, were able to enter the banquet hall at the arrival of the bridegroom. The foolish ones were kept out because of their laziness (they fell asleep) and lack of preparedness. The same goes for the readers of the Gos.Thom.: those who labour are ready to enter the Kingdom.

Saying 104 They said [to him]: Come, let us pray and fast today. Jesus said: What sin have I committed or in what have I been overcome? But when the bridegroom comes out from the bridal chamber, then let them fast and pray. The disciples have already asked Jesus questions pertaining to fasting and prayer in Saying 6. Jesus replies to his disciples in Saying 14 and insists that fasting brings about sin, and that prayer leads to condemnation. Maybe this explains why Jesus asks if he has sinned when he is invited to fast and pray in Saying 104? Moreover, the pronouns “they”—possibly the disciples—at the beginning of the saying and “them” at the end may be referring to different groups of individuals. It is possible that Jesus’ disciples are willing to join some other group in fasting and prayer. Jesus does not endorse this course of action, and says that those who wish to fast and pray can do so if they wish, but that he does not need to engage in such activity. One might also see a subtle shift in terms of time frames: the disciples want to fast and pray today, whereas Jesus

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speaks of the bridegroom’s departure from the bridal chamber at some other point in time. Concerning Jesus’ self-perception as a sinner, the Gospel of the Nazarenes 2 relates an interesting story, in which Jesus questions his need to be baptized by John because he does not consider himself to be guilty of sin: Behold, the mother of the Lord and his brothers said to him: John the Baptist baptizes for the remission of sins, let us go and be baptized by him. But he said to them: How have I sinned that I should go and be baptized by him? The mention of the bridegroom and the bridal chamber is slightly similar to Matthew 9:14–15, Mark 2:18–20, and Luke 5:33– 35. In the synoptic accounts, fasting is referred to only once; nothing is said about a bridal chamber. It is doubtful that the Gos.Thom. would admit that fasting and prayer would ever be acceptable. Jesus’ statement most likely needs to be understood as an “impossibility possibility” 258 since the bridegroom is not expected to leave the bridal chamber; and it is there that Jesus is united to those who belong to him. Saying 104 is essentially another critique of Judaic practices (cf. Sayings 6, 14, 27, 39, 43, 52, 89, 102, 104).259

258. P. Pokorný, A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas: From Interpretations to the Interpreted (New York: T & T Clark, 2009), 147. 259. See C. Gianotto, “Quelques aspects de la polémique anti-juive dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” in Colloque international ‘L’Évangile selon Thomas et les textes de Nag Hammadi’ Québec, 29-31 mai 2003 (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 8; Québec: Presses de l’université Laval; Louvain – Paris: Peeters, 2007), 157–73.

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Saying 105 Jesus said: Whoever knows the Father and the Mother will be called the son of a prostitute. This saying could be understood in one of three ways: (1) Whoever knows the father and the mother (biological) will be called the son of a prostitute; (2) Whoever does not know the Father and the Mother (spiritual) will be called the son of a prostitute; (3) Whoever knows the Father and the Mother (spiritual) will be called the son of a prostitute.260 In the first option, “the father” and “the mother” designate a person’s biological parents. The saying could therefore be interpreted as a denunciation of earthly familial ties.261 The second option corrects the opening line with the addition of the negation “not:” one who does not know his spiritual parents has not attained enlightenment and still belongs to the world.262 The final option would be describing the solitaryelect who know their spiritual Father and Mother, but are still accused of being associated to the world, represented by the image of the prostitute. Some have understood Saying 105 to be Christological in nature 263 and to allude to the occasion 260. For a list of the various interpretations of this saying, see S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 579–80. 261. J.-É. Ménard, L’Évangile selon Thomas (Nag Hammadi Studies 5; Leiden: Brill, 1975), 204. 262. U.-W. Plisch adds a negation; this is, however, forcing an interpretation that is not easily justifiable; see The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 229. 263. See R. Nordsieck, Das Thomas-Evangelium (Neukirchen-Vluyn, Neukirchener Verlag, 2004), 362.

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when the Jewish leaders implied that Jesus was of illegitimate birth (see John 8:41). However, other considerations can also shed light on the meaning of Jesus’ enigmatic statement in Saying 105. Jesus’ familial ties play a role in Sayings 99 and 101. In Saying 99, Jesus speaks of his true family that is comprised of “those who do the will of my Father,” and in Saying 101, he mentions his true Mother, who can be understood as the Holy Spirit. In both cases, Jesus insists on the superiority of the spiritual ties that bind the members of his family. The most consistent reading, then, would be that “the Father” and “the Mother” are not biological, but spiritual. The use of the indefinite relative pronoun “whoever” most likely means that this is not a Christological statement but a general statement that applies to all believers. Like Jesus before them, they too will be vilified; they will be called “the son of a prostitute” by those who accuse them of illegitimacy.

Saying 106 Jesus said: When you (pl.) make two into one, you will become sons of man, and when you say, ‘Mountain, move out!’ it will move out. There are clear similarities between this saying and Saying 48. Both promote the theme of unity (make peace in this one house / make two one) and promise the command over nature (Mountain move, etc.). Saying 106 also speaks of unity among the disciples. Those who “make two into one”—a similar idea is present in Saying 22, where singularity or “oneness” is valued over multiplicity—will become “sons of man.” This designation was previously applied to human beings in general in Sayings 28 and 86. In Saying 86, the “sons of men” are those who are searching for a place to “rest,” and in the Gos.Thom.,

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the “rest” characterizes a transcendent, otherworldly reality. Believers who understand that the true rest is not of this world will become “sons of man.” It is, therefore, possible that the one who makes “two into one” (Saying 106) is the same individual who has found the “rest” that is not of this world (Saying 86). The expression “make two into one” perfectly corresponds to what is found in Saying 22. Both texts emphasize the idea that unity, which in essence is a state of transcendence; it is attained through abolition of duality and differences. Saying 108 will make it clear that making “two into one” means becoming united to Jesus. Therefore, the believers become the “sons of man” when they have made “two into one” and been united to Jesus (Saying 108). This process of unification most likely means that the disciples are now endowed with the life-giving insight (Saying 1) into the hidden sayings of Jesus. After making “two into one,” the disciples are given the promise that they will be able to move mountains. “Oneness” gives one authority over the physical realm.264 Saying 2 gives a similar promise to the one who perseveres in his quest for knowledge: he will rule over all things. This idea is also present in Saying 13, in which Thomas rules over the physical realm, and the stones will burn those who use them against him.

Saying 107 Jesus said: The Kingdom is like a shepherd who had one hundred sheep. One of them went astray; it was the largest. He left (the) ninety-nine, sought after that one until he 264. P. Pokorný, A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas: From Interpretations to the Interpreted (New York: T & T Clark, 2009), 148.

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found it. After he had toiled, he said to that sheep, ‘I love you more than (the) ninety-nine.’ Luke 15:4–7 and Matthew 18:12–14 have similar stories.265 Saying 107 is essentially a parable on the quest for “oneness” or “singularity.” The parable is also found in the Gospel of Truth 31.35-32.16, where the search for the “one sheep” represents a way of repairing what is deficient or lacking: He is the shepherd who left behind the ninety-nine sheep which had not strayed and went in search of that one which was lost. He rejoiced when he had found it. For ninety-nine is a number of the left hand, which holds it. The moment he finds the one, however, the whole number is transferred to the right hand. Thus it is with him who lacks the one, that is, the entire right hand which attracts that in which it is deficient, seizes it from the left side and transfers it to the right. In this way, then, the number becomes one hundred. This number signifies the Father. In Saying 107, the use of the Coptic words oua, he, and hise alerts the reader to a possible network of meaning that involves several other sayings in the Gos.Thom. The shepherd leaves his herd (plurality and multiplicity) to go in search of the “one” sheep. The emphasis is on the disciple seeking singularity over multiplicity, just as is in the parables of “a large fish” (Saying 8) and “a large branch” (Saying 20). What matters 265. For a comparative analysis of Saying 107 and Luke’s version of the parable, see J.-M. Sevrin, “La rédaction des paraboles dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” in Actes du IV e Congrès copte. Louvain-la-Neuve, 5-10 septembre, 1988. II. De la linguistique au gnosticisme (eds M. RassartDebergh and J. Ries; Publications de l’institut orientaliste de Louvain 41; Louvain-la-Neuve, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut orientaliste, 1992), 343–54.

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is finding (Coptic: he) the one large sheep (Coptic: pnoč). The search for the one large sheep requires the shepherd to toil (Coptic: hise). This resonates with the first lines of the Gos.Thom.: disciples are invited to find (Coptic: he) the meaning of the hidden words of Jesus. As Saying 108 will show, the quest leads the disciples into some kind of existential unity with Jesus, which provides insight into hidden things. The parable of the lost sheep in the Gos.Thom. teaches a lesson about the necessity of incessantly seeking the “one.” It is only the “one large sheep” that matters, not the other ninety-nine.

Saying 108 Jesus said: He who will drink from my mouth will become like me. I myself will become he, and the hidden things will be revealed to him. In Saying 108, the promise of the revelation (Coptic: ouōnh) of things hidden is conditional on drinking (Coptic: sō) from the mouth (Coptic: tapro) of Jesus. There is obviously a connection between the hidden things (Coptic: hēp) and the hidden sayings (Coptic: enšaje ethhēp) of Jesus in the first lines of the Thomasine gospel: “These are the hidden sayings which the living Jesus spoke and which Didymus Judas Thomas wrote down. And he said: Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death.” In Saying 108, the disciple is transformed by the words of Jesus. The disciple must ingest what comes from the mouth of Jesus, that is, his hidden words or what can be understood as the content of the revelation given to Thomas. When a disciple receives the words (or drinks from the mouth of Jesus), then his own identity is lost in that of his master. Like Didymus Judas Thomas, who is recognized as the true hermeneut of Jesus, the disciple, too,

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becomes in a sense the twin of Jesus. We can also point out the relationship between Sayings 13 and 108. The disciple who drinks from the mouth of Jesus (Saying 108) can be compared to Thomas’ drinking from the bubbling spring which Jesus measured out (Saying 13). The outcomes of “drinking” are the same in both sayings: (1) a disciple becomes like Jesus (Saying 108) = “I am not your master” (Saying 13), and (2) hidden things will be revealed to the disciple (Saying 108) = “he.. . said three words to him” (Saying 13). In short, the disciple’s identity is altered when he ingests the words of Jesus.266 The disciple united to his master by means of the hidden words could, therefore, represent the condition required to enter the Kingdom (see Sayings 22 and 106): make two into one. The transformation of the disciple’s identity, therefore, requires action: (1) to make (Coptic: er) two into one and (2) to drink (Coptic: sō). These actions are summed up in the calls, repeated throughout the Thomasine collection, to find (Coptic: he) the meaning of the hidden words of Jesus. Nothing less can lead the solitary-elect back to their place of origin, where they are promised life everlasting.

Saying 109 Jesus said: The Kingdom is like a man who unknowingly had a [hidden] treasure in his field, and [after] his death, he left it to his [son]. The son was unaware. He took the field and gave [it, and he] who acquired it came (and) while he was plowing, [he found] the treasure. He began lending money with interest to those he wished. 266. See A. Gagné, “Jésus, la lumière et le Père Vivant. Principe de gémellité dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” Apocrypha 23 (2013): 221.

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There is a similar story about a person incidentally finding a hidden treasure in a field in Horace’s Satires II 6.10-12:267 O that some lucky strike would disclose to me a pot of money, like the man who, having found a treasure-trove, bought and ploughed the self-same ground he used to work on hire, enriched by the favor of Hercules. Another interesting parallel is offered by the Midrash on the Canticle 4:12, which resembles the ending of Saying 109:268 It (i.e. the quotation from Cant. 4.12) is like a man who inherited a place full of rubbish. The inheritor was lazy and sold it for a ridiculously small sum. The purchaser dug therein industriously and found in it a treasure. He built with it a great palace and passed through the bazaar with a train of slaves whom he had bought with the treasure. When the seller saw it, he could have choked himself with vexation. Although it presents a similar story, the parable in Matthew 13:4 differs from the Gos.Thom. in that the latter focuses on the opposition between ignorance and toil. Saying 109 also contains the important theme of finding (Coptic: he), repeated throughout the Gos.Thom. (cf. Sayings 1, 2, 8, 27, 38, 49, 56, 58, 80, 90, 92, 94, 107, and 110). The father and son are ignorant of the fact that they have a treasure, whereas the one who acquired the field discovers it because he has ploughed the ground. Once more, the importance of work or labour is reiterated here as elsewhere in the Gos.Thom. (cf. Sayings 58, 107). The story 267. See U.-W. Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008), 235. 268. J. Jeremias, The Parables of Jesus (London, SCM Press, 1963), 32.

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also resonates with Saying 20, in which the grain of mustard becomes a large branch when the ground is cultivated, as well as with the soil that produces good fruits in Saying 9. In Saying 109, the focus is not on the lending of money with interest, but on the work which uncovers the treasure, that is the Kingdom.

Saying 110 Jesus said: He who has found the world (and) became rich, let him renounce the world. The content of this saying is closely related to the content of Sayings 56, 80, and 81: (56) Jesus said: He who has known the world has found a cadaver; he who has found the cadaver, the world is not worthy of him. (80) Jesus said: He who has known the world has found the body, but he who has found the body, the world is not worthy of him. (81) Jesus said: He who has become rich, let him reign, and he who has power, let him renounce (it). Saying 110 seems to be a synthesized version of Sayings 80 and 81,269 and it probably expresses a similar meaning. Whoever has understood the ephemeral nature of the material world 269. See S. Gathercole’s analysis of these four sayings in The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 596.

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is in a certain sense “rich;” he has come to the realization that the material world is a sphere of death, and that is why it is compared to a cadaver or a body. One must, therefore, renounce or abstain from the world in order to find the Kingdom (Saying 27). Saying 110 also confirms the ideas already mentioned in the parables of Sayings 63, 64 and 65: material gains are useless, and the gathering of wealth as a sign of status and power is condemned. According to Saying 58, it is the poor who are blessed and obtain the Kingdom. The Gos.Thom. encourages believers to seek for the “treasure which does not perish, which endures; the place where no moth approaches to eat, nor worm to destroy” (Saying 76). As in Sayings 56 and 80, here, too, the statement most likely echoes Paul’s words in Galatians 6:14: “May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Paul renounces the world because the world has been crucified to him, that is, the world is a (dead) body, a cadaver; the believers should, in the like manner, renounce the world, for it is devoid of true life.

Saying 111 Jesus said: The heavens and the earth will be rolled-up in your presence, and he who lives from the Living One will not see death. Does not Jesus say, ‘He who finds himself, the world is not worthy of him.’ The dissolution of the heavens is also mentioned in the first part of Saying 11: “This heaven will pass away, and the one above it will pass away.” The reference to the two heavens in Saying 11 most likely echoes the idea of the multilayered celestial realm mentioned in some texts from the Judaic and Christian traditions. However, the Gos.Thom. does not conceive of

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the heavens and the earth in positive terms. In Saying 12, both heaven and earth were initially created for the sake of James, who is the representative of the Judaic tradition criticized throughout the Thomasine collection (cf. Sayings 6, 14, 27, 43, 52, 89, 102, 104).270 Saying 56 compares the world to a cadaver, and the world is not worthy of Jesus’ disciples. And according to Saying 111, both the heavens and the earth are destined for destruction when self-knowledge is attained. The believers are also promised life through the Living One. The reference to the “Living One” in Saying 111 certainly evokes the opening words of the Gos.Thom. concerning “the living Jesus.” Life everlasting is mentioned for the first time in Saying 1: “Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death.” To live through the “Living One” means to experience everlasting life through the words of Jesus. In the second part of Saying 111, a narrative voice emerges, restating one of the key insights from the sayings of Jesus: he who finds himself becomes aware of the ephemeral nature of the material world. To “find” (Coptic: he) oneself is synonymous with “knowing” (Coptic: couōn) oneself (Sayings 3 and 67),271 and such self-knowledge brings one to a realization that the world is unworthy of him (Sayings 56 and 80). He who finds himself will inevitably understand his true origin: the Kingdom (Sayings 49). This can only be attained, however, when 270. See C. Gianotto, “Quelques aspects de la polémique anti-juive dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” in Colloque international ‘L’Évangile selon Thomas et les textes de Nag Hammadi’ Québec, 29-31 mai 2003 (eds L. Painchaud and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 8; Québec: Presses de l’université Laval; Louvain – Paris: Peeters, 2007), 157–73. 271. J.-É. Ménard, L’Évangile selon Thomas (Nag Hammadi Studies 5; Leiden: Brill, 1975), 208–9.

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he abstains from the world and makes the Sabbath a Sabbath (Saying 27). Both of these ideas are simply a call to abstain from the world and its values.

Saying 112 Jesus said: Woe to the flesh which hangs on the soul; woe to the soul which hangs on the flesh. Saying 112 and Saying 87 should be read together despite the differences in their formulations. Both statements use the Coptic verb aše, which can be translated “to hang.” As discussed in connection with Saying 87, the Coptic word for “hang” is also used in the Coptic New Testament (see Luke 23:39) when speaking of crucified bodies. The same idea is found in Galatians 3:13, where Jesus’ body is cursed because it was hanging on a cross: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’.” Sayings 87 and 112 could, therefore, be using the language of the crucifixion when referring to the body as “hanging” on a body (the world) or the flesh “hanging” on the soul.272 In Saying 112, the “flesh” and the “soul” are cursed. This probably means that the believers should focus on the Kingdom, their place of origin and the final destination (Saying 49).

272. See A. D. DeConick, The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation (New York: T&T Clark, 2007), 253 and 294.

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Saying 113 His disciples said to him: On what day will the Kingdom come? It will not come by watching (for it). They will not say, ‘Look, here’ or ‘Look, there.’ Rather, the Kingdom of the Father is spread out on the earth, and men do not perceive it. Saying 113 and Saying 3 might form an inclusio, as both sayings deal with the advent of the Kingdom and its spiritual nature. As always, people were anticipating the coming Kingdom and sought to uncover the exact moment and mode of its manifestation. The disciples pose a familiar question to Jesus (cf., for example, Matthew 24:3, Mark 13:4, Luke 21:7, and Acts 1:6), similar to the questions posed by the disciples in Sayings 18 and 51, where eschatological concerns permeate their reasoning: “Tell us how our end will be,” “On what day will the rest of the dead be, and on what day will the new world come?” The reader does not know who replies to the disciples, but we can assume that it is Jesus. Jesus has already told his disciples in Saying 51: “That for which you (pl.) look has come, but you do not know it.” 273 The same is true in Saying 3, in which people are said to be unaware that “the Kingdom is inside you, and it is outside of you” (cf. Luke 17:20). Therefore, the disciples are not to wait for the end, or the coming of the Kingdom; it is already present in the world and manifest to those who follow Jesus’ words. False reports about the presence of the Kingdom, such as “ ‘Look, here,’ ‘Look, there’ ” (Saying 113), “ ‘Look, the Kingdom is in heaven,’ ‘It is 273. S. Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 604.

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in the sea’ ” (Saying 3), resemble also Gospel of Mary 8:15–19: “Beware that no one lead you astray, saying, ‘Lo here!’ or ‘Lo there!’ For the Son of Man is within you.” 274 In Saying 113, Jesus warns his disciples not to look towards or believe in a physical establishment of the Kingdom on earth—since it is imperceptible to the human eye—but rather to look for it within themselves and within those who adhere to Jesus’ message.275 The Kingdom is spread on earth through the solitary-elect, because that is the place from which they have come and to which they will return (Sayings 49 and 50).

Saying 114 Simon Peter said to them: Let Mary go out from among us, for women are not worthy of life. Jesus said: Look, I myself will lead her to make her male, so that she might also be a living spirit like you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the Kingdom of heaven. The Gospel according to Thomas Some scholars understand this to be a later addition, since Sayings 3 and 113 seem to form an inclusio. This last saying is quite enigmatic. What does it mean for Jesus to say that he will make Mary “male?” According to Peter, women are not worthy of life. This is why Jesus himself will lead her to change her state of being, since only then will she be able to enter the 274. See A. D. DeConick, The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation (New York: T&T Clark, 2007), 296. 275. B. Gärtner, The Theology of the Gospel According to Thomas (London: Collins, 1961), 216.

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Kingdom of heaven. It is possible that Jesus is being sarcastic. He could be implying that the disciples are duped into thinking that they are truly living spirits.276 It is also possible that the language of identity could be rooted in the myth of the androgynous man, an interpretation of the origins of humanity found in Plato, Philo of Alexandria, and some Jewish commentaries of Genesis 1–3.277 In any case, Jesus still seems to value the “male” state of being over that of “female.” In Antiquity, “maleness” was understood as the higher spiritual, cognitive, and rational state of being, whereas “femaleness” was associated with the material and sensual reality.278 In order to attain perfection, one needed to transcend one’s state of “femaleness.” Note that there are no references to the biological categories of “male” and “female” in Saying 114; rather, it speaks of two states of being. Even the disciples could have the “female” element in them if they were governed by their sensual nature. Everyone, including men, need to become “male” in order to enter the Kingdom. Jesus leads his believers to this state of transcendence through the hidden words of this gospel. 276. See J. Brankaer, who argues that Jesus is sarcastic when he calls the disciples “living spirits;” “ ‘Je ne suis pas ton maître’. Jésus, Thomas et les disciples dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” in Et vous, qui dites-vous que je suis? La Gestion des personnages dans les récits bibliques (eds P. Létourneau and M. Talbot; Science biblique, études 16; Montréal: Médiaspaul, 2006), 245–55. 277. A. Gagné, “Connaissance, identité et androgynéité. Conditions du salut dans l’Évangile selon Thomas,” in Pratiques et constructions du corps en christianisme. Actes du 42e congrès de Société canadienne de théologie (eds M. Allard, D. Couture and J.-G. Nadeau; Héritage et Projet 75; Montréal: Fides, 2009), 139. 278. M. Meyer, “Making Mary Male: The Categories of ‘Male’ and ‘Female’ in the Gospel of Thomas,” New Testament Studies 31 (1985): 554–70.

For Further Reading It is impossible to provide the complete list of studies, editions, translations and commentaries on the Gospel according to Thomas. For a complete bibliography from 1948 to 2006, one can consult D. M. Scholer’s Nag Hammadi Bibliography (3 volumes; 1971, 1997, 2009) found in the Nag Hammadi Studies and the Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies series published by Brill. Here are a few significant titles for further study.

Plates, Transcriptions of Coptic and Greek texts, and Translations Attridge, H. W. “Gospel of Thomas. The Greek Fragments,” Nag Hammadi Codex II, 2-7 together with XIII, 2*, Brit. Lib. Or. 4926(1), and P.Oxy. 1, 654, 655 (ed. B. Layton; Nag Hammadi Studies 20; Leiden: Brill, 1989), 95–128. DeConick, A. D. The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation (New York: T&T Clark, 2007). Fitzmyer, J. A. “The Oxyrhynchus Logoi of Jesus and the Coptic Gospel of Thomas,” in Essays on the Semitic Background of the New Testament (Sources for Biblical Study 5; Missoula, Mont.: Society of Biblical Literature and Scholars Press, 1974).

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Gianotto, C. “Évangile selon Thomas,” in Écrits apocryphes chrétiens (eds F. Bovon and P. Geoltrain; Bibliothèque de la Pléiade 442, tome 1; Paris: Gallimard, 1997), 23–53. Guillaumont, A., Puech, H.-C., Quispel, G., Till, W. and ‘Abd al Masīh, Y. The Gospel According to Thomas: Coptic Text Established and Translated (Leiden: Brill, 1959). Layton B. and Lambdin, T. O. “The Gospel according to Thomas,” in Nag Hammadi Codex II, 2-7 together with XIII, 2*, Brit. Lib. Or. 4926(1), and P.Oxy. 1, 654, 655 (ed. B. Layton; Nag Hammadi Studies 20; Leiden: Brill, 1989), 52–93. Schröter, J. and Bethge, H.-G. “Das Evangelium nach Thomas (NHC II,2),” Nag Hammadi Deutsch I. NHC I,1–V,1 (eds H. M.  Schenke,  H.-G. Bethge and U. U. Kaiser; GCS, NF 8; Koptisch-Gnostische Schriften 2; Berlin, New York: de Gruyter, 2001), 151–81. Sevrin, J.-M. “Évangile selon Thomas,” in Écrits gnostiques. La Bibliothèque de Nag Hammadi (eds J.-P. Mahé and P.-H. Poirier; Bibliothèque de la Pléiade 538; Paris: Gallimard, 2007), 297–332. Robinson, J. ed. The Facsimile Edition of the Nag Hammadi Codices. Codex II (Leiden: Brill, 1974), 42–63.

Commentaries Fieger, M. Das Thomasevangelium. Einleitung, Kommentar und Systematik (Neutestamentliche Abhandlungen 22; Münster: Aschendorff, 1991). Gathercole, S. The Gospel of Thomas. Introduction and Commentary (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 11; Leiden: Brill, 2014). Grosso, M. Vangelo secondo Tommaso (Roma: Carocci editore, 2011).

Bibliography

243

Kasser, R. L’évangile selon Thomas. Présentation et commentaire théologique (Bibliothèque théologique; Neuchâtel: Delachaux et Niestlé, 1958). Ménard, J.-É. L’évangile selon Thomas (Nag Hammadi Studies 5; Leiden: Brill, 1975). Nordsieck, R. Das Thomas-Evangelium (Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 2004). Plisch, U.-W. The Gospel of Thomas. Original Text with Commentary (trans. G. Schenke Robinson; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008). Pokorný, P. A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas: From Interpretations to the Interpreted (New York: T & T Clark, 2009). Meyer, M. The Gospel of Thomas. The Hidden Sayings of Jesus (San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1992). Valantasis, R. The Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Readings; New York: Routledge, 1997).

Compositional History of the Gospel According to Thomas DeConick, A. D. Recovering the Original Gospel of Thomas. A History of the Gospel and Its Growth (Library of New Testament Studies 286; London: T&T Clark, 2005). Gathercole, S. The Composition of the Gospel of Thomas. Original Language and Influences (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series 151; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012). Goodacre, M. Thomas and the Gospels.The Making of an Apocryphal Text (London: SPCK, 2012). Patterson, S. J. The Gospel of Thomas and Jesus (Sonoma, CA.: Polebridge Press, 1993).

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Perrin, N. Thomas and Tatian: The Relationship between the Gospel of Thomas and the Diatessaron (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2002). Schrage, W. Das Verhältnis des Thomas-Evangeliums zur synoptischen Tradition und zu den koptischen Evangelienübersetzungen. Zugleich ein Beitrag zur gnostischen Synoptikerdeutung (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 29; Berlin, Töpelman, 1964)

General Studies on the Gospel According to Thomas Davies, S. L. The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom (2nd ed. Oregon House, CA.: Bardic Press, 2005). DeConick, A. D. Seek to See Him: Ascent and Vision Mysticism in the Gospel of Thomas (Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae 33; Leiden: Brill, 1996). Frey, J., Popkes, E. E., and Schröter, J. eds. Das Thomasevangelium: Entstehung – Rezeption –Theologie (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 157; Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2008). Gärtner, B. The Theology of the Gospel According to Thomas (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1961). Haenchen, E. Die Botschaft des Thomas-Evangeliums (Theologische Bibliothek Töpelmann 6; Berlin: Töpelmann, 1961). Painchaud, L. and Poirier, P.-H. eds. Colloque international ‘L’Évangile selon Thomas et les textes de Nag Hammadi’ Québec 21-31 mai, 2003 (Bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi, section ‘études’ 8; Québec, Louvain, Paris: Presses de l’université Laval, Peeters, 2007). Patterson, S. J. The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Origins. Essays on the Fifth Gospel (Leiden: Brill, 2013).

Bibliography

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Puech, H.-C. En quête de la Gnose 2. Sur l’évangile selon Thomas. Esquisse d’une interprétation systématique (Bibliothèque des sciences humaines; Paris: Gallimard, 1978). Riley, G. J. Resurrection Reconsidered. Thomas and John in Controversy (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1995). Skinner, C. W. John and Thomas – Gospels in Conflict? Johannine Characterization and the Thomas Question (Princeton Theological Monograph Series 115; Eugene, OR.: Wipf and Stock, 2009). Skinner, C. W. What Are They Saying About the Gospel of Thomas? (Mahwah, NJ.: Paulist Press, 2012). Uro, R. ed. Thomas at the Crossroads. Essays on the Gospel of Thomas (Studies of the New Testament and Its World; Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1998). Uro, R. Thomas. Seeking the Historical Context of the Gospel of Thomas (New York: T&T Clark, 2003). Zöckler, T. Jesu Lehren im Thomasevangelium (Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies 47; Leiden: Brill, 1999).

Subject Index abyss: 14, 78. Adam: 32, 57, 66, 142, 143, 149, 198, 199, 200. Abgar: 25. alms: 45, 48, 82, 83, 94, 95. apocryphon: 12, 25, 38, 98. androgyny: 40, 102, 11, 240. Antioch: 27. Apocalyptic: 31, 34. Aramaic: 11, 13, 36, 74. ascetic(ism): 30, 31, 84, 161, 195. banquet: 170, 186, 225. baptism(al): 130, 190. Bar Kochba: 176, 181. Beelzebul: 139, 218. birds: 14, 44, 46, 50, 86, 77, 87, 104, 105, 201. blind: 53, 54, 115, 117, 125, 126, 129, 207. Bodleian Library: 10. body: 32, 53, 65, 66, 79, 82, 118, 119, 127, 128, 129, 130, 158, 164, 179, 180,

190, 191, 192, 193, 200, 202, 203, 234, 235, 237. branch: 50, 86, 104, 105, 214, 230, 234. bread: 67, 213, 214. breasts: 64, 65, 97, 191. bridal chamber: 64, 69, 99, 134, 184, 185, 186, 225, 226. bridegroom: 69, 185, 225, 226. British Library: 10. brother(s)/brotherly: 5, 26, 52, 59, 63, 68, 97, 112, 113, 114, 115, 157, 168, 177, 181, 218, 221, 226. cadaver: 59, 60, 119, 158, 159, 163, 164, 192, 193, 200, 220, 234, 235, 236. Caesar: 68, 219. catchword(s): 20, 40, 47, 50, 75, 76, 85, 88, 90, 114, 117, 124, 158, 176, 198, 216.

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Chenosbokion: 5. child/children: 11, 44, 45, 55, 79, 80, 90, 102, 108, 109, 112, 120, 129, 130, 197, 220. circumcision: 59, 147, 148, 149, 153, 154, 156, 205. city/cities: 21, 25, 54, 122, 123. clothes /clothing: 23, 31, 50, 55, 64, 106, 107, 128, 129, 130, 144, 189, 190, 214. cross: 59, 122, 157, 158, 159, 193, 235, 237. cup: 66, 204, 205. darkness: 52, 60, 11, 112, 165, 166, 197. death: 7, 9, 43, 49, 50, 66, 70, 74, 75, 80, 84, 85, 86, 90, 91, 98, 101, 102, 103, 127, 130, 131, 148, 157, 159, 162, 164, 168, 169, 171, 172, 178, 183, 187, 190, 193, 199, 200, 202, 222, 231, 232, 235, 236. demiurge: 115, 120. Didymus: 1, 6, 8, 11, 25, 43, 73, 74, 131, 196, 232. divide(d): 21, 60, 63, 98, 113, 157, 165, 166, 181, 182, 197. dog(s): 42, 67, 69, 210, 212, 222, 223.

doves: 55, 132. drink(s)/drinking: 57, 70, 81, 87, 94, 109, 117, 136, 143, 146, 158, 167, 173, 184, 200, 209, 231, 232. duality: 109, 110, 182, 197, 199, 229. ear: 21, 22, 49, 99, 100, 124, 215. earth : 14, 47, 56, 67, 70, 71, 77, 78, 90, 91, 92, 139, 190, 207, 216, 220, 235, 236, 238, 239. Edessa: 25, 26, 27, 28, 35. Egeria: 26. Egypt(ian): 5, 8, 10, 11, 23, 32, 51. elect/solitary-elect: 9, 32, 58, 90, 92, 98, 101, 102, 103, 109, 110, 112, 113, 134, 136, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 154, 155, 156, 160, 161, 167, 173, 174, 175, 182, 184, 186, 189, 190, 197, 198, 199, 204, 205, 206, 220, 227, 232, 239. empty: 53, 68, 117, 215. encratism: 30, 32. equal: 60, 165, 166, 182, 197. eschatology/ical: 27, 101, 126, 147, 149, 150, 151, 152, 155, 171, 192, 238.

Subject Index Eucharistic: 90. eye(s): 49, 51, 52, 78, 99, 100, 108, 112, 113, 114, 115, 199, 239. faith: 16, 31, 113, 121, 141, 159, 179, 206. family: 31, 97, 157, 168, 179, 181, 182, 218, 221, 228. farmers: 62, 171, 172, 181, 183. fast(ing): 45, 48, 69, 82, 83, 94, 95, 116, 177, 225, 226. F(f)ather /: 9, 18, 32, 44, 49, 52, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 69, 71, 74, 77, 78, 90, 96, 97, 98, 105, 115, 133, 134, 136, 139, 147, 148, 149, 150, 153, 154, 155, 157, 159, 160, 162, 165, 169, 170, 174, 176, 178, 181, 186, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 196, 197, 205, 207, 213, 214, 215, 216, 218, 219, 220, 221, 227, 228, 230, 233, 238. female(ness): 51, 108, 192, 240. fire: 47, 48, 49, 65, 77, 88, 89, 93, 94, 98, 103, 157, 195, 196. fish: 14, 44, 46, 77, 85, 86, 89, 105, 131, 145, 187, 230.

249

fisherman: 46, 85, 86, 88, 133. flesh/fleshly: 18, 53, 70, 79, 117, 118, 119, 129, 134, 149, 154, 200, 202, 205, 211, 237. food: 23, 31, 128, 177, 203, 213. foot/feet: 51, 55, 108, 130, 199. fruit: 46, 51, 56, 61, 62, 87, 88, 89, 106, 137, 138, 140, 141, 162, 168, 171, 172, 182, 183, 234. Gentiles: 27, 154. gnosis: 28, 29, 30, 123, 173. gnostic: 28, 29, 30, 42, 75, 76, 84, 98, 110, 113, 123, 185, 188. Gnosticism: 28, 29, 30, 34, 230. God/gods: 18, 20, 32, 42, 53, 68, 86, 110, 115, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 130, 133, 146, 149, 151, 166, 168, 171, 177, 192, 195, 198, 199, 210, 216, 219, 220. gold: 68, 219. grain: 46, 50, 59, 68, 87, 104, 105, 113, 114, 159, 160, 183, 214, 215, 234. hand: 46, 49, 51, 54, 56, 61, 68, 87, 88, 99, 100, 106,

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108, 135, 166, 178, 179, 199, 216, 217, 230. heart: 49, 53, 57, 61, 63, 95, 99, 100, 117, 140, 141, 168, 176, 211. heaven: 17, 32, 44, 45, 46, 47, 50, 56, 59, 71, 77, 82, 86, 87, 89, 90, 91, 92, 95, 104, 108, 130, 139, 149, 155, 156, 160, 175, 186, 190, 191, 220, 235, 236, 238, 239, 240. Hebrew Bible: 58, 110, 112, 133, 152, 212. Hermeneutic(s)/al: 38, 40, 75, 84, 167. Hermeticism: 32. Houghton Library: 11. house: 49, 50, 54, 57, 61, 63, 68, 97, 98, 106, 126, 145, 157, 168, 169. 170, 179, 180, 181, 215, 216, 228. ignorance: 19, 92, 175, 200, 216, 233. image: 32, 51, 58, 65, 108, 113, 118, 146, 148, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200. incipit: 6, 8, 10, 25, 43, 72, 73, 74, 81, 123, 124, 131, 184, 204, 206, 209. inclusio: 45, 48, 83, 95, 147, 155, 238, 239.

illumination: 10, 89, 195, 196. Israel/Israelites: 58, 110, 133, 134, 151, 152, 171. James: 35, 47, 58, 78, 91, 92, 93, 149, 161, 167, 236. Jerusalem: 27, 35, 47, 92, 176, 180, 181. John the Baptist: 57, 142, 143, 189, 190, 226. Judas: 1, 6, 8, 12, 25, 26, 43, 73, 74, 131, 167, 231. Judeans: 56, 137, 138, 140, 154, 207. judgment: 89, 115, 120, 121, 165, 195. kill: 60, 63, 68, 77, 163, 178, 216. king: 25, 217, 224. Kingdom: 14, 15, 18, 32, 44, 50, 51, 52, 57, 58, 59, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 77, 78, 86, 87, 92, 97, 98, 99, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 108, 109, 112, 115, 117, 125, 126, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 142, 143, 145, 146, 148, 150, 151, 155, 156, 158, 159, 160, 162, 164, 166, 167, 174, 178, 182, 185, 186, 187, 189, 190, 191, 192, 194, 195, 196,

Subject Index 197, 199, 201, 206, 208, 213, 214, 215, 216, 218, 219, 223, 224, 225, 229, 232, 234, 235, 237, 238, 239, 240. knowledge: 15, 29, 30, 42, 62, 81, 92, 100, 116, 123, 129, 132, 133, 134, 136, 142, 146, 167, 173, 174, 175, 178, 189, 193, 216, 219, 223, 224, 229, 236. labour: 68, 88, 105, 107, 161, 168, 169, 170, 172, 173, 182, 183, 184, 190, 214, 215, 217, 224, 225, 233. lamb: 60, 163, 164. law: 120, 122, 133, 154, 202, 216, 223, 237. leader/leadership: 27, 47, 91, 92. life: 7, 8, 9, 15, 23, 27, 30, 35, 45, 52, 56, 60, 68, 71, 75, 79, 80, 81, 85, 86, 89, 90, 95, 102, 104, 105, 107, 112, 113, 114, 123, 124, 127, 128, 131, 132, 134, 136, 137, 138, 140, 155, 161, 162, 164, 168, 170, 172, 173, 183, 187, 194, 195, 196, 201, 204, 206, 209, 212, 214, 215, 216, 221, 225, 229, 231, 235, 236, 239.

251

likeness: 65, 198. lion: 46, 83, 84, 85, 86, 90, 91, 164. living: 6, 43, 44, 55, 58, 60, 70, 71, 73, 74, 77, 78, 89, 90, 129, 131, 139, 147, 148, 150, 151, 152, 153, 155, 157, 160, 162, 163, 174, 178, 190, 208, 231, 235, 236, 239, 242. LXX: 116. magnate(s): 64, 68, 189, 190, 216, 224. makarios: 50, 103, 147, 148, 161, 176. male: 51, 71, 107, 108, 192, 218, 239, 240. martyrdom: 101, 157, 161, 195. Mary (Magdalene): 6, 50, 71, 106, 107, 167, 239, 240. master(s): 48, 57, 61, 93, 109, 131, 135, 139, 140, 143, 144, 160, 165, 169, 171, 231, 232. Matthew: 48, 78, 93, 208. metaphor(s): 23, 31, 79, 109, 11, 125, 128, 138, 159, 185, 187, 199, 200, 210. milk: 65, 109, 191. missionaries: 203, 204. monakhos: 98, 99, 147, 155, 156, 184, 186.

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money: 61, 67, 70, 135, 168, 169, 212, 213, 232, 233, 224. M(m)other: 59, 68, 69, 96, 97, 139, 153, 157, 205, 218, 220, 221, 223, 226, 227, 228. mountain: 21, 54, 57, 69, 97, 122, 123, 145, 146, 222, 228, 229. mouth: 48, 70, 81, 87, 93, 94, 109, 117, 136, 143, 146, 158, 167, 173, 200, 209, 211, 231, 232. multiplicity: 47, 86, 91, 120, 144, 145, 185, 228, 230. mysteries: 9, 61, 101, 107, 134, 166, 167, 173, 200, 209. Naasenes: 28. oneness: 16, 83, 85, 86, 90, 109, 110, 131, 144, 145, 146, 164, 182, 184, 197, 199, 228, 229, 230. Oxyrhynchus: 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 241. Pachomius: 5. Paul: 49, 78, 99, 100, 118, 122, 123, 151, 154, 159, 178, 193, 202, 203, 210, 235. peace: 49, 57, 98, 145, 146, 217, 228.

pearl: 64, 67, 107, 186, 187, 210, 212. persecution: 31, 89, 176, 177. Peter: 6, 48, 71, 78, 93, 107, 167, 208, 239. Pharisees: 55, 69, 78, 125, 132, 133, 139, 150, 151, 222, 223. philosopher: 48, 208. Plato/Platonic: 32, 84, 240. Pleroma: 18, 44, 76, 188, 207. poor: 59, 155, 156, 157, 161, 177, 190, 194, 235. poverty: 19, 30, 44, 53, 77, 79, 118, 119, 155, 174, 178, 200. power: 31, 65, 66, 76, 77, 122, 145, 190, 193, 194, 199, 200, 221, 234, 235. prayer: 48, 49, 145, 225, 226. prophet(s): 21, 53, 58, 66, 121, 138, 150, 151, 203, 204, 216, 221. prostitute: 69, 227, 228. Q (Quelle): 34, 40, 41. quest: 8, 30, 40, 74, 76, 79, 86, 88, 100, 105, 114, 131, 146, 150, 162, 167, 172, 183, 184, 186, 210, 217, 229, 230, 231. repose: 14, 147, 150, 152, 154, 155, 201.

Subject Index rest: 13, 14, 32, 58, 60, 66, 76, 104, 105, 131, 132, 137, 148, 150, 155, 163, 164, 165, 170, 201, 206, 221, 228, 229, 238. resurrection: 6, 16, 130, 150, 151, 179, 180, 191, 145. revelation: 19, 77, 81, 83, 87, 89, 94, 100, 103, 140, 146, 157, 167, 173, 194, 200, 204, 208, 231. rich(es): 65, 70, 119, 168, 190, 191, 194, 234, 235. ritual: 95, 116, 130, 185, 190, 204, 205. Sabbath: 18, 52, 116, 237. Salome: 60, 106, 164, 165. salvation: 29, 75, 114, 115, 122, 126, 130, 133, 136, 145, 163, 167, 179, 199, 223. Satan: 126. scribe: 13, 17, 73, 196. sea: 14, 44, 46, 77, 78, 85, 86, 88, 239. secret: 8, 9, 10, 28, 30, 34, 40, 42, 43, 73, 75, 81, 100, 105, 123, 124, 125, 128, 131, 166, 167, 184, 107, 212. Semitisms: 11, 120. serpents: 55, 132, 133.

253

sheep: 69, 70, 86, 105, 131, 145, 162, 187, 229, 230, 231. shepherd: 69, 86, 162, 229, 231. shroud: 16, 82. sign: 58, 130, 147, 148, 149, 150, 154, 194, 207, 216, 235. sin: 48, 69, 83, 94, 95, 141, 203, 225, 226. singularity: 47, 86, 91, 99, 105, 120, 144, 145, 146, 184, 185, 228, 229, 230. sisters: 59, 157. sky: 14, 50, 67, 104, 207. slave(s): 50, 61, 62, 106, 107, 130, 160, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 233. solitary/solitaries: 49, 64, 98, 99, 102, 137, 156, 184, 187. son of man: 66, 201, 239. soul: 32, 53, 66, 70, 113, 117, 119, 126, 127, 141, 149, 177, 186, 202, 237. spring: 48, 81, 87, 93, 94, 109, 146, 158, 184, 232. spirit: 5, 53, 56, 59, 71, 97, 118, 119, 134, 139, 153, 154, 155, 200, 205, 210, 211, 221, 228, 239.

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stand/standing: 49, 51, 64, 68, 80, 97, 98, 101, 102, 103, 105, 109, 110, 113, 117, 118, 134, 148, 184, 185, 186, 189, 199, 218. stone(s): 20, 48, 49, 62, 77, 93, 94, 102, 103, 119, 146, 172, 173, 188, 229. stranger(s): 60, 137, 164. suckle: 51, 108, 109, 143. swine: 67, 107, 210, 212. Syria/c/n: 11, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 35, 36, 74, 195. taxes: 61, 68, 169, 219. temple: 179, 180, 181. thief/thieves: 50, 69, 106, 187, 224. toil(ed): 42, 60, 70, 161, 162, 170, 172, 194, 214, 216, 217, 230, 231, 233. transcendence: 109, 130, 190, 199, 229, 240. treasure: 56, 57, 64, 70, 131, 140, 186, 187, 194, 232, 233, 234, 235. tree(s): 50, 56, 102, 104, 137, 138, 140, 141, 202, 237. truth(s): 5, 8, 17, 42, 45, 64, 65, 82, 107, 114, 125, 131, 138, 187, 190, 191, 192, 206, 225, 230. twin: 12, 13, 25, 26, 43, 74, 109, 232.

unity: 16, 47, 110, 145, 146, 166, 182, 228, 229, 231. usurer: 62, 171, 172, 173. Valentinians: 213. virgins: 185, 225. Vorlage: 11. water: 184, 221. wealth: 31, 53, 66, 118, 119, 168, 169, 178, 183, 190, 194, 199, 200, 213, 235. well: 63, 183, 184, 185. wine: 53, 57, 117, 143, 144. wineskin(s): 57, 143, 144. wisdom: 7, 27, 31, 34, 38, 39, 40, 79, 80, 93, 117, 122, 123, 126, 131, 132, 133, 144, 197, 199, 210, 223, 224, 244. wood: 20, 52, 64, 114, 115, 119, 188, 196. woman/women: 6, 49, 57, 64, 67, 68, 71, 96, 97, 106, 142, 165, 183, 191, 193, 213, 214, 215, 216, 218, 239. womb: 64, 65, 97, 191. world/worldly: 5, 18, 22, 47, 49, 50, 52, 53, 58, 59, 65, 70, 76, 77, 80, 88, 89, 91, 92, 98, 103, 106, 107, 111, 112, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 122, 123, 128, 129, 136, 137, 147, 150, 152, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 163,

Subject Index 164, 168, 169, 179, 182, 186, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 197, 198, 200, 201, 202, 203, 206, 213, 216, 220, 221, 227, 229, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 245.

255

worthy/worthiness: 9, 59, 61, 65, 66, 70, 71, 107, 134, 157, 158, 159, 166, 167, 173, 192, 193, 199, 200, 209, 212, 234, 235, 236, 239.

Sources Index Gospel According to Thomas Incipit: 6, 8, 43, 72, 73, 74, 81, 124, 131, 162, 184, 204, 206, 209, 231. Saying 1: 6, 8, 12, 30, 43, 72, 74, 76, 81, 85, 86, 87, 89, 90, 95, 100, 105, 125, 131, 136, 140, 146, 162, 167, 184, 187, 196, 197, 200, 204, 206, 209, 229, 233, 236. Saying 2: 12, 30, 43, 72, 76, 77, 94, 103, 105, 119, 128, 131, 136, 146, 162, 184, 194, 200, 209, 229, 233. Saying 3: 14, 44, 72, 74, 77, 87, 89, 90, 105, 125, 128, 129, 137, 162, 173, 174, 178, 196, 236, 238, 239. Saying 4: 15, 45, 79, 80, 89, 98, 102, 105, 112, 132, 137, 145, 162, 164, 170, 182, 187, 196, 206, 215.

Saying 5: 7, 16, 45, 80, 81, 89, 105, 207, 214, 216. Saying 6: 6, 7, 17, 45, 48, 82, 83, 91, 92, 95, 121, 132, 153, 180, 223, 225, 226, 236. Saying 7: 17, 46, 83, 85, 86, 90, 164. Saying 8: 6, 46, 85, 86, 88, 89, 90, 105, 131, 133, 145, 187, 213, 230, 233. Saying 9: 46, 87, 88, 89, 90, 183, 213, 234. Saying 10: 47, 65, 88, 90, 129, 137, 195. Saying 11: 47, 89, 90, 128, 137, 182, 220, 235. Saying 12: 6, 47, 77, 87, 91, 137, 220, 236. Saying 13: 6, 48, 65, 76, 77, 81, 91, 93, 94, 100, 103, 109, 117, 131, 132, 134,

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136, 138, 139, 140, 146, 157, 158, 165, 167, 173, 184, 194, 195, 200, 208, 229, 232. Saying 14: 31, 45, 48, 82, 83, 92, 94, 121, 153, 180, 213, 223, 225, 226, 236. Saying 15: 49, 96. Saying 16: 30, 49, 65, 98, 99, 102, 104, 105, 110, 129, 137, 155, 157, 179, 191, 195. Saying 17: 49, 99, 128. Saying 18: 6, 30, 43, 49, 50, 75, 80, 84, 91, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 110, 128, 148, 188, 199, 209, 216, 220, 238. Saying 19: 43, 50, 75, 84, 102, 103, 128, 199, 216, 220. Saying 20: 6, 50, 86, 87, 91, 104, 114, 162, 172, 183, 213, 214, 230, 234. Saying 21: 6, 7, 50, 86, 105, 106, 130, 215, 224. Saying 22: 6, 30, 51, 105, 108, 110, 111, 137, 142, 143, 145, 146, 182, 191, 192, 197, 199, 218, 228, 229, 232. Saying 23: 9, 30, 49, 51, 109, 110.

Saying 24: 6, 22, 52, 86, 91, 111, 128, 131, 137, 145, 197, 209. Saying 25: 31, 52, 112, 113, 218. Saying 26: 18, 31, 52, 114. Saying 27: 6, 18, 30, 52, 83, 92, 105, 115, 117, 121, 128, 129, 132, 137, 153, 156, 158, 164, 180, 194, 223, 226, 233, 235, 236, 237. Saying 28: 18, 49, 53, 92, 110, 117, 118, 128, 129, 137, 184, 216, 228. Saying 29: 19, 53, 79, 118, 119, 129, 178, 200. Saying 30: 19, 53, 64, 115, 119, 120, 121, 188, 219. Saying 31: 21, 53, 121. Saying 32: 21, 22, 54, 121, 122, 124. Saying 33: 21, 22, 54, 124, 214. Saying 34: 54, 115, 125. Saying 35: 54, 126, 218. Saying 36: 23, 31, 54, 127, 128, 130, 137, 213. Saying 37: 6, 23, 55, 74, 91, 128, 129, 130. Saying 38: 24, 55, 130, 132, 133, 162, 208, 209, 233. Saying 39: 24, 55, 69, 83, 92, 121, 132, 153, 180, 219, 223, 226.

Sources Index Saying 40: 55, 133, 136. Saying 41: 56, 135, 178. Saying 42: 56, 136. Saying 43: 6, 56, 83, 91, 92, 121, 132, 137, 138, 139, 140, 142, 153, 180, 223, 226, 236. Saying 44: 56, 139, 140, 221. Saying 45: 56, 140, 141, 155. Saying 46: 57, 105, 137, 142, 143, 144, 216. Saying 47: 57, 143, 182. Saying 48: 7, 57, 145, 146, 182, 228. Saying 49: 9, 58, 77, 84, 92, 98, 99, 102, 103, 105, 107, 109, 131, 134, 137, 146, 147, 149, 150, 155, 156, 161, 164, 167, 173, 174, 178, 186, 187, 189, 190, 196, 197, 198, 199, 206, 220, 233, 236, 237, 239. Saying 50: 9, 14, 49, 58, 74, 77, 90, 97, 104, 109, 110, 112, 117, 118, 132, 134, 137, 147, 148, 149, 150, 154, 164, 167, 173, 174, 178, 189, 196, 197, 198, 199, 201, 206, 200, 239. Saying 51: 6, 14, 58, 91, 132, 147, 150, 151, 152, 156, 162, 201, 206, 216, 238.

259

Saying 52: 6, 58, 74, 83, 91, 92, 121, 132, 147, 150, 151, 152, 153, 162, 180, 213, 223, 226, 236. Saying 53: 6, 31, 59, 91, 134, 147, 148, 149, 153, 154, 156, 205. Saying 54: 59, 84, 88, 104, 137, 147, 150, 154, 155, 156, 157, 161, 190, 194. Saying 55: 7, 30, 31, 59, 155, 157, 158, 159, 191, 218, 221. Saying 56: 7, 59, 65, 70, 119, 129, 137, 156, 158, 159, 163, 192, 193, 200, 202, 216, 220, 233, 234, 235, 236. Saying 57: 59, 105, 159, 183. Saying 58: 8, 60, 86, 131, 132, 137, 161, 170, 190, 194, 214, 225, 235. Saying 59: 60, 74, 131, 162, 208, 209. Saying 60: 6, 14, 60, 129, 131, 132, 137, 163, 164, 170, 191, 201, 206, 209. Saying 61: 60, 106, 137, 164, 182, 197, 218. Saying 62: 9, 61, 101, 107, 134, 157, 166, 167, 173, 200, 209, 212.

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Saying 63: 39, 61, 86, 168, 172, 173, 190, 194, 213, 235. Saying 64: 39, 61, 137, 168, 169, 170, 172, 173, 183, 190, 194, 213, 218, 219, 235. Saying 65: 6, 39, 62, 86, 168, 171, 172, 182, 190, 194, 216, 235. Saying 66: 62, 172. Saying 67: 62, 173, 179, 216, 236. Saying 68: 31, 62, 84, 175, 176, 177. Saying 69: 31, 63, 84, 176, 177, 216. Saying 70: 63, 178, 179. Saying 71: 63, 179. Saying 72: 6, 63, 182. Saying 73: 63, 182, 183. Saying 74: 6, 63, 183, 184, 185. Saying 75: 64, 99, 132, 137, 155, 184, 185, 186. Saying 76: 64, 105, 131, 133, 137, 186, 187, 194, 209, 235. Saying 77: 19, 20, 21, 53, 64, 97, 112, 118, 134, 137, 174, 178, 188, 189, 198, 206, 220.

Saying 78: 64, 189, 190, 191, 216. Saying 79: 6, 30, 64, 84, 96, 191, 192, 213. Saying 80: 7, 65, 70, 119, 129, 137, 156, 163, 192, 193, 200, 202, 216, 233, 234, 235, 236. Saying 81: 31, 65, 70, 193, 194, 234. Saying 82: 65, 105, 137, 195, 196. Saying 83: 65, 137, 196, 198, 199, 200. Saying 84: 65, 198, 199, 200. Saying 85: 43, 66, 75, 199, 200. Saying 86: 66, 201, 228, 229. Saying 87: 66, 70, 118, 119, 129, 193, 202, 237. Saying 88: 66, 121, 203, 204. Saying 89: 66, 83, 92, 121, 132, 153, 180, 182, 204, 205, 223, 226, 236. Saying 90: 14, 66, 132, 201, 206, 233. Saying 91: 6, 67, 207, 208, 216. Saying 92: 7, 67, 131, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 233. Saying 93: 6, 67, 107, 208, 210, 211, 212.

Sources Index Saying 94: 7, 67, 131, 208, 209, 210, 211, 233. Saying 95: 31, 67, 212. Saying 96: 67, 86, 105, 114, 213, 214, 219. Saying 97: 68, 105, 215, 217. Saying 98: 68, 105, 215, 216, 217, 218, 224. Saying 99: 6, 68, 91, 97, 105, 137, 191, 218, 219, 221, 228. Saying 100: 6, 68, 115, 191, 192, 219, 220. Saying 101: 6, 7, 30, 31, 68, 97, 139, 155, 220, 221, 222, 228. Saying 102: 69, 83, 92, 121, 132, 153, 180, 222, 223, 226, 236. Saying 103: 7, 69, 103, 105, 217, 224. Saying 104: 6, 69, 83, 132, 153, 180, 223, 225, 226, 236. Saying 105: 69, 216, 227, 228. Saying 106: 7, 31, 69, 145, 146, 182, 228, 229, 232. Saying 107: 69, 86, 88, 105, 131, 145, 162, 187, 209, 229, 230, 233.

261

Saying 108: 30, 70, 81, 86, 87, 94, 109, 117, 136, 143, 146, 158, 165, 167, 173, 182, 184, 197, 200, 209, 229, 231, 232. Saying 109: 70, 105, 232, 233. Saying 110: 30, 31, 65, 70, 119, 129, 137, 193, 220, 233, 234, 235. Saying 111: 43, 70, 74, 75, 90, 92, 129, 131, 137, 162, 200, 220, 235, 236. Saying 112: 66, 70, 118, 119, 120, 202, 237. Saying 113: 6, 44, 71, 77, 91, 105, 216, 238, 239. Saying 114: 6, 30, 71, 104, 107, 132, 136, 137, 192, 218, 239, 240. Greek Fragments P.Oxy. 1//Sayings 1–7: 10, 11, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 52, 53, 54, 64, 188. P.Oxy. 654//Sayings 26–33, 77b: 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 24, 25, 43, 44, 45, 74. P.Oxy. 655//Sayings 24, 36– 39: 10, 11, 22, 23, 24, 25, 52, 54, 55, 111, 128, 130,

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Hebrew Bible Genesis 1:26–28: 198, 199. 1–3: 240. 4:9: 113. Exodus 22:25: 213.

2 Chronicles 36:21: 116. Psalms 17:8: 113. 82: 120.

Leviticus 19:18: 112. 19:32: 79. 23:32: 116. 25:35–37: 213.

Proverbs 1: 117. 1:28: 131. 2:28: 131. 7:2: 113. 8: 117. 9: 117.

Deuteronomy 23:20–21: 213. 30:13: 14. 32:10: 113. 32:30: 110.

Isaiah 5:1–12: 133. 55:6: 162. 64:4: 49, 99.

Judges 7:1–7: 110. Job 12:12: 79. 32:4–9: 79. 1 Kings 12:6–8: 79.

Jeremiah 2:21: 133. 6:9: 133. Jonah 2: 14.

Sources Index

New Testament Matthew 1:1: 7. 4:10–12: 134. 5:3: 155. 5:6: 176. 5:10: 176. 5:11: 175. 5:14: 54. 5:14b: 21. 5:14–15: 124. 5:14b–15: 22. 5:15: 124. 5:42: 212. 6:3: 167. 6:19–20: 186. 6:22–23: 112, 113. 6:24: 143. 6:25: 54. 6:25–33: 23, 128. 7:3–5: 114. 7:5: 17. 7:6: 210, 211. 7:7: 208, 210. 7:7b: 211. 7:8: 211. 7:7–8: 76, 189. 7:16: 134, 140. 7:17–18: 56, 138. 8:20: 201. 9:14–15: 226. 9:16: 144.

9:17: 144. 9:37–38: 182. 10:8: 95. 10:16: 132. 10:26: 16, 81, 82. 10:27: 124. 10:27b: 22. 10:34–36: 98. 10:37–38: 157. 11:11: 57, 142. 11:12: 217. 11:15: 86. 11:19: 93. 11:25–26: 190. 11:28–30: 206. 11:29: 206. 12:22–37: 139. 12:24–32: 218. 12:29: 126. 12:31–33: 140. 12:33: 56, 138. 12:35: 140. 12:38: 207. 12:46–50: 97, 218. 13: 213. 13:4: 233. 13:3–8: 213. 13:3–9: 87. 13:9: 86. 13:11: 166. 13:12: 135.

263

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13:13: 214. 13:17: 55, 130. 13:24: 160. 13:24.27: 160. 13:24–30: 159, 160. 13:31–32: 105, 213. 13:33: 213. 13:36–43: 159. 13:43: 86. 13:45–46: 186, 213. 13:47–48: 46, 85. 13:47–50: 213. 13:57: 21. 15:11: 95. 15:13: 133. 15:14: 125. 16:1–3: 207. 16:16–19: 93. 16:28: 75. 17:20: 145. 18:3: 142. 18:1–5: 51, 108. 18:12–14: 230. 18:15–20: 120. 18:19: 145. 18:20: 120. 19:13–15: 51, 108. 19:19: 112. 19:23–14: 191. 19:30: 15. 20:16: 15. 21:21: 145. 21:33–39: 171.

22:1–10: 170. 21:42: 172. 22:14: 110, 186. 22:15–22: 219. 22:39: 112. 23: 222. 23:13: 24, 55, 132. 23:25–26: 204. 24:3: 238. 24:40: 165. 24:42–44: 106. 24:43: 224. 25:1–13: 185, 225. 25:29: 135. 26:59–61: 180. 26:61: 179. 27:40: 180. Mark 1:1: 7. 2:18–20: 226. 2:21: 144. 2:22: 144. 3:20–30: 218. 3:27: 126. 3:28–30: 139. 3:32–35: 97, 218. 4:1–9.26–29: 134. 4:3–9: 87. 4:9: 86. 4:11: 87, 166. 4:21: 124. 4:22: 16, 81, 83.

Sources Index 4:23: 86. 4:25: 135. 4:29: 106. 4:30–32: 105. 6:3: 26. 6:4: 21. 7:15: 95. 8:11: 207. 9:1: 75. 9:33–37: 51, 108. 10:13–15: 51, 108. 10:15: 142. 10:31: 15. 11:12–14.20–25: 134. 11:23: 145. 12:1–8: 170. 12:10: 172. 12:13–17: 219. 13:3: 238. 13:28–31: 134. 14:55–59: 180. 14:58: 179. 15:29: 180. Luke 1:3: 7. 4:23–24: 21. 5:33–35: 226. 5:36: 144. 5:37–39: 144. 5:39: 144. 6:20: 155. 6:21: 176.

6:22: 175. 6:30.34–35: 212. 6:39: 125. 6:41–42: 114. 6:42: 17. 6:43: 56, 138. 6:44: 134. 6:44–45: 140. 7:24–25: 189. 7:28: 57, 142. 8:5–8: 87. 8:8: 86. 8:10: 166. 8:16: 124. 8:17: 16, 81, 83. 8:18: 135. 8:19–21: 97, 218. 8:25.53: 137. 8:41: 228. 9:27: 75. 9:46–48: 51, 108. 9:58: 201. 10:2: 182. 10:8–9: 95. 10:24: 55, 130. 10:27: 112. 11:9: 208. 11:9–8: 76. 11:10: 211. 11:15–22: 218. 11:16: 207. 11:21–22: 124. 11:22–28: 191.

265

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11:27–28: 96, 191. 11:33: 124. 11:34–36: 112, 113. 11:39–40: 204. 11:52: 24, 55, 132. 12:2: 16. 12:3: 124. 12:10: 139. 12:13–14: 181. 12:16–20: 168. 12:21: 168. 12:22: 54, 128. 12:22–31: 23. 12:31: 112. 12:33: 186, 187. 12:39: 224. 12:39–40: 106. 12:49: 47, 89. 12:51–53: 98. 13:13: 15. 13:18–19: 105. 13:20–21: 214. 14:9: 138. 14:16–24: 170. 14:26–27: 157. 14:28–32: 217. 14:35: 86. 15:4–7: 230. 16:13: 143. 16:16: 216. 17:20: 238. 17:20–21: 151. 17:21: 77. 17:22: 130.

17:34: 165. 18:15–17: 51, 108. 18:17: 142. 19:26: 135. 20:9–15: 171. 20:17: 172. 20:20–26: 219. 21:7: 238. 23: 192. 23:29: 191. 23:31: 134. 23:39: 202, 237. 24:5: 43, 73. John 1:9: 118. 1:14: 19, 117. 2:19: 179, 180. 2:21–22: 180. 4:35–38: 183. 4:44: 21. 6:44–47: 9. 7:34: 130. 8:25: 56. 8:43: 9. 8:51: 9. 8:51–52: 75. 9:36: 207. 10: 127. 10:24: 207. 10:33–34: 120. 14:3–5: 111. 14:9: 56. 14:22: 25, 74.

Sources Index 20:23: 120. 20:24: 7, 25, 74. 20:31: 9. 21:2: 74. Acts 1:6: 238. Romans 2:25: 154. 2:25–26: 59, 154. 2:26: 154. 2:29: 154. 3:1: 154. 6: 159, 193. 6:6: 203. 6:12–13: 203. 7:22: 178. 7:24: 202. 10:7: 14. 11:11: 134. 1 Corinthians 1–4: 34. 1:18: 123. 1:18–19.21: 122. 2:9: 40, 49, 99. 2:13–14: 210. 3:6–7: 133. 13:2: 145. 15: 151. 2 Corinthians 4:7: 118.

4:16–18: 178. 5:1–4: 118. Galatians 3:13: 202, 237. 6:14: 159, 193, 203, 235. Ephesians 3:16: 178. Hebrews 6:7–8: 134. 11:38: 159, 193. James 1:12: 161. 1 Peter 2:1–3: 109. 2:11: 137. 3:14a: 161. 1 John 1:1: 49, 100. Revelation 2:7: 86. 2:11: 86. 2:17: 86. 3:6: 86. 3:13: 86. 3:22: 86. 13:19: 86. 20:13: 14. 22:2.14.19: 134. Q source: 34, 40.

267

268

The Gospel according to Thomas

Nag Hammadi Tractates 1 Apocalypse of James 3:33.11–34.20: 58, 149. Apocryphon of James 4:22–5:36: 161. Dialogue of the Savior 19:13–14: 194. 57: 49. Gospel of Philip 53.10–13: 127. 73:1–4: 151. Gospel of Truth 17.5–6: 189.

18.31–19.10: 188. 27.11: 189. 31.35–32.16: 230. 40:24–41:14: 206. 41.17: 189. Prayer of the Apostle Paul A 26–35: 49. Thomas the Contender 138.4–10: 26. 138.16–18: 174. 140.1–141.3: 44, 76. 145.10–16: 44, 76. 145.12–16: 13.

Apostolic Fathers Barnabas 19:5: 113. 19:9: 113. 2 Clement 12:2: 51. 16:4: 95.

Didache 11–13: 203. Ignatius of Antioch — Letter to the Ephesians 14: 141.

Sources Index

269

Patristic and Medieval Authors Clement of Alexandria — Excerpta ex Theodoto 1.3: 113. 52.1: 127. — Quis dives salvetur 25: 176. — Stromata 1.13.3: 42. 1.15.1: 42. 2.9.45: 13. 2.20–21: 42. 2.45.5: 44, 76. 3.92.2: 51, 130. 3.92.2–93.1: 23. 4.21: 30. 5.14.9: 13. 5.96.3: 44, 76. 6.95.3: 46, 85. 7.1: 30. 7.3: 30. 7.7: 30. 7.8: 30. 7.11–14: 30. Didymus the Blind — Fragments of the Psalms 88: 195. Egeria — Peregrinatio Aetheriae 19:2–4: 26.

(Pseudo-)Ephrem the Syrian — An exposition of the Gospel § 83: 195. Eusebius of Caesarea — Ecclesiastical History 1.13: 25. Hilary of Poitiers — Commentary on the Psalm 118: 211. Pseudo-Hippolytus of Rome — Refutatio omnium haeresium 5.7.20: 79. Irenaeus — Against Heresies 1.8.3: 213. Jerome — Commentary on Isaiah 4: 221. Justin Martyr — Dialogue with Trypho 19:3–4: 149. Origen — Commentary on John 2.12.87: 222. — Homilies on Jeremiah 3:3: 195. — Homilies on Leviticus 10: 177.

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Christian Apocrypha Acts of Thomas 11: 26. 39: 26. 108–113: 186. 146: 13.

Gospel of the Nazarenes 2: 226.

Gospel of Judas 35.23–24: 167. Gospel of Mary 8:15–19: 239. 10.1–9: 167.

Gospel of the Hebrews 13, 33, 44, 97, 139. Frag. 2: 221. Frag. 3: 139, 222. Infancy Gospel of Thomas 1:1: 25.

Judaica Pseudo-Philo — Biblical Antiquities 26:13: 49. 2 Esdras 14:45: 58. Midrash on the Canticle 4:12: 233.

Midrash Tahuma b. 7.118a: 149. Pirqé Abot 3.6: 120. Sirach 17:22: 113. 27:6: 141.

Classical Authors Aesopica Proverbia 74: 222.

— Timon 14: 223.

Horace — Satires II 6.10–12: 233.

Strato of Sardis — Greek Anthology 12: 223.

Lucian of Samosata — Adversus Indoctum 30: 223.

Other Related Sources Definitions of Hermes Trismegistos IX, 4: 174.

Manichaean Kephalaia 65 163.28–29: 45.

Index of Modern Authors Allard, M.: 41, 102, 240. Anatoly, A.: 156. Arnal, W.: 34. Askeland, C.: 37. Attridge, H. W.: 10, 20, 21, 24, 241. Auwers, J.-M.: 40, 100. Babalis, C.: 83, 85. Baker, A.: 116. Barc, B.: 5, 33, 176. Becker, A. H.: 153. Bethge, H.-G.: 11, 242. Bauks, M.: 84. Bianchi, U.: 29. Bird, M.: 78. Bovon, F.: 84, 242. Boyarin, D.: 153, 156. Brankaer, J.: 240. Bremmer, J. N.: 28. Bumazhnov, D. F.: 156. Bussières, M.-P.: 174. Cerfaux, L.: 28. Charron, R.: 16, 80, 110.

Chilton, B. D.: 34, 75. Clivaz, C.: 100. Couture, D.: 41, 102, 240. Crégheur, E.: 104. Crislip, A.: 84. Crossan, J. D.: 27, 35. Davies, S. L.: 27, 32, 34, 89, 131, 196, 197, 199, 244. DeConick, A. D.: 11, 12, 15, 17, 20, 24, 27, 30, 32, 96, 116, 127, 130, 141, 144, 152, 161, 174, 179, 198, 202, 205, 237, 239, 241, 243, 244. Delorme, J.: 39, 169, 170, 171, 172. Desjardins, M.: 27, 28. Desreumaux, A.: 25. Dijkstra, J.: 28. Doresse, J.: 10, 28. Dorival, G.: 100. Dubois, J.-D.: 100, 136, 163.

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Dunderberg, I.: 19, 138, 165, 209. Emmel, S.: 11. Etcheverria, R. T.: 91, 221. Fieger, M.: 29, 35, 36, 242. Fitzmyer, J. A.: 15, 17, 241. Fossum, J.: 130. Freedman, D. N.: 28. Frey, J.: 24, 32, 152, 154, 196, 244. Gagné, A.: 18, 75, 91, 96, 99, 101, 102, 103, 108, 118, 147, 149, 151, 152, 155, 167, 189, 219, 232, 240. Garitte, G.: 28. Gärtner, B.: 19, 28, 166, 192, 198, 239, 244. Gathercole, S. J.: 12, 22, 36, 74, 76, 78, 84, 98, 100, 101, 104, 110, 113, 120, 121, 122, 124, 125, 127, 134, 135, 136, 145, 154, 157, 160, 161, 162, 172, 173, 174, 175, 177, 179, 180, 181, 186, 190, 194, 195, 200, 204, 205, 213, 214, 215, 222, 234, 238, 242, 243. Gaudard, F.: 167. Geoltrain, P.: 84, 242. Gianotto, C.: 83, 84, 95, 132, 153, 180, 205, 223, 226, 236, 242.

Given, J. G.: 27. Goodacre, M.: 36, 104, 162, 191, 213, 243. Gounelle, R.: 100. Grant, R. M.: 27. Grenfell, B. P.: 11. Grosso, M.: 22, 98, 99, 110, 123, 134, 144, 159, 183, 202, 242. Guillaumont, A.: 120, 242. Haenchen, E.: 28, 175, 244. Hartin, P. J.: 92. Hedrick, C. W.: 11. Hofius, O.: 15. Holmén, T.: 101, 167. Horowitz, W.: 84. Hunt, A. S.: 11. Hurtado, L.: 24. Jackson, H. M.: 84. Jeremias, J.: 233. Jones, B. C.: 20. Kaestli, J.-D.: 35. Kaler, M.: 174. Karakolis, C.: 156. Kasser, R.: 118, 119, 138, 167, 243. King, K. L.: 11, 29. Kloppenborg, J. S.: 40. Koester, H.: 26, 34. Kroesen, J.: 28. Kugel, J. L.: 156. Kuhn, K. H.: 20. Kuiper, Y.: 28.

Index of Modern Authors Kuntzmann, R.: 163. Lambdin, T. O.: 163, 242. Lange, A.: 84. Lanzillotta, L. R.: 84. Layton, B.: 10, 21, 24, 163, 241, 242. Le Boulluec, A.: 41, 156. Létourneau, P.: 240. Lindemann, A.: 41. Livingston, E. A.: 75, 77, 91, 188. Logan, A. B.: 76, 188. Löhr, H.: 152. Lüdemann, G.: 29. Luz, U.: 156. Mahé, J.-P.: 87, 91, 105, 116, 152, 217, 220, 242. Marguerat, D.: 34. Maraval, P.: 26. Marcovich, M.: 15. Marjanen, A.: 29, 106, 116. Markschies, C.: 29. Massaux, E.: 94. McGuire, A.: 38, 40. McKane, W.: 27. McLean, B.-H.: 34. Meier, J.-P.: 36. Ménard, J.-É.: 14, 19, 23, 37, 46, 113, 123, 138, 144, 155, 160, 176, 197, 206, 227, 236, 243. Meyer, M.: 34, 165, 167, 179, 240, 243.

273

Milhau, M.: 211. Morard, F.-E.: 156. Mounier, B.: 100. Moxnes, H.: 31. Munnich, O.: 100. Nadeau, J.-G.: 41, 102, 240. Najman, H.: 156. Newman, J. H.: 156. Nicklas, T.: 18, 75, 91, 103, 189, 219. Nordsieck, R.: 35, 227, 243. Norelli, E.: 35. Painchaud, L.: 16, 23, 39, 40, 41, 80, 83, 95, 110, 128, 133, 136, 157, 174, 180, 205, 223, 226, 236, 244. Pasquier, A.: 39, 41. Patterson, S. J.: 22, 30, 32, 34, 35, 38, 39, 96, 192, 198, 201, 211, 243, 244. Perrin, N.: 12, 244. Piovanelli, P.: 27, 28. Piper, R. A.: 34. Plisch, U.-W.: 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 37, 88, 90, 100, 107, 109, 113, 126, 140, 147, 151, 164, 166, 175, 178, 181, 185, 191, 193, 195, 196, 203, 212, 222, 227, 233, 242. Poffet, J.-M.: 35. Poirier. P.-H.: 5, 16, 23, 39, 40, 80, 83, 87, 91, 95,

274

The Gospel according to Thomas

105, 110, 116, 128, 133, 136, 152, 153, 157, 174, 180, 205, 217, 220, 223, 226, 236, 244. Pokorný, P.: 90, 135, 144, 145, 146, 161, 170, 175, 208, 214, 226, 229, 243. Popkes, E. E.: 24, 32, 152, 153, 154, 196, 244. Puech, C.-H.: 10, 16, 28, 82, 242, 245. Quispel, G.: 30, 33, 176, 185, 242. Racine, J.-F.: 108. Rassart-Debergh, M.: 230. Ries, J.: 230. Riley, G. J.: 144, 179, 191, 245. Robinson, J.-M.: 5, 23, 26, 128, 242. Roessli, J.-M.: 18, 75, 91, 103, 189, 219. Salat, P.: 41. Schletterer, I.: 11. Schrage, W.: 16, 18, 35, 36, 37, 141, 244. Schremer, A.: 156. Schröter, J.: 24, 32, 143, 149, 151, 152, 154, 155, 196, 242, 244. Segelberg, E.: 185.

Sellew, P.: 38. Sevrin, J.-M.: 39, 40, 46, 87, 91, 100, 105, 116, 152, 169, 170, 171, 172, 217, 220, 242. Skinner, C.: 33, 78, 245. Smith, J. Z.: 129. Smyth, K.: 28. Stroker, W. D.: 79. Talbot, M.: 240. Tuckett, C.: 37. Turner, J.: 38, 40. Uro, R.: 19, 31, 116, 165, 178, 186, 192, 209, 245. Valantasis, R.: 30, 31, 40, 81, 84, 95, 123, 125, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 144, 148, 158, 185, 194, 201, 209, 210, 218, 243. Vouga, F.: 39, 157. Wenham, D.: 34. Wénin, A.: 40, 100. Wilkinson, J.: 26. Williams, M. A.: 28, 98, 110. Willitts, J.: 78. Wilson, R. McL.: 27, 28. Witetschek, S.: 177. Wurst, G.: 167. Yoshiko Reed, A.: 153. Zöckler, T.: 31, 179, 246.

APOCRYPHES collection de poche de l’aelac Volumes parus 1. L’Évangile de Barthélemy, par Jean-Daniel Kaestli, avec la collaboration de Pierre Cherix, 1993, 281 p. 2. Ascension d’Isaïe, par Enrico Norelli, 1993, 186 p. 3. Histoire du roi Abgar et de Jésus, par Alain Desreumaux, 1993, 184 p. 4. Les Odes de Salomon, par Marie-Joseph Pierre, avec la collaboration de Jean-Marie Martin, 1994, 225 p. 5. L’Épître des Apôtres et le Testament de notre Seigneur, par Jacques-Noël Pérès, 1994, 152 p. 6. Salomon et Saturne, par Robert Faerber, 1995, 209 p. 7. Actes de l’apôtre André, par Jean-Marc Prieur, 1995, 209 p. 8. Les Actes de l’apôtre Philippe, par François Bovon, Bertrand Bouvier & Frédéric Amsler, 1996, 318 p. 9. L’Évangile de Nicodème, par Rémi Gounelle & Zbigniew Izydorczyk, 1997, 273 p. 10. Les Reconnaissances du Pseudo-Clément, par Luigi Cirillo & André Schneider, 1997, 652 p. 11. Les Actes de Mar Mari, par Christelle Jullien & Florence Jullien, 2001, 175 p. 12. La Gloire des Rois, par Robert Beylot, 2008, 490 p. 13. Les Apôtres Thaddée et Barthélemy, par Valentina Calzolari, 2011, 260 p. 14. The Syriac Pseudo-Clementines, par F. Stanley Jones, 2014, 354 p. 15. The Ever-New Tongue, par John Carey, 2018, 208 p. 16. The Gospel according to Thomas, par André Gagné, 2019, 288 p.