Kata Thaddaion

According to Thaddaeus
A number of years back, I got interested in trying to put myself "inside"
the heads of the gospel writers. I also wanted to brush the "sawdust of
the classroom" off of what I'd learned in the field of biblical studies.

What follows is the result of my little exercise: an entire "early second-

century apocryphal gospel," complete with scholarly essays. I omit the
detailed tables of texual parallels, as well as the approximately one-third
of the Gospel of Thaddaeus which I also wrote up in the "original"
Greek...

The Gospel of Thaddaeus

An English Translation
Of the Critical Greek Text
Based on the Edessene Codex θ
And Compared with the Fragments
θ1 θ2 θ3 θ4 Fa197

By Academician Yu. Grigoriev

University of St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

University of Chicago Press © 2004

The Gospel of Thaddaeus. Copyright ©2004 by Yu. Grigoriev. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America by special arrangement with the University of
St. Petersburg. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied
in critical articles and reviews. For information address the University of St. Petersburg
Press, 1423 Ul. Yeltsin, St. Petersburg AK5230, Russian Federation. Published
simultaneously in the United Kingdom by the University of London, and in Russia by the
University of St. Petersburg.

Grigoriev, Yurii Stepanovich (1971--). The Gospel of Thaddaeus: An English Translation

of the Critical Greek Text, Based on the Edessene Codex θ, and Compared with the
Fragments θ1 θ2 θ3 θ4 Fa197. 1. New Testament studies-- Greek texts, translations,
commentaries. 2. Apocryphal gospels. 3. Gospel of Thaddaeus. I. Ivanovna, Anastasia
Fyodorovicha (1982--), joint translator. II. Title. 04-29849

Table of Contents

Foreword

According to Thaddaeus
I. Introduction
II. Jesus' Ministry in Galilee
III. The Sermon on the Lake
IV. Jesus' Ministry in Galilee Continued
V. The Way to the Cross
VI. The Journey to Jerusalem
VII. The Ministry in Jerusalem
VIII. The Passion Narrative
IX. The Resurrection

Thaddaeus and the Gospels

Old Testament Citations and Allusions
Luke and Thaddaeus
Mark and Thaddaeus
Other Writings and Thaddaeus

The Discovery of the Gospel of Thaddaeus

Some Brief Remarks Concerning the Gospel of Thaddaeus

Foreword <top>

While field work is still in progress, we are pleased to make available this
English translation of the critical Greek text of the Gospel of Thaddaeus.

I provide in the postscript some brief remarks on the provenance and

import of this writing.

A project such as this one does not approach completion without help
from divers sources, to whom sincere thanks are due.
My thanks go first and foremost to Max Turner of the University of
Chicago, and Vanessa James of the University of London, for their most
gracious invitation to join in the work on site at Edessa, and for their
unflagging support. I owe thanks also to my colleagues at the University
of St. Petersburg, especially I.N. Nekrich, Aleksandr Plekhanov, and
Sergei Shelepin, for extending to me on very short notice this year of
sabbatical leave. Special thanks go to my graduate assistant, Natasha
Ivanovna: she has rendered on-site help on a multitude of points, only
the most obvious of which is her revision of my translation into English
which is at once colloquial and in conformity with the RSV of the synoptic
parallels.

Finally, my deepest thanks go out to my friend and colleague, Pyotr

Afanasiev of SS. Cyril and Methodius Theological Seminary in Moscow.
He deserves, on several counts, the appellation of renaissance man. His
always insightful criticism and dialogue have set the standard for the rest
of us who have studied the Thaddaean text.

--Yu. Grigoriev

According to Thaddaeus

I. Introduction <top>

Preface
1 The book of Jesus the Nazarene, the Christ of God. 2As it is written in
1

the scriptures, "Who has gone up to heaven, and come down? Who has
wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has dominion of all the ends
of the earth? 3What is his name? Or what is his son's name? For God
delivers the one who reverences him."

The Birth of Jesus

4
Now in Nazareth of Galilee a woman, Mary by name, was betrothed to a
man whose name was Joseph, a carpenter. 5But before they had come
together, an angel appeared to her and said, "Fear not; for you are
favored before God. 6And the Holy Spirit will overshadow you, and you
will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will call his name
Jesus. 7And he will save his people Israel, all whom God calls; and he will
be called the Son of God, and he will reign for ever." 8And it came to pass
as the angel from God had said; and she bore her son, and his name was
called Jesus, but Joseph did not know her until he was born. 9And his
enemies said, "He is the son of a soldier." 10But all these things took
place to fulfill what is written: 11"Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and
bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel." 12And he sprang up
in his own place, as it is written, "Behold the man whose name is the
Branch."

John the Baptist

13
Now John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism
of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the prophet:
14
"Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy
way." 15And Judea and Jerusalem came out to him, and they were
baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 16Now John was
clothed with camel's hair, and had a leather girdle around his waist, and
ate locusts and wild honey.

John's Preaching of Repentance

17
Now he said to those that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood
of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 18Bear fruits
that befit repentance, and do not say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham
as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up
children to Abraham. 19Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees;
every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire." 20And he preached to them, saying, "I have
baptized you with water; but he who is mightier than I is coming, the
thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; and he will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit."

The Baptism of Jesus

21
And in the appointed season, Jesus came and was baptized by John in
the Jordan. 22And when he came up out of the water, he saw the heavens
opened and the Spirit descended like a dove and rested upon him; 23and
a voice came from the heavens, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I
am well pleased; and thou shalt reign for ever."

The Temptation
24
Then the Spirit took him out, as if by the hairs of his head, and brought
him out onto the great Mount Tabor. 25And he was there forty days and
forty nights, being tempted by Satan; and the angels ministered to him.
II. Jesus' Ministry in Galilee <top>

Jesus Begins to Preach

2 And Jesus heard in Bethany about the arrest of John. And so he went
1

into Galilee. 2And there he preached the Good News of the kingdom of
God, saying, "Repent; for the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is
at hand."

The Call of the First Four Disciples

3
And going by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two fishermen, Simon son of
Jonah and Andrew the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea. 4And
they had toiled all night and took nothing. 5And Jesus called to them,
"Let down your nets on the other side for a catch." 6And when they had
done this, they took a great shoal of fish; and their nets were breaking.
7
And when Simon saw it, he said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful
man, O Lord." 8And Jesus spoke and answered them, "Follow me and I
will make you fishers of men." 9And immediately they left everything and
were following him. 10And after he had gone on a little farther, he saw
James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat
mending their nets. 11And immediately he called them; and they left their
father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and followed him.

The Calls of Levi and Thaddaeus

12
And he went out into the way; and as he went along, he saw Levi the
son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, "Follow me."
13
And he rose and left everything and followed him. 14And two days later,
as he was passing along, Jesus looked in the door of a workshop and saw
Thaddaeus, that is, Lebbaeus, mending a wheel. 15And he said to him,
"Come away, follow me." And it fell silent in the shop, and Thaddaeus put
down his hammer and immediately followed him.

Teaching in the Synagogue at Capernaum

16
And they went down to Capernaum of Galilee. And on the sabbath he
was teaching them in the synagogue. 17And they were astonished at his
teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the
scribes.

The Healing of the Demoniac in the Synagogue

18
And immediately in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit
of an unclean demon; and he cried out, 19saying, "What have you to do
with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? We know who
you are, the Holy One of God." 20But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be
silent, and come out of the man!" 21And the unclean spirit, convulsing
him and throwing him down, cried out and came out of him. 22And they
were all amazed and said to one another, "What is this? What is this new
teaching of his? For with authority he command even the unclean spirits,
and they obey him." 23And reports of him went out at once throughout all
the surrounding region.

The Healing of Peter's Mother-in-Law

24
And Jesus arose and left the synagogue, and entered the house of
Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 25Now Simon's mother-in-law
lay sick with a fever, and they besought him for her. 26And he came and
reached out his hand and took hold and lifted her up, and the fever left
her; and she served them.

The Sick Healed at Evening

27
That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick with
various diseases, or possessed with demons. 28And the whole city was
gathered together about the door. 29And he healed many who were sick,
and cast out many demons; and he rebuked the demons and would not
permit them to speak, because they knew him to be the Christ of God.

Jesus Departs from Capernaum

30
And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out into
a lonely place. 31And Simon and those who were with him pursued him,
and they found him and said to him, "Every one is searching for you."
32
And he said to them, "Let us go on to the nearby towns and cities, that
I may preach there also; for that is why I have come out."

First Preaching Tour in Galilee

33
And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and
casting out demons.

Jesus Casts Seven Demons out of Mary

3 Now when Jesus came to the city of Magdala, he went in and was
1

teaching there. And there came before him a prostitute whose name was
Mary, who had seven unclean spirits. 2And crying out with a loud voice,
she said to him, "O Son of man, what have you to do with us?" 3And
Jesus rebuked the unclean spirits, saying, "Pukou minnah," that is,
"Come out of her!" And the unclean spirits were cast out of her and left
her. 4Now, this Mary of Magdala became one of the women who followed
after Jesus.
The Cleansing of the Leper
5
Now while he was in one of the cities, a leper came to him beseeching
him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean."
6
And Jesus got angry and stretched out his hand and touched him, and
said to him, "I will; be clean." 7And immediately the leprosy left him, and
he was made clean. 8And he sternly charged him, and threw him out at
once, and said to him, "Say nothing to any one; 9but go, show yourself to
the priest, and offer the gift for your cleansing as Moses commanded, for
a proof to the people." 10But he went out and began to talk freely about
it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a
town, but was out in the country; 11and they came together to him, and
he returned to Capernaum.

The Healing of the Paralytic

12
And it was reported after some days that he was at home. And Jesus
was preaching the word to them. 13And many were gathered together, so
that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door. And
behold, four men were coming to him carrying a paralytic on a pallet.
14
And finding no way to get near him because of the crowd, they went up
on the roof and removed the tiles above him; and when they had made
an opening, they let down the paralytic with his pallet in front of Jesus.
15
And when he saw their faith, he said, "My son, your sins are forgiven
you." 16Now some of the Pharisees and scribes there began to question in
their hearts, "Who is this that speaks thus? It is blasphemy! Who can
forgive sins but God alone?" 17Now when Jesus perceived in his spirit
their questionings, he said to them, "Why do you question in your
hearts? 18Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise
and walk'? 19But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on
earth to forgive sins"-- he said to the man who was paralyzed-- "Rise,
take up your pallet, go home." 20And he rose, and immediately took up
that on which he lay and went out before them, and went home. 21And
amazement seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, "We never
saw anything like this!"

The Question about Fasting

22
Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people said to
him, "Why do these fast, but your disciples eat and drink?" 23And Jesus
said to them, "The wedding guests cannot fast while they have the
bridegroom with them. 24The days will come, when the bridegroom is
taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. 25No one
sews a piece from a new garment on an old garment; if he does, the new
tears away from the old, and a worse tear is made. 26And no one puts
new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the skins will burst through, and
the wine will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 27But new wine
must be kept in new skins and jars."

Plucking Grain on the Sabbath

28
On the second sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his
disciples began to pluck and eat some heads of grain. 29And the Pharisees
said to him, "Look, why are you doing what it is not lawful to do on the
sabbath?" 30And Jesus answered them and said, "Have you never read
what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him;
31
how when he entered the house of God, when Abimelech was high
priest, he took the bread of the presence, which it is not lawful for any
but the priests to eat, and he gave it to those with him, and they ate it?
32
But I say to you that the sabbath was created for man, not man for the
sabbath."

A Man Gathering Sticks on the Sabbath

33
And on the same day, as he was going along, he saw a man picking up
sticks on the sabbath. 34And Jesus said to him, "Man, if you know what
you are doing, you are blessed; but if you do not know what you are
doing, you are accursed and a transgressor of the law."

The Man with the Withered Hand

35
And on another sabbath he entered the synagogue, and a man came to
him who had a withered hand. 36And they watched him, to see whether
he would heal him on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation
against him. 37So Jesus said to them, "I will ask you, is it lawful on the
sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?" But they were
silent. 38And he looked around at them in anger, grieved at their hardness
of heart, and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so,
and his hand was restored, as sound as the other. 39And Jesus said to
them, "The Son of man is lord of the sabbath." 40But they were filled with
fury and considered with one another how to destroy him.

The Choosing of the Twelve

41
Now in those days he went up on the mountain, and called to him his
disciples. 42And he appointed twelve of them, to be with him, and to be
sent out to preach 43and to have power to heal the sick and authority to
cast out demons: 44Simon the son of Jonah, whom he surnamed Peter,
and Andrew his brother; 45and James the son of Zebedee and John the
brother of James, whom together he called the Baneregez; 46and
Matthew, and Thaddaeus, and Philip, and Nathanael the son of Talmai,
and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Cananaean,
and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 47And he gathered them at the
house of Simon Peter, and said to them, "I desire you to be my apostles,
a witness to Israel."

III. The Sermon on the Lake <top>

The Sermon on the Lake

4 And Jesus went with his disciples and withdrew to the lake of
1

Gennesaret, and there gathered about him many people from Galilee,
and from Judea and Jerusalem and from about Tyre and Sidon, 2for they
came to him to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. 3And he told
his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, for they
pressed upon him that they might hear the word of God and that power
might come forth from him upon them. 4And getting into the boat, he
asked the disciples to put out a little from the land. 5And he sat down,
and from the boat he taught the crowd which was beside the lake upon
the land, and in his teaching he said to them:

The Beatitudes
6
"Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 7But woe to you
that are rich, for you have received your consolation. 8Blessed are you
that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. 9But woe to you that are full
now, for you shall hunger. 10Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall
laugh. 11But woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
12
Blessed are you who serve as slaves now, for you shall rule in
righteousness. 13But woe to you who hold dominion now, for you shall be
brought down. 14Blessed shall you be when men hate you, and when they
revile you and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man!
15
Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for your reward is great in heaven;
for so their fathers did to the prophets. 16But woe to you, when all men
speak well of you! Cry out, and call to the mountains to fall and cover
you; for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

On Love of One's Enemies

17
"But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who
hate you, 18bless those who curse you, pray on behalf of those who abuse
you. 19Reprove one another not in wrath but in peace, for you will never
be glad until you look upon your brother with love. 20Do not resist one
who is evil, but to him who strikes you on the right cheek, offer the left
also; and from him who takes away your coat do not withhold even your
shirt; 21and with him who forces you to carry a burden one mile, carry it
two miles. 22And as you wish that men would do to you, do so yourself to
them. 23If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For
even sinners love those who love them. 24And if you lend to those from
whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend
to sinners, to receive twice as much again. 25But love your enemies, and
give to every one who begs from you, expecting nothing in return. 26Sell
your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with a treasure in
the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches, and neither
moth nor mildew destroys. 27For where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also; 28and you will be sons of my Father who is in the heavens.
For he makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on
the just and on the unjust.

On Judging
29
"Show mercy that you may receive mercy; forgive that it may be
forgiven unto you. 30As you judge so shall you be judged; and as you are
kind so shall kindness be done to you. 31For the measure you give will be
the same measure you get back, and still more will be given you." 32And
he told them parables. "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not
both fall into a pit? 33A disciple is not above his teacher, but let him when
he is fully taught be like his teacher. 34How can you say to your brother,
'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when behold, there is a
log in your own eye? 35You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own
eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your
brother's eye.

On Profaning the Holy

36
"So give away all that you possess; but let your alms sweat into your
palms until you know to whom you give. 37Do not give dogs what is holy,
lest they cast it down upon a dungheap; and do not throw your pearls
before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn again and rend
you with their tusks."

"By their Fruits..."

38
And he said: "Grapes are not gathered from thorns, nor are figs plucked
from camel's thorn. They give no fruit. 39But a good man brings forth
good from his treasure. 40A wicked man brings forth evil from his evil
treasure which is in his heart, and says evil things; for from the
abundance of the heart he brings forth evil things.

The Tower Built Upon the Rock

41
"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and say that you are united with me
in my bosom, and yet you do not do what I tell you? 42Every one who
hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 43he is
like a man building a tower, who dug deep, and laid the foundations upon
rock; and the rain fell, and a flood arose, and the sea broke against that
tower, and could not shake it, because it had been founded upon the
rock. 44But he who hears my words and does not do them is like a man
who built a tower on the ground without a foundation, and the sea
broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that tower was great."

The Parable of the Sower

45
And he told them more parables. "A sower went out to sow. 46And as he
sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds of the heavens
devoured it. 47And other seed fell on rocky ground, and immediately it
sprang up; 48and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no
root it withered away. 49Other seed fell among thorns; and the thorns
grew up and choked it. 50And other seed fell into good soil and brought
forth grain, and yielded thirtyfold and sixtyfold and one hundred twenty
fold.

The Parable of the Lamp

51
"Now, is a lamp lit to be put under a bushel, or in a cellar, and not on a
stand? 52Your eye is the lamp of your body; so when your eye is sound,
your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound, your body is full
of darkness. 53There is light within the sons of light, and it illuminates the
whole world; if it does not illuminate it, it is darkness. 54For nothing is
hid, except to be made manifest; nor anything secret, except to come to
light.

"Let Him Who Has Ears to Hear..."

55
"Let him who has ears, hear! Take heed then what you hear; 56for to
him who has will more be given; and from him who has not, even what
he has will be taken away."

The Kingdom Is in Your Midst

57
And he said to them: "If they who lead you say to you, 'Behold, the
kingdom of God is in the heavens,' then the birds of the heavens will
precede you. 58If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will
precede you. And if they say, 'It is upon the earth,' then the cattle upon
the hills will precede you. 59But the kingdom is in your midst, and it is
drawing nigh upon you. 60Now you do not know my Father, but in that
day which is to come you shall be known, and you shall know that you
are children of my Father who is in heaven. 61But you are in poverty, and
indeed you are poverty, unless all men know you as children of my
Father on account of your love."

IV. Jesus' Ministry in Galilee Continued <top>

Healings at Gennesaret
5 And after he had said all these things, the people were amazed. And
1

he got out of the boat. 2And they brought sick people on their pallets to
him, and besought him that they might touch even the fringe of his
garment; and as many as touched it were made well. 3And the unclean
spirits fell down before him and cried out; and he strictly ordered them
not to make him known, for they knew him to be the Son of God.

Stilling the Storm

4
Seeing that evening had come, he said to his disciples, "Let us go across
to the other side of the lake." 5And leaving the crowd, they set out in the
boat, and as they sailed he fell asleep. 6And a great storm of wind came
down on the lake, and the waves beat into the boat, and they were filling
with water. 7But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and James
the son of Zebedee awoke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not
care if we perish?" 8And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the
sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
9
He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Where is your faith?" 10And
they were filled with awe, and said to one another, "Who then is this,
that he commands, and even sea and wind obey him?"

The Centurion of Capernaum

11
And so they came again to Capernaum. Now a centurion had a slave
who was dear to him, who was sick and at the point of death. 12When he
heard of Jesus, he sent word to him, asking him to come and heal his
slave. 13And he asked Jesus earnestly, and Jesus went with them. 14When
he was not far from the house, the centurion himself came out to him,
saying, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But
only say the word, and let my servant be healed. 15For I am a man set
under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, 'Come,' and
he comes; and to another, 'Go,' and he goes; and to my slave, 'Do this,'
and he does it." 16When Jesus heard this he marveled at him, and turned
and said to the multitude that followed him, "I tell you, never in Israel
have I found such faith." 17And when the centurion returned to his house,
he found the slave well.
The Widow's Son at Nain
18
Soon afterward Jesus went to a city called Nain, and his disciples went
with him. 19As he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a man who
had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was
a widow; and a large crowd from the city came along with her. 20And
when Jesus saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not
weep." 21And he came and touched the bier, and asked the bearers to
stand still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." 22And the dead
man sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother. 23Fear
seized them all; and this report concerning him spread throughout all the
surrounding country.

The Woman with the Ointment

24
And two days later as he sat at table in the house of Matthew, many tax
collectors and sinners were sitting with Jesus and his disciples. 25And a
woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment, and weeping, she
began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her
head, and kissed his feet. 26Now when the Pharisees saw it, they said to
themselves, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known what sort
of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." 27And then she
broke the flask, and anointed his feet with ointment. And again they said
to themselves indignantly, "Why was this ointment thus wasted? 28For
this ointment might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii,
and given to the poor." 29And when Jesus heard it, he said to them,
"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick;
for I came to call to repentance not the righteous, but sinners." 30And
then Jesus said to them, "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed
five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 31And when they could not pay
he forgave them both. Now which of them will love him more?" 32One of
the Pharisees answered him, "The one to whom he forgave more." And
he said to him, "You have judged rightly. 33And therefore I tell you, much
is forgiven her, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves
little." 34Then turning toward the woman he said, "Your sins are forgiven."
35
Then the Pharisees began to murmur among themselves, saying, "Who
is this, who even forgives sins?" 36And he said to her, "Your faith has
saved you; go in peace."

Jesus' True Kindred

37
Then he went home; and the next day a crowd came together again, so
that he and his disciples could not eat. 38And when his mother and his
brothers heard it, they went out to seize him, for they said, "He is beside
himself." 39And they came to him, but not being able to reach him for the
crowd, they called him. 40And he was told, "Your mother and your
brothers and your sisters are standing outside, asking for you." 41And he
answered and said to them, "Who are my mother or brothers?" 42And
stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "These who do the
will of my Father are my brothers and mother and sisters."

The Walking on the Water

43
At evening, his disciples went down to the sea, where he made them
get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida. 44And
after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
45
And when evening came, it was dark, and the boat was already out on
the sea, and he was alone on the land. 46And he saw that they were
distressed in rowing, for the wind was greatly against them. And about
the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 47He
meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking upon the sea
they thought it was a ghost, and they all cried out; 48for they saw him,
and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take
heart, have no fear; it is I." 49And he got into the boat with them and the
wind ceased. And they were utterly amazed.

The Gergesene Demoniac

6 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the
1

Gergesenes. 2And when he had come out of the boat, there met him out
of the tombs a man from the city with an unclean spirit, 3who lived
among the tombs; and no one could bind him any more, even with a
chain; 4for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, but the
chains he wrenched apart, and the fetters he broke in pieces, and he was
driven by the unclean spirit into the desert. 5And when he saw Jesus
from afar, he ran and fell down and worshiped him; 6and said with a loud
voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I
adjure you by God, do not torment me." 7For he had said to him, "Come
out of the man, you unclean spirit!" 8And Jesus asked him, "What is your
name?" And he replied, "My name is Legion; for we are many." 9And they
begged him not to send them out of the country. 10Now a great herd of
swine was feeding there on the hillside; and they begged him, "Send us
to the swine, let us enter them." 11So he gave them leave. And the
unclean spirits came out of the man and entered the swine; and the
herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into
the lake, and were drowned. 12When the herdsmen saw it, they fled, and
told it in the city and in the country. And people went out to see what
had happened. 13And they came to Jesus, and saw the man who had had
the legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind; and they were
afraid. 14And those who had seen it told what had happened to the
demoniac and to the swine. 15And they urged Jesus to depart from their
neighborhood, for they were seized with great fear. 16And as he was
getting into the boat, the man from whom the unclean spirits had gone
begged that he might be with him. 17But he refused, and said to him, "Go
home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for
you." 18And he went away, proclaiming throughout the Decapolis how
much Jesus had done for him.

Jairus' Daughter and the Woman with a Hemorrhage

19
Now Jesus and his disciples crossed again in the boat to the side; and a
great crowd gathered about him beside the sea. 20Then came a man
named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue; and he fell at his feet, 21and
besought him, saying, "My little daughter is dying. Come and touch her
with your hands, so that she may be made well, and live." 22As he went,
a great crowd pressed round him. 23And a woman who had had a flow of
blood for twelve years, and had spent all that she had on many
physicians and could not be healed, said to herself, "If I touch even the
garments of this Jesus, I shall be made well." 24So she came up behind
him and touched the fringe of his garment; and immediately her flow of
blood ceased, and she was healed. 25And Jesus, also perceiving in himself
that power had gone forth from him, immediately said, "Who touched
the blue of the fringe of my garment?" 26And Peter said to him, "Teacher,
you see the crowd pressing round you." 27But Jesus said, "Some one
touched the blue of the fringe," and he looked around to see who had
done it. 28But the woman, seeing and hearing this, came in fear and fell
down before him trembling, and declared to him the whole truth. 29And
he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace."
30
While he was still speaking, a man came from the ruler's house and
said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?" 31But
overhearing this, Jesus answered the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not
fear, only believe." 32And he permitted no one to enter with him, except
Peter and James and John, and the father and mother of the girl. 33And
when they came to the house, they saw people weeping and wailing.
34
And he said to them, "Do not make a tumult and weep; for the child is
not dead but sleeping." 35And they laughed at him. But he threw them all
out, and taking those whom he had called to be with him, he went in
where the child was. 36And taking her by the hand he called to her,
saying, "Talitha cumi"; which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."
37
And immediately the girl got up and walked (she was twelve years of
age), and they were amazed. 38And he directed them to give her
something to eat, and strictly charged them that no one should know
this.

Jesus Is Rejected at Nazareth

39
And Jesus went away from there with his disciples, and came to
Nazareth, to his own country. 40And on the sabbath day he taught in the
synagogue, and he stood up to read. 41And many who heard him were
astonished at his teaching, and they said, "Whence is the wisdom that is
given to this man? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! 42Is not
this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James and Jude
and Joseph and Simon, and are not his sisters Deborah and Ruth and
Rachel here with us?" 43And they stumbled at him; and he said to them,
"A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among
his own kin. Will you quote to me this proverb, 'No physician is able to
heal himself'? 44Truly, I say to you, if the peace of God is rejected by
those who are near, it shall be proclaimed and heard and accepted
among those who stand far off. This is the word of the Lord." 45And they
were furious. And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid
his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. 46And marveling
because of their unbelief, he went his way among the villages teaching.

Commissioning the Twelve

7 And he called the twelve together and gave them authority over the
1

unclean spirits, and power to cure diseases, 2and he sent them out to
preach the kingdom of God and to heal. 3And he charged them saying,
"Take nothing for your journey except a staff; no bread, nor bag, nor
money; but wear sandals and do not put on two tunics. 4And wherever
you enter a house, stay there until you leave a place. 5And wherever they
refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust from your feet as
a testimony against them; 6and it will be better for Sodom and Gomorrah
at the last day than for that town." 7So they went out two by two through
the villages and preached repentance. 8And they cast out many demons,
and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.

The Return of the Apostles

9
And on their return, the apostles told Jesus all that they had done and
taught. 10And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves for a while,
and rest in a lonely place." For many were coming and going, and they
had no leisure even to eat.

Five Thousand are Fed

11
And they went up into the boat to a lonely place by themselves. 12Now
many saw them going, and they ran there on foot, and got there ahead
of them. 13And as Jesus went ashore he saw a great throng, and he had
compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them about the kingdom of God. 14And when it
grew late, the twelve came to him and said, "The hour is now late, and
this is a lonely place; 15send them away, to go into the country and
villages round about and get themselves lodging and provisions." 16But
he answered them, "You give them something to eat." The other Simon,
not Peter, said, "Shall we go and buy food for all these people? For we
have no more than seven loaves and two fish." 17Then Jesus commanded
the crowd to sit down upon the green grass, by companies of fifty and
companies of a hundred. 18And taking the seven loaves and the two fish
he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave
them to the disciples to set before the people. 19And they all ate and
were satisfied. 20And they took up what was left over, twelve baskets full
of broken pieces and of the fish. 21And those who ate were five thousand
men.

Defilement-- Traditional and Real

22
Now some of the Pharisees and scribes came up from Jerusalem, and
asked him to sit at table and dine with them. 23And they were astonished
to see that Jesus and his disciples ate with hands defiled, that is,
unwashed. 24For the Jews do not eat unless first they wash their hands,
observing the traditions of the elders; and there are many other
traditions which they observe. 25And the Pharisees and the scribes asked
him, "Why do you and your disciples not walk according to the tradition
of the elders, but eat with hands defiled?" 26And he said to them, "You
leave the commandments of God, and hold fast the traditions of men.
27
For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who
speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die'; 28but you say, 'If a
man tells his father or his mother, The Corban is what you will gain from
me'-- 29then you do not permit him to do anything for his father or
mother. 30And you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but
inside you are full of extortion and wickedness. 31You fools! Did not he
who made the inside make the outside also? 32How will you find the
kingdom, unless you fast to this evil age? 33And how will you see my
Father, unless you sabbatize the sabbath? 34But give for alms those
things which are within; and behold, everything will be clean for you."
35
And he called the people to him again, and said to them, "Hear me, all
of you, and understand: 36there is nothing outside a man which by going
into him can defile him, for it enters not his heart but his stomach, and
so is evacuated into the sewer; 37but what comes out of a man is what
defiles him, for it comes out of his heart. 38If any man has ears to hear,
let him hear!"

The Canaanite Woman

8 And from there he arose and went away to the region around Tyre.
1

And a woman, whose daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit,

heard of him, and came and fell down at his feet. 2Now the woman was a
Gentile. And she begged him to cast the unclean spirit out of her
daughter. 3And he refused, saying to her, "It is not right to take the
children's bread and meat and throw it to the dogs." 4But she answered
him, "Lord, even the dogs under the table are fed with the children's
scraps." 5And he said to her, "For this saying you may go your way; the
demon has left your daughter." 6And when she went home, she found her
daughter well, and the unclean spirit gone.

Jesus Heals a Deaf Mute

7
Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went to the Sea of
Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis. 8And they brought to him a
man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they
besought him to lay his hands upon him. 9And taking him aside from the
multitude privately, he put his fingers into the ears of the deaf man, and
he spat and touched his tongue; 10and looking up to the heavens, he
sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." 11And his
ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 12And
they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things
well; he even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak."

A Blind Man is Healed at Bethsaida

13
And he came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind
man, and begged him to touch him. 14And he took the blind man by the
hand, and brought him out of the village; and when he had spit on his
eyes and laid his hands upon him, he asked him, "Do you see anything?"
15
And he looked up and said, "I see men; but they look like trees,
walking." 16Then again he placed his hands upon his eyes; and he looked
intently and was restored, and saw everything clearly. 17And he sent him
away saying, "Go your way, enter your home, and say nothing about it to
any one in the town."

V. The Way to the Cross <top>

Peter's Confession
 And Jesus went on with his disciples to Caesarea Philippi; and on the
18

way he asked them, "Who do men say that I am?" 19And they answered
him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, like one of the
prophets." 20And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" And
Peter answered him, "You are the Christ of God." 21And he charged them
to tell this to no one.

Jesus Foretells His Passion

22
And from then on he began to teach them that the Son of man must
suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests
and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 23And
Peter took him, and began to rebuke him angrily. 24But he turned and
rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the
side of God, but of men."

"If Any Man would Come after Me..."

25
And he said to them, "If any man would come after me, let him deny
himself and take up his cross and follow me. 26For whoever would save
his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
27
For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his
own life? 28For what can a man give in return for his life? 29For whoever is
ashamed of me and of my words in this evil age, of him will the Son of
man be ashamed when he comes with the angelic host in the glory of the
Father. 30But truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will
not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with
power."

The Transfiguration
31
And six days after this, Jesus took with him Cephas and the sons of
Zebedee, and led them up onto a great mountain in Galilee. 32And when
they had come to the top, he was transfigured brightly before them, and
his garments became blinding, shining white, so that they were stricken
with terror. 33And behold, two men stood in glory on the mountain,
talking with Jesus. 34And Cephas, turning about in fear, said to Jesus,
"Rabbi, it is well that we are here; let three booths be set up, one for you
and one for each of these men." 35And then a bright cloud overshadowed
them, and a voice spoke from the cloud, "This is my beloved Son, who
shall reign on earth as in heaven; listen to him!" 36And then they saw
Jesus only standing with them; and they asked him, "Were these angels
with whom you were talking?" 37And he said to them, "No, but Moses and
Elijah were manifest here to bear witness to the Son of man for your
sake; for I am come to fulfill in my witness all the law and the prophets."
 And in those days they feared greatly, and told no one what they had
38

seen; for Jesus said to them, "Do not speak about this until the Son of
man rises from the dead."

The Coming of Elijah

9 And they asked him, "Why do the Pharisees and the scribes say that
1

first Elijah must come?" 2And he answered and said to them, "If Elijah
comes first to restore all things, of the Son of man it is written that he
should suffer many things and be treated with contempt. 3But I tell you
that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is
written of him."

Jesus Heals a Boy Possessed by a Spirit

4
And a great crowd met him, and a man from the crowd cried, "Teacher, I
brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; 5and it seizes him and
he cries out and it dashed him down and it convulses him. 6And I begged
your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able." 7And Jesus
answered, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How
long am I to bear with you?" 8And the father of the child cried out with
tears and said, "I believe; help my unbelief! If you can do anything, have
pity on us and help us!" 9And Jesus said, "Bring your son to me." And
they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately
it convulsed the boy. 10But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and
commanded it to come out of him and never to enter him again. 11And
Jesus lifted up the boy who had been healed by the hand, and gave him
back to his father. 12And his disciples asked him, "Why could we not cast
it out?" 13And he said to them, "All things are possible to him who
believes. But this kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer."

Jesus Foretells His Passion Again

14
As they went on from there they were passing secretly through Galilee,
and Jesus said to his disciples, 15"The Son of man will be delivered into
the hands of men who will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised
up." 16But they did not understand this saying, and they were afraid to
ask him.

The Strange Exorcist

17
John said to him, "Master, we saw a man casting out demons in your
name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us." 18But Jesus
said, "Do not forbid him: for he who does a mighty work in my name will
not be able soon after to speak evil of me; 19and he who today is far
away will tomorrow be near me."
John the Baptist's Question and Jesus' Answer
20
Now John the Baptist sent two of his disciples to Jesus, saying, "Are you
he who is to come, or shall we look for another?" 21And when they came
and asked Jesus, he was curing many of diseases and plagues and
unclean spirits, and on many that were blind he was bestowing sight.
22
And he answered them, "Go and tell John what your eyes have seen
and what your ears have heard: 23the blind receive their sight, the lame
walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the
poor have good news preached to them. 24And blessed is he who takes
no offense at me."

Jesus' Witness Concerning John

25
When the messengers of John had gone, he began to speak to the
crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to
behold? A reed shaken by the wind? 26What then did you go out to see? A
man clothed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are gorgeously
appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts. 27What then did you go
out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 28I tell
you, among those born of women none is greater than John; yet he who
is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. 29To what then shall I
compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? 30They are
like children sitting in the market place and calling to one another, 'We
piped to you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.'
31
For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine;
and you say, 'He has a demon.' 32The Son of man has come eating and
drinking; and you say, 'Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax
collectors and sinners!' 33Yet wisdom is justified by all her children."

Opinions Regarding Jesus

34
Now King Herod heard of it; for Jesus' name had become known. And
he said, "John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; that is why
these powers are at work in him." 35But some said, "Elijah has appeared,"
and others said, "One of the prophets of old has risen." 36And Herod said,
"John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?"

The Death of John the Baptist

37
For Herod had been reproved by John for Herodias, his brother's wife,
and so he shut John up in prison. 38And Herod feared John, but Herodias
sought his death. 39So at a festival she had her daughter beguile Herod
and extract from him an oath, that he should give her the gift she
requested. 40And the girl requested of Herod the head of John upon a
bronze platter; and Herod lamented, but he was bound by his oath. 41So
when John had been beheaded, his disciples came and took his body,
and laid it in a tomb.

The Kingdom Plundered

42
And when Jesus heard of it, he said, "The law and the prophets were
until John; but now the kingdom of God is plundered, and every one
enters it by force."

VI. The Journey to Jerusalem <top>

Decision to Go to Jerusalem
10 And knowing that the season had drawn near for him to be handed
1

over, Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem.

Jesus Is Rejected by Samaritans

2
And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village
of the Samaritans, to make ready for him; 3but the people would not
receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 4And when his
disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to bid
fire come down from heaven and consume them, as Elijah did?" 5But he
turned and rebuked them, saying, "You do not know what manner of
spirit you are of; for the Son of man came not to destroy men's lives but
to save them." 6And they went on to another village.

On Following Jesus
7
As they were going along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you
wherever you go." 8And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds
of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head."
9
To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and
bury my father." 10But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own
dead; but as for you, follow me." 11Another said, "I will follow you, Lord;
but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 12Jesus said to him,
"No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the
kingdom of God." 13And after this, Jesus said to his disciples, "Do you not
see? Many are near the well, but few are in the well. 14For he who is near
me is near the fire, and he who is far from me is far from the kingdom of
God."

Commissioning the Seventy-Two

15
Then Jesus appointed seventy-two, and sent them out two by two, man
and sister wife, into the towns of Galilee; 16and he breathed a share of
his Spirit upon them. 17And he spoke and said to them, "The plain is
white; the harvest is come. 18Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to
send out laborers while it is the month of harvest. 19Go your way; carry
no purse, no bag, no staff; 20but when you come to a village, enter
saying, 'Peace be to this house of peace!' 21And if a son of peace truly is
there, your peace shall rest upon his head; but if not, it shall return to
you. 22And remain in the same house while you remain in the village,
eating the bread they provide and drinking the wine they provide; for the
laborer deserves his wages. 23And heal the sick and cast out demons in
the town, saying to the people, 'The kingdom of God has come near to
you.' 24But if they do not receive you, say in the streets, 'Even the dust
that clings to our feet, we wipe it off; nevertheless, hear this, that the
kingdom of God has come near.'

Woes Pronounced on Galilean Cities

25
"Woe to you, Chorazin and Bethsaida! for if the mighty works done in
you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long
ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 26But it shall be more tolerable in that
day for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 27And you, Capernaum, who have
been exalted to the heavens, you shall be brought down to Hades!

"He Who Hears You, Hears Me"

28
"He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and
he who hears me hears him who sent me."

The Return of the Seventy-Two

29
The seventy-two returned in awe, saying, "Lord, we laid our hands on
the sick, and they have recovered; 30and neither serpent nor any deadly
thing can hurt us; 31and even the demons we cast out in your name!"
32
And Jesus said to them, "I saw Satan fall like a shooting star from the
heavens into the darkness of the sea. 33Behold, I have given you great
authority; 34nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the unclean spirits
are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in the book
which stands before the throne."

Jesus' Thanksgiving to the Father, and the Blessedness of the

Disciples
35
In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank thee,
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things
from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea,
Father, for so it was well-pleasing before thee." 36And turning to the
disciples he said, "All things have been delivered to me by my Father;
and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is
except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
37
Blessed are the ears which hear what you hear! 38For I tell you that
many prophets and angels desired to see what you see, and did not see
it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

The Lawyer's Question

39
And a certain lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher,
which commandment is the first of all?" 40And Jesus answered and said to
him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all
your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your
neighbor as yourself. 41And all the other commandments are commentary
on these." 42And the lawyer said to him, "You are right, Teacher; for to
love God and to love your neighbor, is more than all whole burnt
offerings and sacrifices." 43But after that no one dared to ask him any
question.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

44
And then Jesus, to show them who is their neighbor in the kingdom of
God, told them a parable. 45"A man was journeying in the countryside,
but he did not keep to the way, and he fell into a great ditch, so that he
lay there half-dead. 46Now a priest was going down that road; and when
he saw him he passed by on the other side. 47So likewise a Levite, when
he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 48But a
Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw
him, he had compassion, 49and went to him and bound up his wounds,
pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought
him to an inn, and took care of him. 50And the next day he took out
seven denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him;
and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.'
51
Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell
into the ditch?" 52He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And
Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

Mary and Martha

53
Now it happened that as they went on their way, he entered a village;
and a woman named Martha received him into her house. 54And Mary sat
at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 55But Martha was
distracted with much serving; and she went to him and said, "Lord, do
you not care that Mary has left me to serve alone, and that she sits at
your feet and asks you when the kingdom will come, while I toil?" 56And
the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled
about many things; 57but when the kingdom of God comes, two shall be
as one, and the heights shall fathom the depths, and the woman shall be
with the man, the man and the woman together in the Spirit. 58But in this
age there shall be factions and divisions."

The Lord's Prayer

11 1
And Jesus was praying, and when he ceased for a little while,
Andrew said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his
disciples." 2And he said to them, "Whenever you pray, say, 'Our Father,
our King, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 3Thy kingdom come,
thy Holy Spirit descend upon us and cleanse us. 4Give us today thy
continual bread. 5And forgive us our trespasses, for we ourselves forgive
every one against whom we hold anything. And lead us not into
tribulation.'

Encouragement to Pray
6
"And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find;
knock, and the door will be opened to you. 7For every one who asks
receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks the door will
be opened. 8For what father among you, if his son asks for a bread, will
give him a stone; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion; 9or if
he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent? 10If you then,
who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will the heavenly Father give a good gift to those who ask him!"

The Beelzebul Controversy

11
Now scribes came down from Jerusalem and found him casting out
demons. 12And they said, "He is possessed by Beelzebul, and he casts out
demons by the prince of demons." 13But he called them to him, and said
to them, "How can Satan cast out Satan? 14Every kingdom divided
against itself is laid waste, and no house divided against itself will be
able to stand. 15And if Satan also is divided against himself, then he
cannot stand, but his kingdom is coming to an end. 16And if I cast out
demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? 17But if it is
by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God
has come upon you. 18But no one can enter a strong man's palace and
plunder his goods, unless he first overcomes and binds the strong man;
then indeed he may plunder his house. 19He who is not with me is against
me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.

The Return of the Evil Spirit

20
"When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes into
waterless places, through hill and dale, seeking rest. 21But finding none
he says, I will return to my house from which I came. 22And when he
comes he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 23Then he goes and
brings seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and
dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.
24
So when you are cleansed, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and give
thanks to my Father who is in heaven."

The Sign of Jonah

25
Then the scribes and Pharisees, to test him, sought from him a sign
from heaven. 26They said to him, "Show us a sign of this kingdom, so
that we may see, and believe you." 27He said to them, "You test the face
of the heavens and the earth, and you do not know what is before you,
and you cannot test this time. 28When you see a red sky in the evening,
you say, 'It will be fair weather'; and when you see a yellow sky in the
evening, you say, 'It will be stormy.' 29And when you see the south wind
blowing, you say, 'There will be scorching heat'; but you do not know
how to interpret the present time. 30You hypocrites! No sign shall be
given to this evil generation except the sign of Jonah. 31And I say to you,
the queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation
and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the
wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is
here. 32The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgment with this
generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah,
and behold, something greater than Jonah is here."

The Leaven of the Pharisees

33
And turning to his disciples, he said, "Take heed, beware of the leaven
of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."

Exhortation to Fearless Confession

34
And Jesus said to them, "Everything that is not before you will be
revealed to you, for there is nothing hid which will not be revealed; nor
buried, which will not be raised. 35Therefore whatever you have said in
the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in your
inner room shall be proclaimed from the rooftops. 36I tell you, you shall
be as lambs in the midst of wolves; But fear not, for it is your Father's
good pleasure to give you the kingdom." 37And Peter answered and said
to him, "But Lord, what if the wolves tear the lambs?" 38And Jesus said to
him, "Let not the lambs after they are dead fear the wolves. 39For I tell
you, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing to
you. 40But fear him who, after you are dead, has authority over soul and
body to cast into the Gehenna of fire; yes, I tell you, fear him! 41Are not
five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yes, and not one of them is forgotten
before God. 42Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. So fear
not; you are of more value than many sparrows. 43And I tell you, every
one who acknowledges me before men, the Son of man also will
acknowledge before the angels of God; 44but he who denies me before
men will be denied before the angels of God.

The Sin Against the Holy Spirit

45
"And I say to you, every sin will be forgiven, and every one who speaks
a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but he who blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven."

Warning Against Avarice

12 And one of the multitude came and said to him, "Teacher, bid my
1

brother divide the inheritance with me." 2But he said to him, "Man, who
made me a judge over you?" 3And turning to his disciples, Jesus asked
them, "Am I a divider?" 4And he said to the crowd, "Take heed, and
beware of all covetousness; for a man's life does not consist in the
abundance of his possessions."

The Parable of the Rich Fool

5
And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man brought
forth plentifully; 6and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have
nowhere to store my crops?' 7And he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down
my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and
my goods. 8And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid
up for many years; so take your ease."' 9But God said to him, 'Fool! This
night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared,
whose will they be?' 10So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is
not rich toward God. Let him who has ears to hear, hear!"

Anxieties About Earthly Things

11
And Jesus said to his disciples, "Do not take care from morning to
evening or from evening to morning, for your clothes, what you shall put
on, nor for your food, what you shall eat. 12For you are far better than
the lilies, which neither spin nor weave; yet I tell you, even Solomon in
all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 13But if God so clothes the
grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the
oven, he himself will give you your garment, O men of little faith! 14And
having one garment, what do you lack? 15Or consider the birds of the
heavens; they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor
barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than
the birds! 16Who can add to his span of life, or to his stature? 17If then
you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious
about the rest? 18For all the nations of the earth seek these things; and
your Father knows that you need them. 19Instead, seek the kingdom of
God, and these things shall be yours as well."

Division in Households
20
And Jesus said to the multitudes, "I came to cast fire upon the earth;
and how I am constrained until it is kindled! 21Do you think that I have
come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; 22for
henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and
two against three; 23they will be divided, father against son and son
against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her
mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law
against her mother-in-law.

Agreement with One's Accuser

24
"So judge for yourselves what is right. 25As you go with your accuser
before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest
he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and
the officer put you in prison. 26I tell you, you will never get out till you
have paid the very last copper."

Repentance or Destruction
27
There were some present at that very time who told him of the
Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 28And he
answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners
than all the other Galileans, because they suffered thus? 29I tell you, No;
but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 30Or those eighteen
upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that
they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem? 31I
tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

The Parable of the Vintner

32
And he said to them, "There was a vintner who advanced ten thousand
denarii to the owner of a vineyard. 33And the vintner said to him, 'Pay me
in new wine at the appointed season.' 34But when that day came, the
owner of the vineyard could not pay his debt; for although some of the
vines in his vineyard had borne grapes abundantly, others had borne no
fruit at all. 35So he went in fear and shame to the vintner, and pleaded
with him for clemency. 36He said to him, 'I can pay you only three
thousand denarii, for some of my vines bore no fruit.' 37And the vintner
answered the owner and said, 'So be it. Turn over to me every cluster
and every grape which you have, that they may be trodden out in the
winepress, and I will forgive your debt. 38But I am sending my servants
through the vineyard, and they shall uproot every vine which bore no
fruit, and cast it into the fire.'"

Saulasau, Caulacau, Zeersam

13 1
And as they were walking along the banks of the River Jordan,
Thomas asked him, "Teacher, how shall we recognize the coming of the
kingdom of God?" 2And Jesus answered him and said, "Thomas, Thomas,
is it not written, 'Saulasau, Caulacau, Zeersam'?-- 3That is, order upon
order, canon upon canon, a little here, a little there? 4So measure
straight, and cut once, and let not your eye watch where your hand cuts;
5
for the coming of the kingdom of God is tribulation upon tribulation, and
hope upon hope, yet a little, yet a little. 6But these things I tell you, that
you may read the signs, and reading you may hope, and hoping you may
keep watch."

The Parable of the Seed Growing by Itself

7
And Jesus spoke to the disciples in parables, saying, "To what shall I
liken the kingdom of God? It is as if a man should scatter seed upon the
ground, 8and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should
sprout and grow, he knows not how. 9The earth produces of itself, first
the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 10But when the
grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has
come. 11And he has grain enough to eat plentifully, and grain enough left
over to scatter seeds again."

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

12
And he said, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I
compare it? 13It is like a grain of mustard seed, which is the smallest of
all the seeds on earth; 14yet when a man took and sowed it in his garden,
it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its
branches. 15For if you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say
to the sycamine tree, 'Be rooted up, and be planted in the sea'; and it
would obey you."

The Parable of the Leaven

16
And again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 17It is
like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it
was all leavened."

The Parable of the Mill

18
And he said to them, "The kingdom of God is like a mill to which men
brought their grain to have it threshed and ground. 19And they asked the
miller for their flour; and he answered and said to them, 'The chaff is still
being flailed from the wheat upon the threshing floor.' 20And they asked
the miller again; and again he answered and said, 'The oxen are still
treading it out.' 21And a third time they asked, and the miller said, 'The
millstone is grinding it exceedingly fine.' 22And at last he delivered the
flour to them, and when it was baked the bread was raised up twentyfold
and fortyfold and eightyfold."

The Parable of the Small Seed in a Hidden Place

23
And Jesus asked and said to them, "When a husbandman has enclosed
a small seed in a hidden place, so that it is invisibly buried, how does its
abundance become immeasurable?" 24And when they were perplexed at
this, then Jesus, as he walked, stood still upon the verge of the River
Jordan. 25And stretching forth his right hand, he filled it with water and
sprinkled it upon the shore; and thereupon the sprinkled water made the
ground moist, and it was watered before them, and brought forth fruit.

The Olive Tree and the Tribulation

14 1
Now when Jesus and the disciples came to Pella, they went into the
city, and he sat and taught the people alongside the spring. 2And a young
man from the crowd asked him and said, "Rabbi, what if the tribulation
should break out tomorrow? 3Why should I arise early and work until the
sun sets, if tomorrow the work of my hands will be consumed in fire?"
4
And Jesus answered and said to him, "Even if it were revealed to you
that tomorrow the wrath should come, still you shoul

The Discovery of the Gospel of Thaddaeus <top>

Near Alexandria, at a site known as Tel-al-Faron, a Russian

archaeological team in 1997 uncovered a cache of ancient codices and
scrolls which rivals in importance the historic finds at Qûmran near the
Dead Sea. These Tel-al-Faron documents turned out to be a collection of
discarded and duplicate texts from the famed library of Alexandria, which
had been set aside in a remote storage chamber, and so escaped the
general sack and burning of the library in the 7th century A.D.

The attention of the scholarly world was immediately drawn when among
the first documents published by Yu. Grigoriev and his team were two
until-now lost tragedies of the Greek playwright Aeschylus. Among the
other documents eventually to see publication was the partial text of a
hitherto unknown apocryphal gospel.

This document, designated Fa197, was an incomplete early 3rd century

codex in a fair-to-poor state of preservation. The Greek uncial text was
inscribed According to Jude Thaddaeus. Biblical scholars began rapidly to
suspect that they had on their hands an unprecedented find, as internal
indications pointed toward an extremely early origin for the work,
perhaps in the first half of the second century. But because of the
incompleteness of the text, work on the Gospel of Thaddaeus proceeded
slowly.

In 2003, a joint British-American archaeological team began to excavate

the site of the ancient city of Edessa, which now lies in the middle of the
United Nations administered Red Zone comprising former territories out
of Syria, Turkey, Greater Armenia, Kurdistan, and Iraq. The conclusion of
the Balkan War and the Turkish-Armenian War made it possible, for the
first time in almost a decade, to enlist the support of the Turkish
government in reaching and excavating this site.

Academician Grigoriev was soon called in from the University of St.

Petersburg to the Edessa site to consult on the find of a complete
Edessene uncial codex inscribed Kata Thaddaion, According to
Thaddaeus. This codex, which was designated θ, proved to be a
complete copy of that text, about a third of which was also contained in
Fa197. θ was in an excellent state of preservation, and Grigoriev began an
immediate critical study and translation of the text.

While he was engaged in this project, the team at Edessa unearthed

fragments of four other copies of the Thaddaean text. These fragments,
designated θ1, θ2, θ3, and θ4, were all of them in a poor state of
preservation, and none of them contained much more than a tenth of the
whole. But together they provided some supplemental help to Grigoriev's
critical work; θ4, in particular, seems to be by a slim margin the oldest of
the texts, followed by the complete codex θ.

Yu. Grigoriev labored under the difficult conditions of a direct UN military

administration. It was difficult to impossible to obtain permission to bring
archaeological finds out of the Red Zone. And regulations designed to
prevent importation of a nanovirus limited Grigoriev and the Edessene
team to that computer hardware and software which could be obtained
locally. This meant that work had to proceed on an ancient Intel 8088
processor, with a long-obsolete dot-matrix printer.

The limited availability of soft fonts forced the adoption of a less-than-

ideal Greek uncial font. UN anti-nanovirus regulations also forbid export
of any electronic media, so that the fruit of Grigoriev's labor-in-progress
has had to be brought out through UN checkpoints by a courier in hard-
copy form. It is a direct photofacsimile of this hard copy which is here
provided to the academic community for the first time. It is hoped that a
proper printing will be quickly available, as soon as Academician
Grigoriev is able to leave his work in the Red Zone, and supervise the
edition himself.

The present translation of the Gospel of Thaddaeus is based largely on

the codex θ, with critical comparison where appropriate to the other
manuscripts. But these fragments add little to our knowledge of the text,
so that it would be small loss if our knowledge were based on θ alone.

Hence, this present preliminary English translation omits Grigoriev's full

textual apparatus, which will appear with the forthcoming revised
edition. Grigoriev's critical Greek text will also be supplied in the revised
edition, along with a full critical commentary on the Thaddaean text. The
accompanying pericope-by-pericope English translation in the present
edition is Grigoriev's, as revised by his graduate assistant, and brought
into line, as far as is practicable, with the RSV text of the UBS Greek-
English Synopsis Quattuor Evangeliorum, 3rd edn.

The footnotes are Grigoriev's own abridgment of his fuller textual

commentary in preparation. The availability at the Edessene site of a CD-
ROM peripheral has provided on-site access to the full Migne texts of the
PL and PG. However, the slowness of the primitive facilities has
prohibited anything like an exhaustive search of relevant passages in the
patristic literature.
The Gospel of Thaddaeus has excited some interest among the general
public ever since Grigoriev's original find at Tel-al-Faron seven years ago.
Indeed, not since the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls has an
archaeological find of religious texts generated comparable curiosity and
controversy.

Yu. Grigoriev has provided a brief essay on the historical and critical
significance of the Gospel of Thaddaeus, making full use of his insights
gained during the ongoing work at Edessa. We present here, for the first
time, an English translation of his remarks in full.

Brief Remarks Concerning the Gospel of Thaddaeus <top>

In the work superscribed KATA THADDAION, "According to Thaddaeus,"

we have an apocryphal gospel of the first importance, dating back to the
subapostolic era. This so-called Gospel of Thaddaeus, first known to us in
an incomplete text, the Faronic Greek uncial Fa197, is now available in full
in the Edessene Greek uncial codex θ. The brief Edessene fragments θ1 θ2
θ3 θ4, though they add little to our critical understanding of the text,
demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that this work did originate from
an early Christian community at Edessa.

The Gospel of Thaddaeus is the earliest complete apocryphal gospel we

have, earlier even by some years than the gnostic Gospel of Thomas, a
complete Coptic text of which was found near Nag Hammadi in 1946.
The Thaddaean text must have been published some time in the first
quarter of the second century of the present era, perhaps about the year
115.

The codex θ, which is in an excellent state of preservation, seems to

have been written shortly after the middle of the second century. The
fragment θ4, which contains only portions of three chapters, may be
slightly older even than this. Although we cannot draw extensive text-
critical conclusions from the Thaddaean text, yet when used with
caution, this text may due to its very early date have some light to shed
on an early form of the Western text of Mk and Lk.

I would continue to dissent from the judgment of my colleague, P.

Afanasiev, who assigns the publication of Thaddaeus to the final years of
the first century. But still, it must now be recognized that we are dealing
here with a text which originated little more than a generation later than
the first and third gospels, and (though it stands in quite another
lineage) not too many years after the Johannine writings.

Thaddaeus is quite unique among the non-canonical gospels, of which we

possess several in whole or in part, in that it emanates from a
community close to the mainstream of the early Christian traditions.
Unlike the Gospel of Thomas, unlike the fragmentary Gospel of Peter, or
those gospels "according to the Hebrews" and "according to the
Egyptians" which we know only by patristic quotation or from a few stray
leaves, Thaddaeus is quite free of gnosticizing or docetizing tendencies.
And unlike the many later "infancy gospels," Thaddaeus displays a
remarkable sobriety and restraint.

Indeed, Thaddaeus belongs to the same general stream as our three

canonical synoptic gospels. We can only speculate what set of
circumstances led to its early disappearance from circulation, and indeed
its complete oblivion, after an early career in the church at Edessa, and a
dissemination which brought at least one copy as far afield as the famed
library of Alexandria.

The old Syriac literature from Edessa contains no hint of an earlier

Thaddaean gospel, despite the traditional linkage of the name of the
Apostle Jude Thaddaeus with the Edessene Abgar tradition, and despite
the not inconsiderable body of apocryphal literature extant in Syriac,
much of it of a relatively early date, which originates from Edessa. We
can only conclude that the Gospel of Thaddaeus, like Jude the Obscure
under whose pseudonym it was circulated, vanished early into an
obscurity both dark and complete. It must have suffered a total eclipse in
its place of origin well before the end of the second century: no trace of
its influence can be found in the Diatessaron of Tatian (ca 170), long so
popular in the Syriac church.

Indeed, on one point the discovery of the Gospel of Thaddaeus forces us

to an historical reassessment. On the basis of admittedly tenuous
evidence, it has long been the consensus of the scholarly community that
the church at Edessa originated about the middle of the second century.
This origin must now be assigned a terminus ad quem close to the
beginning of that century.

The unknown writer and redactor of Thaddaeus was clearly drawing on

copious earlier traditions: he must have had copies of both Mk and Lk at
hand, and makes full use of them; Mt, on the other hand (to say nothing
of the fourth gospel) was almost certainly unknown to him. Yet Td
displays considerable redactorial restraint in drawing upon his sources,
and does not often expand upon them. At the same time, he sometimes
exercises a certain measure of editorial boldness, which leads one to
suspect that, even where Td more or less follows Mk or Lk, he is often
not altogether dependent on them.

For Td was redacted at the extreme point in the subapostolic era when
there was still a substantial extra-synoptic oral and written tradition
available to draw upon. Some of this has also come down to us through
other apocryphal gospels, or via patristic citation; and some of the
pericopes which have thus been preserved, are parallelled in Td, as for
example the parable of the assassin, the parable of the woman and the
jar of meal, the exhortations to "be skilful bankers" and to "become
passers-by," or Jesus' dispute with the official in the temple.

Interestingly, a not insignificant fraction of this material has parallels,

often indirect, with logia in the gnostic Gospel of Thomas. But this
material, as it appears in Td, is quite free of the gnosticizing redaction
which, a generation later, it has undergone in GTh. The Thaddaean
version seems without exception to represent a more primitive, pre-
gnostic stratum of this tradition. Overall it seems easier to hypothesize
that each of these apocryphal gospels, Td and GTh, was drawing
independently on a common stream of older tradition, than that one of
them directly or even indirectly influenced the other.

Since recent scholarship has tended to locate the composition of GTh in

Edessa ca 140, the Thaddaean finds at Edessa reopen the question of
where GTh was written. There seem to be three possibilities. (1) GTh
was composed at Edessa, and its early career overlaps with the later
career of Td. This leaves unexplained how GTh could have flourished
shoulder-to-shoulder with the very different Td; but an analogous
problem obtains for either gospel relative to the Diatessaron. (2) GTh
was composed at another city in the Osrhoene, such as Samosata or
Carrhae, and its career and that of Td were independent. Despite the a
priori geography of some biblical scholars, this is hardly impossible.
(3) Or, to return to an older hypothesis, GTh was composed, or at least
received its final redaction, in Egypt.

But Td also seems to have yet other oral and written sources at his
disposal. Some sayings and parables in Td-- such as the parable of the
anvil, the parable of the vintner, or the lapidary little parable of the two
plowmen-- we find nowhere else outside of Td. It is yet open to question
whether we can speak of a single homogeneous T source; one "pre-
Thomas, pre-Thaddaeus" T1 source, and another pre-Thaddaean T2
source; or whether we are dealing here with several distinct strands of
written and oral tradition.

Another clear example of an additional source can be found in Td's

passion narrative. Mk and Lk have made an obvious impact on Td's
account of the passion. But order, wording, and detail make it abundantly
clear that Td is drawing primarily-- not on Mk or Lk-- but rather on a
third, not dissimilar, but quite distinctive and independent passion
narrative. (Indeed, the initial lines of Td's account of the triumphal entry
read much like the opening of a free-standing text! If anything of the
sort ever stood in the sources behind the Marcan and Lucan accounts, it
was effaced in Mk and Lk by redactional sandpaper.)

Still another example is the idiosyncratic "Johannine symposium," a

summary of Thaddaean spirituality in chapter 19 of Td which seems to
be drawing on leaves from an older dialogue gospel. This older source
may underlie, not only this non-synoptic intrusion into the text of Td, but
also certain passages in chapters 5 and 8 of Jn.

And yet another example would be Td's brief infancy narrative, really
much more restrained than that in either Mt or Lk, which seems to draw
on a written annunciation tradition of considerable antiquity, which Td
may well share in common with Lk. That Td relies on this older tradition,
when he has the much more expansive account of Lk in front of him,
typifies his editorial restraint. The kind of recklessness which was finding
its way into the surviving independent oral tradition by this time (as
witness even some of the fragments of Papias which have come down to
us) seldom finds its way past the editorial judgment of Td.

Thus, though Td seldom really extends the historical purchase we gain

through the synoptics, when he does depart from or extend their scope,
the Thaddaean text is sometimes not unworthy of consideration. For
example, in an otherwise unattested addition to the pericopes concerning
the call of the first disciples, Td recounts the call of Thaddaeus. The
inclusion, not to say the invention, of this incident would be amply
accounted for by the association of the apostle with the Edessene Abgar
legends, and the founding of the church at Edessa. The naming of him as
"Thaddaeus, that is, Lebbaeus" excites further critical suspicion as an
evident conflation, even though, as is well known, "Lebbaios" is a
hellenization of the Aramaic cognate to the Greek "Thaddaios."

But the critic is brought up short by the casual remark of Td that

Thaddaeus was a wheelwright, who was called by Jesus "while mending a
wheel" in his shop. It is hard to see why the author of Td should have
invented such an odd and otherwise unattested detail, unless it were
founded at the least on a very old tradition, but for this passage now lost
to us.

As a redactor, Td displays great freedom in locating within the text such

traditions which he is drawing neither from Mk nor from Lk: such
pericopes are found scattered throughout his text, often alongside
material with a similar theme or key words. But their distribution is
uneven.

In the Galilean ministry, outside the Sermon on the Lake and a few
scattered pericopes, these non-Markan, non-Lucan traditions make their
presence felt in a verse here, a change in wording there. Much of this
section of Td-- chapters 2 through 9-- gives the impression of a very fine
parquet-work of Marcan and Lucan materials, with an occasional detail or
accent from other sources.

It has been remarked that, in the journey to Jerusalem, Lk opens the

meandering stream of Mk out into a wide river through the wholesale
insertion of special Lucan material. We might well say that Td even
further broadens Lk's river into a flood plain. In this section of Td--
chapters 10 through 20-- Td inserts numerous pericopes, and indeed
entire chapters, from his special Thaddaean material. Td displays a liking
for grouping material of similar theme, or similar key words, into
chapter-length symposia: chapter 13, a symposium on the growth of the
kingdom; chapter 14, the Pellan symposium; chapter 16, a symposium
on discipleship; chapter 18, a symposium on children; and chapter 19,
the already-mentioned idiosyncratic Johannine symposium.

As a table of gospel parallels will show, outside the opening and closing
sections of his gospel, Td generally follows the overall order of Lk when
he can. However, he does not hesitate to relocate Lucan material when it
suits his purpose, e.g. the call of Levi, which he splits up and uses in two
separate places; or the sayings and incidents relating to children, all of
which Td gathers together in one place. Occasionally Td omits Lucan
material, e.g. the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. And in two
sections, Td follows Mk instead of Lk: the sayings from Mk 4, which Lk
scatters throughout, are gathered together and included in the Sermon
on the Lake; and Mk 6:45-8:26, which Lk omits but much of which Td
includes toward the end of the Galilean ministry.

Even a preliminary historical-critical analysis of Td is a task which lies yet

in the future. For the moment, we must content ourselves with the
foregoing, quite tentative outline. And for the present we must also be
content with a brief sketch of some of the salient and distinctive themes
and motifs of Td.

Throughout Td, both on a large and on a small scale, there is a striking

motif of interchange between word and deed. Of course, the broad-scale
contrast between the more act-oriented Galilean ministry and the more
discursive journey toward Jerusalem is inherited by Td from Mk and Lk.

But we also find throughout Td little touches such as the editorial remark
at the opening of the Sermon on the Lake (4:3) that the people "pressed
upon [Jesus] that they might hear the word of God and that power might
come forth from him upon them." Or again, the act of cleansing the
Temple (21:29-33) is immediately followed by Jesus' discursive dispute
with a chief priest in the Temple (21:34-42), an incident without parallel
in the synoptics. Examples could be multiplied almost indefinitely. We
have but to read a few verses further (21:46) to discover the chief
priests and scribes conspiring against Jesus: "For they said to one
another, 'You see how the people are following after his teaching and his
signs.'"

Also prominent in Td is a stress on election and call. In the Thaddaean

account of the raising of Jairus' daughter, Td redacts the text to read,
"And taking those whom he had called to be with him, [Jesus] went in
where the child was." (6:36)

This motif, as developed by Td, binds up within itself elements, not only
of the priority of God within the divine-human relationship, but also a
focus on the mission of the Thaddaean community; the universal thrust
of the kingdom; and the grace of God. Already within Td's annunciation
story (1:7) we read, "And he will save his people Israel, all whom God
calls." At the end of Td's gospel, in a logion which finds a parallel in the
Epistle of Barnabas, the risen Christ tells his disciples, "I pray earnestly
that you not be found many called but few chosen." (26:44) Perhaps the
characteristic note of the Thaddaean notion of call is to be found in a
redactional comment which Td appends to a saying also found, in a much
more gnosticized form, in divers patristic sources: "Split wood: the
kingdom of God is there. Lift up the stone, and there you will find it. For
the Spirit of God is moving in the midst of you, and whoever is known
and called by my Father will find the kingdom." (17:21-22)

Not altogether unconnected with this vision of call is another peculiar

trait of the Thaddaean text, namely, the personalization of the Twelve. In
Td, as in the canonical gospels, Peter is the leading figure of the Twelve;
but the other disciples are mentioned by name more often, and stand
forth as individuals much more sharply, than in the synoptics. Indeed,
each of the Twelve, in the course of Td's gospel, has at least one
"speaking part."

And in Td the figure of Mary Magdalene is noticeably more prominent

than in the synoptics. Jesus' exorcism of her, merely alluded to in Mk
16:9 and Lk 8:2, is recounted in Td 3:1-4. In 10:53-58, Td so redacts
the text that the Magdalene displaces the sister of Martha! In the
Johannine symposium, Mary poses a question to Jesus, on a par with the
other disciples (19:24). And in a passage which may represent the
pseudonymous writer's signature (cf. the fleeing neaniskos of Mk 14:51),
when Peter reproves Mary after she returns from the empty tomb,
Thaddaeus (instead of, as in another apocryphal account, Matthew)
intervenes: "If the Lord has called her to be a worthy witness, who are
you to reject her? For truly the Lord has loved her." (26:12)

It was the triumph of Conzelmann to lay forth the realized eschatology of

Luke's gospel, in contrast with the tone of imminent expectation in Mk. If
Mk is to be dated about the year 65, and Lk about 80, then Td might be
dated, very roughly and tentatively, around the year 115. In Td there is
what we might call an eschatological "restringing of the bow": even more
time has passed for Td than for Lk, and still no parousia. Td's solution to
this, quite the opposite of Lk's (although apparently in reaction against a
solution not unlike the Lucan), is to heighten the tension between the
Lord's promise and the Lord's tarrying, the "already" and the "not yet" of
the Thaddaean community's experience and expectation. Each term of
the dialectic is stressed all the more. The bow of eschatological
expectation is restrung, and in the restringing it is stretched taut.

It is in this light that we are to view the favorite Thaddaean theme of the
coming tribulation, as even in Td's version of the Lord's Prayer (11:5).
Along with the expectation of tribulation, there is also a repeated
command to watch and wait, as in the unparalleled dominical logion in
13:5, "These things I tell you, that you may read the signs, and reading
you may hope, and hoping you may keep watch." In Td's version of the
parable of the woman and the jar of meal (17:25-28), we find a detail
not attested in the parallel in GTh 97: the woman did not notice the jar
leaking, "for she was not watching." And Td includes among the last
words of the risen Christ, before his exaltation to heaven: "So keep
watch, and proclaim the gospel... for the kingdom of God is at hand."

This theme of watching and waiting bears in it the seeds of a quietism,

often with an emphasis on immersion in the worship life of the
community of faith. Td tells us that the disciples were instructed to make
the Upper Room ready for the Last Supper, and then to "watch and wait"
there for their Lord: "So they prepared as he had instructed them, and
awaited his coming." (24:12-13) And in the Thaddaean eschatological
discourse, Christ exhorts his followers, "So come together often,
anticipating the great feast which is to come... So again I say unto you,
watch and wait!" (23:49,55)

In connection with this eschatological perspective, we may note that Td,

like Lk, also heightens the tension between mercy and judgment; but
that, in Td, this tension is accompanied by a tendency toward draining
judgment of specific content. The hearers are to flee from the wrath to
come, but this wrath is portrayed in a pinpoint of white light, rather than
on a broad and colorful canvas.

This is not to say that Td eschews color-- quite the contrary! For perhaps
the most characteristic motif of all in Td-- we might almost call it a tone
or a tint which pervades the whole-- is a stress on something not unlike
the aesthetic.

This dimension of Td is difficult to sketch in the limited space here at our

disposal, but it leaps out at the reader from every chapter of the text. Td
sees with the eye of an artist, with the keen sense almost of an aesthete.
This comes out only in part in Td's love of the just-so detail: Td could do
no other than take over from Mk, in his account of the feeding of the five
thousand, that Jesus had the multitude sit "on the green grass." (7:17)
Nor are we really surprised-- we are, but it is so characteristically
Thaddaean-- when we are told, in an unparalleled turn of phrase, that
the woman who suffered from a hemorrhage touched, not just the fringe
of Jesus' cloak, but "the blue of the fringe": "Who touched the blue of the
fringe of my garment?" asks Jesus. (6:25)

Td delights in the world of the senses, in what seems like an earthy

mysticism. His evaluation of the body is fundamentally positive: one
wonders whether this accounts for the omission from his gospel of the
dispute with the Sadducees over the resurrection (Mt 22:23-33, Mk
12:18-27, Lk 20:27-40). He holds on to all those "rough touches" in Mk
which Lk smooths over, and adds to them others.

But Td's aesthetic slant comes forth even more strongly on an abstract
plane. One gets the impression that, for Td, the aesthetic is often close
to assimilating itself to the numinous, the prerational and amoral pole of
the holy. Or perhaps it is the other way around.

It is in this light, rather than in view of any incipient gnosticism, that we

ought to read the Johannine symposium in chapter 19 of Td; or the
opening of the first symposium in chapter 13, where Thomas asks,
"Teacher, how shall we recognize the coming of the kingdom of God?",
and is answered by Jesus with the cryptic syllables from Isaiah 28:
"Saulasau, Caulacau, Zeersam." The dominical commentary which Td
immediately supplies draws us back from any gnostic abyss: these three
enigmatic words are explained, first in terms of their literal meaning in
Hebrew, and then in terms of their somewhat otherwise rendering in the
Greek Septuagint! Needless to say, the effect is still rather uncanny, and
the two competing meanings are each-- one might say fortuitously but
felicitously-- altogether apt to what Td has framed as the issue at hand!

(The reader may almost be forgiven if this passage in Td calls to mind a

textually and theologically quite disparate passage from the Gospel of
Thomas, logion 13: "And [Jesus] took [Thomas], withdrew, and spoke to
him three words. Now when Thomas came back to his companions, they
asked him: What did Jesus say to you? Thomas said to them: If I tell you
one of the words which he said to me, you will take up stones and throw
them at me; and a fire will come out of the stones and burn you up.")

This technique of aesthetic framing, by which Td makes his source

materials serve his purposes, points up Td's often formidable skill as a
redactor. To return once again to the Johannine symposium, Td has here
woven together three highly diverse sources into a unified whole. A
variant of the account of the Samaritan and the lamb (19:1-7) is to be
found in GTh 60, and the saying on seeking and finding (19:8) appears
in variant forms as a frequent dominical agraphon in the church fathers.
Likewise, as we have already mentioned, in much of what follows (19:9-
30), Td seems to be drawing on leaves from an early dialogue gospel,
which may also be reflected in some of the "synoptic-like sayings" in Jn 5
and 8. Nowhere other than in Td do these three elements appear
together, and yet in Td they are not just juxtaposed, they are seamlessly
integrated into a capstone summary of the typical Thaddaean spirituality.

This aesthetic framing, and the concomitant redaction, show themselves

from another angle in the immediately following chapter 20, where Td
draws out the threefold implication of this spirituality for the life of faith.
A threefold rhythm: being, knowing, and doing. First, on the level of
being, Jesus raises Azariah of Bethany up from the dead, in an account
which bears only the most distant echoes of the raising of Lazarus in Jn
11. Secondly, on the level of knowing, Jesus restores sight to a blind
man. And thirdly, on the level of doing, we encounter something very like
Td's aestheticism spilling over into the domain of the ethical, in the
parable of the shekels.

This parable is clearly parallel to the parable of the talents in Mt, and the
parable of the pounds in Lk. In each case, three servants are entrusted
by their master with varying sums. But in Mt and Lk, two of the servants
are faithful, and are rewarded; while the third servant buries his money,
and is cast out.

Td, by contrast, reminds one of the variant in the Gospel according to

the Hebrews, where one servant was faithful, and was rewarded; another
buried his money, and was reproved but forgiven; and a third servant
wasted his money in profligacy, and was cast out.

However, Td inverts the fates of these latter two servants. Td has the
first servant faithful, and rewarded. The second is profligate, and
reproved but forgiven. Only the third, who buries his money, is cast out.
Here Td comes perilously close to saying, with an aesthetic eye, that
faithfulness is better than profligacy, but that action of any sort, even if it
go astray, is preferable to inanition.

Comment on the christology presupposed in Td would require a book in

itself, which will perhaps be one day forthcoming. To permit ourselves
only the briefest of thumbnail sketches, we may say that the unknown
Thaddaean author, and the early second-century Edessene Christian
community to which he belonged, were apparently operating with a fairly
"high" christology, and yet one which retains certain vigorous and
relatively undeveloped features.

To put the matter in source-critical terms, the portrait of Jesus which

emerges from Td resembles in some ways the "high christological" and
yet very human and compassionate picture of him in Lk; but in Td this
image is painted often in colorful, bold, and even rough strokes more
reminiscent of Mk. And Td is not without little touches that are peculiarly
his own: for example, he puts the free citation of the LXX Prov 30:4-5 in
the opening of his gospel to very apt christological use. But such a use of
this text, strangely, is conspicuous by its absence from the church
fathers prior to the sixth century.

The reader will rapidly note that Td favors certain christological titles.
"The Son of man" is much more common than "the Son of God." The title
"Lord" appears often enough as a term of address, but not that
frequently (outside of scriptural citations) in the third person outside of
the resurrection narratives; and the term "Lord Jesus" appears precisely
twice, in the last few verses of Td, in connection with the exaltation and
expected coming of the risen Christ.

The characteristic Thaddaean christological title, though, is "the Christ of

God," which appears already in 1:1, and is ubiquitous throughout. Even
at its first appearance, it is linked with a key christological theme in Td,
the motif of ascent and descent, of which Td independently makes quite
different use than does Jn. For Td, ascent and descent are correlate with
Christ's offices as priest and king, as mediator of divine mercy, as well as
bearer of God's sovereign power.

This comes forth strikingly in Td's passion account, where the lifting up
of Christ on the cross is interpreted as his universal enthronement
through a citation from Ps 96: "Proclaim to the nations, 'The Lord reigns
from the wood.'" (The curious reading ek xylou is also attested in Justin
Martyr.) Christ is presented as dying with a quotation on his lips, not
from Ps 31 as in Lk, but rather with a further citation from Ps 96:
"Father, I ascribe to thee the glory due thy name." And, as the veil of the
Temple is rent and the threshold of the Temple shaken, Christ's death on
the altar of the cross is then interpreted as the death of one who is both
priest-sacrificiant and lamb-sacrifice, via a free citation from Amos: "I
saw the Lord upon the altar, and he said: 'Smite the capitals until the
thresholds shake.'"

As I write these words, night has fallen over our work site at Edessa. But
for the call of the insects, the air is still. And I have before me a yellowed
scrap of paper which I have carried with me in all my travels. I no longer
recall when or how I first ran across it, only it has been among my
papers now for many years. It is from a periodical, no doubt long
defunct, called The War Cry. The issue was dated February 5, 1949. The
item was a filler piece, run at the bottom of page four.

But the most insignificant and ephemeral of writings sometimes exercise

over us a disproportionate force. For no good reason I can name, this
little filler piece has given this biblical scholar many a pause to think, as
if it came from the pen of some notable or worthy. And now I ponder it
again, in a night hour, and as if it were a slide rule of sorts, I try it out to
reckon upon it a writing titled kata Thaddaion.

The little filler, in four tidy columns, tells me that Matthew "Presents
Christ as... The Mighty King"; Mark, as the Lowly Servant; Luke, as the
Ideal Man; John, as the Divine Son.

Like the C and D and CI and CF scales on a slide rule, the piece tells me
that Matthew "Was written for" the Jews; Mark, for the Romans; Luke,
for the Greeks; John, for the Church.

CIF and DI and DF scales... The "Chief characteristic" of Matthew is that

it is Prophetical; Mark, Practical; Luke, Historical; and John, Spiritual.

A and B scales, and K scale, and L scale... Matthew "Deals mainly with"
the Past; Mark, with the Present; Luke, with the Future; John, with
Eternity.

And ST and T and S scales, and those log-log scales which I could never
fathom... Matthew "Emphasizes Christ as" Power; Mark, as Endurance;
Luke, as Sympathy; John, as Glory.

Forgive a not-so-old scholar if I confess in all candor that this little piece
exercises over me a quite unreasonable attraction, rather like that of
Irenaeus' old argument which likened the four gospels to the four winds,
the four elements, the four humors, the four arms of the cross. For all its
brevity, it is apt: more apt than my uncle, who once told a pop-eyed
assistant professor of a nephew that, among the gospels, he preferred
Matthew and John, because "John is realistic, and Matthew direct."

And if I slide the slipstick back and forth, and adjust the cursor thus and
 so, I seem to read off that Thaddaeus Presents Christ as the Numinous
Priest-King; Was written for Those Outside the Empire; its Chief
characteristic, that it is Aesthetical; it Deals mainly with Time Shot
through with Eternity; and Emphasizes Christ as the Beauty of Holiness.

All this is but a jeu d'esprit on a moonlit night, though I do not beg the
reader's indulgence, for it is a game that bears within it an earnest
reminder that we do not live by scholarship alone.

However, even a first-order evaluation of the import of the Gospel of

Thaddaeus for NT studies will be a task for scholarly debate for many
years to come. Foremost among the questions with which to grapple is
surely the following: why did such an early example of the gospel genre,
emanating from a not insignificant church of the subapostolic era, and
comparatively close in its content to the mainstream of the synoptic
traditions, drop so rapidly and so thoroughly from sight, until it was
yielded up to the archaeologist's spade at the dawn of the third
millennium of the Christian era?