TheForbiddenGospelofThomas

BrandedaheresywerethesecretsayingsoftheGospel ofThomastheauthenticwordsofJesusChrist? ByAriadneGreen SearchingforJesuswords,histrueteachings,amongst whatChristianityhaspresentedastheauthoritativeworks intheNewTestament,thefourcanonicalgospels,leftme wonderingifJesushadotherthingstosaythatmightbetter satisfymyquestforenlightenment.Couldhehavelefta secretwrittenlegacyandifhehad,didanyofitsurvive? Abouteightyearsago,IbeganmyresearchintotheGospel ofThomas,anearlyChristiantextwritteninCopticand

discoveredinEgyptin1945amongstasetofwhatare consideredGnosticcodices.Iwaslookingforreferencesto aspiritualinitiationcalledbridalchamber,aspiritually transformativeinitiationdescribedinGospelofPhilip,and onethatwasthoughttohavebeentaughtbyJesustohis disciples.WhatIdiscoveredwasagreatdealmore. Conveyingamysteriousandenlighteningdoctrineof spiritualwisdomthatwouldhavebeenaradicaldeparture fromJudaictradition,andbaringsomesimilaritywith manyoftheparablesandaphorisms (sayings)offour canonicalgospelsoftheNewTestament,the114sayingof theGospelofThomasareremarkabletestamentofthe teachingofJesustheNazarene.Theauthorofthis extraordinarygospelhasbeendebatedbyscholarsmanyof whomhaveattributedittoanunknownGnosticwriter,who wasthoughttohaveusedtheidentityoftheApostle ThomasinordertogainacceptanceamongsthisGnostic peersHowever,theGospelisnotconsistentwithGnostic ideologyleadingmanyscholarstoconcludeitcannotbe consideredGnostic.LabeledaheresybytheearlyChurch,a morerecentdebateamongstscholarsandtheologiansasto theimportanceoftheGospelofThomashasledmanyto believeitwasmisjudged.

Ratherthanheresy,werethesesayingsintheGospelof ThomasinsteadtheauthenticwordsofJesusChrist?And furthermore,wasitJesushimselfwhocompiledhisown sayingsintowriting?FivecluessuggestthatTheGospelof ThomaswasJesusownattempttoleaveawrittenlegacy: 1. Theintroductoryline,These are the secret sayings which the living Jesus spoke and which Didymus Judas Thomas wrote down,isadedicationwrittenas asecretcodenamewhosemeaningTwinPraiseGod Twin,isanequationunitingtwowithGod.Thesame mysteryiscontainedinseveralothersayings,for example,insaying22onmakingthetwoone,andis elaboratedonintheGospelofPhilip,whereitis describedasaninitiationtaughtbyJesus.Atthesame time,theidentityobscurestheauthorsidentity,giving praisetosomeonewithinJesusinnercirclehistwin soul. 2. TheearlydategiventothisGospel,asearlyas3060 AD,suggeststhatitcouldhavebeenwrittenwithinthe yearsofJesusministry 3. ThefactthatintwosayingsJesusmakesreferenceto hissayingsashiswords,(forexample:thesestones willministertoyou.),suggestshewaspresentingthis

gospelhimself. 4. Thewisdominthesayingsisofsuchaprofound philosophicalandmysticalnaturethatthesayings standoutasthewritingofateacherwhosewisdom exceededthatoftheJesusportrayedinthefour canonicalgospels. ThereisconsiderableevidencetosuggestthattheGospelof Thomaswaswellcirculatedandhighlyregarded,enoughso thattheothergospelwriters,infact,drewfromthesayings oftheGospelofThomaswhencomposingtheirown narrativesaboutJesusministry.Forinstance,of the 114 sayings in the Gospel of Thomas, 21 or more, in one form or another, are found in Mark, usually adapted into an embellished narrative and put into a context of his public ministry. Also,paraphrasedreferencestosomesayings uniquetoTheGospelofThomasweremadebybothPaulin 1CorinthiansandbyClementofAlexandria,inStromata iii.13.92-93,suggestingthatlongbeforethegospelwas deemedheresy,itwasconsideredasourceofJesuswords. AndamongstGnosticwriting,anumberofworkswere titledusingtheidentityofThomas,probablybecausethe GospelofThomaswassohighlyregardedthattheauthors ofthesetextshopedtheirownwritingswouldgaingreater credibility.

Ratherthanrelyingontranscriptionofhisspokenword,it isnothardtoimaginethatJesuswouldhavecomposedhis morecomplexsayingsandparablesinwriting,whetherit wasforapublicsermonorinhisprivatesessionswithhis disciples.Jesus says: "I will give you what no eye has seen, and what no ear has heard, and what no hand has touched, and what has not occurred to the human mind." Manyofthesayingspointthedisciples,MaryMagdalene included,inwardsonajourneyofselfrealizationand recognitionoftheKingdomwithin.Jesussays,"If those who lead you say to you: Look, the kingdom is in the sky! then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you: It is in the sea, then the fishes will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and outside of you." When you come to know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will realize that you are the children of the living Father. But if you do not come to know yourselves, then you exist in poverty, and you are poverty." TheKingdomthatJesusreferstoisfardifferentfromthe heavenlyKingdomdescribedbyothergospelwriters. JesusKingdomisnotofthenextworldbutofthisworld,a

dimensionconcealedtotheunawakenedmindyetspread outbeforethosewhohaveliftedtheveilenoughtosee.His discipleshelikenstochildrenandheremindsthemthat theyareallchildrenofGodpointingthemtothelightthat iscontainedwithinthem.Hesays,There is light within a person of light, and it shines on the whole world. If it does not shine, it is dark. WhywasJesusownGospelnotincludedintheNew Testament?Opinion.Infact,aspointedoutbyElaine Pagelsinherbook,BeyondBelief:TheSecretGospelof Thomas,negativeopinionmayhaveeruptedveryearly,asit appearsthattheGospelofJohnwaswrittenpartlyto counterthetestimonyoftheGospelofThomas.One probablereasonforThomasomissionisthatdidnot supportanapocalypticvieworthepositionthatJesuswas Godincarnate,asdidJohnforinstance,Instead,Jesusisthe initiatorintoamysteryhousedwithineveryhumansoul,a charismaticmystic,philosopherandevenarebelwhohad dedicatedhisministrytolightingafireinthespiritual community.Jesussaid,"I have cast fire upon the world, and look, I'm guarding it until it blazes." Copyright 2008 Ariadne Green is the author of Ariadnes Book of Dreams, 2001 and Divine Complement, 2006. She lived on Maui for 17 years and now

resides in California. Her forthcoming book, Divine Complements Forever, explore the twin soul legacy of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.