LeoIntroduction
“These are the hidden words that the living Jesus spoke, and which Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down. And he said: ‘Whoever finds the meaning of these words will not taste death.’”
This is how the mysterious apocryphal text known as the Gospel of Thomas begins—a writing with gnostic characteristics that some scholars attribute to the apostle Thomas (based on its title).
A month or two ago, while I was preparing to lead a seminar, I was flipping through a scholarly book when my eyes caught a sentence: “…similar material can be found in the GT.”
But what/who is GT?
The list of abbreviations quickly answered: Gospel of Thomas. I was surprised. I had heard of many apocryphal and pseudepigraphal writings before, but I didn’t know that a work had also been attributed to the apostle Thomas.
I put this aside at the time, because I had more important things to focus on. But recently, I came across it again. This time, however, I didn’t ignore it, instead, I read the text itself and began researching its origins.
The Genre, Structure, and Content of the Writing
The Gospel of Thomas is an early Christian apocryphal work. We should not imagine it as one of the four Gospels found in the Bible. It has no narrative structure; it does not speak about the birth, life, or death of Jesus. Instead, it contains 114 wise sayings/discourses attributed to Jesus by the anonymous author.
Within these 114 sayings, no unified theological system can be identified. And although the author refers to a hidden knowledge, many sayings are still quite clear in meaning (e.g., Saying 36), while others include explanations from the writer.
As mentioned above, some researchers consider the Gospel of Thomas a gnostic text. Gnosticism (briefly) taught that a person can only be saved by obtaining a mysterious knowledge (gnosis). This is why many scholars argue that the Gospel of Thomas is gnostic in nature, since its prologue refers to a special, hidden knowledge through which one will “not taste death” (or, according to other interpretations: “will not fear death”).
The phrase “the living Jesus” is also a distinctly gnostic expression. Additionally, the portrayal of Peter further supports the idea of gnostic influence, as the text presents him in a rather negative, almost arrogant manner.
The thematic framework of the writing consists of Sayings 3 and 113. Sayings 1–2 serve merely as introductory lines, while Saying 114 stands out oddly, it seems misplaced. Perhaps it was added later? We may never know.
Another unique feature of “Thomas” is that Jesus is never called Christ or Son of God. The author does not connect Jesus to the Old Testament prophecies or the history of the chosen people. Furthermore, no dispute dialogues appear. In the canonical Gospels, Jesus often debates his opponents; here, however, he does not. (Note: in the few sayings that sound like debates, Jesus is responding to an abstract or symbolic opponent rather than a real person.)
The Origin and History of the Document
Even in the time of the Church Fathers (e.g., Origen, Hippolytus, and Eusebius of Caesarea), we read about a gospel that many attributed to the apostle Thomas. When Bishop Athanasius later finalized the Christian canon that we still use today, people began hiding many such writings. That may be why this gospel was considered lost for centuries.
The text was rediscovered in 1945 among the Nag Hammadi findings in Egypt. Based on studies of the papyrus, researchers believe the manuscript itself dates to the 2nd or 3rd century AD.
However, this refers only to the preserved copy. The actual composition date of the work—the Gospel of Thomas—is uncertain. Some theories suggest it may have been written no earlier than AD 135. Why? Because many researchers see a reference to the Bar-Kokhba revolt in the second sentence of Saying 68.
Without going even deeper into the analysis of the Gospel of Thomas, here are the key points: The Gospel of Thomas is most likely a pagan-Christian pseudepigraphal work infused with gnostic ideas. This is probably why it was excluded from the Christian canon.
The Gospel of Thomas and the Four Canonical Gospels
Before examining the relationship between the Gospel of Thomas and the canonical Gospels, let me briefly outline how the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Luke, Mark) are thought to have been constructed.
Many scholars believe there once existed a source (called the Q source) containing Jesus’ sayings, teachings, and stories. The existence of this source is unproven, so it remains hypothetical. Matthew and Luke likely knew this Q-source, and perhaps Mark as well. They drew from it when writing their Gospels.
Among the three synoptics, Mark is the oldest (some theories suggest it was written around AD 50). His Gospel therefore presents an earlier, simpler Jesus tradition—few details, few explanations, only the essential message.
Although the Gospel of Thomas was written much later (for the reasons listed above), it still presents a primitive Jesus tradition. Because of this, some scholars originally thought that the long-sought Q-source might actually be the Gospel of Thomas. Later research, however, disproved this theory.
While reading the text myself, I also reached a conclusion similar to that of many researchers: It is possible that the anonymous author (since we cannot be certain it was Thomas or any of his followers) collected early Jesus sayings heard from various places.
In addition, the author likely gathered other wisdom sayings from different sources. (Because alongside the many sayings known from Matthew, Mark, and Luke, there are numerous teachings that do not appear in any canonical Gospel.) From this mixture, a consciously arranged and thematically ordered early text may have been created—later expanded over time, and eventually forgotten after the official canon formed.
Daily Question
While reading it, I felt as if I were studying the ethical writings of an ancient philosopher (someone like Seneca). The text presents a carefully structured system, a linear progression of thought, describing how a person might reach the “ultimate” or “highest” goal (whether that is salvation, or a blessed, peaceful life). What do you think about this?
You can read the Gospel of Thomas yourself at the following link: [HERE].
I’m curious about your opinion. Do you think Thomas really wrote it? Or one of his disciples? Or does it perhaps have nothing to do with him at all? Share your thoughts in the comments! Enjoy reading! 😊
If you’re interested in more exciting legends and blog posts, you can find more at this link: [HERE].
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