Angellous Finally Reads the Gospel of Thomas (Jesus, Kingdom, tradition)

[angellous_evangellous]

Well I finally read the Gospel of Thomas today.

Some favorite quotes:


13 Jesus said to his disciples, "Compare me to something and tell me what I am like."
Simon Peter said to him, "You are like a just messenger."
Matthew said to him, "You are like a wise philosopher."
Thomas said to him, "Teacher, my mouth is utterly unable to say what you are like."
Jesus said, "I am not your teacher. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring that I have tended."
And he took him, and withdrew, and spoke three sayings to him. When Thomas came back to his friends they asked him, "What did Jesus say to you?" Thomas said to them, "If I tell you one of the sayings he spoke to me, you will pick up rocks and stone me, and fire will come from the rocks and devour you."


14 Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will bring sin upon yourselves, and if you pray, you will be condemned, and if you give to charity, you will harm your spirits.
When you go into any region and walk about in the countryside, when people take you in, eat what they serve you and heal the sick among them. After all, what goes into your mouth will not defile you; rather, it's what comes out of your mouth that will defile you."


18 The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us, how will our end come?"
Jesus said, "Have you found the beginning, then, that you are looking for the end? You see, the end will be where the beginning is.

Congratulations to the one who stands at the beginning: that one will know the end and will not taste death."
19 Jesus said, "Congratulations to the one who came into being before coming into being.

15 Jesus said, "When you see one who was not born of woman, fall on your faces and worship. That one is your Father."


22 Jesus saw some babies nursing. He said to his disciples, "These nursing babies are like those who enter the kingdom."
They said to him, "Then shall we enter the kingdom as babies?" Jesus said to them, "When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the male will not be male nor the female 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 [the kingdom]."

25 Jesus said, "Love your friends like your own soul, protect them like the pupil of your eye."


29 Jesus said, "If the flesh came into being because of spirit, that is a marvel, but if spirit came into being because of the body, that is a marvel of marvels.
Yet I marvel at how this great wealth has come to dwell in this poverty."
30 Jesus said, "Where there are three deities, they are divine. Where there are two or one, I am with that one."


36 Jesus said, "Do not fret, from morning to evening and from evening to morning, [about your food--what you're going to eat, or about your clothing--] what you are going to wear. [You're much better than the lilies, which neither card nor spin. As for you, when you have no garment, what will you put on? Who might add to your stature? That very one will give you your garment.]"

42 Jesus said, "Be passersby."


47 Jesus said, "A person cannot mount two horses or bend two bows.
And a slave cannot serve two masters, otherwise that slave will honor the one and offend the other.
"Nobody drinks aged wine and immediately wants to drink young wine. Young wine is not poured into old wineskins, or they might break, and aged wine is not poured into a new wineskin, or it might spoil. An old patch is not sewn onto a new garment, since it would create a tear."


53 His disciples said to him, "is circumcision useful or not?"
He said to them, "If it were useful, their father would produce children already circumcised from their mother. Rather, the true circumcision in spirit has become profitable in every respect."
54 Jesus said, "Congratulations to the poor, for to you belongs Heaven's kingdom."

58 Jesus said, "Congratulations to the person who has toiled and has found life."


68 Jesus said, "Congratulations to you when you are hated and persecuted;
and no place will be found, wherever you have been persecuted."

69 Jesus said, "Congratulations to those who have been persecuted in their hearts: they are the ones who have truly come to know the Father. Congratulations to those who go hungry, so the stomach of the one in want may be filled."


86 Jesus said, "[Foxes have] their dens and birds have their nests, but human beings have no place to lay down and rest."
87 Jesus said, "How miserable is the body that depends on a body, and how miserable is the soul that depends on these two."


97 Jesus said, The [Father's] kingdom is like a woman who was carrying a [jar] full of meal. While she was walking along [a] distant road, the handle of the jar broke and the meal spilled behind her [along] the road. She didn't know it; she hadn't noticed a problem. When she reached her house, she put the jar down and discovered that it was empty.
98 Jesus said, The Father's kingdom is like a person who wanted to kill someone powerful. While still at home he drew his sword and thrust it into the wall to find out whether his hand would go in. Then he killed the powerful one.


102 Jesus said, "Damn the Pharisees! They are like a dog sleeping in the cattle manger: the dog neither eats nor [lets] the cattle eat."
103 Jesus said, "Congratulations to those who know where the rebels are going to attack. [They] can get going, collect their imperial resources, and be prepared before the rebels arrive."

112 Jesus said, "Damn the flesh that depends on the soul. Damn the soul that depends on the flesh."`

[astarath]

Verse 25 is one of my favourite congratulations on finishing another testament to the good news of Yeshua.

May I suggest you read the acts of thomas next?

[angellous_evangellous]

I'm very impressed with the format of the Gospel of Thomas. It has no miracle stories, ressurrection story, nativity, or any other narratives about Jesus. It simply is a collection of sayings - and a handful of them repeat. This to me indicates an early date, and supports the theory of Ehrman that it developed independently from the orthodox Gospels.

[angellous_evangellous]

Excellent resources for the Gospel of Thomas:

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/thomas.html

[astarath]

Originally Posted by angellous_evangellous

I'm very impressed with the format of the Gospel of Thomas. It has no miracle stories, ressurrection story, nativity, or any other narratives about Jesus. It simply is a collection of sayings - and a handful of them repeat. This to me indicates an early date, and supports the theory of Ehrman that it developed independently from the orthodox Gospels.

give the man a prize welcome to the exclusion of the truth the greatest cover up of all time.

[astarath]

What did you think about the bit that tells them ot seek out James the Just (Yeshua's brother) Not Paul, peter or john

[angellous_evangellous]

Originally Posted by astarath

What did you think about the bit that tells them ot seek out James the Just (Yeshua's brother) Not Paul, peter or john

It certainly cooresponds to church tradition reflected by Eusebius that the followers of Christ gathered together all of those related to Jesus and designated them as their leader.

[astarath]

Originally Posted by angellous_evangellous

It certainly cooresponds to church tradition reflected by Eusebius that the followers of Christ gathered together all of those related to Jesus and designated them as their leader.

yes but it is also controversial in the aspect that there is no mention of Peter as the cornerstone. The same story where that transpires in the other gospels in the GOT has thomas answering the lord correctly. And as well there is no mention of going to find Peter only to seek out James the Just