Gospel of Thomas                     

    Historical Background of the Gospel of Thomas

Authorship and Date

  • Traditionally attributed to Didymus Judas Thomas, purportedly the twin brother of Jesus.
  • Most scholars date it to the mid-1st to early 2nd century (50–140 CE).
  • Some place its origins before the canonical Gospels due to its primitive sayings.
  • Others argue it’s a later Gnostic adaptation using earlier materials.

Literary Form

  • A sayings gospel: 114 sayings (logia) attributed to Jesus, with no narrative framework.
  • Many sayings overlap with the Synoptic Gospels, but others are unique or clearly Gnostic in tone.

2. Manuscript History

Discovery

  • The complete text of Thomas was found in 1945 at Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in a codex now known as Nag Hammadi Codex II.
  • This copy is in Coptic and dated to the late 4th century.
  • Before that, fragments in Greek were discovered at Oxyrhynchus in Egypt (early 20th century), dated to the 2nd–3rd centuries.

Textual Transmission

  • The Coptic version is likely translated from an earlier Greek version.
  • Its preservation in the Nag Hammadi library - along with many Gnostic texts - shows it was valued by Egyptian Christian sects with alternative theological views.

3. Rejection by Ancient Christian Writers

Church Fathers’ Criticism

  • Thomas is not directly quoted by many early orthodox writers, but likely known.
  • Hippolytus, Origen, and Eusebius all denounce gospels used by Gnostic groups, including one “according to Thomas.”
  • Eusebius (4th c.) classifies it as heretical.
  • Cyril of Jerusalem and Jerome include it in lists of apocryphal or non-canonical works.

Why It Was Rejected

  • The Gospel of Thomas lacks:
  • A Passion narrative
  • Reference to the resurrection
  • A clear timeline of Jesus’ life
  • It promotes secret knowledge (gnosis) as the key to salvation.
  • Its individualistic and esoteric spirituality conflicted with emerging Christian orthodoxy that emphasized community, sacraments, and the apostolic tradition.

4. Modern Scholarly Interpretation

Mid-20th Century Onward

  • Scholars are divided into two broad camps:

(A) Early Independent Source Theory

  • Suggests Thomas preserves early, possibly pre-canonical Jesus traditions.
  • Supported by scholars like Helmut Koester, John Dominic Crossan, and Elaine Pagels.
  • Crossan considered it part of a lost “Q-like” source emphasizing sapiential (wisdom) Jesus

(B) Late Gnostic Composition Theory

  • Argues Thomas is a 2nd-century Gnostic reinterpretation of Jesus’ teachings.
  • Emphasized by scholars like Nicholas Perrin and April DeConick (though DeConick sees layers of development).

Key Themes in Thomas

  • Self-knowledge and divinity: “The kingdom is inside of you…”
  • Rejection of the material world: Often linked to Gnostic dualism.
  • Non-sacramental salvation: Knowledge, not baptism or eucharist, brings life.

21st-Century Developments

  • Focus on multiple layers of tradition within Thomas.
  • Some sayings may be early and Jewish, others later and Gnostic.
  • Thomas is seen as a window into alternative Christianities, not necessarily heretical but diverse.
  • Used in academic and spiritual renewal circles as a text exploring mystical Christianity.

Gospel of Thomas  

                                         Links
                                 <<   Home   >>