Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Branded a heresy were the secret sayings of the Gospel
of Thomas the authentic words of Jesus Christ?
By Ariadne Green
Searching for Jesus’ words, his true teachings, amongst
what Christianity has presented as the authoritative works
in the New Testament, the four canonical gospels, left me
wondering if Jesus had other things to say that might better
satisfy my quest for enlightenment. Could he have left a
secret written legacy and if he had, did any of it survive?
About eight years ago, I began my research into the Gospel
of Thomas, an early Christian text written in Coptic and
discovered in Egypt in 1945 amongst a set of what are
considered Gnostic codices. I was looking for references to
a spiritual initiation called “bridal chamber”, a spiritually
transformative initiation described in Gospel of Philip, and
one that was thought to have been taught by Jesus to his
disciples. What I discovered was a great deal more.
Conveying a mysterious and enlightening doctrine of
spiritual wisdom that would have been a radical departure
from Judaic tradition, and baring some similarity with
many of the parables and aphorisms (sayings) of four
canonical gospels of the New Testament, the 114 saying of
the Gospel of Thomas are remarkable testament of the
teaching of Jesus “the Nazarene”. The author of this
extraordinary gospel has been debated by scholars many of
whom have attributed it to an unknown Gnostic writer, who
was thought to have used the identity of the Apostle
Thomas in order to gain acceptance amongst his Gnostic
peers However, the Gospel is not consistent with Gnostic
ideology leading many scholars to conclude it cannot be
considered Gnostic. Labeled a heresy by the early Church, a
more recent debate amongst scholars and theologians as to
the importance of the Gospel of Thomas has led many to
believe it was misjudged.
Rather than heresy, were these sayings in the Gospel of
Thomas instead the authentic words of Jesus Christ? And
furthermore, was it Jesus himself who compiled his own
sayings into writing? Five clues suggest that The Gospel of
Thomas was Jesus’ own attempt to leave a written legacy:
1. The introductory line, “These are the secret sayings
which the living Jesus spoke and which Didymus
Judas Thomas wrote down”, is a dedication written as
a secret code name whose meaning “TwinPraise God
Twin”, is an equation uniting two with God. The same
mystery is contained in several other sayings, for
example, in saying 22 on “making the two one,” and is
elaborated on in the Gospel of Philip, where it is
described as an initiation taught by Jesus. At the same
time, the identity obscures the author’s identity, giving
praise to someone within Jesus’ inner circle—his twin
soul.
2. The early date given to this Gospel, as early as 3060
AD, suggests that it could have been written within the
years of Jesus’ ministry
3. The fact that in two sayings Jesus makes reference to
his sayings as his words, (for example: “these stones
will minister to you.”), suggests he was presenting this
gospel himself.
4. The wisdom in the sayings is of such a profound
philosophical and mystical nature that the sayings
stand out as the writing of a teacher whose wisdom
exceeded that of the Jesus portrayed in the four
canonical gospels.
There is considerable evidence to suggest that the Gospel of
Thomas was well circulated and highly regarded, enough so
that the other gospel writers, in fact, drew from the sayings
of the Gospel of Thomas when composing their own
narratives about Jesus ministry. For instance, of the 114
sayings in the Gospel of Thomas, 21 or more, in one form
or another, are found in Mark, usually adapted into an
embellished narrative and put into a context of his public
ministry. Also, paraphrased references to some sayings
unique to The Gospel of Thomas were made by both Paul in
1 Corinthians and by Clement of Alexandria, in Stromata
iii.13.92-93, suggesting that long before the gospel was
deemed heresy, it was considered a source of Jesus words.
And amongst Gnostic writing, a number of works were
titled using the identity of Thomas, probably because the
Gospel of Thomas was so highly regarded that the authors
of these texts hoped their own writings would gain greater
credibility.
Rather than relying on transcription of his spoken word, it
is not hard to imagine that Jesus would have composed his
more complex sayings and parables in writing, whether it
was for a public sermon or in his private sessions with his
disciples. Jesus says: "I will give you what no eye
has seen, and what no ear has heard, and what
no hand has touched, and what has not
occurred to the human mind."
Many of the sayings point the disciples, Mary Magdalene
included, inwards on a journey of selfrealization and
recognition of the Kingdom within. Jesus says, "If those
who lead you say to you: ‘Look, the kingdom is
in the sky!’ then the birds of the sky will
precede you. If they say to you: ‘It is in the
sea,’ then the fishes will precede you.
Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and
outside of you."
When you come to know yourselves, then you
will be known, and you will realize that you are
the children of the living Father. But if you do
not come to know yourselves, then you exist in
poverty, and you are poverty."
The Kingdom that Jesus refers to is far different from the
heavenly Kingdom described by other gospel writers.
Jesus’ Kingdom is not of the next world but of this world, a
dimension concealed to the unawakened mind yet spread
out before those who have lifted the veil enough to see. His
disciples he likens to children and he reminds them that
they are all children of God pointing them to the light that
is contained within them. He says, “There is light
within a person of light, and it shines on the
whole world. If it does not shine, it is dark.”
Why was Jesus’ own Gospel not included in the New
Testament? Opinion. In fact, as pointed out by Elaine
Pagels in her book, Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of
Thomas, negative opinion may have erupted very early, as it
appears that the Gospel of John was written partly to
counter the testimony of the Gospel of Thomas. One
probable reason for Thomas’ omission is that did not
support an apocalyptic view or the position that Jesus was
God incarnate, as did John for instance, Instead, Jesus is the
initiator into a mystery housed within every human soul, a
charismatic mystic, philosopher and even a rebel who had
dedicated his ministry to lighting a fire in the spiritual
community. Jesus said, "I have cast fire upon the
world, and look, I'm guarding it until it blazes."
Copyright 2008
Ariadne Green is the author of Ariadne’s Book
of Dreams, 2001 and Divine Complement,
2006. She lived on Maui for 17 years and now
resides in California. Her forthcoming book,
Divine Complements Forever, explore the twin
soul legacy of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.