The Gospel of Thomas

1. The Gospel of Thomas 英三A 96121114 Anita 英三A 96121116 Ellen 英三A 96121122 Ruby 英三A 96121156 Queena

2. Outline • The Introduction of the Gospel of Thomas • The definition of Pseudepigrapha • The importance and the author of the Gospel of Thomas • The difference between the New Testament and the Gospel of Thomas • The difference between four Canonical Gospels and the Gospel of Thomas

3. The Introduction of the Gospel of Thomas Ellen

4. Discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945 • Written in the Coptic language • Designated as Codex II by modern-day scholars • Regarded as a non-canonical gospel (Apocrypha) • Composed of 114 logia (sayings) attributed to Jesus • Recorded Jesus’ discourses, not mentioned crucifixion, resurrection, final judgement, or a messianic understanding of Jesus

5. Nag Hammadi

6. The Philosophy of the Gospel of Thomas • Jesus is represented as a spiritual guide whose words bring eternal life. • Readers are advised to continue seeking until they find what will enable them to become rulers of their own lives. • It emphasizes direct and unmediated experience.

7. Bible Books Bible books are divided into three main parts: • Biblical canon Biblical books considered to be authoritative as scripture by a particular religious community, generally in Judaism or Christianity. • Deuterocanonical books/ Apocrypha Deuterocanonical means “secondarily canonical” , especially indicates the books and parts of books found in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Bible but not in the Protestant. Apocrypha has similar meaning but indicates the books in New Testament. • Pseudepigrapha (New Testament Apocrypha) Non-canonical books written in the period 200 BC to 200 AD. New Testament pseudepigrapha also likely to be called New Testament Apocrypha.

8. Pseudepigrapha • The Greek meaning is “falsely titled.”, meaning a work attributed to someone who did not actually write it, especially in ancient writing. Other Pseudepigrapha examples in New Testament: • The Gospel of Peter • The Gospel of Judas, which begins by presenting itself as "the secret account of the revelation that Jesus spoke in conversation with Judas Iscariot".

9. Date of Composition • The Early Camp Richard Valantasis writes: Assigning a date to the Gospel of Thomas is very complex because it is difficult to know precisely to what a date is being assigned. Scholars have proposed a date as early as AD 60 or as late as AD 140, depending upon whether the Gospel of Thomas is identified with the original core of sayings, or with the author's published text, or with the Greek or Coptic texts, or with parallels in other literature.

10. Date of Composition • The Late Camp Robert E. Van Voorst states: Most interpreters place its writing in the second century, understanding that many of its oral traditions are much older.

11. Date of Composition Scholars generally fall into one of two main camps: • “The Early Camp" favoring a date for the "core" of between the years 50 and 100, before or approximately contemporary with the composition of the canonical gospels. • “The Late Camp" favoring a date in the 2nd century, after composition of the canonical gospels.

12. The Importance of Thomas Gospel • The Gospel of Thomas is regarded by some scholars as the most important texts in understanding early Christianity outside the New Testament. • It is an important work for scholars working on the Q document.

13. What is the Q document? • Q document is a postulated lost textual source for the Gospel of Matthew and Gospel of Luke. It is a theoretical collection of Jesus' sayings which was written in Koine Greek. • Although many scholars believe that "Q" was a real document, no actual document or fragment has been found.

14. Author • “These are the secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas recorded.” • However, most scholars did not consider the Gospel of Thomas was written by Didymos Judas Thomas. Some scholars believed that was likely a very late text written by a Gnostic author.

15. In the 4th century, Cyril of Jerusalem considered that the author of the Thomas Gospel was Mani’s disciple who also called Thomas.

16. 3 Jesus said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) 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 (Father's) kingdom is within you and it is outside you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty."

17. 6 His disciples asked him and said to him, "Do you want us to fast? How should we pray? Should we give to charity? What diet should we observe?" Jesus said, "Don't lie, and don't do what you hate, because all things are disclosed before heaven. After all, there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is nothing covered up that will remain undisclosed."

18. 14 Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will bring sin upon yourselves, and if you pray, you will be condemned, and if you give to charity, you will harm your spirits. When you go into any region and walk about in the countryside, when people take you in, eat what they serve you and heal the sick among them. After all, what goes into your mouth will not defile you; rather, it's what comes out of your mouth that will defile you."