# THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-19 — 1 clipping.*

---

> THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS
>  
>  
> Translations by: Thomas O. Lambdin (Coptic version)
>                  B.P Grenfell & A.S. Hunt (Greek Fragments)
>                  Bentley Layton (Greek Fragments)
> 
> Commentary by: Craig Schenk
>  
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> I: Commentary
>  
>      The Gospel of Thomas is a collection of traditional Sayings
> (logoi) of Jesus. It is attributed to Didymos Judas Thomas, the
> "Doubting Thomas" of the canonical Gospels, and according to many
> early traditions, the twin brother of Jesus ("didymos" means
> "twin" in Greek).
>      We have two versions of the Gospel of Thomas today. The
> first was discovered in the late 1800's among the Oxyrhynchus
> Papyri, and consists of fragments of a Greek version, which has
> been dated to c. 200. The second is a complete version, in
> Coptic, from Codex II of the Nag Hammadi finds. Thomas was
> probably first written in Greek (or possibly even Syriac or
> Aramaic) sometime between the mid 1st and 2nd centuries.
>      There has been much speculation on the relationship of
> Thomas to the canonical Gospels. Many Sayings in Thomas have
> parallels with the New Testament Sayings, especially those found
> in the synoptic Gospels. This leads many to believe that Thomas
> was also based on the so-called "Q" Document, along with Matthew,
> Luke, and Mark. Indeed, some have speculated that Thomas may in
> fact be "Q". Unlike the synoptic Gospels, and like "Q", the
> Gospel of Thomas has no narrative connecting the various Sayings.
> In form, it is simply a list of 114 Sayings, in no particular
> order. Comparison with New Testament parallels show that Thomas
> contains either more primitive versions of the Sayings, or
> developments of more primitive versions. Either way, Thomas seems
> to preserve earlier traditions about Jesus than the New
> Testament.
>      Although it is not possible to attribute the Gospel of
> Thomas to any particular sect, it is clearly Gnostic in nature.
> As the preamble indicates, these are "secret sayings", and are
> intended to be esoteric in nature. The Sayings are not intended
> to be interpreted literally, as their New Testament parallels
> often are, but to be interpreted symbolically, as attested by
> Saying #1. While a literal interpretation may make sense, only by
> understanding the deeper meanings of the Sayings can one truly
> understand them. Thus in Saying #114, it is to be understood that
> "male" symbolizes the pneumatic (spiritual, or Gnostic)
> Christians, and "female" symbolizes the psychic (unenlightened,
> or orthodox) Christians, rather than actually referring to males
> and females. Keep in mind that true understanding of this text
> was meant to come from PERSONAL contact with the Divine,
> inspiration from within.
>      I will now present translations of both the Greek and Coptic
> versions of the Gospel of Thomas. Of the 114 Sayings in the
> complete work, and all of the fragments of the Greek text.
> Also, the Greek version contains one Saying not found in the Coptic
> version, which comes between Sayings 32 and 33 of the Coptic
> version. I will enter the Coptic version first, as it is more
> complete, followed by the Greek version. After both translations,
> I've provided a listing of New Testament parallels for all 114
> sayings for easier comparison.
>      Note that for the Coptic version, I use the standard NHL
> translation, except for saying 70, where I have substituted the
> translation found in Elaine Pagels' "The Gnostic Gospels", as it
> seems a better translation.
>      Peace & Enlightenment be yours!
>  
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> IA: Editorial Symbols
>  
>      I have followed the Nag Hammadi Library standard for
> typographical symbols in this file. Text contained within [square
> brackets] indicates a damaged portion of the manuscript where the
> translators have attempted a reconstruction. Text within
> (parentheses) indicates comments or text added by the translator
> for clarification purposes. Text within 
> indicates a scribal error (spelling, grammatical, etc) in the
> original, where the translator has made a correction. Text within
> {funky brackets} indicates superfluous text added by the scribe.
>  
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> II: Coptic Gospel of Thomas
>  
>  
> P)   These are the secret sayings which the living Jesus spoke
> and which Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down.
>  
> 1)   And He said, "Whoever finds the interpretation of these
> sayings will not experience death."
>  
> 2)   Jesus said, "Let him who seeks continue seeking until he
> finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes
> troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All."
>  
> 3)   Jesus said, "If those who lead you say, 'See, the Kingdom is
> in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they
> say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you.
> Rather, the Kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you.
> When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and
> you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living
> Father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty
> and it is you who are that poverty."
>  
> 4)   Jesus said, "The man old in days will not hesitate to ask a
> small child seven days old about the place of life, and he will
> live. For many who are first will become last, and they will
> become one and the same."
>  
> 5)   Jesus said, "Recognize what is in your sight, and that which
> is hidden from you will become plain to you. For there is nothing
> hidden which will not become manifest."
>  
> 6)   His disciples questioned Him and said to Him, "Do you want
> us to fast? How shall we pray? Shall we give alms? What diet
> shall we observe?"
>      Jesus said, "Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate,
> for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing
> hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain
> without being uncovered."
>  
> 7)   Jesus said, "Blessed is the lion which becomes man when
> consumed by man; and cursed is the man whom the lion consumes,
> and the lion becomes man."
>  
> 8)   And He said, "The Kingdom is like a wise fisherman who cast
> his
> net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of small fish.
> Among them the wise fisherman found a fine large fish. He threw
> all the small fish back into the sea and chose the large fish
> without difficulty. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."
>  
> 9)   Jesus said, "Now the sower went out, took a handful (of
> seeds), and scattered them. Some fell on the road; the birds came
> and gathered them up. Others fell on the rock, did not take rood
> in the soil, and did not produce ears. And others fell on thorns;
> they choked the seed(s) and worms ate them. And others fell on
> the good soil and produced good fruit: it bore sixty per measure
> and a hundred and twenty per measure."
>  
> 10)  Jesus said, "I have cast fire upon the world, and see, I am
> guarding it until it blazes."
>  
> 11)  Jesus said, "This heaven will pass away, and the one above
> it will pass away. The dead are not alive, and the living will
> not die. In the days when you consumed what is dead, you made it
> what is alive. When you come to dwell in the light, what will you
> do? On the day when you were one you became two. But when you
> become two, what will you do?"
>  
> 12)  The disciples said to Jesus, "We know that You will depart
> from us. Who is to be our leader?"
>      Jesus said to them, "Wherever you are, you are to go to
> James the righteous, for whose sake heaven and earth came into
> being."
>  
> 13)  Jesus said to His disciples, "Compare me to someone and tell
> Me whom I am like."
>      Simon Peter said to Him, "You are like a righteous angel."
>      Matthew said to Him, "You are like a wise philosopher."
>      Thomas said to Him, "Master, my mouth is wholly incapable of
> saying whom You are like."
>      Jesus said, "I am not your master. Because you have drunk,
> you have become intoxicated by the bubbling spring which I have
> measured out."
>      And He took him and withdrew and told him three things. When
> Thomas returned to his companions, they asked him, "What did
> Jesus say to you?"
>      Thomas said to them, "If I tell you one of the things which
> he told me, you will pick up stones and throw them at me; a fire
> will come out of the stones and burn you up."
>  
> 14)  Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will give rise to sin
> for yourselves; and if you pray, you will be condemned; and if
> you give alms, you will do harm to your spirits. When you go into
> any land and walk about in the districts, if they receive you,
> eat what they will set before you, and heal the sick among them.
> For what goes into your mouth will not defile you, but that which
> issues from your mouth - it is that which will defile you."
>  
> 15)  Jesus said, "When you see one who was not born of woman,
> prostrate yourselves on your faces and worship him. That one is
> your Father."
>  
> 16)  Jesus said, "Men think, perhaps, that it is peace which I
> have come to cast upon the world. They do not know that it is
> dissension which I have come to cast upon the earth: fire, sword,
> and war. For there will be five in a house: three will be against
> two, and two against three, the father against the son, and the
> son against the father. And they will stand solitary."
>  
> 17)  Jesus said, "I shall give you what no eye has seen and what
> no ear has heard and what no hand has touched and what has never
> occurred to the human mind."
>  
> 18)  The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us how our end will be."
>      Jesus said, "Have you discovered, then, the beginning, that
> you look for the end? For where the beginning is, there will the
> end be. Blessed is he who will take his place in the beginning;
> he will know the end and will not experience death."
>  
> 19)  Jesus said, "Blessed is he who came into being before he
> came into being. If you become My disciples and listen to My
> words, these stones will minister to you. For there are five
> trees for you in Paradise which remain undisturbed summer and
> winter and whose leaves do not fall. Whoever becomes acquainted
> with them will not experience death."
>  
> 20)  The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us what the Kingdom of
> Heaven is like."
>      He said to them, "It is like a mustard seed, the smallest of
> all seeds. But when it falls on tilled soil, it produces a great
> plant and becomes a shelter for birds of the sky."
>  
> 21)  Mary said to Jesus, "Whom are Your disciples like?"
>      He said, "They are like children who have settled in a field
> which is not theirs. When the owners of the field come, they will
> say, 'Let us have back our field.' They (will) undress in their
> presence in order to let them have back their field and give it
> back to them. Therefore I say to you, if the owner of a house
> knows that the thief is coming, he will begin his vigil before he
> comes and will not let him into his house of his domain to carry
> away his goods. You, then, be on your guard against the world.
> Arm yourselves with great strength lest the robbers find a way to
> come to you, for the difficulty which you expect will (surely)
> materialize. Let there be among you a man of understanding. When
> the grain ripened, he came quickly with his sickle in his hand
> and reaped it. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."
>  
> 22)  Jesus saw infants being suckled. He said to His disciples,
> "These infants being suckled are like those who enter the
> Kingdom."
>      They said to Him, "Shall we then, as children, enter the
> Kingdom?"
>      Jesus said to them, "When you make the two one, and when you
> make the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside,
> and the above like the below, and when you make the male and the
> female one and the same, so that the male not be male nor the
> female female; and when you fashion eyes in the place of an eye,
> and a hand in place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, and
> a likeness in place of a likeness; then will you enter [the
> Kingdom]."
>  
> 23)  Jesus said, "I shall choose you, one out of a thousand, and
> two out of ten thousand, and they shall stand as a single one."
>  
> 24)  His disciples said to Him, "Show us the place where You are,
> since it is necessary for us to seek it."
>      He said to them, "Whoever has ears, let him hear. There is
> light within a man of light, and he (or "it") lights up the whole
> world. If he (or "it") does not shine, he (or "it") is darkness."
>  
> 25)  Jesus said, "Love your brother like your soul, guard him
> like the pupil of your eye."
>  
> 26)  Jesus said, "You see the mote in your brothers eye, but you
> do not see the beam in your own eye. When you cast the beam out
> of your own eye, then you will see clearly to cast the mote from
> your brother's eye."
>  
> 27)   "If you do not fast as regards the world, you
> will not find the Kingdom. If you do not observe the Sabbath as a
> Sabbath, you will not see the Father."
>  
> 28)  Jesus said, "I took my place in the midst of the world, and
> I appeared to them in the flesh. I found all of them intoxicated;
> I found none of them thirsty. And My soul became afflicted for
> the sons of men, because they are blind in their hearts and do
> not have sight; for empty they came into the world, and empty too
> they seek to leave the world. But for the moment they are
> intoxicated. When they shake off their wine, then they will
> repent."
>  
> 29)  Jesus said, "If the flesh came into being because of spirit,
> it is a wonder. But if spirit came into being because of the
> body, it is a wonder of wonders. Indeed, I am amazed at how this
> great wealth has made its home in this poverty."
>  
> 30)  Jesus said, "Where there are three gods, they are gods.
> Where there are two or one, I am with him."
>  
> 31)  Jesus said, "No prophet is accepted in his own village; no
> physician heals those who know him."
> 32)  Jesus said, "A city being built on a high mountain and
> fortified cannot fall, nor can it be hidden."
>  
> 33)  Jesus said, "Preach from your housetops that which you will
> hear in your ear {(and) in the other ear}. For no one lights a
> lamp and puts it under a bushel, nor does he put it in a hidden
> place, but rather he sets it on a lampstand so that everyone who
> enters and leaves will see its light."
>  
> 34)  Jesus said, "If a blind man leads a blind man, they will
> both fall into a pit."
>  
> 35)  Jesus said, "It is not possible for anyone to enter the
> house of a strong man and take it by force unless he binds his
> hands; then he will (be able to) ransack his house."
>  
> 36)  Jesus said, "Do not be concerned from morning until evening
> and from evening until morning about what you will wear."
>  
> 37)  His disciples said, "When will You become revealed to us and
> when shall we see You?"
>      Jesus said, "When you disrobe without being ashamed and take
> up your garments and place them under your feet like little
> children and tread on them, then [will you see] the Son of the
> Living One, and you will not be afraid"
>  
> 38)  Jesus said, "Many times have you desired to hear these words
> which I am saying to you, and you have no one else to hear them
> from. There will be days when you look for Me and will not find
> Me."
>  
> 39)  Jesus said, "The Pharisees and the scribes have taken the
> keys of Knowledge and hidden them. They themselves have not
> entered, nor have they allowed to enter those who wish to. You,
> however, be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves."
>  
> 40)  Jesus said, "A grapevine has been planted outside of the
> Father, but being unsound, it will be pulled up by its roots and
> destroyed."
>  
> 41)  Jesus said, "Whoever has something in his hand will receive
> more, and whoever has nothing will be deprived of even the little
> he has."
>  
> 42)  Jesus said, "Become passers-by."
>  
> 43)  His disciples said to him, "Who are You, that You should say
> these things to us?"
>       "You do not realize who I am from what
> I say to you, but you have become like the Jews, for they
> (either) love the tree and hate its fruit or love the fruit and
> hate the tree."
>  
> 44)  Jesus said, "Whoever blasphemes against the Father will be
> forgiven, and whoever blasphemes against the Son will be
> forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not
> be forgiven either on earth or in heaven."
>  
> 45)  Jesus said, "Grapes are not harvested from thorns, nor are
> figs gathered from thistles, for they do not produce fruit. A
> good man brings forth good from his storehouse; an evil man
> brings forth evil things from his evil storehouse, which is in
> his heart, and says evil things. For out of the abundance of the
> heart he brings forth evil things."
>  
> 46)  Jesus said, "Among those born of women, from Adam until John
> the Baptist, there is no one so superior to John the Baptist that
> his eyes should not be lowered (before him). Yet I have said
> whichever one of you comes to be a child will be acquainted with
> the Kingdom and will become superior to John."
>  
> 47)  Jesus said, "It is impossible for a man to mount two horses
> or to stretch two bows. And it is impossible for a servant to
> serve two masters; otherwise he will honor the one and treat the
> other contemptuously. No man drinks old wine and immediately
> desires to drink new wine. And new wine is not put into old
> wineskins, lest they burst; nor is old wine put into a new
> wineskin, lest it spoil it. An old patch is not sewn onto a new
> garment, because a tear would result."
>  
> 48)  Jesus said, "If two make peace with each other in this one
> house, they will say to the mountain, 'Move Away,' and it will
> move away."
>  
> 49)  Jesus said, "Blessed are the solitary and elect, for you
> will find the Kingdom. For you are from it, and to it you will
> return."
>  
> 50)  Jesus said, "If they say to you, 'Where did you come from?',
> say to them, 'We came from the light, the place where the light
> came into being on its own accord and established [itself] and
> became manifest through their image.' If they say to you, 'Is it
> you?', say, 'We are its children, 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 movement and repose.'"
>  
> 51)  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 look forward to has already come,
> but you do not recognize it."
>  
> 52)  His disciples said to Him, "Twenty-four prophets spoke in
> Israel, and all of them spoke in You."
>      He said to them, "You have omitted the one living in your
> presence and have spoken (only) of the dead."
>  
> 53)  His disciples said to Him, "Is circumcision beneficial or
> not?"
>      He said to them, "If it were beneficial, their father would
> beget them already circumcised from their mother. Rather, the
> true circumcision in spirit has become completely profitable."
>  
> 54)  Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor, for yours is the Kingdom
> of Heaven."
>  
> 55)  Jesus said, "Whoever does not hate his father and his mother
> cannot become a disciple to Me. And whoever does not hate his
> brothers and sisters and take up his cross in My way will not be
> worthy of Me."
>  
> 56)  Jesus said, "Whoever has come to understand the world has
> found (only) a corpse, and whoever has found a corpse is superior
> to the world."
>  
> 57)  Jesus said, "The Kingdom of the Father is like a man who had
> [good] seed. His enemy came by night and sowed weeds among the
> good seed. The man did not allow them to pull up the weeds; he
> said to them, 'I am afraid that you will go intending to pull up
> the weeds and pull up the wheat along with them.' For on the day
> of the harvest the weeds will be plainly visible, and they will
> be pulled up and burned."
>  
> 58)  Jesus said, "Blessed is the man who has suffered and found
> life."
>  
> 59)  Jesus said, "Take heed of the Living One while you are
> alive, lest you die and seek to see Him and be unable to do so."
>  
> 60)   a Samaritan carrying a lamb on his way to Judea.
> He said to his disciples, "(Why does) that man (carry) the lamb
> around?"
>      They said to him, "So that he may kill it and eat it."
>      He said to them, "While it is alive, he will not eat it, but
> only when he has killed it and it has become a corpse."
>      They said to him, "He cannot do so otherwise."
>      He said to them, "You too, look for a place for yourself
> within the Repose, lest you become a corpse and be eaten."
>  
> 61)  Jesus said, "Two will rest on a bed: the one will die, and
> other will live."
>      Salome said to him, "Who are You, man, that You, as though
> from the One, have come up on my couch and eaten from my table?"
>      Jesus said to her, "I am He who exists from the Undivided. I
> was given some of the things of my Father."
>       "I am Your disciple."
>       "Therefore I say, if he is ,
> he will be filled with light, but if he is divided, he will be
> filled with darkness."
>  
> 62)  Jesus said, "It is to those [who are worthy of My] mysteries
> that I tell My mysteries. Do not let your left hand know what
> your right hand is doing."
> 63)  Jesus said, "There was a rich man who had much money. He
> said, 'I shall put my money to use so that I may sow, reap,
> plant, and fill my storehouse with produce, with the result that
> I shall lack nothing. Such were his intentions, but that same
> night he died. Let him who has ears hear."
>  
> 64)  Jesus said, "A man had received visitors. And when he had
> prepared the dinner, he sent his servant to invite guests. He
> went to the first one and said to him, "My master invites you.'
> He said, 'I have claims against some merchants. They are coming
> to me this evening. I must go and give them my orders. I ask to
> be excused from the dinner.' He went to another and said, 'My
> master has invited you.' He said to him, 'I have just bought a
> house and am required for the day. I shall not have any spare
> time.' He went to another and said to him, 'My master invites
> you.' He said to him, 'My friend is going to get married, and I
> am to prepare the banquet. I shall not be able to come. I ask to
> be excused from the dinner.' He went to another and said to him,
> 'My master invites you.' He said to him, 'I have just bought a
> farm, and I am on my way to collect the rent. I shall not be able
> to come. I ask to be excused.' The servant returned and said to
> his master, 'Those whom you invited to the dinner have asked to
> be excused.' The master said to his servant, 'Go outside to the
> streets and bring back those whom you happen to meet, so that
> they may dine.' Businessmen and merchants will not enter the
> Places of My Father."
>  
> 65)  He said, "There was a good man who owned a vineyard. He
> leased it to tenant farmers so that they might work it and he
> might collect the produce from them. He sent his servant so that
> the tenants might give him the produce of the vineyard. They
> seized his servant and beat him, all but killing him. The servant
> went back and told his master. The master said, 'Perhaps 
> did not recognize .' He sent another servant. The tenants
> beat this one as well. Then the owner sent his son and said,
> 'Perhaps they will show respect to my son.' Because the tenants
> knew that it was he who was the heir to the vineyard, they seized
> him and killed him. Let him who has ears hear."
>  
> 66)  Jesus said, "Show me the stone which the builders have
> rejected. That one is the cornerstone."
>  
> 67)  Jesus said, "Whoever believes that the All itself is
> deficient is (himself) completely deficient."
>  
> 68)  Jesus said, "Blessed are you when you are hated and
> persecuted. Wherever you have been persecuted they will find no
> Place."
>  
> 69)  Jesus said, "Blessed are they who have been persecuted
> within themselves. It is they who have truly come to know the
> Father. Blessed are the hungry, for the belly of him who desires
> will be filled."
>  
> 70)  Jesus said, "If you bring forth what is within you, what you
> bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is
> within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you."
>  
> 71)  Jesus said, "I shall destroy [this] house, and no one will
> be able to rebuild it."
>  
> 72)  [A man said] to Him, "Tell my brothers to divide my father's
> possessions with me."
>      He said to him, "O man, who has made Me a divider?"
>      He turned to His disciples and said to them, "I am not a
> divider, am I?"
>  
> 73)  Jesus said, "The harvest is great but the laborers are few.
> Beseech the Lord, therefore, to send out laborers to the
> harvest."
>  
> 74)  He said, "O Lord, there are many around the drinking trough,
> but there is nothing in the cistern."
>  
> 75)  Jesus said, "Many are standing at the door, but it is the
> solitary who will enter the bridal chamber."
>  
> 76)  Jesus said, "The kingdom of the Father is like a merchant
> who had a consignment of merchandise and who discovered a pearl.
> That merchant was shrewd. He sold the merchandise and bought the
> pearl alone for himself. You too, seek his unfailing and enduring
> treasure where no moth comes near to devour and no worm
> destroys."
>  
> 77)  Jesus said, "It is I who am the light which is above them
> all. It is I who am the All. From Me did the All come forth, and
> unto Me did the All extend. Split a piece of wood, and I am
> there. Lift up the stone, and you will find Me there."
>  
> 78)  Jesus said, "Why have you come out into the desert? To see a
> reed shaken by the wind? And to see a man clothed in fine
> garments like your kings and your great men? Upon them are the
> fine [garments], and they are unable to discern the truth."
>  
> 79)  A woman from the crowd said to Him, "Blessed are the womb
> which bore You and the breasts which nourished You."
>      He said to her, "Blessed are those who have heard the word
> of the Father and have truly kept it. For there will be days when
> you will say, 'Blessed are the womb which has not conceived and
> the breasts which have not given milk.'"
>  
> 80)  Jesus said, "He who has recognized the world has found the
> body, but he who has found the body is superior to the world."
>  
> 81)  Jesus said, "Let him who has grown rich be king, and let him
> who possesses power renounce it."
>  
> 82)  Jesus said, "He who is near Me is near the fire, and he who
> is far from Me is far from the Kingdom."
>  
> 83)  Jesus said, "The images are manifest to man, but the light
> in them remains concealed in the image of the light of the
> Father. He will become manifest, but his image will remain
> concealed by his light."
>  
> 84)  Jesus said, "When you see your likeness, you rejoice. But
> when you see your images which came into being before you, and
> which neither die not become manifest, how much you will have to
> bear!"
>  
> 85)  Jesus said, "Adam came into being from a great power and a
> great wealth, but he did not become worthy of you. For had he
> been worthy, [he would] not [have experienced] death."
>  
> 86)  Jesus said, "[The foxes have their holes] and the birds have
> [their] nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head
> and rest."
>  
> 87)  Jesus said, "Wretched is the body that is dependant upon a
> body, and wretched is the soul that is dependent on these two."
>  
> 88)  Jesus said, "The angels and the prophets will come to you
> and give you those things you (already) have. And you too, give
> them those things which you have, and say to yourselves, 'When
> will they come and take what is theirs?'"
>  
> 89)  Jesus said, "Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Do you
> not realize that he who made he inside is the same one who made
> the outside?"
>  
> 90)  Jesus said, "Come unto me, for My yoke is easy and My
> lordship is mild, and you will find repose for yourselves."
>  
> 91)  They said to Him, "Tell us who You are so that we may
> believe in You."
>      He said to them, "You read the face of the sky and of the
> earth, but you have not recognized the one who is before you, and
> you do not know how to read this moment."
>  
> 92)  Jesus said, "Seek and you will find. Yet, what you asked Me
> about in former times and which I did not tell you then, now I do
> desire to tell, but you do not enquire after it."
>  
> 93)   "Do not give what is holy to dogs, lest they
> throw them on the dung-heap. Do not throw the pearls to swine,
> lest they grind it [to bits]."
>  
> 94)  Jesus [said], "He who seeks will find, and [he who knocks]
> will be let in."
>  
> 95)  [Jesus said,] "If you have money, do not lend it at
> interest, but give [it] to one from whom you will not get it
> back."
>  
> 96)  Jesus [said], "The Kingdom of the Father is like a certain
> woman. She took a little leaven, [concealed] it in some dough,
> and made it into large loaves. Let him who has ears hear."
>  
> 97)  Jesus said, "The Kingdom of the [Father] is like a certain
> woman who was carrying a jar full of meal. While she was walking
> [on] a road, still some distance from home, the handle of the jar
> broke and the meal emptied out behind her on the road. She did
> not realize it; she had noticed no accident. When she reached her
> house, she set the jar down and found it empty."
>  
> 98)  Jesus said, "The Kingdom of the Father is like a certain man
> who wanted to kill a powerful man. In his own house he drew his
> sword and stuck it into the wall in order to find out whether his
> hand could carry through. Then he slew the powerful man."
>  
> 99)  The disciples said to Him, "Your brothers and Your mother
> are standing outside."
>      He said to them, "Those here who do the will of My Father
> are My brothers and My mother. It is they who will enter the
> Kingdom of My Father."
>  
> 100) They showed Jesus a gold coin and said to Him, "Caesar's men
> demand taxes from us."
>      He said to them, "Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, give
> God what belongs to God, and give Me what is Mine."
>  
> 101)  "Whoever does not hate his father and his
> mother as I do cannot become a disciple to Me. And whoever does
> [not] love his father and his mother as I do cannot become a
> [disciple] to Me. For My mother [gave me falsehood], but [My]
> true [Mother] gave me life."
>  
> 102) Jesus said, "Woe to the Pharisees, for they are like a dog
> sleeping in the manger of oxen, for neither does he eat nor does
> he let the oxen eat."
>  
> 103) Jesus said, "Fortunate is the man who knows where the
> brigands will enter, so that he may get up, muster his domain,
> and arm himself before they invade."
>  
> 104) They said [to Jesus], "Come, let us pray today and let us
> fast."
>      Jesus said, "What is the sin that I have committed, or
> wherein have I been defeated? But when the bridegroom leaves the
> bridal chamber, then let them fast and pray."
>  
> 105) Jesus said, "He who knows the father and the mother will be
> called the son of a harlot."
>  
> 106) Jesus said, "When you make the two one, you will become the
> sons of man, and when you say, 'Mountain, move away,' it will
> move away."
>  
> 107) Jesus said, "The Kingdom is like a shepherd who had a
> hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the
> ninety-nine sheep and looked for that one until he found it. When
> he had gone to such trouble, he said to the sheep, 'I care for
> you more than the ninety-nine.'"
>  
> 108) Jesus said, "He who will drink from my mouth will become
> like Me. I myself shall become he, and the things that are hidden
> will become revealed to him."
>  
> 109) Jesus said, "The Kingdom is like a man who had a [hidden]
> treasure in his field without knowing it. And [after] he died, he
> left it to his son. The son did not know (about the treasure). He
> inherited the field and sold [it]. And the one who bought it went
> plowing and found the treasure. He began to lend money at
> interest to whomever he wished."
>  
> 110) Jesus said, "Whoever finds the world and becomes rich, let
> him renounce the world."
>  
> 111) Jesus said, "The heavens and the earth will be rolled up in
> your presence. And one who lives from the Living One will not see
> death." Does not Jesus say, "Whoever finds himself is superior to
> the world?"
>  
> 112) Jesus said, "Woe to the flesh that depends on the soul; woe
> to the soul that depends on the flesh."
>  
> 113) His disciples said to Him, "When will the Kingdom come?"
>       "It will not come by waiting for it. It will
> not be a matter of saying 'Here it is' or 'There it is.' Rather,
> the Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and men
> do not see it."
>  
> 114) Simon Peter said to Him, "Let Mary leave us, for women are
> not worthy of Life."
>      Jesus said, "I myself shall lead her in order to make her
> male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you
> males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the
> Kingdom of Heaven."
>  
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> III: Fragments of Greek Gospel of Thomas
>  
>      Several fragments of a Greek version of Thomas were found
> among the Oxyrhynchys Papyri in the late 19th century. These
> fragments consist of the preamble, and sayings 1-6, 26-28, 30-32,
> 36-38, and 39, as well as a saying not found in the Coptic
> version, which follows 32. These fragments are found on
> Oxyrhynchus Papyri 1, 654, and 655. Generally, the sayings are
> essentially the same in both versions. However, the equivalent of
> saying 30 adds the end of the Coptic version's saying 77.
>      The translation used here is a combination of thranslations
> by B.P. Grenfell and A.S. Hunt and Bentley Layton.
>  
>  
> P)   These are the secret sayings which were spoken by Jesus the
> Living One, and which Judas, who is called Thomas, wrote down"
>  
> 1)  He said to them: "Whoever hears these words shall never taste
> death."
>  
> 2)  [Jesus said]: "Let him who seeks not cease until he finds,
> and when he finds he shall wonder; wondering he shall reign,
> and reigning shall rest."
>  
> 3)   Jesus said, "If those who attract you say, 'See, the Kingdom is
> in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they
> say to you, 'It is under the earth,' then the fish of the sea will
> precede you. Rather, the Kingdom of God is inside of you, and it is
> outside of you. [Those who] become acquainted with [themselves]
> will find it; [and when you] become acquainted with yourselves, [you
> will understand that] it is you who are the sons of the living
> Father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty
> and it is you who are that poverty."
>  
> 4)  Jesus said: "Let the old man who is full of days not
> hesitate to ask the child of seven days about the place of life;
> then he will live. For many that are first will be last, and
> last, first, and they will become a single one."
>  
> 5)  Jesus said: "Recognize what is before your face and that
> which is hidden from the you will be revealed to you. For there is
> nothing hidden which shall not be made manifest, nor buried which
> shall not be raised."
>  
> 6)  His disciples asked him and said to him, "How do you want us
> to fast? And how shall we pray? And how [shall we] give alms? And
> what kind of diet shall we follow?"
>     Jesus said, "Do not lie, and do not do what you hate, for all
> things are disclosed before truth. For there is nothing hidden
> which shall not be shown forth."
>  
> 27) Jesus said: "Unless you fast to the world, you shall in no
> way find the Kingdom of God; and unless you sabbatize the
> Sabbath, you shall not see the Father."
>  
> 28) Jesus said: "I stood in the midst of the world, and in the
> flesh I was seen by them, and I found all drunken, and I found
> none among them thirsty. And my soul grieved over the souls of men,
> because they are blind in their heart and see not. [...]
>  
> 30/77) Jesus said: "Where there are [two, they are not] without
> God, and when there is one alone, [I say,] I am with him. Raise
> the stone, and there you will find me; cleave the wood, and there
> I am."
>  
> 31) Jesus said: "A prophet is not acceptable in his own country,
> neither does a physician work cures upon those that know him."
>  
> 32) Jesus said: "A city built on the top of a high hill and
> fortified can neither fall nor be hid."
>  
> --) Jesus said: "Thou hearest with one ear, [but the other thou
> has closed].
>  
> 36) Jesus said, "Do not worry from dawn to dusk and from dusk to
> dawn about [what food] you [will] eat, [or] what [clothing] you
> will wear. [You are much] better than the [lilies], which [neither]
> card nor spin. And for your part, what [will you wear] when you
> have no clothing? Who would add to your stature? It is he who
> will give you your clothing.
>  
> 37) His disciples said to him, "When will you be visible to us,
> and when shall we behold you?"
>     He said, "When you strip naked without being ashamed, and
> take your garments and put them under your feet like little
> children and tread upon them, then you will see the child of the
> Living, and you will not be afraid."
>  
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> IV: Canonical Comparisons of Thomas Sayings
>  
>      I have grouped the sayings in the Gospel of Thomas into 5
> categories. Sayings that are variants of or close parallels to
> canonical passages (22 of these), sayings that appear more
> remotely parallel or similar in some way (28), sayings which
> contain parts parallel to several unconnected passages (13),
> sayings parallel to non-canonical traditions of Jesus (only 1 of
> these), and those with no apparent parallels (50!!).
>      Due to space limitations, I have decided only to cite
> passages, and you can go through and compare them using any
> Bible. I haven't attempted to make any comparisons to the
> various Apocryphal or other Christian and Gnostic texts.
>  
>  
> A: Variants/Close Parallels
> ---------------------------
> 9: Mt13:3-8, Mk4:3-8, Lk8:5-8
> 10: Lk12:49
> 16: Mt10:34-36, Lk12:51-53
> 20: Mt13:31-32, Mk4:30-32, Lk13:18-19
> 26: Mt7:3-5, Lk6:41-42
> 34: Mt15:14, Lk6:39
> 35: Mt12:29, Mk3:27, Lk11:21-22
> 41: Mt25:29, Lk19:26
> 45: Mt7:16-20, Lk6:43-46
> 46: Mt11:11, Lk7:28
> 54: Mt5:3, Lk6:20
> 64: Mt22:3-9, Lk14:16-24
> 65: Mt21:33-39, Mk12:1-8, Lk20:9-15
> 66: Mt21:42, Mk12:10, Lk20:17; Psalm118:22
> 73: Mt9:37-38, Lk10:2
> 86: Mt8:20, Lk9:58
> 89: Lk11:39-40
> 93: Mt7:6
> 94: Mt7:7-8, Lk11:9-10
> 100: Mk12:13-17, Lk20:22-25
> 103: Mt24:43, Lk12:39
> 107: Mt18:12-13, Lk15:3-7
>  
> B: Remote Parallels
> -------------------
> 1: Jn8:51
> 3: Lk17:21
> 5: Mt10:26, Lk10:2
> 8: Mt13:47-48
> 17: 1Cor2:9; Isiah64:4
> 30: Mt18:20
> 31: Mk6:4, Lk4:23-24, Jn4:44
> 32: Mt5:14
> 36: Mt6:25, Lk12:22
> 40: Mt15:13
> 44: Mt12:32, Mk3:28-29, Lk12:10
> 48: Mt18:19, Mk11:23-24
> 57: Mt13:24-30
> 58: Mt11:28
> 59: Jn7:34, Jn13:33
> 63: Lk12:16-21
> 68: Mt5:11, Lk6:22
> 71: Mk14:58
> 72: Lk12:13-15
> 75: Mt22:14
> 78: Mt11:7-9, Lk7:24-26
> 90: Mt11:28-30
> 95: Lk6:34-35, Lk14:12-14
> 96: Mt13:33, Lk13:20-21
> 99: Mt12:46-50, Mk3:31-35
> 101: Mt10:37, Lk14:26
> 109: Mt13:44
> 113: Lk17:20-21
>  
> C: Multiple Parallels
> ---------------------
> 14a: no parallels
> 14b: Lk10:8-9
> 14c: Mt15:11, Mk7:15
> 21a: no parallels
> 21b: Mt24:43, Lk12:39
> 21c: Mk4:26-29
> 22a: Mt18:3, Lk18:17
> 22b: Mt5:29-30, Mk9:43-48
> 24a: Jn13:36
> 24b: Mt6:22-23, Lk11:34-36
> 33a: Mt10:27
> 33b: Mt5:15, Mk4:21, Lk8:16, Lk11:33
> 39a: Lk11:52
> 39b: Mt10:16
> 43a: Jn8:25
> 43b: Mt7:16-20, Lk6:43-46(?)
> 55a: Lk14:26
> 55b: Mt10:37
> 62a: Mt13:11, Mk4:11, Lk8:10
> 62b: Mt6:3
> 69a: Mt5:8 (cf. Thomas saying 68)
> 69b: Mt5:6, Lk6:21
> 76a: Mt13:45-46
> 76b: Mt6:20, Lk12:33
> 79a: Lk11:27-28
> 79b: Lk23:29
> 91a: Jn9:36
> 91b: Lk12:54-56
>  
> D: Non-Canonical Parallels
> --------------------------
> 42: Some stands of Islamic tradition attribute this saying to
> Jesus.
>  
> E: No Parallels
> ---------------
>      All the following sayings have no parallels in the Bible or
> other non-Gnostic traditions:
>               2       23       51       77       98
>               4       25       52       80       102
>               6       27       53       81       104
>               7       28       56       82       105
>               11      29       60       84       106
>               12      37       61       85       108
>               13      38       67       87       110
>               15      47       70       88       111
>               18      49       73       92       112
>               19      50       74       97       114
>  
>  
> THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS
> Commentary & Typing by Craig Schenk
> 6/17/92
>  
>  
> Made available to the net by
> Paul Halsall
>
> — *THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS*