The Gospel according to Thomas

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These are the secret sayingsº which the living Yeshúa‘º has spoken and Didymos Judas Thomasº inscribed . ( Lk 8:10)

1. And he "says" * : Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings shall not taste death . (Isa 25:8, Lk 9:27, Jn 8:51; this isapparently an introductory logion quoting Thomas himself, included [like Jn 21:24] by his own disciples, since it speaks of the following as a collection of sayings; * thruout the Greek fragments of Thomas, ' x says' isin the present tense)

2. Yeshua says: Let him who seeks not cease seeking until he finds, and when he finds he shall be troubled, and when he has been troubled he shall marvel and he shall reign over the totalityº "and find repose" . (Dan 7:27, Lk 1:29, Rev/ Ap 1:6, 3:21, 5:10, 20:4)

3. Yeshua says: If those who would lead you, say to you: Behold, the Kingdom is in the skyº!, then the birds of the sky would precede you . If they say to you: It is in the sea!, then the fish "of the sea" would precede you . But the Kingdom "of God" is within you and it is without you . "Those who come to know themselves shall find it, and when you come to know yourselves" then you shall know that you are the Sons of the Living Father . Yet if you do not know yourselves then you are impoverished and you are poverty . ( Dt 30:11-14, Mal 2:10, Lk 17:21, Plato's Philebus 48c, 63c )

4. Yeshua says: The person old in days will not hesitate to ask a little child of seven days concerning the place of life — and he shall live . For many who are first shall become last, "and the last first" . And they shall become a single unity . (Gen 2:2-3, 17:12, Mt 11:25-26, Lk 10:21)

5. Yeshua says: Recognize what is in front of thy face, and what is hidden from thee shall be revealed to thee . For there is nothing concealed which shall not be revealed, " and nothing buried that shall not be raised".

6. His Disciples ask him, * they say to him: How do thou want us to fast, and how shall we pray ? And how shall we give alms, and what diet shall we maintain ? || Yeshua says: Do not lie, and do not practice what you hate — for everything is manifest before the face of the sky . For there is nothing concealed that shall not be revealed, and there is nothing covered that shall remain without being exposed . ( * asyndeton, or omission of conjunctions, characterizing Semitic languages but not Greek or Coptic—thus signaling an underlying Semitic source-text )

7. Yeshua says: Blestº be the lion which the human eats — and the lion shall become human . And accursed be the human which the lion eats — and the [human] shall become [lion].

8. And he says: The [Kingdom] is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea . He drew it up from the sea full of small fish . Among them he found a large good fish . That wise fisherman, he threw all the small fish back into the sea, * he chose the large fish without hesitation . Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear ! ( * asyndeton )

9. Yeshua says: Behold, the sower came forth — he filled his hand, he threw . Some indeed fell upon the road — the birds came, they gathered them . Others fell on the bedrock — and they did not take root down into the soil, and did not sprout grain skyward . And others fell among the thorns — they choked the seed, and the worm ate them . And others fell upon the good earth — and it produced good fruit up toward the sky, it bore 60 -fold and 120 -fold . ( multiple asyndeta; Mt 13:18-23)

10. Yeshua says: I have cast fire upon the worldº — and behold, I guard it until it is ablaze . ( Lk 12:49)

11. Yeshua says: This sky shall pass away, and the one above it shall pass away . And the dead are not alive, and the living shall not die . In the days when you consumed the dead, you transformed it to life — when you come into the Light, what will you do ? On the day when you were together, you became separated — yet when you have become separated, what will you do ? (Mt 24:35)

12. The Disciples say to Yeshua: We know that thou shall go away from us . Who is it that shall be Rabbiº over us ? || Yeshua says to them: In the place that you have come, you shall go to Jacob the Righteousº, for whose sake the sky and earth come to be . ( apparently a post-resurrection dialog; vide Jn 7:5 & Ac 1:14)

13. Yeshua says to his Disciples: Make a comparison to me, and tell me whom I resemble . || Simon Peterº says to him: Thou are like a righteous angel . || Matthewº s ays to him: Thou are like a philosopherº of the heart . || Thomas says to him: Teacher, my mouth will not at all be capable of saying whom thou are like . || Yeshua says: I'm not thy teacher, now that thou have drunk, thou have become drunken from the bubbling spring which I have measured out . And he takes him, he withdraws, he speaks three words to him:

ahyh ashr ahyh

I•Am Who I•Am

Now when Thomas comes to his comrades, they inquire of him: What did Yeshua say to thee ? || Thomas says to them: If I tell you even one of the words which he spoke to me, you will take up stones to cast at me — and fire will come from the stones to consume you . ( the Name does not appear in the papyrus, but can be inferred; Ex 3:14, Lev 24:16, Mk 14:62, Lk 6:40, Jn 4:14, 15:1, Th 61b, 77, Odes of Solomon 11:6-9)

14. Yeshua says to them: If you fast, you shall beget transgression for yourselves . And if you pray, you shall be condemned . And if you give alms, you shall cause evil to your spirits . And when you go into any land to sojourn in the regions, if they receive you then eat what they set before you and heal the sick among them . For what goes into your mouth will not defile you — but rather what comes out of your mouth, that is what will defile you . (Isa 58:6-9, Mt 6:6 + Jn 18:1, Th 6, 95, 104, Ph 74)

15. Yeshua says: When you see him who was not born of woman, prostrate yourselves upon your faces and worship him — he is your Father . ( Th 101)

16. Yeshua says: People perhaps think that I have come to cast peace upon the world, and they do not know that I have come to cast divisions upon the earth — fire, sword, 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 . And they shall stand as solitaries.

17. Yeshua says: I shall give to 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 mind of mankind . (Isa 64:4)

18. The Disciples say to Yeshua: Tell us how our end shall be . || Yeshua says: Have you then discovered the originº, so that you inquire about the end ? For at the place where the origin is, there shall be the end . Blest be he who shall stand at the origin — and he shall know the end, and he shall not taste death.

19. Yeshua says: Blest be he who was before he came into being . If you become Disciples to me and heed my sayings, these stones shall minister to you . For you have five treesº in paradise, which in summer are unmoved and in winter their leaves do not fall — whoever is acquainted with them shall not taste death.

20. The Disciples say to Yeshua: Tell us what the Kingdom of the Heavensº is like . || He says to them: It resembles a mustard seed, smaller than all (other) seeds — yet when it falls on the tilled earth, it produces a great plant and becomes shelter for the birds of the sky.

21. Mariam º says to Yeshua: Whom are thy Disciples like ? || He says: They are like little children who are sojourning in a field which is not theirs . When the owners of the field come, they will say: Leave our field to us ! They take off their clothing in front of them in order to yield it to them and to give back their field to them . Therefore I say, if the householder ascertains that the thief is coming, he will be alert before he arrives and will not allow him to dig thru into the house of his domain to carry away his belongings . Yet you, beware of the systemº — gird up your loins with great strength lest the bandits find a way to reach you, for they will find the advantage which you anticipate . Let there be among you a person of awareness — when the fruit ripened, he came quickly with his sickle in his hand, * he reaped it . Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear ! ( * asyndeton )

22. Yeshua sees little children who are being suckled . He says to his Disciples: These little children who are being suckled are like those who enter the Kingdom . || They say to him: Shall we thus by becoming little children enter the Kingdom ? || Yeshua says to them: When you make the two one, and you make the inside as the outside and the outside as the inside and the above as the below, and if you establish the male with the female as a single unity so that the man will not be masculine and the woman not be feminine, when you establish [an eye] 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 imageº in the place of an image —then shall you enter [the Kingdom].

23. Yeshua says: I shall choose you, one from a thousand and two from ten thousand — and they shall stand as a single unity . ( Dt 32:30, Ecc 7:28, Jer 3:14)

24. His Disciples say: Explain thy place to us, for it is compulsory for us to seek it . || He says to them: Whoever has ears, let him hear ! Within a Person of Light there is Light, and he illumines the entire world . When he does not shine, there is darkness . (Mt 5:14-16, Jn 12:36)

25. Yeshua says: Love thy Brother as thy soul, protect him as the pupil of thine eye . ( asyndeton; Dt 32:10, I-Sam 18:1, Ps 17:8, Jn 13:34-35)

26. Yeshua says: The mote which is in thy Brother's eye thou see — but the plank that is in thine own eye thou see not . When thou cast the plank out of thine own eye, then shall thou see clearly to cast the mote out of thy Brother's eye.

27. ( Yeshua says: ) Unless you fast from the system, you shall not find the Kingdom "of God" . Unless you keep the (entire) week as Sabbathº, you shall not behold the Father . (Mk 1:13, Jn 5:19!; seePaterson Brown, Novum Testamentum1992)

28. Yeshua says: I stood in the midst of the world, and incarnateº I was manifest to them. * I found them all drunk, I found none among them athirst . And my soul was grieved for the sons of men, for they are blind in their hearts and do not see that empty they have come into the world and that empty they are destined to come forth again from the world . ( Ecc 6:15 ) However, now they are drunk — when they have shaken off their wine, then shall they rethinkº . ( * re 'Gnosticism', Jn 1:14—this appears to be a post-resurrection saying)

29. Yeshua says: If the flesh has come into being because of spirit, it is a marvel — yet if spirit because of the body, it would be a marvel among marvels . But I marvel at this, how this great wealth has inhabited this poverty.

30. Yeshua says: Where there are three gods, they are "godless . Where there is only one, I say that" I myself am with him . "Raise the stone and there you shall find me, cleave the wood and there am I. " ( cp. The Letter of Aristeas15-16; cleaving the wood could be seen as a metaphor for the crucifixion, removing the stone for the resurrection)

31. Yeshua says: No oracleº is accepted in his own village, no physician heals those who know him . ( asyndeton)

32. Yeshua says: A city being built upon a high mountain and fortified cannot fall nor can it be hidden.

33. Yeshua says: What thou shall hear in thy ear proclaim to other ears from your rooftops . For no one kindles a lamp and sets it under a bushel-basket nor puts it in a hidden place, but rather it is placed upon the lampstand so that everyone who comes in and goes out will see its light.

34. Yeshua says: If a blind person leads a blind person, both together fall into a pit.

35. Yeshua says: It is impossible for anyone to enter the house of the strong to take it by force, unless he binds his hands — then he will ransack his house . (Isa 49:24-25)

36. Yeshua says: Be not anxious in the morning about the evening or in the evening about the morning, "either for your [food] that you shall eat or for [your clothing] that you shall wear . You are much superior to the [windflowers] which neither comb (wool) nor [spin] (thread) . Having one garment what do you [lack] ? Or who can increase your stature ? He himself shall give to you your garment ."

37. His Disciples say: When will thou be revealed to us, and when shall we behold thee ? || Yeshua says: When you take off your clothing without being ashamed, and take your clothes and place them under your feet to tread on them as the little children do — then [shall you behold] the Son of the Living-One, and you shall not fear . (Gen 2:25, 3:7; this appears to be a post-resurrection dialog)

38. Yeshua says: Many times have you yearned to hear these sayings which I speak to you, and you have no one else from whom to hear them . There will be days when you will seek me but you shall not find me . ( Prov 1:28, Lk 17:22)

39. Yeshua says: The clergyº and the theologiansº have received the keys of knowledge, but they have hidden them . They did not enter, nor did they permit those to enter who wished to . Yet you — become astute as serpents and pure as doves.

40. Yeshua says: A vine has been planted without the Father, and as it is not viable it shall be pulled up by its roots and destroyed . (Mt 15:13)

41. Yeshua says: Whoever has in his hand, to him shall (more) be given . And whoever does not have, from him shall be taken even the trifle which he has . (Mt 13:12, Lk 12:48)

42. Yeshua says: Become transientsº (passers-by) . (Mt 10:1-23, 28:19-20, Jn 16:28)

43. His Disciples say to him: Who are thou, that thou say these things to us ? || ( Yeshua says to them: ) From what I say to you, you do not recognize who I be, but rather you have become as the Jews — for they love the tree but hate its fruit, and they love the fruit but hate the tree . (Mt 12:33)

44. Yeshua says: Whoever vilifies the Father, it shall be forgiven him . And whoever vilifies the Son, it shall be forgiven him . Yet whoever vilifies the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him — neither on earth nor in heaven.

45. Yeshua says: They do not harvest grapes from thorns, nor do they gather figs from thistles — for they give no fruit . A good person brings forth goodness out of his treasure . A bad person brings forth wickednessº out of his evil treasure which is in his heart, and he speaks oppressively — for out of the abundance of the heart he brings forth wickedness . (I-Sam 24:13)

46. Yeshua says: From Adamº until John the Baptistº there is among those born of women none more exalted than John the Baptist — so that his eyes shall not be broken . Yet I have said that whoever among you becomes childlike shall know the Kingdom, and he shall become more exalted than John . ( Lk 7:28, Th 15)

47. Yeshua says: It is impossible for a person to mount two horses or to stretch two bows, and it is impossible for a slave to serve two masters — otherwise he will honor the one and offend the other . No person drinks vintageº wine and immediately desires to drink new wine, and they do not put new (wine) into old wineskins lest they burst, and they do not put vintage wine into new wineskins lest it sour . They do not sew an old patch on a new garment because there would come a split.

48. Yeshua says: If two make peace with each other in this one house, they shall say to the mountain: Be moved! — and it shall be moved.

49. Yeshua says: Blest be the solitary and chosen — for you shall find the Kingdom . You have come from it, and unto it you shall return . ( Jn 16:28)

50. Yeshua says: If they say to you: 'From whence do you come?', say to them: 'We have come from the Light, the place where the Light has originated thru himself — he stood and he revealed himself in their imagery.' If they say to you: 'Who are you?', say: 'We are his Sons and we are the chosen of the Living Father.' If they ask you: 'What is the sign of your Father in you?', say to them: 'It is movement with repose.' ( Lk 16:8, Jn 12:36)

51. His Disciples say to him: When will the repose of the dead occur, and when will the new world come ? || He says to them: That which you look for has already come, but you do not recognize it.

52. His Disciples say to him: Twenty-four prophetsº proclaimed in Israel, and they all spoke within thee . ||   He says to them: You have ignored the Living-One who is facing you, and you have spoken about the dead.

53. His Disciples say to him: Is circumcision beneficial or not ? || He says to them: If it were beneficial, their father would beget them circumcised from their mother . But the true spiritual circumcision has become entirely beneficial.

54. Yeshua says: Blest be the poor, for the Kingdom of the Skies is yours.

55. Yeshua says: Whoever does not hate his father and his mother will not be able to become a Disciple to me . And whoever does not hate his brothers and his sisters and does not take up his own cross * in my way, will not become worthy of me . ( * manuscript : ; Lk  14:26-27)

56. Yeshua says: Whoever has known the system has found a corpse — and whoever has found a corpse, of him the system is not worthy.

57. Yeshua says: The Kingdom of the Father is like a person who has [good] seed . His enemy came by night, * he sowed a weed among the good seed . The man did not permit them to pull up the weed . He says to them: Lest perhaps you go forth saying: 'We shall pull up the weed' — and you pull up the wheat along with it . For on the day of harvest the weeds will appear — they pull them and burn them . ( * asyndeton; II-Pt 3:15-17 ?!)

58. Yeshua says: Blest be the person who has suffered — he has found the life . ( asyndeton; Mt 5:10-12, Jas 1:12, I-Pt 3:14)

59. Yeshua says: Behold the Living-One while you are alive, lest you die and seek to perceive him and be unable to see.

60. (They see) a Samaritanº carrying a lamb, entering Judea . Yeshua says to them: Why does he (take) the lamb with him ? || They say to him: So that he may kill it and eat it . || He says to them: While it is alive he will not eat it, but only after he kills it and it becomes a corpse . || They say: Otherwise he will not be able to do it . || He says to them: You yourselves — seek a place for yourselves in repose, lest you become corpses and be eaten.

61a. Yeshua says: Two will rest on a bed — the one shall die, the other shall live . ( asyndeton; Lk 17:34)

61b. Salomeº says: Who are thou, man ? As if (sent) from someone, thou laid upon my bedº and thou ate from my table . || Yeshua says to her: I •Am he who is from equality . To me have been given from the things of my Father . || (Salome says: ) I'm thy Disciple. * || ( Yeshua says to her: ) Thus I say that whenever someone equalizes he shall be filled with light, yet whenever he divides he shall be filled with darkness . ( * ' thy Disciple': Coptic indicates a masculine possessive of a feminine noun; see Plumley, Bibliography #3, §50, or the online grammar Bibliography #18, lesson 5.1 )

62. Yeshua says: I tell my mysteries to those [who are worthy of] my mysteries . What thy right (hand) shall do, let not thy left (hand) ascertain what it does . (Mk 4:10-12)

63. Yeshua says: There was a wealthy person who possessed much money, and he said: I shall utilize my money so that I may sow and reap and replant, to fill my storehouses with fruit so that I lack nothing . This is what he thought in his heart — and that night he died . Whoever has ears, let him hear!

64a. Yeshua says: A person had houseguests, and when he had prepared the banquet he sent his slave to invite the guests . He went to the first, he says to him: My master invites thee . He replied: I have some business with some merchants, they are coming to me in the evening, I shall go to place my orders with them — I beg to be excused from the banquet . He went to another, he says to him: My master has invited thee . He replied to him: I have bought a house and they require me for a day, I shall have no leisure time . He came to another, he says to him: My master invites thee . He replied to him: My comrade is to be married and I must arrange a feast, I shall not be able to come — I beg to be excused from the banquet . He went to another, he says to him: My master invites thee . He replied to him: I have bought a villa, I go to receive the rent, I shall not be able to come — I beg to be excused . The slave came, he said to his master: Those whom thou have invited to the banquet have excused themselves . The master said to his slave: Go out to the roads, bring those whom thou shall find so that they may feast . ( multiple asyndeta)

64b. (And he says: ) Tradesmen and merchants shall not enter the places of my Father . (Ezek 27 28, Zech 14:21, Jn 2:13-16, Rev/ Ap 18:11-20)

65. He says: A kindº person had a vineyard . He gave it out to tenants so that they would work it and he would receive its fruit from them . He sent his slave so that the tenants would give to him the fruit of the vineyard . They seized his slave, they beat him — a little longer and they would have killed him . The slave went, he told it to his master . His master said: Perhaps [they] did not recognize [him] . He sent another slave — the tenants beat him as well . Then the owner sent his son . He said: Perhaps they will respect my son . Since those tenants knew that he was the heir of the vineyard, they seized him, they killed him . Whoever has ears, let him hear ! ( multiple asyndeta)

66. Yeshua says: Show me the stone which the builders have rejected — it is the cornerstone . (Isa 28:16)

67. Yeshua says: Whoever knows everything, but fails (to know) himself, lacks everything . ( Th 3)

68. Yeshua says: Blest be you when you are hated and persecuted and find no place there where you have been persecuted.

69a. Yeshua says: Blest be those who have been persecuted in their heart — these are they who have known the Father in truth.

69b. ( Yeshua says: ) Blest be the hungry, for the stomach of him who desires shall be filled.

70. Yeshua says: When you bring forth that which is within you, this that you have shall save you . If you do not have that within you, this which you do not have within you will kill you . (Mt 13:52)

71. Yeshua says: I shall destroy [this] house, and no one will be able to [re]build it.

72. [Someone says] to him: Tell my brothers to divide the possessions of my father with me . || He says to him: Oh man, who made me a divider ? || He turned to his Disciples, * he says to them: I'm not a divider, am I ? ( * asyndeton )

73. Yeshua says: The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the workers are few . Yet beseech the Lord that he send workers into the harvest.

74. He says: Lord, there are many around the reservoir, yet no one in the reservoir.

75. Yeshua says: There are many standing at the door, but the solitary are those who shall enter the Bridal-Chamberº.

76. Yeshua says: The Kingdom of the Father is like a merchant possessing a fortune, who found a pearl . That merchant was shrewd — he sold the fortune, he bought the one pearl for himself . You yourselves, seek for [the treasure of his face], which perishes not, which endures — the place where no moth comes near to devour nor worm ravages . ( multiple asyndeta ; Ps 11:7, 17:15)

77. Yeshua says: I•Am the light who is above them all, I•Am the Allº . All came forth from me and all return to me . Cleave wood, * there am I. Lift up the stone and there you shall find me . ( * asyndeton; Jn  8:12)

78. Yeshua says: Why did you come out to the wilderness — to see a reed shaken by the wind ? And to see a person dressed in plush garments ? [Behold, your] rulers and your dignitaries are those who are clad in plush garments, and they shall not be able to recognize the truth.

79. A woman from the multitude says to him: Blest be the womb which bore thee, and the breasts which nursed thee ! || He says to her: Blest be those who have heard the meaning of the Father and have kept it in truth . For there shall be days when you will say: Blest be the womb which has not conceived and the breasts which have not nursed . ( Lk 1:42)

80. Yeshua says: Whoever has known the system has found the body — and whoever has found the body, of him the system is not worthy . ( Th 56)

81. Yeshua says: Let whoever is enriched be made sovereign, and let whoever has power renounce it.

82. Yeshua says: Whoever is close to me is close to the fire, and whoever is far from me is far from the Kingdom.

83. Yeshua says: The images are manifest to mankind, and the Light which is within them is hidden . ( Th 19 ) He shall reveal himself in the imagery of the Light of the Father — [yet] his image is concealed by his Light.

84 . Yeshua says: When you see your reflection, you rejoice . Yet when you perceive your images which come into being in front of you — which neither die nor disguise — to what extent will they depend upon you ? ( this is the epistemological hinge of the entire text; Ps 139:16, Jn 5:19, Th 19!)

85. Yeshua says: Adam came into existence from a great power and a great wealth, and yet he did not become worthy of you . For if he had been worthy, he would not have tasted death.

86. Yeshua says: [The foxes have their dens] and the birds have their nests, yet the Son of Mankind has no place to lay his head for rest.

87. Yeshua says: Wretched be the body which depends upon (another) body, and wretched be the soul which depends upon their being together.

88. Yeshua says: The angelsº and the oracles shall come to you, and they shall bestow upon you what is yours . And you yourselves, give to them what is in your hands, and say among yourselves: On what day will they come to receive what is theirs?

89. Yeshua says: Why do you wash the outside of the chalice ? Do you not mind that He who creates the inside is also he who creates the outside ? ( Lk 11:39-41)

90. Yeshua says: Come unto me, for my yogaº is naturalº and my lordship is gentle — and you shall find repose for yourselves.

91. They say to him: Tell us who thou are, so that we may believe in thee . || He says to them: You examine the face of the sky and of the earth — yet you do not recognize Him who is facing you, and you do not know to inquire of Him at this moment . ( Th 5, 52, 76, 84)

92. Yeshua says: Seek and you shall find . But those things which you asked me in those days, I did not tell you then . Now I wish to tell them, and you do not inquire about them.

93. ( Yeshua says: ) Give not what is holy to the dogs, lest they throw it on the dungheap . Cast not the pearls to the swine, lest they cause it to become [...].

94. Yeshua [says:] Whoever seeks shall find . [ And whoever knocks,] it shall be opened to him.

95. [ Yeshua says:] If you have copper-coins, * do not lend at interest — but rather give it to those from whom you will not be repaid . ( Lk 6:30-36; * here in the bound codex there is a single sheet blank on both sides )

96. Yeshua says: The Kingdom of the Father is like a woman who has taken a little yeast and has hidden it in dough — she produced large loaves of it . Whoever has ears, let him hear!

97. Yeshua says: The Kingdom of the [Father] is like a woman who was carrying a jar full of grain . While she was walking on a distant road, the handle of the jar broke, the grain streamed out behind her onto the road . She did not know it, she had noticed no accident . When she arrived in her house, she set the jar down — she found it empty . ( multiple asyndeta)

98. Yeshua says: The Kingdom of the Father is like a person who wishes to slay a prominent man . He drew forth his sword in his house, * he thrust it thru the wall in order to ascertain whether his hand would prevail . Then he slew the prominent man . ( * asyndeton )

99. His Disciples say to him: Thy brothers-and-sisters and thy mother are standing outside . || He says to them: Those here who practice the desires of my Father — these are my Brothers-and-Sisters and my Mother . It is they who shall enter the Kingdom of my Father . ( Th 15)

100. They show Yeshua a gold coin, and they say to him: The agents of Caesar extort tribute from us . || He says to them: Give the things of Caesar to Caesar, give the things of God to God, and give to me what is mine . (Rev/ Ap 13:18 ¬ I- Ki 10:14? !—an extraordinary gematria)

101. ( Yeshua says: ) Whoever does not hate his father and his mother in my way shall not be able to become a Disciple to me . And whoever does [not] love his [Father] and his Mother in my way shall not be able to become a Disciple to me . For my mother [boreº me], yet [my] true [Mother] gave me the life . ( Jn 2:4, Th 15)

102. Yeshua says: Woe unto them, the clergy — for they are like a dog sleeping in the manger of oxen . For neither does he eat, nor does he allow the oxen to eat . (The Fables of Aesop º )

103. Yeshua says: Blest be the person who knows in which part the bandits may invade, so that he shall arise and collect his [belongings] and gird up his loins before they enter . (Mt 24:43)

104. They say [to him:] Come, let us pray today and let us fast . || Yeshua says: Which then is the transgression that I have committed, or in what have I been vanquished ? But when the Bridegroom comes forth from the Bridal-Chamber, then let them fast and let them pray . (Mk 2:19-20, Th 14)

105. Yeshua says: Whoever acknowledges father and mother, shall be called the son of a harlot . (Mt 23:8-9)

106. Yeshua says: When you make the two one, you shall become Sons of Mankind — and when you say to the mountain: Be moved!, it shall be moved . ( Th 22)

107. Yeshua says: The Kingdom is like a shepherd who has 100 sheep . One of them went astray, which was the largest . He left the 99 , he sought for the one until he found it . Having wearied himself, he said to that sheep: I desire thee more than 99 . (Ezek 34:15-16)

108. Yeshua says: Whoever drinks from my mouth shall become like me . I myself shall become him, and the secrets shall be revealed unto him . ( Lk 6:40, Jn 4:7-15, 7:37)

109. Yeshua says: The Kingdom is like a person who has a treasure hidden in his field without knowing it . And after he died, he bequeathed it to his [son . The] son did not know about it, he accepted that field, he sold it . And he came who purchased it — he plowed it, [he found] the treasure . He began to lend money at interest to whomever he wishes . ( multiple asyndeta; Mt 13:44)

110. Yeshua says: Whoever has found the system and been enriched, let him renounce the system . ( Th 81)

111. Yeshua says: The sky and the earth shall be rolled up in your presence . And he who lives from within the Living-One shall see neither death [nor fear] — for Yeshua says: Whoever finds himself, of him the world is not worthy . (Isa 34:4, Lk 21:33, Rev/ Ap 6:14)

112. Yeshua says: Woe to the flesh which depends upon the soul, woe to the soul which depends upon the flesh . ( asyndeton; Th 87)

113. His Disciples say to him: When will the Kingdom come ? || ( Yeshua says: ) It shall not come by expectation . They will not say: Behold here ! or: Behold there ! But the Kingdom of the Father is spread upon the earth, and humans do not perceive it . ( Lk 17:20-21)

114. Simon Peter says to them: Let Mariam depart from among us, for women are not worthy of the life . || Yeshua says: Behold, I shall inspireº her so that I make her male, in order that she herself shall become a living spirit like you males . For every female who becomes male shall enter the Kingdom of the Heavens . (Gen 3:16, Th 22)

The Gospel according to Thomas

· Notes to Thomas ·

Coptic was the final stage of the classical Egyptian language, evolving after the invasion of Alexander the Great (332 BC) and subsequently supplanted by Arabic following the Muslim conquest (640 AD) . It has always been the liturgical language of the Egyptian Church; moreover, the ancient Coptic versions of the Old and New Testaments are of great importance in textual Biblical studies . Utilizing many Greek loan words, Coptic also adopted the Greek alphabet (with for S , and for W ), adding these letters: ( shai), ( fai), ( hori),  ( janja), ( gima), ( ti), syllable or abbreviation indicator =. (Please note that for facility of imaging, neither these letters, nor Hebrew lamed, qoph, terminal kaph, nun, pe and tsadhe, have been extended beyond the line.)

Adam ( 46 ,85 ): Hebrew  (blood-red, clay)—the original human and/or generic mankind

Aesop ( 102 ): crippled Greek slave who flourished in the 6 th-century BC and was executed at Delphi for 'impiety', whose Fables were well-known thruout the ancient world; the only non-Israelite other than the Delphic Oracle ('know thyself': Th 3) whom Christ is known to have quoted, as also in Lk 4:23 (moral from 'The Quack Frog'), Mt 7:15 ('The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing') and various other allusions

Bear ( 101 ): [ | ], 'my-mother for did-she[- bear accusative -me | for] th' (vide Crum, Bibliography #4, 184b; also Plumley, Bibliography #3, §202 re II-Perfect tense in subordinate clauses)

Bed ( 61b, as notably also 61a ): see Crum ( Bibliography #4, above ), 408b & 815a ; the Coptic text here is:(did-thou [ masc]-lay)(upon)(my-bed)—this last term emphatically cannot mean 'bench' or 'sofa' or 'dining-couch'

Blest ( 7,18,19,49,54,58,68,69a,69b,79,103 ): Greek MAKARIOS ; this Greek word means divine, rather than merely human, beatitude ( Mt 5:3 )

Bridal-Chamber ( 75,104 ): Coptic (place of-bride) = Greek NUMFWN = Hebrew ( kheder); the bedroom where the marriage is consummated (Ps 19:5, S-of-S 1:4, Jn 3:29!, Mt 9:15)—see Ph 65, 71, 72, 73, 82, 94, 101, 108, 131, 143

Clergy ( 39,102 ): Hebrew 'Pharisee' (separated); religious leaders, teachers, indoctrinators (remember Mt 23)

Image /Imagery (22 ,50,83,84): Greek EIKON = Hebrew ( tselem, Gen 1:26); sensory perceptions and/or mental images, the five senses ( Th 19 ) together with memory and the imagination ; see 'Angel and Image', below

Incarnate (28): Coptic ('in flesh'—intentionally utilizing the Greek term from Jn 1:14); see Recognition in Ph Notes re 'Gnosticism'

Inspire ( 114 ): Coptic ; to blow as the wind or to flow as water, hence to draw or attract

Jacob the Righteous ( 12 ): Hebrew (heeler, supplanter; Gen 25:26) = Greek 'James'; Christ's human brother (Mk 6:3, Ac 12:17, Epistle of James)

John the Baptist ( 46,78 ): John = Hebrew (Yah[ weh] is merciful); the last Hebrew prophet and the Messianic precursor ( Lk  1, 3, 7 etc .), see Oracle , Ph 73, 81, 133, Baptism in Ph Notes, Logia in Tr Notes

Mariam ( 21,114 ): from Hebrew ( mrom: exalted; Ex 15:20); five females named Mariam appear in the Gospels: the Virgin, Mariam Magdalene, Mariam of Bethany, Mariam of Cleopas, and Mariam the Lord's human sister ( Mc 6:3, Ph 36 ); Jn 20:16 gives the correct transliteration of this (Semitic) name into Greek letters: MARIAM

Matthew ( 13 ): Hebrew ( mattan-yah: gift of Yah[ weh]); the Apostle/Evangelist, also named 'Levi of Alphaeus' ( see Levi in Ph Notes, Mk 2:14 ), brother of the Apostle Jacob of Alphaeus; Mt 10:3 etc.

Oracle /Prophet ( 31 ,52,88 ): Greek PROFHTHS = Hebrew ( nabi); a divine spokesperson, not merely predictive; note that there are 24 books in the Hebrew canon of the OT, and also 24 Prophets including John the Baptist (see IV-Ezra 14:45 , Rev/ Ap 4:4)

Origin ( 18 ): Greek ARCH ; term from the pre-Socratic Greek philosophers, meaning not a temporal beginning but rather the primal source or basic substance underlying reality ( thus in Gen 1:1 [Septuagint/ LXX], Mk 1:1, Jn 1:1 )

Philosopher (13): Greek FILOSOFOS (fond of wisdom); this word (coined by the pre-Socratic Pythagoras) has no Hebrew/Aramaic parallel, and thus Matthew himself must have used the Greek term

Rabbi ( 12 ): Hebrew (my great) = Coptic ( great ) ; a spiritual authority

Rethink ( 28 ): Greek METANOEW : reconsider, be wholeminded ( Mt 3:2 etc .); the initial message of both John the Baptist and Christ; this important term ' metanoia' (with-mind) contrasts with 'paranoia' (beside-mind)—it does not signify a mere feeling of remorse, which is METAMELOS (see Metanoia in Tr Notes)

Sabbath ( 27 ): Hebrew ( shabat: repose); the (7 th ) day of rest; Ex 21:8-11, Lk 6:1-11, Tr 7 , 33 —see the pericope Lk 6:4+ in Codex D (05) [ Bezae]: "That same day, he saw someone working on the Sabbath, * he said to him: Man, if indeed you understand what you are doing, you are blest; if indeed you do not understand, you are accursed and a transgressor of the Torah"; Nestle-Aland, Novum Testamentum Graece, textual notes ( * asyndeton )

Salome ( 61b ): Hebrew (peaceful); an early female Disciple (Mk 15:40-41, 16:1 )

Samaritan ( 60 ): those Hebrews not deported to Babylon and hence lacking the later OT scriptures ( I- Ki 16:24, II- Ki 17 ), therefore in post-Exilic times considered heretics ( as in Lk 10:25-37, Jn 4:1-42 )

Saying /Meaning ( Prolog, 1,19,38,79 ): Coptic = Greek LOGOS = Hebrew ( amr) = Aramaic ( memra); English ' meaning ' derives from Anglo-Saxon ' mænan' = 'concept + expression', the exact sense of both logos and memra; Jn 1:1 thus reads 'In (the) Origin was the Meaning'; the Greek term for 'word' is RHMA

Simon Peter ( 13,114 ): Hebrew ( Shimón) = hearing ( Gen 29:33 ); Greek PETROS (Peter) = Aramaic ( kefa/Cephas) 'bedrock'—the chief Apostle ( Mt 10:2, 16:15-19 )

Sky /Heaven ( 3,6,9,11,12,20,44,54,91,111,114 ): Coptic = Greek OURANOS ; note that 'sky' = 'heaven' in Hebrew, Greek and Coptic

Theologian ( 39 ): Greek GRAMMATEUS (scribe); an expert on the scriptures ( but Mt 23 )

Thomas ( Prolog, 13, Colophon ): Aramaic ( teom) = Greek DIDUMOS ; 'duplicate, twin'; the Apostle Thomas, author of this text ( Jn  11:16, 20:24-29, 21:2 ); also note that Hebrew 'Judas' = 'praised' = Arabic ' hammad' as in 'Nag Hammadi' (village of praise) and 'Mohammad' (great praise)

Totality/Everything/the All ( 2 ,6,67,77 ): Coptic (all of him/it)

Transient ( 42 ): Greek PARAGEIN (by-led); passer-by, itinerant—see Hebrew in Ph Notes

Trees ( 19 ): the 'five trees' may refer to the five senses (N.B. that all emotions can presumably be included in the realm of feeling); see Tr 28 and 'Angel and Image', below (it is noteworthy that the olive tree in particular does not shed its leaves seasonally)

Vintage /Kind/Natural ( 47 ,65,90 ): Greek CRHSTOS (used), Ph 126 ; the ancient pagans often confused this common term with the rare CRISTOS , with reference to the Hebrew Messiah

Wickedness ( 45 ): Greek PONEROS ; this term (which also occurs in the canonical Gospels at Mk 7:22-23 etc.) has a root meaning of hard work or laborious drudgery, thus oppressed or exploited

World /System ( 10,16,21,24,27,28,51,56,80,110,111 ): Greek KOSMOS (arrangement, order)—originally the pre-Socratic philosopher Pythagoras had used this term to designate the entire natural universe, as in 'cosmos'; but in the Gospel koiné (later common Greek) it had also come to signify the conventionality or artificiality of the human social system, as in 'cosmetic'; see Lk 2:1, 4:5-6, 12:30-31

Yeshúa ' ( Prolog et passim ): Aramaic = Hebrew ( Yehóshua'); from (Yahweh yasha': He-is Savior); Josh 1:1, Ezra 5:2 [Aramaic form], Mt 1:21, Ph 20a; see also the Hebrew text of Ex 15:2 as well as the spelling of the Tetragrammaton as written in second commandment on synagogue tablets of the Decalogue [!]

Yoga ( 90 ): Coptic ('yoke'), here meaning a spiritual discipline (the cognate Sanskrit term 'yoga' conveys this sense quite well)

The Gospel according to Thomas

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