The Gospel of Thomas Explained

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The Gospel of Thomas Explained

In his work to interpret and explain Scripture and its prophecies, as well as relate both to the world today, JAH also explained The Gospel of Thomas so that each individual could relate Christ’s teachings personally to himself or herself. This explanation piece, a booklet entitled “The Gospel According to Thomas (The Doubter) and an Excerpt from Philip’s Gospel” is not on JAHtruth.net; but has been sent to many who have expressed interest in gaining insight into overcoming their human-selves.

While the Gospel of Thomas is included in the King of kings’ Bible, much of the inserted explanation remains exclusive to this booklet by JAH. It is offered here, without graphics, so that one can study it intently if he or she chooses.

The Gospel According to Thomas (The Doubter) and
an Excerpt from Philip’s Gospel

Edited and interpreted by JAH

And He said: “Whoever finds the explanation of these words will not taste death…”

The Gnostics were early “Followers of The Way (Christ)” who believed that followers of The One God should not merely revere Christ, but strive to emulate him, in every thought, word and deed. They sought to describe this emulation in philosophical terms, as a method of practice. As the early Roman church formulated its canons, the Gnostics were considered willful heretics, opposed to turning their lives over to God as a matter of faith. To become a true believer, the early church leaders claimed, one had to forego understanding and analysis [of Christ’s Teaching] and be content to live life through divine revelation [in Scripture], adhering to God’s Will moment by moment.

The churchmen did this in order to sustain their control over the people. They wished to keep God’s Message and Overall Plan from the public, so people would be deceived into thinking that they had to go to the churchmen to find God, rather than learning to look within and find the Divine within themselves as Christ’s True Teachings and Message to the world had been.

The Gnostic's methods were intended to actually facilitate this act of "letting go to God's Will" that the church was requiring, rather than giving mere lip- service to the idea, as the churchmen were doing. They knew that the only way that one could obtain the faith and wisdom required to enable this "letting go to God's Will" was to study and digest the True meaning of Christ's Message to the world which had been recorded in The Gospels of Christ, by the disciples.

In the end the Gnostics lost, and were banished from all church functions and texts along with some of the more revealing Gospels [like this one by Thomas], which were destructive to the churchmen’s doctrine and proved that the church was not built on God’s Truth and Christ’s Message as it claims to be, but was really built on the churchmen’s selfish desires to control the masses and make themselves rich and powerful. The Gnostic’s beliefs eventually disappearing underground among the various secret sects and orders. Yet the dilemma was clear. As long as the church held out the vision of a transformative spiritual connection with the Divine, yet persecuted anyone who talked openly about the specifics of the experience – how one might actually attain such an awareness, what it felt like – then the “Kingdom Within” would remain merely an intellectualized concept within church doctrine, rather than reality within each person, and The Truth would be crushed [by the church] anytime it surfaced…

The Gnostic Gospels of Thomas and Philip were rediscovered in Nag Hamedi in upper Egypt in the middle of the 20th century and were translated out of the Coptic Greek, that they had been written in, by professors of the University of Harvard. Once again, exactly the same way they rejected the Gnostics almost 2000 years ago, the church has refused to recognize The Gospels as genuine Scripture, but when cross-referenced with The Four Gospels in The New Covenant/Testament and God’s other Books (The Old Covenant/Testament and The Holy Koran), The Gospels are found to be in perfect harmony with the rest of God’s Messages to the faithful.

All Bible cross-references taken from His newly completed King of kings’ Bible, the only version containing The Old Testament, New Testament and Holy Koran, cross-referenced and correctly interpreted, in One Book, as it was always intended to be; proving that God’s Word is The Same from beginning to end (Alpha and Omega) and that all of God’s Messages and Apostles from the first to the last are as One, as all of their followers should be.
 
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The Gospel According to Thomas (The Doubter)
Chapter 1

1:1 These are the coded words which the Living Jesus spoke and Didymos (twin) Judas Thomas wrote.
1:2 And He said: Whoever finds the explanation of these words will not taste death.
1:3 Jesus said: Let him who seeks [the Truth], not cease seeking until he finds, and when he finds, he will be troubled (by the truth about his “Self” and by the rest of the world, who, like his “Self” are drunk on Satan’s lies – Rev. 12:9), and when he has been troubled (overcomes his “Self” and the world), he will marvel and he will reign over [and have Knowledge of] the All.
1:4 Jesus said: If those who lead you say to you: “See, the Kingdom is in heaven”, then the birds of the heaven will precede you.
1:5 If they say to you: “It is in the sea,” then the fish will precede you.
1:6 But the Kingdom is within you and it is without you (everywhere, but human eyes will never see it – John 3:3-10).
1:7 If you will know yourselves (the Truth about who and what you really are – a human+Being), then you will be known (people will see that you are different) and you will know that you are the sons of the Living Father (adopted children of God – Matt 23:9).
1:8 But if you do not know yourselves (and believe that you are only human), then you are in poverty and you ARE poverty.
1:9 Jesus said: The man old in days (human years) will not hesitate (if he is truly humble) to ask a little child (Matt. 18:3) of seven days (with complete Knowledge of God) about the place of Life (the Truth), and he will Live.
1:10 For many who are first (to find the Truth and who have learned the most) shall become last (and shall pass on what they have learned to those who know the least and because those who know the least have the greater need, the first will take a back-seat, becoming last, in order to allow the last to be taught first) and they shall become a single one (eventually knowing the Same).
1:11 Jesus said: Know what is in thy sight (learn to see things from a CERTAIN [God’s] point of view), and what is hidden from thee will be revealed to thee. For there is nothing hidden which will not be manifest.
1:12 His disciples asked Him, they said to Him: Wouldst thou that we fast, (see verse 2:17) and how should we pray and should we give alms, and what diet should we observe?
1:13 Jesus said: Do not lie; and do not do what you hate (keep The Commandments and do God’s Will), for all things are manifest before Heaven (God knows it all: He knows what is in the heavens, and what is on earth. And God has power over all things. – Koran Sura 3:29 and He knows everything you have ever done; said and thought). For there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed and there is nothing covered that shall remain without being uncovered.

Chapter 2

2:1 Jesus said: Blessed is the lion (Jew) which the Man (Christ) eats and the lion (Jew) will become man (Christ’s); and cursed is the man whom the lion (Jew) eats and the man will become lion (a Jew).
2:2 And He said: The Man (Christ) is like a Wise Fisherman who cast His net into the sea (of people – Isaiah 17:12), He drew it up from the sea (Isaiah 57:20) full of small fish; among them He found a large and good fish, that wise fisherman, He threw all the small fish down into the sea (for them to have the opportunity to grow, before he casts his net again), He chose the large fish without regret (For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath – Matt. 25:29). Whoever has ears to hear let him hear.
2:3 Jesus said: See, the sower (of Truth – Christ) went out, he filled his hands, he threw. Some seeds (Truth) fell on the road (to those who refuse to accept The Truth); the birds came, they gathered them. Others fell on stony ground (those who gladly accept the Truth, but have no place in their hearts for it) and did not strike root in the earth and did not produce ears (with which to hear more Truth).
2:4 And others fell on the thorns (those who gladly accept the Truth, but do not guard it against the world and those who seek to destroy the Truth – [verse 1:3 above]); they choked the seed and the worm ate them.
2:5 And others fell on the good earth (those who love the Truth and take hold of it with all of their heart, forsaking all else for the Truth); and it brought forth good fruit; it bore 60 per measure and 120 per measure.
2:6 Jesus said: I have cast fire (the Light of the Truth) upon the world, and see, I guard it until the world is afire (Enlightened and glowing).
2:7 Jesus said: This “heaven” (political system) shall pass away (the Idumaean Jewish Sanhedrin) and the one above it (the Romans) shall pass away, and the (spiritually) “dead” (under the death sentence for treason* – John 11:25) are not alive and the (spiritually) Living (those who keep the Commandments and do God’s Will) shall not die [in The Fire]. (* For the full explanation of this statement about treason, please read The Way home or face The Fire).
2:8 In the days when you devoured the dead (believed that you were only human and acted like a human instead of as a Being, living by God’s eternal principles), you made it seem alive (by thinking that is all there is to life); when you come into Light (find the Truth), what will you do? On the day when you were one (human-being) you became two (a human+Being). But when you have become two what will you do? (see verse 4:10).
2:9 The disciples said to Jesus: We know that thou wilt go away from us. Who is it who shall be great over us?
2:10 Jesus said to them: Wherever you have come, you will go to James the righteous(see James’ Gospel); and the righteous are those for whose sake heaven and earth came into being (please read the “Dune Gibraltar” Booklet).
2:11 Jesus said to His disciples: Make a comparison to Me and tell Me whom I am like. Simon Peter said to Him: Thou art like a righteous angel.
2:12 Matthew said to Him: Thou art like a wise man of understanding.
2:13 Thomas said to Him: Master, my mouth will not at all be capable of saying whom Thou art like.
2:14 Jesus said: I am not thy Master. Because thou hast drunk, thou hast become drunk from the bubbling spring which I have dug out (- drunk on the wrongful belief that by the Grace of Christ alone he is saved). And He took him, He withdrew, He spoke three words to him.
2:15 Now when Thomas came to his companions, they asked him: What did Jesus say to thee?
2:16 Thomas said to them: If I tell you one of the words which He said to me, you will take up stones and throw at me; and fire will come from the stones and burn you up.
2:17 Jesus said to them: if you fast (ritually), you will beget sin for yourselves (Matt. 6), and if you pray (in churches – Matt. 6:5-6*), you will be condemned, and if you give alms (to the churches), you will do evil to your spirits. And if you go into any land and wander in the regions, if they receive you, eat what they set before you, heal the sick among them.
2:18 For what goes into your mouth (food) will not defile you, but what comes out of your mouth (what you say), that is what will defile you.

* Matthew 6:5-6 And when thou prayest, thou shalt NOT be as the hypocrites [ARE]: for they love to pray standing in the churches and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward (they have been seen). But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and WHEN THOU HAST SHUT THY DOOR, pray to thy Father in private (Enoch 56:5; Sura 7:55); and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Chapter 3

3:1 Jesus said: When you see Him who was not born of woman (not of flesh), prostrate yourselves upon your face and adore Him: He is your Father (God – Matt. 23:9).
3:2 Jesus said: Men possibly think that I have come to throw peace upon the world and they do not know that I have come to throw a division (good / evil – the lambs from the goats) upon the earth, fire (Truth), sword (of the Spirit – Eph. 6:10-18), [spiritual] war. For there shall be five in a house: three shall be against two and two against three, the father against the son and the son against the father (a man’s foes SHALL BE they of his own household – Matt. 10:36), and they will stand as solitaries (tie two birds together; although they have four wings, they cannot fly).
3:3 Jesus said: I will give you what eye has not seen and what ear has not heard and what hand has not touched and what has not arisen in the heart of man (Truth).
3:4 The disciples said to Jesus: Tell us how our end will be.
3:5 Jesus said: Have you then discovered the beginning so that you inquire about the end? For where the beginning is, there shall be the end (Alpha & Omega – Rev. 22:13). Blessed is he who shall stand at [and know what happened at, and what is] the beginning, and he shall know the end and he shall not taste death (The Fire).
3:6 Jesus said: Blessed is he who [knows he] was [in existence] before he came into being (in this incarnation – John 9:12 & 21:22-23).

Chapter 4

4:1 Jesus said: If you become disciples to Me and hear My words, these stones (Christ’s words metaphorically written in stone) will minister to you. For you have five trees (The Five Books of Moses containing God’s Law) in Paradise which are unmoved in Summer (Christ’s reign – Matt. 24:32) or in Winter (Satan’s reign), and their leaves do not fall (The Torah).
4:2 Whoever KNOWS them will not taste death.
4:3 The disciples said to Jesus: Tell us what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. He said to them: It is like a mustard-seed, smaller than all seeds (to a human). But when it falls on the tilled earth (one who loves and willfully accepts the Truth), it produces a large branch (he grows strong in the Truth) and becomes shelter for the birds of heaven (those around him find in him peace and shelter from the chaos and insanity of the world).
4:4 Mary said to Jesus: Whom are thy disciples like?
4:5 He said: They are like little children who have installed themselves in a field which is not theirs (Planet Earth). When the owners of the field (God; Christ and His angels) come, they will say: “Release to us our field”. They (the disciples) take off their things (give up all their worldly possessions) before them to release the field to them and to give back their field to them.
4:6 Therefore I say: If the lord of the house knows that the thief is coming, he will stay awake before he comes and will not let him dig through into his house of his kingdom to carry away his goods (Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh. – Matt. 24:42-51).
4:7 You then must watch for the world, gird up your loins with great strength (the Truth – Eph. 6:14) lest the brigands find a way to come to you, because they will find the advantage which you expect (Behold, I come as a thief in the night – Christ – Rev. 16:15).
4:8 Let there be among you a man of understanding; when the fruit ripened, he came quickly with his sickle in his hand he reaped it (Rev. 14:15). Whoever has ears to hear let him hear.
4:9 Jesus saw children who were being suckled. He said to his disciples: These children who are being suckled are like those who enter the Kingdom (El Shaddai – the Breasted One – God). A baby suckling has only one source of nourishment and can have no other. Those who enter the Kingdom have ONLY God as their supply of Spiritual food and no other.
4:10 They said to Him: Shall we then, being children, enter the Kingdom? Jesus said to them: When you make the two one, and when you make the inner (the Being) as the outer (the human) and the outer (human) as the inner (Being) and the below (you) as the Above (God), and when you make the male and the female into a single one, so that the male will not be male and the female not be female (Spirit-Beings have no sex), when you make eyes in the place of an eye, and a hand in the place of a hand, and a foot in the place of a foot, and an Image in the place of an image (see 8:8 and 13:15), . . . . . . . . . . . . . THEN shall you enter the Kingdom.

Chapter 5

5:1 Jesus said: I shall choose you, one out of a thousand, and two out of ten thousand (144,000 out of 6,000,000,000 people – Rev. 7:4; “Like as a wave is greater than a drop” – 2 Esdras 9:16), and they shall stand as a Single One.
5:2 His disciples said: Show us the place where Thou art, for it is necessary for us to seek it.
5:3 He said to them: Whoever has ears let him hear. Within a man of Light (Truth) there is Light (God) and he Lights the whole world. When he does not shine, there is darkness(evil and ignorance).
5:4 Jesus said: Love thy brother as thy soul, guard him as the apple of thine eye (Enoch 99:2).
5:5 Jesus said: The mote (darkness – evil) that is in thy brother’s eye thou seest, but the beam (evil) that is in thine eye, thou seest not. When thou castest the beam (evil) out of thine eye, then thou wilt see clearly to cast the mote (darkness – evil) out of thy brother’s eye (you cannot show people how to solve their problems unless you first learn how to solve them yourself. Then you will see clearly, understand and be able to help other people solve their problems).
5:6 Jesus said: If you fast not from the world, you will not find the Kingdom; if you keep not the Sabbath (Saturday) as Sabbath [for studying God’s Word], you will not see the Father.
5:7 Jesus said: I (Christ) took my stand in the midst of the world and in flesh (inside Jesus) I appeared to them; I found them all drunk (on Satan’s lies and materialism), I found none among them athirst (for the Truth and for Righteousness). And my soul was afflicted for the sons of men because they are (Spiritually) blind in their hearts and do not see that empty (of Knowledge and Wisdom) they have come into the world and that empty they seek to go out of the world again (learning nothing of any value in between-time).
5:8 But now they are drunk (like Thomas had been – in 2:14). When they have shaken off their wine, then will they repent.

Chapter 6

6:1 Jesus said: If the flesh has come into existence because of the spirit, it is a marvel; but if the spirit has come into existence because of the body, it is a marvel of marvels (impossible). But I marvel at how this great wealth (the spirit-Being) has made its home in this poverty (the body – 2 Corinthians 5:6-8).
6:2 Jesus said: Where there are three angels, they are angels (in Paradise – [the Astral Plain “para-dice – in order to be told” the truth of all they did] – Enoch 89:41); where there are two or one, I (the Comforter – John 14:26) am with him.
6:3 Jesus said: No prophet is acceptable in his village, no physician heals those who know him (complacency breeds conceit; familiarity breeds contempt and like sees like, i.e. humans only see other humans and not the spirit-Being within).
6:4 Jesus said: A city being built on a high mountain and fortified cannot fall nor can it ever be hidden (when you are illuminated by the Truth; the Truth can never be defeated [no-one will gainsay you – Titus 1:9] or hidden away, all people will see the Light glowing within you).
6:5 Jesus said: What thou shalt hear in thine ear and in the other [spiritual] ear (the Truth and the Teaching of Christ), that preach from your housetops; for no-one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel, nor does he put it in a hidden place, but he sets it on the lampstand, so that all who come in and go out may see its Light (and benefit from it).
6:6 Jesus said: If a blind man (priest; lawyer; politician; professor; etc. – Matt. 23) leads a blind man (a seeker of Truth), both of them fall into a pit. Jesus said: It is not possible for one to enter the house of the strong man and take him (or it) by force unless he bind his hands (with a wife; children; mortgage; etc. – many people say, “What you are doing is right and I’d like to help you but my hands are tied” – Matthew 19:12); then will he ransack his house.
6:7 Jesus said: Take no thought from morning until evening and from evening until morning for what you shall put on (or eat etc., but seek ye FIRST the Kingdom of God, and His Righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. – Matt. 6:33).
6:8 His disciples said: When wilt Thou be revealed to us and when will we see Thee (the Christ)?
6:9 Jesus said: When you take off your shame without being ashamed (put your past sins and wrong-doings behind you, with determination not to do it again), and take your clothes (human bodies) and put them under your feet (control your human body’s ‘Self’-ish natural instincts) as the little children (with child-like [not childish] faith and humility) and tread on them (crucifying the ‘Self’ – Matt. 16:24-26), then shall you behold the Son of the Living One and you shall not fear.
6:10 Jesus said: Many times have you desired to hear these words which I say to you, and you have no other from whom to hear them (I am The Way, the Truth, and the Life: NOT one man cometh unto the Father, EXCEPT by me [Christ]. – John 14:6). There will be days when you will seek Me and you will not find me (because you will be overcome by your human ‘Self’ and will become spiritually blinded by your human’s emotions, ego and ‘Self’-ishness).

Chapter 7

7:1 Jesus said: The Pharisees (politicians) and the Scribes (lawyers) have received the Keys of Knowledge (God’s Truth in His Books), they have hidden them (by suppressing the Truth and making up their own laws and traditions). They did not enter, and they did not let those enter who wished.
7:2 But you, become wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
7:3 Jesus said: A vine (legal, political, social, financial and economic system) has been planted without the Father and, as it is not authorised (illegal under God’s Laws, which are the ONLY LAWS on Earth in the eyes of God – Deuteronomy 4:2), it will be pulled up by its roots and be destroyed.
7:4 Jesus said: Whoever has to hand, to him shall be given; and whoever does not have, from him shall be taken even the little which he has (see verse 2:2 above).
7:5 Jesus said: Become “Passers-by” (do not become attached to anybody or anything other than God; Christ and the Truth).
7:6 His disciples said to Him: Who art Thou that Thou should say these things to us.
7:7 Jesus said to them: From what I say to you, you do not know who I am, but you have become as the Jews, for they love the tree (to be seen by men as being God’s demonstration people), they hate its fruit (equality and social justice) and they who love the fruit (equality and justice) they hate the (Fig) tree (Jews – Matt. 21:19-21 and 24:32).
7:8 Jesus said: Whoever blasphemes against the Father, it shall be forgiven him, and whoever blasphemes against the Son, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit (the Comforter or good voice of Guidance in our heads), it shall not be forgiven him, either on earth or in heaven.
7:9 Jesus said: They do not harvest grapes from thorns, nor do they gather figs from thistles; for they give no fruit.
7:10 A good man brings forth good out of his treasure, an evil man brings forth evil things out of his evil treasure, which is in his heart, and speaks evil things. For out of the abundance of the heart he brings forth evil things (judge a tree by the fruit it bears, every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into The Fire. – Matt. 7:15-20).

Chapter 8

8:1 Jesus said: From Adam until John the Baptist there is among those who are born of women none higher than John the Baptist, so that his eyes will not be broken.
8:2 But I have said that whoever among you becomes as a child (with child-like faith and humility) shall know the Kingdom, and he shall become higher than John.
8:3 Jesus said: It is impossible for a man to mount two horses and to stretch two bows, and it is impossible for a servant to serve two masters, otherwise he will honour the one and offend the other (you cannot serve God and mammon [materialism]).
8:4 No man drinks old wine (indulges his human ‘Self’) and immediately desires to drink new wine (feed his spirit-Being); and they do not put new wine (Spiritual Truth) into old wineskins (someone who clings to the doctrine of the churches and the belief that he’s only human), lest they burst, and they do not put old wine (human worldly lusts and pleasures) into a new wineskin (one who is born again as his spirit-Being – John 3:3-9), lest it spoil it.
8:5 They do not sew an old patch on a new garment, because there would come a tear (you cannot mix human ‘Self’-ishness and worldly pleasures with Spiritual unselfishness, Truth and Enlightenment).
8:6 Jesus said: If two (the human and the Being) make peace with each other in this one house (human+Being), they shall say to the government: “Be moved”, and it shall be moved.
8:7 Jesus said: Blessed are the solitary and Elect, for you shall find the Kingdom; because you come from it and you shall go there again.
8:8 Jesus said: If they say to you: “From where have you originated?”, say to them: “We have come from the Light (Spirit Energy – God – Enoch 39:8), where the Light has originated through itself (God the Creator of all things and the source of Love; goodness; Truth and Light, from where we [our Spirit – the Being part of our human+Being] come – Enoch 105:25). It stood and it revealed itself in their image (My “Self” is crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I [the “Self”], but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. – Gal. 2:20).
8:9 If they say to you: “Who are you?”, say: “We are His (adopted) sons and we are the Elect of the Living Father”. If they ask you: “What is the sign of your Father in you?”, say to them: “It is a movement and a rest” (always at peace, calm and passive, whatever happens).
8:10 His disciples said to Him: When will the repose of the “dead” come about and when will the new world come? He said to them: What you expect (The Kingdom of God) has come, but you know it not (Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water [human] and then is born [later] from above as his spirit-“Being” [his REAL self which is NOT human], he can NOT see or enter into the Kingdom of God [Who is a Spirit-“Being”] – John 3:5)

Chapter 9

9:1 His disciples said to Him: twenty-four prophets spoke in Israel (Enoch 89:7-11) and they all spoke about Thee.
9:2 He said to them: You have dismissed the Living One who is before you (Christ) and you have spoken about the dead.
9:3 His disciples asked Him: Is circumcision profitable or not? He said to them: If it were profitable, their father would beget them circumcised from their mother. But the true circumcision in Spirit (circumcision of the heart – removing your ‘Self’-ishness and hard-heartedness and baring your heart to God) has become profitable in every way.
9:4 Jesus said: Blessed are the poor (that are rich in spirit), for yours is the Kingdom of Heaven.
9:5 Jesus said: Whoever does not hate his (human body’s) father and mother will not be able to be a disciple to Me [and join my family] (Matt. 10:35-38; 12:46-50), and whoever does not hate his (human body’s) brethren and his sisters and does not take up his cross (of ‘Self’ sacrifice) in My Way (crucifying the ‘Self’ daily) will not be worthy of Me (Matt. 16:24-26).
9:6 Jesus said: Whoever has known the world has found a corpse (found all worldly pleasures to be just an illusion and an “empty bag”), and whoever has found a corpse (has overcome the world), of him the world is not worthy.

Chapter 10

10:1 Jesus said: the Kingdom of the Father is like a man (God) who had good seed (faithful followers of the Truth). His enemy (Satan) came by night, he sowed a weed (lies – evil) among the good seed.
10:2 The man did not permit the workers to pull up the weed.
10:3 He said to them: Lest perhaps you go to pull up the weed and pull up the wheat (those who were genuinely deceived by Satan’s lies) with it.
10:4 For on the day of the harvest (the Last Day) the weeds will appear, they will pull them and burn them. Jesus said:
10:5 Blessed is the man who has suffered (in this life for the Truth – John 15:17-21), he has found the Life (Eternal).
10:6 Jesus said: Look upon the Living One (God) as long as you live lest you die (are overcome by your human ‘Self’ and end up in The Fire) and seek to see Him and be unable to see (Luke 16:20-31).
10:7 They saw a Samaritan carrying a lamb on his way to Judaea.
10:8 He said to His disciples: Why does this man carry the lamb with him? They said to Him: In order that he may kill it and eat it.
10:9 He said to them: As long as it is alive, he will not eat it, but only if he has killed it and it has become a corpse.
10:10 They said: Otherwise he will not be able to do it.
10:11 He said to them: You yourselves, seek a place for yourselves in Repose (store-up your treasures in heaven – Matt. 6:19-20), lest you become a corpse (spiritually dead) and be eaten.
10:12 Jesus said: Two will rest on a bed (human+Being): the one will die (the human), the one will Live (the Being). Salome said: Who art thou, man, and whose son? Thou didst take thy place upon my bench and eat from my table.
10:13 Jesus said to her: I am He who is from the Same (The Son of God), to Me was given from the things of My Father.
10:14 Salome said: I am Thy disciple. Jesus said to her: Therefore I say, if he is the Same, he will be filled with Light (Love, peace, Truth and harmony), but if he is divided, he will be filled with darkness (hate, fear, anger, aggression, lies, evil and discord) (Matt. 6:22-23).

Chapter 11

11:1 Jesus said: I tell My mysteries to those who are worthy of My mysteries (one is taught in accordance to one’s fitness to learn).
11:2 What thy right hand will do, let not thy left hand know what it does (Matt. 6).
11:3 Jesus said: There was a rich man who had much money. He said: I will use my money that I may sow and reap and plant and fill my storehouses with fruit, so that I lack nothing. This was what he thought in his heart. And that night he died (Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? – Matt. 6:25-34). Whoever has ears let him hear.
11:4 Jesus said: A Man (Christ) had guest-friends (disciples – John 15:15), and when he had prepared the dinner (wedding feast – The New Jerusalem – Rev. 21:2), he sent his servant to invite the guest-friends. He went to the first, he said to him: “My Master invites thee”. He said: “I have some claims against some merchants; they will come to me in the evening; I will go and give them my orders. I pray to be excused from the dinner”. He went to another, he said to him: “My Master has invited thee”. He said to him: “I have bought a house and they request me for a day. I will have no time”. He came to another, he said to him: “My Master invites thee”. He said to him: “My friend is to be married and I am to arrange a dinner. I shall not be able to come. I pray to be excused from the dinner.
11:5 He went to another, he said to him: “My Master invites thee”. He said to him: “I have bought a farm, I go to collect the rent. I shall not be able to come. I pray to be excused”. The servant came, he said to his Master: “Those whom thou hast invited to the dinner have excused themselves” (because they were too involved with worldly temporal matters and unwilling to leave their world to enter God’s).
11:6 The Master said to his servant: “Go out to the roads, bring those whom thou shalt find, so that they may dine. Tradesmen and merchants shall not enter the places of My Father” (Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. – Matt. 5:6; 6:24).

Chapter 12

12:1 He said: A Good Man (God) had a vineyard (Earth). He gave it to husbandmen (man-kind) so that they would work it and that he would receive its fruit from them.
12:2 He sent His servant (the Prophets) so that the husbandmen would give Him the fruit of the vineyard. They seized His servant, they beat him; a little longer and they would have killed him.
12:3 The servant came, he told it to His Master. His Master said: “Perhaps they did not know him”.
12:4 He sent another servant; the husbandmen beat him as well. Then the owner sent His Son (Jesus+Christ). He said: “Perhaps they will respect My Son”. Since those husbandmen knew that he was the heir of the vineyard, they seized him, they killed (Crucified) him (Jesus the human – not Christ the Being – Koran Sura 4*).
12:5 Whoever has ears let him hear.
12:6 Jesus said: Show Me the Stone (Christ) which the builders have rejected; it is The Corner-Stone (Gen. 49:22-24 / Matt. 21:42-44).
12:7 Jesus said: Whoever knows the All but fails to know himself (the Truth about his human ‘Self’ and his own ‘Self’-ishness) lacks everything.
12:8 Jesus said: Blessed are you when you are hated and persecuted (for the Truth’s sake – Matt. 5:10-12); and no place will be found there where you have been persecuted (Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the Day of Judgment, than for that city. – Matt. 10:14-15).
12:9 Jesus said: Blessed are those who have been persecuted in their heart (for the Truth’s sake); these are they who have known the Father in truth.
12:10 Blessed are the hungry (for righteousness), for they will fill their belly with what they desire.
12:11 Jesus said: If you bring forth that within yourselves (your Being), that which you have will save you.
12:12 If you do not have that within yourselves, that which you do not have within you will kill you.
12:13 Jesus said: I (Christ) shall destroy this House (the human body’s ‘Self’ and also The Holy Temple – Matt. 24:2) and no-one will be able to build it again (Rev. 21:22).

* Koran Sura 4:157. That they said (in boast), “We killed Christ the son of Mary, the Messenger of God”;- but they killed Christ not, nor crucified Christ, but so it was made to appear to them (as they crucified the human body called Jesus, that Christ the spirit-being used – Psalm 22; Isaiah 52:13 to 54:1; Zechariah 11:10-13; Matthew 27), and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) Knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed Christ not:-
4:158. Nay, God raised him up unto Himself and God is Exalted in Power, and in Wisdom;-
4:159. And, of the People of the Book, they all must believe him (Christ) before their death; and on the Day of Judgment he will be a witness against them (and you) (Surah 43:61);-


Chapter 13

13:1 A man said to Him: Tell my brethren to divide my father’s possessions with me. He said to him: O man, who made Me a divider? (Satan is the lord of divisions, I have come to unite all men who will accept Me).
13:2 He turned to His disciples, He said to them: I am not a divider am I? (only a divider of Truth and lies, good and evil and the sheep from the goats – Matt. 25:32-33)
13:3 Jesus said: The harvest (of souls in need of Guidance on earth) is indeed great, but the labourers (giving the demonstration of The Way of Righteousness) are few; but beg the Lord to send labourers into the harvest.
13:4 He said: Lord, there are many around the cistern (close to The Way of Truth and Life or who talk about it), but nobody in the cistern (Living in The Way).
13:5 Jesus said: Many are standing at the door, but the solitary (who are dependent on nobody and nothing except God) are the ones who will enter the Bridal Chamber (the New Jerusalem).
13:6 Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a man, a merchant, who possessed merchandise (worldly substance) and found a pearl (the Truth). That merchant was prudent. He sold the merchandise, he bought the one pearl for himself (gave up his worldly possessions to possess the Truth).
13:7 Do you also seek for the treasure which fails not (God’s Promise of Eternal Life), which endures, there [in heaven] where no moth comes near to devour and where no worm destroys.
13:8 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 (John 1:1-5). Cleave a piece of wood, I am there; lift up the stone and you will find Me there (“The Force” of God’s Love can be felt everywhere, “You must feel The Force around you, within you, between you, me, the rock, the tree, everywhere! Even between the land and the ship.” – please read the “Starwars – fact not fiction” booklet).
13:9 Jesus said: Why did you come out into the desert? To see a reed shaken by the wind? And to see a man clothed in soft garments (what were you expecting to see)? See, your (human) kings and your great ones are those who are clothed in soft garments and they shall not be able to know the Truth (because they are sheltered from Earth’s reality in the luxury of their palaces and mansions etc. But God’s Messengers and Great Ones are always humble, meek and lowly [Matt. 11:29] and are never so extravagantly attired because they have different values).
13:10 A woman from the multitude said to Him: Blessed is the womb which bore Thee and the breasts which nourished Thee.
13:11 He said to her: Blessed [rather] are those who have heard the Word of the Father and have kept it in truth (Blessed are those who keep The Commandments and DO God’s Will). For there will be days when you will say: Blessed is the womb which has not conceived and the breasts that have not suckled (Matt. 24).
13:12 Jesus said: Whoever has known the world has found the body (the human ‘Self’), and whoever has found the body [and crucified it daily], of him the world is not worthy.
13:13 Jesus said: Let him who has become rich (in Spirit) become king (of his own household [control his human ‘Self’]), and let him who has power (over other people and worldly affairs) renounce it.
13:14 Jesus said: Whoever is near to me is near to the fire (Truth), and whoever is far from me is far from the Kingdom.
13:15 Jesus said: The images (of God) are manifest to man and the Light which is in them is hidden in the Image of the Light of the Father (See ch. 8:8. God’s Presence is felt experientially). He will manifest Himself and His Image is concealed by His Light (No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision: He is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things. – Koran Sura 6:103).
13:16 Jesus said: When you see your likeness (to Christ), you rejoice. But when you see your images which came into existence before you (all that you did in previous incarnations), which neither die nor are manifested, how much will you bear!
13:17 Jesus said: Adam came into existence from a great power and a great wealth (the Truth) and yet he did not become worthy of you (for he had the Truth and lost it, but you didn’t have the Truth and now you have found it). For if he had been worthy, he would not have tasted death (And the “I AM” God COMMANDED the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good [Truth] and evil [lies], thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die [in confusion]. – Gen. 2:16-17).
13:18 Jesus said: The foxes have their holes and the birds have their nest, but the Son of Man has no place (in the world) to lay his head and to rest (John 7:7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. – John 8:14 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I AM NOT FROM THIS WORLD.).

Chapter 14

14:1 Jesus said: Wretched is the body which depends upon a body, and wretched is the soul which depends upon these two (Each moment that passes changes you, you do not, can not possess even yourself, how can you possibly hope to possess anyone or anything else. – see the film “The Silent Flute”).
14:2 Jesus said: The angels and the prophets will come to you and they will give you what is yours (your Pardon and Divinity – if you earn it). And you, too, give to them what is in your hands (the world and all that is in it), and say to yourselves: “On which day will they come and receive what is theirs? (when will The End be?)
14:3 Jesus said: Why do you wash [only] the outside of the cup (your body)? Do you not understand that He who made the inside (the spirit-Being) is also He who made the outside (the human body)?* Jesus said: Come to Me, for easy is My yoke (training) and My lordship is gentle, and you shall find repose (rest and inner-peace) for yourselves.
14:4 They said to Him: Tell us who Thou art so that we may believe in Thee.
14:5 He said to them: You test the face of the sky and of the earth, and him who is before your face you have not known, and you do not know to test this moment (If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly [spirit] things? – John 3:3-13).
14:6 Jesus said: Seek and you will find, but those things which you asked me in those days, I did not tell you then; now I desire to tell them, but you do not inquire about them.
14:7 Jesus said: Give not what is Holy to the dogs, lest they cast it on the dung-heap. Throw not the pearls to the swine, lest they make it swill (don’t waste your time trying to teach God’s Truth to those who do not want to learn).
14:8 Jesus said: Whoever seeks will find and whoever knocks, it will be opened to him.

* Matthew 15:1 Then came to Jesus lawyers and politicians, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
15:2 Why do thy disciples transgress the Tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
23:25 Woe unto you, lawyers and politicians, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
23:26 [Thou] blind politician, cleanse first that [which is] within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
23:27 Woe unto you, lawyers and politicians, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead [men’s] bones, and of all filthiness.
23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and inequity.


Chapter 15

15:1 Jesus said: If you have money, do not lend at interest, but give them to him from whom you will not receive them back (or you have no reward from your Father in heaven – Matt. 6).
15:2 Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a woman, who has taken a little leaven and has hidden it in dough and has made large loaves of it. Whoever has ears let him hear.
15:3 Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a woman (Israel) who was carrying a jar full of meal (Blessing from God in The Covenant). While she was walking on a foreign (Gentile) road (out of The Way she was Commanded to go), the handle of the jar broke. The meal streamed out behind her on the road. She did not know it, she had noticed no accident. After she came into her house, she put the jar down, she found it empty (she lost God’s Blessing and the God-forbidden Gentile market-system gradually made her destitute by the Gentiles taking her wealth from her, through her dealings with them).
15:4 Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a man who wishes to kill a powerful man. He drew the sword in his house, he stuck it into the wall, in order to know whether his hand would carry through; then he slew the powerful man (Only a fully trained JE/DI [JEsus DIsciple] knight with The Force as his ally will conquer Vader and his Emperor [Satan]. – Starwars).
15:5 The disciples said to Him: Thy brethren and Thy mother are standing outside.
15:6 He said to them: Those here who DO the Will of My Father, they are My brethren and My mother; these are they who shall enter the Kingdom of My Father.
15:7 They showed Jesus a gold coin and said to Him: Caesar’s men ask taxes from us.
15:8 He said to them: Give the things of Caesar to Caesar, give the things of God to God and give Me what is Mine (Ezekiel 44:2-3; 48:21-22).
15:9 Jesus said: Whoever does not hate his (human’s) father and mother in My Way will not be able to be a disciple to Me. And whoever does not love his Father (God) and his Mother (the Truth) in My Way will not be able to be a disciple to me, for my (human’s) mother gave this body life but My true Mother (The Truth) gave me THE Life.
15:10 Jesus said: Woe to them, the politicians, for they are like a dog sleeping in the manger of oxen, for neither does he eat (digest the Truth) nor does he allow the oxen (those who seek the Truth) to eat.
15:11 Jesus said: Blessed is the man who knows in which part of the night the robbers will come in (Behold, I come as a thief [Christ] – Rev. 16:15), so that he will rise and collect his wits and gird up his loins (with the Truth – Eph. 6) before they come in.
15:12 They said to Him: Come and let us pray today and let us fast.
15:13 Jesus said: Which then is the sin that I have committed, or in what have I been vanquished?
15:14 But when the Bride-Groom comes out of the Bridal-Chamber, then let them fast and let them pray.
15:15 Jesus said: Whoever knows father and mother shall be called the son of a harlot.
15:16 Jesus said: When you make the two one (see verse 4:10), you shall become sons of Man, and when you say: “Mountain (government), be moved”, it will be moved.
15:17 Jesus said: The Kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them went astray, which was the largest. He left behind ninety-nine, he sought for the one until he found it. Having tired himself out, he said to the sheep: I love thee more than ninety-nine (for ye were as if ye were “dead” [under the shadow of the death sentence – The Fire] and are yet alive again – Luke 15:11-32).
15:18 Jesus said: Whoever drinks [the Water of Life] from My mouth (believes the words I speak) shall become as I am and I myself will become he (My “Self” is crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I [the “Self”], but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God – Gal. 2:20), and the hidden things shall be revealed to him (John 16:7-13).
15:19 Jesus said: The Kingdom is like a man who had a treasure hidden in his field (The Bible), without knowing it. And after he died, he left it to his son. The son did not know about it, he accepted that field (The Bible), he sold it. And he who bought it, he went, while he was ploughing [through it] he found the treasure. He began to lend treasure (Truth) to whomever he wished.
15:20 Jesus said: Whoever has found the world and become [materially] rich, let him deny the world.
15:21 Jesus said: The heavens (political-systems) will be rolled up and the earth (down-trodden people – oppression) in your presence (Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. – Matt. 24:35), and he who Lives on the Living One (builds his house upon a Rock [the Truth] – Matt. 7:21-27) shall see neither death nor fear, because Jesus says: Whoever finds (the Truth about) himself, of him the world is not worthy.
15:22 Jesus said: Woe to the flesh (human) which depends upon the soul (Being); woe to the soul (Being) which depends upon the flesh (human).
15:23 His disciples said to Him: When will the Kingdom come?
15:24 Jesus said: It will not come by expectation; they will not say: “See, here”, or: “See, there”. But the Kingdom of the Father is spread upon the earth (already) and men do not see it (with human eyes – John 3:3-10).

Chapter 16

16:1 Simon Peter said to them: Let Mary go out from among us, because women are not worthy of the Life.
16:2 Jesus said: See, I shall lead her, so that I will make her male, that she too may become a Living spirit, resembling you males. For every woman who makes herself (earns her right to become) male (in her next incarnation) will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. AMEN

Excerpt from Philip’s Gospel
When Eve was in Adam there was no death; but when she was separated from him death came into being. If she go in again, and he take her to himself, death will no longer exist. For this reason a man and woman will leave their parents and cleave one (the woman) to the other (the man) becoming one flesh.

She or he who loves anyone or anything more than me and being part of me (Christ) and allows them, or it, to come in between is unworthy of me and will die.

If the woman had not separated from the man, and had not gone apart from him to talk to Satan, deciding to believe Satan in preference to God, thereby calling God the liar, she would not die with and have caused the man to die. His separation through worshipping the woman first rather than God became the beginning of death. Because of this Christ came, in order that he might remove the separation which was from the beginning, and again unite the two; and that he might give life to those who died in the separation, and unite them (in serving God). But the woman is united to the man in the “Bridal Chamber”. Only those who have united in “The Bridal Chamber” (of God) will no longer be separated. Because of this Eve separated from Adam, because she was not united to him in the “Bridal Chamber” of God, and went to serve Satan in his world where he comes between man and woman and between both of them and God.

He whom the woman loves, those whom she will bear are like him: if her husband (or God), they are like her husband (or God); if it is an adulterer (or Satan), they are like the adulterer (or Satan). Often if a woman sleeps with her husband of necessity, but her heart is with the adulterer (or Satan) with whom she is wont to consort (in his world), then what she bears she bears in the likeness of the adulterer (or Satan). But you who are with the Son of God, love not the world but love the Lord, that those you bring forth may not be like unto the world but may be like the Lord.

Man mixes with man, horse mixes with horse, ass mixes with ass. The kinds mix with those of like kind. So also spirit is wont to mix only with spirit and the Word to consort with the Word and the Light to consort with the Light. If thou become man men will love thee. If thou become spirit the Spirit will be joined to thee. If thou become (and not just speak) the Word, it is the Word which will mix with thee. If thou become Light, it is the Light which will consort with thee. If thou become one of those who belong above, those who belong above will find their rest in thee. If thou become horse or ass or bull or dog or goat or any other animal of those outside and those below (or as in the case of some people all of them), then neither man nor Spirit, nor the Word nor Light, nor those above nor those within will be able to love thee. They will not be able to find rest in or with thee and thou hast no part in them.

He or she who is a slave against his or her will will be able to become free. He who has become free by the favour of his master and has sold himself again into slavery to his master’s enemy will no longer be able to be free. (Seven devils enter the clean house and he is worse then than he was in his first state – Matt. 12:43-45). AMEN – JAH

Now read The Way home or face The Fire by JAH.

The King of kings’ Bible is available for online reading.

See also JAHtruth.net – a database of Truth.
 
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Red Sky at Morning

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Is The Gospel Of Thomas Authentic?

By James Bishop


By James Bishop| The Gospel of Thomas is a text of Gnostic origin commonly dated to the first half of the 2nd century. The Gnostics were a religious group that postdated 1st century Christianity, and believed that humans are divine souls trapped in the ordinary physical world. One of the more popular of these texts is the Gospel of Thomas (GT). And what we’d want to consider is whether nor not the GT is just as valuable, if not more so, that our canonical gospels.

It seems that a minority of scholars, particularly those within the Jesus Seminar, want to date the GT text within the 1st century. In doing so they wish to give it equal value to the canonical gospels. We see this effort in their work The Five Gospels which, alongside the canonical gospels, includes the GT.

However, we shall review why this remains a minority view within professional scholarship.

Firstly, the GT seems to be dependent on the earlier canonical gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke, John). We see this in sayings 10 and 16 which are seen to be redactions of Luke 12:49, 51-52 and Matthew 10:34-35.

This suggests that Thomas’ author (not Thomas the disciple) is either already aware of these two gospels in circulation or is borrowing from an even later redaction of these two sources. Either way Thomas comes later than the canonicals which should render some doubt pertaining to its value.

Secondly, the author of Thomas also seems to corroborate some sayings evident in the canonical Gospel of Luke. This suggests that Thomas must come after Luke, as well as after Mark. Most scholars hold to markan priority (meaning Luke consulted the earlier Gospel of Mark for his content), and this tells us that Thomas must be later than Mark, as well as Luke. Professor Craig Evans explains:

“OVER HALF OF THE NEW TESTAMENT WRITINGS ARE QUOTED, PARALLELED, OR ALLUDED TO IN THOMAS… I’M NOT AWARE OF A CHRISTIAN WRITING PRIOR TO AD 150 THAT REFERENCES THIS MUCH OF THE NEW TESTAMENT” (1).

Moreover, on various occasions we find that the GT is dependent on later Syriac translations of the canonical gospels. In other words, this suggests that the GT is based on the translations of our canonical gospels that were translated into other languages. One such example is saying 54 which follows the Syriac of Matthew 5:3 rather than the Greek of the same passage or the Greek of the parallel in Luke 6:20.

Also saying 65 – 66 contains the Parable of the Wicked Tenants but in the harmonized form of Mark and Luke we discover the early Syriac translations of which Thomas picks up. Scholar Klyne Snodgrass explains that

“Thomas, rather than representing the earliest form, has been shaped by this harmonizing tendency in Syria. If the Gospel of Thomas were the earliest, we would have to imagine that each of the evangelists or the traditions behind them expanded the parable in different directions and then that in the process of transmission the text was trimmed back to the form it has in the Syriac Gospels. It is much more likely that Thomas, which has a Syrian provenance, is dependent on the tradition of the canonical Gospels that has been abbreviated and harmonized by oral transmission” (2).

Then there is just the general lack of history that is problematic. Since the GT is a election of some 114 sayings alleged to have been said by Jesus, we find that there is a lack of any travel scenes, mentioning of cities or towns like Galilee or Jerusalem, miracles, healings, or exorcisms. There are essentially just sayings. This surely proves that the GT is less valuable than the canonical gospels as they at least report Jesus’ movements, miracles, ministry and so forth.

I believe that for these several reasons it shouldn’t be seen that the GT is of equal, or of more, value to our canonicals. A persuasive case dates that GT after the 1st century which is considerably later than our canonical gospels. It is furthermore apparent that it is dependent on content found within Luke and Matthew as well as later Syriac translations. The GT also lacks traces of actual historical data that we find within the canonicals.

Why we shouldn’t trust the Gnostic Gospels.

References.

1. Craig Evans’ interview with Lee Strobel in The Case for the Real Jesus (2007). p. 36.

2. Snodgrass, K. “The Gospel of Thomas: A Secondary Gospel” in The Historical Jesus:Critical Concepts in Religious Studies. Volume 4: Lives of Jesus and Jesus outside the Bible. p. 298.
 
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That's a moot point because JAH doesn't claim anywhere to be a Gnostic.
So his entire introduction about the rejection of Gnostics during early Christianity is a sidenote? What then is the modern reason of the Church for rejecting the authenticity of the Gospel of Thomas when it's supposedly not Gnostic and what was her original reason?

bible_student wrote:

"In the end the Gnostics lost, and were banished from all church functions and texts along with some of the more revealing Gospels [like this one by Thomas], which were destructive to the churchmen’s doctrine and proved that the church was not built on God’s Truth and Christ’s Message as it claims to be, but was really built on the churchmen’s selfish desires to control the masses and make themselves rich and powerful. The Gnostic’s beliefs eventually disappearing underground among the various secret sects and orders."

But nevertheless I've never seen a more profound interpretation than this.
How many interpretations have you read?
 
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Phithx

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So his entire introduction about the rejection of Gnostics during early Christianity is a sidenote? What then is the modern reason of the Church for rejecting the authenticity of the Gospel of Thomas when it's supposedly not Gnostic and what was her original reason?

bible_student wrote:

"In the end the Gnostics lost, and were banished from all church functions and texts along with some of the more revealing Gospels [like this one by Thomas], which were destructive to the churchmen’s doctrine and proved that the church was not built on God’s Truth and Christ’s Message as it claims to be, but was really built on the churchmen’s selfish desires to control the masses and make themselves rich and powerful. The Gnostic’s beliefs eventually disappearing underground among the various secret sects and orders."

How many interpretations have you read?
Raised a Christian in the Anglican church, went to a private church school - church 5 times a week, delved into many similar truth-seeking things - a lifetime of looking (probably like you?) - this to me is the best.
 
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“OVER HALF OF THE NEW TESTAMENT WRITINGS ARE QUOTED, PARALLELED, OR ALLUDED TO IN THOMAS… I’M NOT AWARE OF A CHRISTIAN WRITING PRIOR TO AD 150 THAT REFERENCES THIS MUCH OF THE NEW TESTAMENT” (1).
So they see this as being a "bad sign" for the authenticity, instead of a good sign (confirmation of it being Divinely Inspired) but how is their view justified, based on scripture?

2 Timothy
3:16 All Scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

The authors above have tried to infer that the Gospel of Thomas' similarity to the rest of the writings of the New Testament is somehow supposed to be seen as a bad sign and counting against the authenticity of it?

Perhaps they should read 2 Timothy 3:16-17 again.

The Gospel of Thomas' is commonly dated as being earlier than the others (which they admit).

An earlier date, along with it's evident harmony with the rest of Jesus' Teachings in the other Gospels and as well as the rest of the New Testament would to an unbiased person show up as support for it's authenticity. But these people appear to have an axe to grind (i.e. trying to defend the accepted doctrines of the churches).

Instead of them just reading it and asking Father.
 
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This is the true and correct interpretation and explanation of The Gospel of Thomas.
If anything, it's a Judaizing interpretation and that in itself rejects the Gnostic teachings of early Christianity as did the Church which you conveniently condemn.

Also, should I interpret the fact that you posted "your" interpretation of the Gospel of Thomas within 24 hours after mine as a rebuttal? If you have a rebuttal of the interpretation I posted, wouldn't it show a bit more class and integrity to share your view / criticism in that respective thread instead of trying to steal thunder like a 7-year old?
 
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Raised a Christian in the Anglican church, went to a private church school - church 5 times a week, delved into many similar truth-seeking things - a lifetime of looking (probably like you?) - this to me is the best.
You didn't answer the question:
So his entire introduction about the rejection of Gnostics during early Christianity is a sidenote? What then is the modern reason of the Church for rejecting the authenticity of the Gospel of Thomas when it's supposedly not Gnostic and what was her original reason?
 
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Unless I'm misunderstanding you?
Considering the context and message of bible_student's introduction, one would assume he's giving the Gnostic interpretation of the Gospel of Thomas, the very reason according to him why the Church had this manuscript outlawed.

If bible_student's (or Jah's) interpretation isn't Gnostic, then why make it seem as if it is?
 

Phithx

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Considering the context and message of bible_student's introduction, one would assume he's giving the Gnostic interpretation of the Gospel of Thomas, the very reason according to him why the Church had this manuscript outlawed.

If bible_student's (or Jah's) interpretation isn't Gnostic, then why make it seem as if it is?
Okay understood.

JAH simply states that the Apostles Thomas and Philip were Gnostics, which is what they were.

But does His own interpretation of their writings.
 
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If anything, it's a Judaizing interpretation and that in itself rejects the Gnostic teachings of early Christianity as did the Church which you conveniently condemn.
How, may I ask, did you interpret 2:1, 2:7 &7:7 as being a "Judaizing" interpretation, please? I must admit, that I find this to be quite a baffling statement.
Also, should I interpret the fact that you posted "your" interpretation of the Gospel of Thomas within 24 hours after mine as a rebuttal?
As a rebuttal, yes. But it is not mine, neither did I make such a claim at any point. It was already done years ago (by JAH) and I had access to it. The, not only an interpretation of, but also, the complete explanation (and this in simple and easy to understand language and terms) of the entire Gospel of Thomas (which was all done by JAH) is far too good and profound for it not to be shared. It was actually considered for a while to post this explanation by JAH here, but that had not happened yet, and so, as the opportunity (of discussing the Gospel of Thomas) presented itself, (in part thanks to you in making your post about it), it seemed the appropriate and right time (and it still does) to share it here on it's own thread, so it can be studied by others.
If you have a rebuttal of the interpretation I posted, wouldn't it show a bit more class and integrity to share your view / criticism in that respective thread
The option of posting it below yours was duly considered, but it would not have been appropriate, because it deserves to be presented in it's own thread to be made available for people who may be interested to read this correct interpretation, without first being previously biased by another.
instead of trying to steal thunder like a 7-year old?
Being concerned with receiving "thunder" (i.e. praise) for something is (we all have to learn) a very sure way to let the ego (the "self") blind you completely, so that you can't see what is right in front of you.

Thomas
1:9 Jesus said: The man old in days (human years) will not hesitate (if he is truly humble) to ask a little child (Matt. 18:3) of seven days (with complete Knowledge of God) about the place of Life (the Truth), and he will Live.

The message we are given in the Gospel of Thomas, above, is perfectly consistent with all the rest of Christ's Teachings about the cross (of "Self" sacrifice) and the crucifying of the Ego (the "Self" - which is everyone's own worst enemy and can be heard, making it's demands and evil wishes known, inside of their own head) as well as being in perfect harmony with the rest of Scripture.

So, rather than being concerned with what will please and stroke "the ego" (and give it the "thunder" that it so desperately craves) the aim (for us all) should be (as graciously shown in JAH's explanation of the Gospel of Thomas, above) to overcome and defeat the ego, and all of it's "self"-ish wants and desires (which includes "it" wanting to be constantly praised and admired, by others around it) and that make us stumble and makes our lives (and those of others around us) a misery (by crucifying it daily - until it is dead).

The greatest enemy, for each of us, is not external or outside of ourselves. It is within (the Ego/"Self/evil voice, in our heads).
 
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How, may I ask, did you interpret 2:1, 2:7 &7:7 as being a "Judaizing" interpretation, please? I must admit, that I find this to be quite a baffling statement.
2:7 is exactly one of the Judaizing interpretations, given the context.

2:7 Jesus said: This “heaven” (political system) shall pass away (the Idumaean Jewish Sanhedrin) and the one above it (the Romans) shall pass away, and the (spiritually) “dead” (under the death sentence for treason* – John 11:25) are not alive and the (spiritually) Living (those who keep the Commandments and do God’s Will) shall not die [in The Fire].​
The "spiritually dead" according to gnosis refer to those who are under the law (the commandments of the old testament). Yet, according to JAH, the "spiritually living" should be under the law (those who keep the commandments).

These commandments according to JAH can't refer to the law of Christ since:

4:1 Jesus said: If you become disciples to Me and hear My words, these stones (Christ’s words metaphorically written in stone) will minister to you. For you have five trees (The Five Books of Moses containing God’s Law) in Paradise which are unmoved in Summer (Christ’s reign – Matt. 24:32) or in Winter (Satan’s reign), and their leaves do not fall (The Torah).

... the law refers to the Torah / Pentateuch.

Therefore: Judaizing.

The Five Trees in gnosis refer to the Five Members of the Mind (see Acts of Thomas, 27 and the baptism of King Gundaphorus)., namely mind, thought, reflection, consideration, reason, not the five books of Moses.

Therefore: Judaizing.

7:7, or better, logion 43 is explicitly condemning the Judaeans for their hypocrisy regardless of your interpretation.

With regard to 2:1:

2:1 Jesus said: Blessed is the lion (Jew) which the Man (Christ) eats and the lion (Jew) will become man (Christ’s); and cursed is the man whom the lion (Jew) eats and the man will become lion (a Jew).​
There's no interpretation here. Lion of Judah. Son of Man. These links can be made superficially. What does this verse mean exactly?
Being concerned with receiving "thunder" (i.e. praise) for something is (we all have to learn) a very sure way to let the ego (the "self") blind you completely, so that you can't see what is right in front of you.

Thomas
1:9 Jesus said: The man old in days (human years) will not hesitate (if he is truly humble) to ask a little child (Matt. 18:3) of seven days (with complete Knowledge of God) about the place of Life (the Truth), and he will Live.

The message we are given in the Gospel of Thomas, above, is perfectly consistent with all the rest of Christ's Teachings about the cross (of "Self" sacrifice) and the crucifying of the Ego (the "Self" - which is everyone's own worst enemy and can be heard, making it's demands and evil wishes known, inside of their own head) as well as with the rest of Scripture.

So, rather than being concerned with what will please and stroke the ego (and give it thunder) the aim (for us all) should be (as graciously shown in JAH's explanation of the Gospel of Thomas, above) to overcome and defeat the ego, and all of it's "self"-ish wants and desires (which includes "it" wanting to be praised and admired) and that make us stumble and makes our lives (and those of others around us) a misery.

The greatest enemy, for each of us, is not outside of ourselves, but within (the Ego/"Self/evil voice in our heads).
While overcoming the ego is part of Christian teaching, "stealing thunder" is not about ego.


It's ego that made you do this, but it's telling that you try to turn this on its head.
 
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It'probably also safe to say that what is commonly referred to today by people as "Gnostic" (which has become yet another label akin to a new organized religion) is not going to be the same, or perhaps even recognizably similar to what the original followers of "The Way" (Christ) believed and who came to be called Gnostics.

(Gnosticism meaning "having knowledge")

True Gnosticism (knowing of the Truth), would therefore be having knowledge of the Truth, which comes from Christ (John 14:6) instead of continuing to believe the lies that come from satan/lucifer/the devil (and false doctrines of organized religions, or other false opinions).

King of kings' Bible,
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am The Way, the Truth, and the Life: NOT one man cometh unto the Father, EXCEPT by me.

John
8:22 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed him, If ye continue in my Word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed;
8:23 And ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.
 

DavidSon

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Is The Gospel Of Thomas Authentic?

By James Bishop


By James Bishop| The Gospel of Thomas is a text of Gnostic origin commonly dated to the first half of the 2nd century. The Gnostics were a religious group that postdated 1st century Christianity, and believed that humans are divine souls trapped in the ordinary physical world. One of the more popular of these texts is the Gospel of Thomas (GT). And what we’d want to consider is whether nor not the GT is just as valuable, if not more so, that our canonical gospels.

It seems that a minority of scholars, particularly those within the Jesus Seminar, want to date the GT text within the 1st century. In doing so they wish to give it equal value to the canonical gospels. We see this effort in their work The Five Gospels which, alongside the canonical gospels, includes the GT.

However, we shall review why this remains a minority view within professional scholarship.

Firstly, the GT seems to be dependent on the earlier canonical gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke, John). We see this in sayings 10 and 16 which are seen to be redactions of Luke 12:49, 51-52 and Matthew 10:34-35.

This suggests that Thomas’ author (not Thomas the disciple) is either already aware of these two gospels in circulation or is borrowing from an even later redaction of these two sources. Either way Thomas comes later than the canonicals which should render some doubt pertaining to its value.

Secondly, the author of Thomas also seems to corroborate some sayings evident in the canonical Gospel of Luke. This suggests that Thomas must come after Luke, as well as after Mark. Most scholars hold to markan priority (meaning Luke consulted the earlier Gospel of Mark for his content), and this tells us that Thomas must be later than Mark, as well as Luke. Professor Craig Evans explains:

“OVER HALF OF THE NEW TESTAMENT WRITINGS ARE QUOTED, PARALLELED, OR ALLUDED TO IN THOMAS… I’M NOT AWARE OF A CHRISTIAN WRITING PRIOR TO AD 150 THAT REFERENCES THIS MUCH OF THE NEW TESTAMENT” (1).

Moreover, on various occasions we find that the GT is dependent on later Syriac translations of the canonical gospels. In other words, this suggests that the GT is based on the translations of our canonical gospels that were translated into other languages. One such example is saying 54 which follows the Syriac of Matthew 5:3 rather than the Greek of the same passage or the Greek of the parallel in Luke 6:20.

Also saying 65 – 66 contains the Parable of the Wicked Tenants but in the harmonized form of Mark and Luke we discover the early Syriac translations of which Thomas picks up. Scholar Klyne Snodgrass explains that

“Thomas, rather than representing the earliest form, has been shaped by this harmonizing tendency in Syria. If the Gospel of Thomas were the earliest, we would have to imagine that each of the evangelists or the traditions behind them expanded the parable in different directions and then that in the process of transmission the text was trimmed back to the form it has in the Syriac Gospels. It is much more likely that Thomas, which has a Syrian provenance, is dependent on the tradition of the canonical Gospels that has been abbreviated and harmonized by oral transmission” (2).

Then there is just the general lack of history that is problematic. Since the GT is a election of some 114 sayings alleged to have been said by Jesus, we find that there is a lack of any travel scenes, mentioning of cities or towns like Galilee or Jerusalem, miracles, healings, or exorcisms. There are essentially just sayings. This surely proves that the GT is less valuable than the canonical gospels as they at least report Jesus’ movements, miracles, ministry and so forth.

I believe that for these several reasons it shouldn’t be seen that the GT is of equal, or of more, value to our canonicals. A persuasive case dates that GT after the 1st century which is considerably later than our canonical gospels. It is furthermore apparent that it is dependent on content found within Luke and Matthew as well as later Syriac translations. The GT also lacks traces of actual historical data that we find within the canonicals.

Why we shouldn’t trust the Gnostic Gospels.

References.

1. Craig Evans’ interview with Lee Strobel in The Case for the Real Jesus (2007). p. 36.

2. Snodgrass, K. “The Gospel of Thomas: A Secondary Gospel” in The Historical Jesus:Critical Concepts in Religious Studies. Volume 4: Lives of Jesus and Jesus outside the Bible. p. 298.
What a shallow investigation into the authenticity/integrity of the Gospel of Thomas. It's a shame that mainstream Christianity chooses to discredit the legitimacy of such an important discovery, rather than actually researching the subject. Thank God that those who care about the truth have numerous views to draw from:

"While the cumulative nature of the sayings collection understandably makes the Gospel of Thomas difficult to date with precision, several factors weigh in favor of a date well before the end of the first century: the way in which Thomas appeals to the authority of particular prominent figures (Thomas, James) against the competing claims of others (Peter, Matthew); in genre, the sayings collection, which seems to have declined in importance after the emergence of the more biographical and dialogical forms near the end of the first century; and its primitive christology, which seems to presuppose a theological climate even more primitive than the later stages of the synoptic sayings gospel, Q. Together these factors suggest a date for Thomas in the vicinity of 70-80 C.E. As for its provenance, while it is possible, even likely, that an early version of this collection associated with James circulated in the environs of Jerusalem, the Gospel of Thomas in more or less its present state comes from eastern Syria, where the popularity of the apostle Thomas (Judas Didymos Thomas) is well attested." - Patterson

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It'probably also safe to say that what is commonly referred to today by people as "Gnostic" (which has become yet another label akin to a new organized religion) is not going to be the same, or perhaps even recognizably similar to what the original followers of "The Way" (Christ) believed and who came to be called Gnostics.

(Gnosticism meaning "having knowledge")

True Gnosticism (knowing of the Truth), would therefore be having knowledge of the Truth, which comes from Christ (John 14:6) instead of continuing to believe the lies that come from satan/lucifer/the devil (and false doctrines of organized religions, or other false opinions).

King of kings' Bible,
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am The Way, the Truth, and the Life: NOT one man cometh unto the Father, EXCEPT by me.

John
8:22 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed him, If ye continue in my Word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed;
8:23 And ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.
"The Way" can't both mean "following the Torah will make you spiritually alive" and "following the Torah will make you spiritually dead". It's one or the other. Which is it?
 
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2:7 is exactly one of the Judaizing interpretations, given the context.

2:7 Jesus said: This “heaven” (political system) shall pass away (the Idumaean Jewish Sanhedrin) and the one above it (the Romans) shall pass away, and the (spiritually) “dead” (under the death sentence for treason* – John 11:25) are not alive and the (spiritually) Living (those who keep the Commandments and do God’s Will) shall not die [in The Fire].​

The "spiritually dead" according to gnosis refer to those who are under the law (the commandments of the old testament).
That is not true Gnosis (knowledge).

True Gnosis includes knowing that the Moral Law of the Old Covenant remains completely unchanged, is still in effect and will be so until the Last Day, exactly as Christ says in the Gospel of Matthew and in the Revelation to John.

Not all of the "gnostic" texts are true. Most of them, probably are not.

Yet, according to JAH, the "spiritually living" should be under the law (those who keep the commandments).
Yes, according to Christ's Revelation to His apostle John and Christ's Teaching about The Law to His disciples in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5:16-20.

Revelation 14:3 And they sung as it were a New Song (Isaiah 42:10) before the Throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that "Song" except the hundred [and] forty [and] four thousand, which were redeemed from the Earth.

Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the holy ones: here [are] they that KEEP the Commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Revelation 15:3 And they sing the "Song of Moses" (Old Covenant - Deut. 31) the servant of God, AND the "Song of the Lamb" (New Covenant), saying, Great and marvellous [are] Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true [are] Thy Ways, Thou King of the holy people.

These commandments according to JAH can't refer to the law of Christ since:

4:1 Jesus said: If you become disciples to Me and hear My words, these stones (Christ’s words metaphorically written in stone) will minister to you. For you have five trees (The Five Books of Moses containing God’s Law) in Paradise which are unmoved in Summer (Christ’s reign – Matt. 24:32) or in Winter (Satan’s reign), and their leaves do not fall (The Torah).

... the law refers to the Torah / Pentateuch.
Which according to Christ, remains unmoved in "Summer" or "Winter":

Matthew
5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy The Law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no way pass from The Law, till all be fulfilled.
5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least COMMANDments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them], the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of heaven.
5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall EXCEED [the righteousness] of the lawyers and politicians, ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

Which of course is in perfect agreement and in harmony with the quotes from Revelation, above.
Therefore: Judaizing.
Incorrect. As above.

The Five Trees in gnosis refer to the Five Members of the Mind (see Acts of Thomas, 27 and the baptism of King Gundaphorus)., namely mind, thought, reflection, consideration, reason, not the five books of Moses.

Therefore: Judaizing.

7:7, or better, logion 43 is explicitly condemning the Judaeans for their hypocrisy regardless of your interpretation.

With regard to 2:1:

2:1 Jesus said: Blessed is the lion (Jew) which the Man (Christ) eats and the lion (Jew) will become man (Christ’s); and cursed is the man whom the lion (Jew) eats and the man will become lion (a Jew).​

There's no interpretation here. Lion of Judah. Son of Man. These links can be made superficially. What does this verse mean exactly?
It means blessed is the Jew who becomes a follower of Christ and cursed is the man who becomes a follower of the Jews (the Fig tree) and becomes a Jew.

King of kings' Bible, Matthew
21:19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.
21:20 And when the disciples saw [it], they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!
21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this [which is done] to the Fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this government, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the people; it shall be done.

King of kings Bible, John
8:22 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed him, If ye continue in my Word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed;
8:23 And ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.

While overcoming the ego is part of Christian teaching, "stealing thunder" is not about ego.
Yes, it is. If it wasn't then there would not have been any notion of "thunder" that could possibly have been "stolen". That there was (you brought it up) is proof that it was (and it still is) about ego.

Stealing thunder is to take someone else's idea, using it for one's own advantage or to pre-empt the other party.

It's ego that made you do this, but it's telling that you try to turn this on its head.
As above.
 
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