The Fifth Gospel: The Gospel of Thomas Comes of Age

by Stephen J. Patterson, Hans-Gebhard Bethge, James M. Robinson

Book Overview

In December 1945, at the base of cliffs that run along the Nile River near the modern-day town of Nag Hammadi, an Egyptian farmer discovered a sealed jar containing thirteen ancient Coptic codices. This discovery represented arguably the most significant manuscript discovery of the twentieth century for the study of the New Testament and Christian origins. Of all the texts found none has been more important than the Gospel of Thomas for our understanding...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0567549062
• ISBN13: 9780567549068
• Release Date: December 2011
• Publisher: Continnuum-3PL
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

My favorite translation of the Gospel of Thomas

I think the translation flows very well. Only a scant few lines of the translation didnt flow well or didnt resonate properly. I've read some other translations and just got an ugly feeling from them, like outside agendas or beliefs were leaking into their translation. I believe the Gospel of Thomas to be a true written account from one of the Apostles of Christ.

The Gospel of Thomas Has Indeed Come of Age!

First, I wish to say that this translation of The Gospel of Thomas in this book is first rate, five stars, two thumbs way up, the best I have read. Scholarly and accurate, yet readable and easy on the eyes (an important feature when one wears trifocals). As a former Buddhist priest, I was struck by the Zen nature of many of the sayings of Jesus in this Gospel. This translation brings out these nuances much better than any others. For example, saying five: "Come to know what is in front of you, and that which is hidden from you will become clear to you." This is very much in the nature of a kung-an ("koan" or Zen-riddle), and reveals that the Teacher, Jesus Christ,was well and truly and Illumined Master. This book also contains a detailed recounting of how this Gospel was discovered, and the intriques that ensued in the wake of this discovery. A very interesting read, and a worthy adjunct to a very worthy book. The section Understanding the Gospel of Thomas Today, is also helpful. However, once you have read this section, I encourage the reader to contemplate this Gospel on one's own, as one would contemplate a kung-an. Perform this saying-by-saying, giving yourself plenty of time to have an intuitive/mystical breakthrough of your own. For that is what this Gospel really is; a mirror by which your Original Face will be revealed to you if you put in sincere effort. This Gospel is proof that the Occident and the Orient share the same mystical insights at the foundational level. You can find in Gnostic Christianity the same Dharma as taught by the Buddha, yet in a far more accesible manner. Nate [...]

Truly Has Come of Age

It does seem curious to me that the early Church saw fit to leave this Gospel out. It seems to me that it should now be included in the Canon of the official Gospels. Thomas truly has come of age and more accurately describes the mission of Christ for humanity and is more relevant for today.

Early Christian History

This book is a printing of the Gospel of Thomas, a collection of the sayings of Jesus found with Gnostic writings in a collection known as the Nag Hammadi collection. The title of "Gospel" is rather shaky as there is no narrative and no retelling of the story of Jesus as can be found in the Synoptic Gospels.Most of the book consists of two very scholarly articles written by Stephen Patterson and James Robinson. Both are heavily involved in biblical research and have worked extensively with the Nag Hammadi writings. The first article discusses the origins of Thomas by looking at where it may have been written and what influence it may have had. One interesting point is raised when the author goes so far as to suggest that it may have been Jesus' twin brother Judas who wrote this Gospel. He is totally speculating of course, but can you imagine the implications of this? It makes the article more interesting to read. The second article discusses how the Nag Hammadi writings were found and the enormous effort that scholars undertook to get the writings published.The first part of the book is the actual Gospel of Thomas. Some of the sayings are pretty mysterious. One of them is, "Jesus says: Be passers-by." Passers-by to what? Sin? Pharisees and Sadducees? It is fun to contemplate what the saying means. A large amount of the sayings are recognizable from the Synoptic Gospels, although most seem to be very simplified versions of these sayings. They lack the embellishments that the Gospel writers gave to them. It is also important to note that the Gospel of Thomas is written in Coptic, a form of Greek with letters added to mimic sounds of the Egyptian language. The Coptic version is a translation from an earlier Greek source, so errors abound. Also, when the writings were found, the Egyptian tore them up to give to some of his companions. As a history student, I still cringe when I think of the damage he caused.This is a good book with obvious implications for Christians as well as New Testament scholars. Be aware that this is a VERY scholarly work. You will find huge footnotes with titles of books written in German. The second article could be very wearisome to the non-scholar, who probably doesn't care about the numerous academic bodies that were convened to gain access to the writings. The Gospel itself is still worth reading.

Gospel of Thomas comes to life

A wonderful translation! The footnotes themselves are worth the cost of the book! Written for use by both scholars and laypeople. Anyone interested in the early roots or the future of Christianity would appreciate this book.