Gospel according to Thomas

Discovered, origin, dating

The Évangile according to Thomas was discovered in 1945 with Nag Hammadi, into High Egypt, was associated in the same codex with other texts written in Copte (secret Livre of Jean, Évangile of Philippe, Traité on the origin of the world, interpretation on the heart, the Hypostasis of the archontes, Livre of Thomas the athlete). The manuscript dates from the 4th century, but of the fragments, in Greek, was already known by the Papyrus of Oxyrhynque of which oldest is gone back to L `year 200 approximately. It could be of origin Syriaque.

The text does not have a narrative structure. It is a collection of logia (transcription of the plural of the Greek word λογιον which means " answer of oracle"), i.e. of brought back words of Jesus, one hundred fourteen, generally preceded by the mention “Jesus said”. The three quarters have their parallel in the canonical texts, with the difference that none them puts Jesus in situation by references of time or place. He is not mentioned his death nor of his resurrection.

A gnostic writing

The text starts with:

“Here secret words that Jesus the Alive one said and that Didyme Jude Thomas wrote. And he said: “That which will find the interpretation of these words will not taste death. ” Jesus said: “That which seeks does not cease seeking, until it finds. And when it finds, it will be disturbed; when it is disturbed, it will be filled with wonder, and it will reign on the Whole. ”” (the Papyrus of Oxyrhynque 654 as well as a quotation of Clement of Alexandria and the Évangile of the Hebrews give another version: “and having been disturbed, it will reign; and having reigned it will reach the rest. ”).

From the start the gnostic character appears: knowledge allegedly secret (what contributes to its attraction aujourd `today), accessible only by one initiatory step. On the contrary, the canonical Évangiles show Jesus open to all and preaching simplicity. The difference is obvious if one compares the passage above with the texts néotestamentaires:

“If somebody keeps my word, it will never see death” (51); “And me, I say to you: Ask and one will give you; seek and you will find; strike and one will open to you. Because whoever request receives and which seeks finds, and with which strikes one will open. ” (8; to also see 9-10).

Logion 7:

“Jesus said: “Happy the lion which the man will eat, and the lion will become man; and cursed is the man whom the lion will eat, and the lion will become man. ””

In both cases, the lion will become man. According to Claudio Gianotto, “the lion, in the gnostic tradition, is the symbol of the demiurge or passions. ” “This word of Jesus wants simply to underline impossibility, in a gnostic context, of a total absorption of the element spiritual by the material element and passion. ”.

The logion 80, as the 56 which employs the word corpse in the place of the word body, testifies to the concept, traditional in the Gnosticisme, to be it spiritual fallen in the matter and which must be delivered some:

“That which knew the world found the body, but that which found the body, the world is not worthy of him. ”,

The n°105 denounces the marriage:

“Jesus said: That which knows his/her father and his mother, one will call it wire of a prostitute”.

Another example, last the logion (114):

“Simon Pierre says to them: “That Marie leaves us, because the women are not worthy of the Life.” ” “Jesus known as: “Here that me I will attract it to make it male, so that it also becomes a spirit living similar to you, male. Because any woman who will be done male will enter the Kingdom of heaven.” ”

This idea is found elsewhere in the gnostic literature.

Author

According to the incipit of the manuscript, it would be about Thomas, the Apôtre “Thomas, called Didyme” (16), and here Didyme Jude Thomas. Didyme is only the Greek equivalent of the araméen Thomas, and means “the twin”. The Book of Thomas the precise athlete:

“the Saver, brother of Thomas, said to him… Listen; I will reveal you it of what you think in your heart: How it is said that you are truly my twin and my companion…; how you are called my brother”, which, from the gnostic point of view, the “perfect initiate of it”

makes

In other words, it is impossible to separate what raises of an old extra-canonical tradition Christian of the later reinterpretation gnosticisante, even if it happens that some logia appear to represent an older state of a parallel passage of the Évangiles or, absent from those, can give an impression of authenticity: For example that (n°82), already known of Origène which was questioned about it, where it is question of fire (is the fire of 3 or 49?) :

“That which is close to me is close to fire, and that which is far from me is far from the Kingdom.”

References

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Gospel according to Thomas

Discovered, origin, dating

Contents

A gnostic writing

Author

References