One of the most significant discoveries in regards to early Christianity in the 20th century was the collection of texts found at Nag Hammadi, Egypt in 1945. These codices had been preserved in clay jars since the 4th century. Among them was the Gospel of Thomas.  This gospel is contemporary with other New Testament gospels.  It contains sayings of Jesus, some familiar to those in the canonical gospels, some quite different. The Jesus Seminar regarded Thomas as the fifth gospel.
Milton Moreland (Rhodes College) and Ruben Dupertuis (Trinity University) will be at First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton, Tennessee, October 18-19 to lead workshops on The Fifth Gospel: The Gospel of Thomas and the Wisdom of Jesus.  They spoke with me about this amazing text on Religion For Life!