The Gospel Of Thomas

This book explores the fascinating and enigmatic collection of 114 sayings of Jesus, the 'Gospel of Thomas' that was discovered in the sands of Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in the 1940's. Since its discovery, scholars and the public alike have been intrigued to know what the Gospel says and what light it sheds on the formation of early Christianity. Here, DeConick provides a new English translation of the entire Gospel of Thomas, which includes the original 'kernel' of the Gospel and all the sayings. A unique feature of this book is that translations to the parallels of the Gospel are also included.

This volume offers the first full commentary on the Gospel of Thomas, a work which has previously been accessible only to theologians and scholars. Valantasis provides fresh translations of the Coptic and Greek text, with an illuminating commentary, examining the text line by line. He includes a general introduction outlining the debates of previous scholars and situating the Gospel in its historical and theological contexts. The Gospel of Thomas provides an insight into a previously inaccessible text and presents Thomas' gospel as an integral part of the canon of Biblical writings, which can inform us further about the literature of the Judeo-Christian tradition and early Christianity.

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time The Gnostic Gospels is a landmark study of the long-buried roots of Christianity, a work of luminous scholarship and wide popular appeal. First published in 1979 to critical acclaim, winning the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, The Gnostic Gospels has continued to grow in reputation and influence over the past two decades. It is now widely recognized as one of the most brilliant and accessible histories of early Christian spirituality published in our time. In 1945 an Egyptian peasant unearthed what proved to be the Gnostic Gospels, thirteen papyrus volumes that expounded a radically different view of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ from that of the New Testament. In this spellbinding book, renowned religious scholar Elaine Pagels elucidates the mysteries and meanings of these sacred texts both in the world of the first Christians and in the context of Christianity today. With insight and passion, Pagels explores a remarkable range of recently discovered gospels, including the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, to show how a variety of “Christianities” emerged at a time of extraordinary spiritual upheaval. Some Christians questioned the need for clergy and church doctrine, and taught that the divine could be discovered through spiritual search. Many others, like Buddhists and Hindus, sought enlightenment—and access to God—within. Such explorations raised questions: Was the resurrection to be understood symbolically and not literally? Was God to be envisioned only in masculine form, or feminine as well? Was martyrdom a necessary—or worthy—expression of faith? These early Christians dared to ask questions that orthodox Christians later suppressed—and their explorations led to profoundly different visions of Jesus and his message. Brilliant, provocative, and stunning in its implications, The Gnostic Gospels is a radical, eloquent reconsideration of the origins of the Christian faith.

The Gospel According to Thomas is a collection of 114 sayings of Jesus attributed to a certain Didymus Judas Thomas. For scholars, the text has much to offer for the study of early Christian literature, history, and theology. This enigmatic collection of sayings is part of a series of tractates in the Nag Hammadi Codices which were found in Egypt in 1945. Since the discovery of the Gospel According to Thomas, scholars have endeavoured to uncover the place of writing and the sources of these sayings, which in some cases are similar to those found in the synoptic gospels and other New Testament writings, as well as in several early Christian texts. Without neglecting nor negating this important historical research on the Gospel According to Thomas, this new introduction, translation, and commentary focuses on another aspect that has been given less attention in scholarship, that of a synchronic reading and interpretation of the text. The main question we have is: What does the Gospel According to Thomas actually mean?

In this commentary, Simon Gathercole provides a detailed analysis of the most controversial of all early Christian apocrypha, the Gospel of Thomas.

The discovery of the Gospel of Thomas has created an immense flurry of curiosity and speculation. Is the text authentic? Are these the true sayings of Jesus? If they are, what does this mean for contemporary faith? In this new edition of Lynn Bauman's unique work, readers are able to read this controversial with the help of Bauman's sensitive introduction to the Gospel of Thomas, his literal-academic translaton, then his fresh translation based on the principle of "dynamic equivalency,", which propels the reader/listener into an equivalent experience of the language and meaning of the original Coptic text but in English. It is therefore fresher, more poignant, more direct, and more understandable without being a paraphrase. Bauman also includes notes on translation choices and "Questions for Reflection." This enables the reader to make discoveries on his or her own. Bauman brings this important "secret" gospel to life, with its radical view of Jesus as a Master of Wisdom, as a text to be utilized for contemporary spiritual practice.