Early Christian Writings Gospel of Thomas Saying 77 Previous - Gospel of Thomas Home - Next

You can view this web page along with Grondin's Coptic/English Interlinear in frames.
Nag Hammadi Coptic Text Funk's Parallels
POxy1 30 + 77b, Matt
18:20, John 8:12-20, 1
Cor 8:4-6, Manichaean
Psalm Book 54:19-30.

BLATZ LAYTON DORESSE

(77) Jesus said: I am the
light that is above them all.
I am the all; the all came
forth from me, and the all
attained to me. Cleave a
(piece of) wood; I am there.
Raise up a stone, and you
will find me there.
(77) Jesus said, "It is I who
am the light (that presides)
over all. It is I who am the
entirety: it is from me that
the entirety has come, and
to me that the entirety goes.
Split a piece of wood: I am
there. Lift a stone, and you
(plur.) will find me there."
81 [77]. Jesus says: "I am
the light which is on them
all. I am the All, and the All
has gone out from me and
the All has come back to
me. Cleave the wood: I am
there; lift the stone and thou
shalt find me there!"

Visitor Comments Scholarly Quotes

This passage speaks to any
corruption in the church. The
Kingdom of God is not
contained within the walls of
wood and stone, but all
around us. Wherever we
seek, there we shall find.
- Angelina
With the total extinction of
the self there is only total,
undifferentiated reality.
There is then no 'me' to
experience, only experience
itself, which may be termed
'God', Truth, the un-
nameable or anything else. It
does not matter. Reality is.
- Wynford
When you switch on a light,
you get rid of the darkness.
When you teach, you give
insight to the student.
Understand the workings of
Marvin Meyer writes: "Compare Ecclesiastes 10:9; perhaps Habakkuk 2:18-20, on
wooden and stone iamges. Note also the philosophical position presented by the
Greco-Roman author Lucian of Samosata, Hermotimus 81: 'God is not in heaven but
rather permeates all things, such as pieces of wood and stones and animals, even the
most insignificant.'" (The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus, p. 98)
Jean Doresse writes: "Cf. the Gnostic Gospel of Truth (Codex XIII of Chenoboskion,
p. 17): 'The All has been in search of Him from whom he came forth; and the All was
within him, unseizing, unthinkable!' One might also mention the Acts of Peter,
Chapter XXXIX: 'Thou art the All, and the All is in thee, and thou art! And there is
nothing else that exists, except thou alone!' The same allusion is found in Col. III, 11:
'Christ is all and in all.'" (The Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostics, p. 376)
Robert M. Grant and David Noel Freedman write: "As the All, Jesus is everywhere
present. He is in wood and under stones. We cannot agree with Doresse (pages 188-
189) that Thomas is referring to the cross and the stone at his tomb. A much closer
parallel is provided in the Gnostic Gospel of Eve (Epiphanius, Pan., 26, 3, 1): 'In all
things I am scattered, and from wherever you wish you collect me.' At this point
Thomas's doctrine is pantheist, not Christian. The Greek version inserts the words
about wood and stone at the end of Saying 31 to indicate that Jesus is present with his
disciples, or with one disciple. The meaning is approximately the same: Jesus is
everywhere." (The Secret Sayings of Jesus, p. 178)
Stevan Davies writes: "Gos. Thom. 77b: 'Split a piece...' etc, is appended to Gos.
Thom. 30 in POxy. 1. This probably means that 77b once existed independently of
77a, but whether this means that 77a existed once independently of 77b in Thomas
Nature and you will
understand the teachings of
Jesus.
- anonymous
Jesus clearly states that
finding him is an active
process, "lifting a stone and
cleaving a piece of wood."
The stone does not lead to
answers, neither does the
log. It is in the lifting and
cleaving that he is to be
found.
- ajee
It means that Jesus is
everywhere and you don't
need to "connect" with Him
through a priest or in a
church.
- JS
Consciousness, spirit, light,
and love is contained in
everything in existence. The
microcosm is a reflection of
the macrocosm. We are all
connected on a deep level in
His holy breath, and as a
human, I am a reflection of
the holy as well.
- Susanne Reichert
Knowledge an be found
everywhere --- once you
have learnt how to learn it
- Thief37
The simplicity of this is
missed by many and hard to
find for few. The wonder that
is felt is felt by all but not
understood. Does he not say
that basically I am the very
air that you breathe, the
caress of the wind and the
drop of rain that you feel on
your face. This should put a
smile on every face that truly
understands this meaning.
we do not know. It is possible that 77b was appended both to 77a and to 30 in POxy
1." (http://www.misericordia.edu/users/davies/thomas/jblprot.htm)
Stevan Davies writes: "From him, primordial light, all comes forth, and to him all
extends. As the light, he is everywhere, for example, within logs and under stones."
(http://www.misericordia.edu/users/davies/thomas/jblprot.htm)
Funk and Hoover write: "In this complex, Jesus speaks of himself in highly exalted
terms, as he often does in the Gospel of John (for example, John 8:12; 10:7). But
such self-reference is not characteristic of the Jesus of the synoptic parables and
aphorisms. The term 'light' has special significance in the Gospel of Thomas (11:3b;
24:3; 50:1; 61:5; 83:1-2), and the 'All' is a technical gnostic term for the whole of
cosmic reality (note Thomas 67). Such ideas, of course, had currency elsewhere in
early Christian circles as well (note John 8:12; Rom 11:36; 1 Cor 8:6). But they are
not characteristic of Jesus." (The Five Gospels, p. 515)
Gerd Ludemann writes: "Jesus identifies himself with light (cf. John 8.12; 9.5),
which is tremendously important in Thomas: 11.3b; 24.3; 50.1; 61.5; 83.1-2. Jesus
claims to be mediator at creation (cf. Romans 11.36; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16). All this
recalls the role of wisdom. The presence of Jesus as it is described in vv. 2-3 echoes
Matt. 18.20; 28.20 - but in that passage, too, there is a wisdom background." (Jesus
After 2000 Years, p. 629)
Jack Finegan writes: "The first sentence in this saying is doubtless to be recognized
as thoroughly Gnostic in character. The theme of light is prominent in Gnostic
writings (e.g., §113), and the 'All,' presumably meaning the totality of being, is also
mentioned in such works as the Gospel of Truth (§341). The second sentence, which
is the part common to the Coptic and the Greek texts, can be interpreted most simply
as promising the invisible presence of Christ to the believer in his daily work,
involved with stone and wood, the common materials of human labor. But with the
introductory sentence in the Coptic, where Jesus is the 'All,' the promise seems to be
set within the framework of pantheism or, more precisely stated, of panchristism."
(Hidden Records of the Life of Jesus, p. 250)
F. F. Bruce writes: "Jesus is not only the light of the world (cf. John 1.9; 8.12); all
things cohere in him (Colossians 1.17) and he embodies the fulness of deity (cf.
Colossians 2.9). This is presented here in pantheistic terms going far beyond the
sense of a canonical saying as Matthew 18.20." (Jesus and Christian Origins Outside
the New Testament, pp. 142-143)
Joseph A. Fitzmyer writes: "In what sense is this second part of the saying to be
understood? It has often been interpreted in a pantheistic sense, or more precisely a
'panchristic' sense, asserting the ubiquity of Jesus in the world. Cf. Eph 4:6. J.
Jeremias (Unknown Sayings, 96, n. 2) gives a convenient list of those who so
explained it. He rejects this interpretation and prefers that first suggested by H. Lisco
and adopted by A. von Harnack, H. B. Swete, and Evelyn White. According to this
interpretation, two pictorial illustrations are given to explain how Jesus is present to
the individual - two kinds of strenuous work, lifting stones and splitting wood. The
combination of these two types of work was probably suggested by Eccl 10:9, 'He
who quarries stones may be hurt by them, while he who splits logs is endangered by
them.' In contrast to the pessimism of the Preacher, Jesus promises his abiding
presence even in the most strenuous type of work." (Essays on the Semitic
- Jacqueline Marquez Background of the New Testament, pp. 400-401)
"Make me wise so that I may
understand the things you
have taught my people. Let
me learn the lessons you
have hidden in every leaf
and rock." Oh, Great Spirit
Indian prayer
- Tuxedo
Experience of reality is
consciousness, and that
consciousness is everything
and is everywhere.
-Z
77

Alias:

Post the Note

Discuss it now at AMC

forums!
If you like the site, please purchase the Early Christian Writings CD.
Maintained by Peter Kirby. See the Gospel of Thomas Bibliography & Credits.
Early Christian Writings Gospel of Thomas Saying 77 Previous - Gospel of Thomas Home - Next