The Hidden Message Of The Lost Gospel Of Thomas

"I suspect you will find this book quite exciting, comforting, and also challenging! The Gospel of Thomas, so new on the scene yet perhaps the oldest of all, is waiting for just such insight and commentary as this. This is a new opening for all believers to unitive and non-dual consciousness." Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M. Center for Action and Contemplation Albuquerque, New Mexico. Previously published as "Yeshua's Yoga", the Hidden Message of the Lost Gospel of Thomas unearths the central teaching of this ancient text. The Gospel of Thomas, re-discovered in Nag Hammadi Egypt in 1945, remains one of the most exciting archaeological finds of recent centuries. But how prepared are we to approach this text on its own terms? How accurately are we able to discover what it is saying, immersed as we are in 2000 years of Platonic and dualistic Christian orthodoxy? Thanks to the influx of Eastern knowledge and the new crop of Western teachers willing to re-approach their Christian tradition as the Eastern wisdom teacher that Jesus was, we may finally be able to see the meaning and philosophical structure of this once-beloved and truly remarkable Christian text. The Gospel of Thomas delineates the Way of Yeshua, a spiritual path that guides us through six clear movements of searching, finding, trouble, wonder, reigning, and rest. The resonance with classic Yogic paths makes this document the bridge many searchers need to reconcile and fully embrace the wisdom of both the East and the West. "Kim is a consummate teacher, so who better to advance the Gospel of Thomas as the stunning teaching tool it is? Using poetry, reason, sacred insight, and spiritual practice, Kim provides a pragmatic and engaging pathway into this Gospel. Every passage is infused with her passion for direct knowing. Don't miss it!" Rev. Dr. Thomas Thresher, Commonhouse Founder, WA

A fresh, authoritative English translation, with an informative introduction, fascinating explanatory notes, and the Coptic text, with interpretation by Harold Bloom, our pre–eminent literary critic.

In 1945, a Coptic document containing sayings attributed to Jesus was discovered deep within an ancient Egyptian cave. This "lost gospel," the Gospel of Thomas, was written at the same time as the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and is now considered one of the greatest religious discoveries of the twentieth century. It contains 150 sayings, approximately half of which are found in the New Testament--the other half of which are found only here. These new sayings offer an original perspective on Jesus' message. Most notably, they emphasize that the Kingdom of Heaven exists right before us in this present moment, and all that we have to do is recognize it. This edition includes an extensive foreword by Andrew Harvey, as well as commentary that explains biblical terms, philosophical concepts, and historic contexts.

In Beyond Belief, renowned religion scholar Elaine Pagels continues her groundbreaking examination of the earliest Christian texts, arguing for an ongoing assessment of faith and a questioning of religious orthodoxy. Spurred on by personal tragedy and new scholarship from an international group of researchers, Pagels returns to her investigation of the “secret” Gospel of Thomas, and breathes new life into writings once thought heretical. As she arrives at an ever-deeper conviction in her own faith, Pagels reveals how faith allows for a diversity of interpretations, and that the “rogue” voices of Christianity encourage and sustain “the recognition of the light within us all.”

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.

This incisive critique thoroughly and convincingly debunks the claims that recently discovered texts such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, and even the Dead Sea Scrolls undermine the historical validity of the New Testament. Jenkins places the recent controversies surrounding the hidden gospels in a broad historical context and argues that, far from being revolutionary, such attempts to find an alternative Christianity date back at least to the Enlightenment. By employing the appropriate scholarly and historical methodologies, he demonstrates that the texts purported to represent pristine Christianity were in fact composed long after the canonical gospels found in the Bible. Produced by obscure heretical movements, these texts have attracted much media attention chiefly because they seem to support radical, feminist, and post-modern positions in the modern church. Indeed, Jenkins shows how best-selling books on the "hidden gospels" have been taken up by an uncritical, drama-hungry media as the basis for a social movement that could have powerful effects on the faith and practice of contemporary Christianity.

Do you believe other gospels, contemporary with those in the Bible, ought to be heard? Do you question certain articles in the Apostles' Creed, such as the virgin birth and bodily resurrection? Do you believe other religions other than Christianity have validity? Do you accept that women have the right to be clergy? Is your personal relationship to God more important than believing what you are told to believe? Is your way of faith honestly seeking what is true for the world and God? Do you believe Christ's call was to a dynamic faith rather than to any system of beliefs? If you answered "yes" to a majority of these questions, you will find that the Gnostic Gospels support a different way to be Christian. These long lost, hidden, writings, as do the gospels in the Bible, lift up the power and love of Christ. This book explains how and why!

A lost gospel is found and everything changes.