The Gospel of Thomas

[Zadig]

The GoT was lost until 1945, but now that it's been found, why shouldn't it be considered canonical?

[myotch]

Because it is a piece of gnostic literature.

[Zadig]

What do you "think" the term gnostic means?

[myotch]

Without looking it up, "gnostic" I think refers to the early first-millenium (philosophy?)(notion?) of the metaphysical, hallmarked with concepts like "good and evil cannot coexist in the same being", "the purely spiritual and the purely material cannot exist in the same being" and was represented in gnostic Christian writings in the form of Jesus not having a material body at the time of resurrection, etc. "Gnostic" == "to know", right? Greek influenced. That's right, it was a "knowledge" cult, er, religious expression.

From past studies into gnostic writings, the Gospel of Thomas presents us with a child Jesus who tortured other children.

I've read it. It's certainly interesting, but the Jesus of GofT is widely different than the one presented in the Gospels considered authoritative.

[Zadig]

What makes you think GoT is gnostic according to your definition?

[Zadig]

(06-24-2012 10:22 PM)myotch Wrote:  From past studies into gnostic writings, the Gospel of Thomas presents us with a child Jesus who tortured other children.

BTW, you're confusing The Infancy Gospel of Thomas with The Gospel of Thomas (Or Gospel according to Thomas).

This is the one I'm discussing. The Gospel found in Nag Hammadi in 1945.
http://users.misericordia.edu//davies/thomas/Trans.htm

[myotch]

The beginning of the book refers to "hidden sayings", which is common among knowledge or mystery cults.

GofT is written not in narrative form, but in more of a proverb-typec convention. For being a "gospel", the "good news" as portrayed in the authoritative Gospels is conspicuously not present.

One of the early Christians Hippolytus wrote of this Thomas gospel:

Quote:"[The Naassenes] speak...of a nature which is both hidden and revealed at the same time and which they call the thought-for kingdom of heaven which is in a human being. They transmit a tradition concerning this in the Gospel entitled "According to Thomas," which states expressly, "The one who seeks me will find me in children of seven years and older, for there, hidden in the fourteenth aeon, I am revealed."

Now, never mind the bit where you don't believe any of this because you are an atheist. You don't have to respect Hippolytus, you don't have to agree with the early church. But in his quotation of this so-called Gospel, H. quotes the word "aeon" in a mysterious sentence where Jesus supposedly says he can be found in children 7 ears of age or older.

Aeon. This is a particularly gnostic use of the term. It normally means "life", and in Christian circles, it referred to, among other things, eternal life. Here in H.'s quote, it seems to be used as an emanation of God dwelling in children.

In keeping in mind that this is an unfamiliar concept of Christians - Jesus being found in children 7 years of age or older - and the "novel" idea of the metaphysical presented here, it's safe to say that this does vary quite a bit from the Jesus we know from the authoritative Gospels, and was likely a piece of gnostic literature.

[Zadig]

You're confusing the two different books. The thread is about the Gospel of Thomas - http://users.misericordia.edu//davies/thomas/Trans.htm

[myotch]

Yes, that's it. Verse 4 is what H. was speaking of, though the modern translation wasn't available to H.

So, anyway...Why would you as an atheist have a dog in this fight? Or rather, why should I accept this "gospel" as authoritarian?

[Zadig]

Where in the Gospel of Thomas is Jesus torturing children?