Rachel Evans
The Gospel of Thomas is a non-canonical text discovered in 1945 in Nag Hammadi, Egypt. It is a collection of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus, written in the Coptic language, and attributed to a conversation recorded by Didymos Judas Thomas. The Gospel of Thomas is not considered a part of the Bible by the Catholic Church, which rejects it as a heretical document. However, some Catholic scholars consider it an important window into the world of early Christianity and the diversity of thought within it.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Is it a canonical gospel? | No, it is a non-canonical sayings gospel. |
| Is it accepted by the Catholic Church? | No, the Catholic Church rejects it as a heretical document. |
| Is it inspired by the Holy Spirit? | No, it fails the early church councils' tests for New Testament books. |
| Is it authored by Jesus' disciple Thomas? | No, the author is unknown. |
| Is it written in the first century? | No, it was likely written in the second century. |
| Does it mention Jesus' crucifixion, resurrection, or the Last Judgment? | No, it does not. |
| Does it contain authentic sayings of Jesus? | Yes, nearly half of its sayings are repetitions of teachings found in the canonical gospels. |
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What You'll Learn
The Gospel of Thomas is a non-canonical text
The text is believed to have originated within Roman Christianity in the early third century, and scholars speculate that the works were buried in response to a letter from Bishop Athanasius declaring a strict canon of Christian scripture. The majority of scholars agree that the Gospel of Thomas was written no earlier than the mid-second century, and it is considered a late non-canonical text.
The Gospel of Thomas presents Jesus as a real person in history and affirms Him as a wise teacher. Nearly half of its sayings are repetitions and confirmations of teachings found in the canonical Gospels, such as the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. However, the Gospel of Thomas also contains many teachings that contradict the biblical Gospels and the rest of the New Testament. For this reason, it was rejected by the vast majority of early Christians and is considered a heretical document by the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations.
While the text claims to have been authored by the Apostle Thomas, scholars reject this attribution. The Gospel of Thomas appears too late in history to have been written by Thomas or any other reliable eyewitness of the life of Jesus. The oldest manuscript fragments of the text, found at Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, are dated from 130 to 250 AD. Additionally, the text fails to meet the principles followed by early church councils to determine whether a New Testament book was inspired by the Holy Spirit.
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It was discovered in 1945 in Egypt
The Gospel of Thomas was discovered in 1945 near Nag Hammadi, Egypt. It was found by two Egyptian peasants who were looking for a local variety of crumbly nitrate rock used as fertiliser. They came across a large jar, about a metre tall, hidden by a boulder. Inside, they found a collection of ancient leather-bound books or codices. The spot where the books were found is within a few miles of the site of an early monastery, established by Pachomius, the founder of Christian "cenobitic" monasticism in Egypt. The nearby village of Nag Hammadi gave the collection its name.
The Nag Hammadi Library consists of 52 texts or "tractates" written in Coptic on papyrus and gathered in 13 volumes, 12 of which have separate leather bindings. Forty of the texts were previously unknown to modern scholars. Most of the writings are of a Gnostic character. Scholars speculate that the works were buried in response to a letter from Bishop Athanasius declaring a strict canon of Christian scripture.
The Gospel of Thomas is the best-known work in the Nag Hammadi library. It is a non-canonical collection of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus. Most scholars place the composition during the second century, while some have proposed dates as late as 250 AD and others have traced its origins back to as early as 60 AD.
After the discovery of the Nag Hammadi texts, scholars recognised that fragments of these sayings attributed to Jesus appeared in manuscripts discovered at Oxyrhynchus in 1898. They also realised that three different Greek text fragments previously found at Oxyrhynchus, also in Egypt, were part of the Gospel of Thomas. These three papyrus fragments of Thomas date to between 130 and 250 AD.
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It is a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus
The Gospel of Thomas, also known as the Coptic Gospel of Thomas, is a non-canonical collection of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus. It was discovered in 1945 near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, among a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library. The text is written in Coptic, but it is generally believed that the Gospel of Thomas was first composed in Greek. The original Coptic manuscript is now kept in the Coptic Museum in Cairo, Egypt.
The Gospel of Thomas is believed to have originated within Roman Christianity in the early third century, although the exact identity of the author is unknown. The introduction states: "These are the hidden words that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas wrote them down." Didymus (Koine Greek) and Thomas (Aramaic) both mean "twin". Most scholars do not consider the Apostle Thomas the author of this document.
The sayings in the Gospel of Thomas differ from those in the canonical gospels in that they are often difficult to understand and do not follow a clear narrative framework. While almost two-thirds of the sayings resemble those found in the canonical gospels, the remaining sayings are believed to have been added from Gnostic tradition. The Gospel of Thomas also does not mention Jesus' crucifixion, resurrection, or the Last Judgment, nor does it present a messianic understanding of Jesus.
Despite containing some authentic sayings of Jesus, the Catholic Church, along with other Christian denominations, rejects the Gospel of Thomas as a heretical document. However, Catholic scholars such as John P. Meier recognize its importance in providing insight into early Christianity and challenging our understanding of early Christian thought.
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The Catholic Church rejects it as heretical
The Gospel of Thomas is a non-canonical text that was discovered in 1945 near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, among a group of ancient Coptic books. It is a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus, written in the Coptic language, and attributed to a conversation recorded by "Didymos Judas Thomas".
The text's introduction states: "These are the hidden words that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas wrote them down." Didymus (Koine Greek) and Thomas (Aramaic) both mean "twin". Scholars reject the idea that the Apostle Thomas authored this document, and the author remains unknown.
The Catholic Church, like all other Christian denominations, rejects the Book of Thomas as a heretical document. Early Christian leaders universally recognized the Gospel of Thomas as a forgery, and it was rejected by the vast majority of early Christians. The text contains many teachings that contradict the biblical Gospels and the rest of the New Testament. It fails the following tests for determining whether a New Testament book was inspired by the Holy Spirit:
- Was the author an apostle or have a close connection with an apostle?
- Was the book being accepted by the Body of Christ at large?
- Did the book contain consistency of doctrine and orthodox teaching?
- Did the book bear evidence of high moral and spiritual values that would reflect a work of the Holy Spirit?
The Gospel of Thomas also lacks the marks of a work of inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The majority of its 114 sayings cannot be found anywhere in Scripture, and the text tries to maintain an air of secrecy in its words. God’s Word is not given “in secret" in Scripture but is given for all to read and understand.
Despite the Catholic Church's rejection of the Gospel of Thomas, Catholic scholars such as John P. Meier consider it to be an important window into the world of early Christianity. The text challenges our understanding of early Christian thought and offers a unique perspective on the teachings of Jesus, providing a lens through which to view early Christian diversity and theological debates.
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It provides a unique perspective on early Christian thought
The Gospel of Thomas is a non-canonical text that provides a unique perspective on early Christian thought. It was discovered in 1945 as part of a large collection of papyri excavated near Nag Hammadi in Egypt. This Coptic manuscript contains 114 sayings attributed to Jesus, some of which resemble those found in the canonical gospels, while others are unknown or contradict them. The text is not a narrative account of Jesus' life but a collection of sayings, sometimes stand-alone and sometimes embedded in short dialogues or parables.
The Gospel of Thomas is believed to have originated within Roman Christianity in the early third century, and its authorship is unknown. It is considered a heretical document by the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations, and it failed to gain wide acceptance within the early Church. However, it offers an alternative view of the teachings of Jesus and early Christian diversity.
Nearly half of the sayings in the Gospel of Thomas are repetitions or confirmations of teachings found in the canonical gospels, such as the affirmation that Jesus had many disciples and the mention of biblical characters like Mary and Salome. It also confirms that Jesus was a popular travelling teacher in Samaria and Judea.
However, the Gospel of Thomas also contains sayings that differ from or run counter to the canonical gospels. For example, it presents the kingdom of God as a spiritual state rather than a future catastrophic transformation of the world. It also includes sayings that are considered silly or inauthentic, such as the suggestion that women must become like men to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Despite being rejected by the Catholic Church and early Christian leaders, the Gospel of Thomas provides a unique window into the diversity of early Christian thought and the various interpretations of Jesus' message. It showcases the existence of alternative viewpoints and the development of Christian theology during its early stages.
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