ΕΥΑΝΓΕΛΙΟΝ ΘΩΜΑΣ
Οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι οἱ ἀπόκρυφοι οὓς ἐλάλησεν Ἰησοῦς ὁ ζῶν καὶ ἔγραψεν Ἰούδας ὁ καὶ Θωμᾶς. Καὶ εἶπεν· ὃς ἄν τὴν ἑρμηνείαν τῶν λόγων τούτων εὑρίσκῃ, θανάτου οὐ μὴ γεύσηται.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· μὴ παυσάσθω ὁ ζητῶν τοῦ ζητεῖν ἕως ἂν εὕρῃ, καὶ ὅταν εὕρῃ θαμβηθήσεται καὶ θαμβηθεὶς βασιλεύσει καὶ βασιλεύσας ἀναπαύσεται.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· ἐὰν οἱ ἕλκοντες ἡμᾶς εἴπωσιν ὑμῖν· ἰδού, ἡ βασιλεία ἐν οὐρανῷ, ὑμᾶς φθήσεται τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. ἐὰν δ εἴπωσιν ὅτι ὑπὸ τὴν γῆν ἐστιν, εἰσελεύσονται οἱ ἰχθύες τῆς θαλάσσης προφθάσαντες ὑμᾶς· καὶ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἐντὸς ὑμῶν ἐστι κ´ακτος· ὅς ἄν ἑαυτὸν γνῷ, ταύτην εὑρήσει, καὶ ὁτέ ὑμεῖς ἑαυτοὺς γνώσεσθε εἴσεσθε ὅτι υἱοί ἐστε ὑμεῖς τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ ζῶντος· εἰ δὲ μὴ γνώσεσθε ἑαυτοὺς, ἐν τῇ πτωχείᾳ ἐστὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἡ πτωχεία.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· οὐκ ἀποκνήσει ἄνθρωπος παλαιὸς ἡμερῶν ἐπερωτήσει παιδίον ἑπτὰ ἡμερῶν περὶ τοῦ τόπου τῆς ζωῆς, καὶ ζήσεται· ὅτι πολλοὶ ἔσονται πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι, καὶ οἱ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι, καὶ εἰς ἓν καταντήσουσιν.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· γνῶθι τὸ ὃν ἔμπροσθεν τῆς ὄψεως σου, καὶ τὸ κεκαλυμμένον ἀπὸ σου ἀποκαλυφθήσεταί σοι· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν κρυπτὸν ὃ οὐ φανερὸν γενήσεται, καὶ τεθαμμένον ὁ οὐκ ἐγερθήσεται.
Ἐξετάζουσιν αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ λέγουσιν· Πῶς νηστεύσομεν, καὶ πῶς προσευξόμεθα, καὶ πῶς ἐλεημοσύνην ποιήσομεν καὶ τί παρατηρήσομεν περὶ τῶν βρωμάτων; λέγει Ἰησοῦς· μη ψεύδεσθε καὶ ὅ τι μισεῖται, μὴ ποιεῖτε, ὅτι πάντα ἐνώπιον τῆς ἀληθείας ἀναφαίνεται· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐστιν ἀποκεκρυμμένον ὃ οὐ φανερὸν ἔσται.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· Μακάριος ἐστιν τὸν λέοντα κατεδηδοκότα ὑπὸ τοὺ ἀνθρώπου καί γέγονα ἄνθρωπος καὶ κατάρατον ἐστιν τὸν ἄνθρωπον κατεδηδοκότα ὑπὸ λέοντος
Λέγει ὁ αὐτός· ὁμοία ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν σοφῲ ἁλίαις, ὅς βάλλει σαγήνην αὐτοῦ εἰς θαλάσσᾳ. ἀναβιβάσαντες μὲν ἀπὸ θαλάσσου μεστὸς ἰχθυδίων, μεγάλα δὲ καὶ κάλα ηὕρισκε ἐν μέσῳ. Οὕτος σοφός ἁλιεύς πάντα ἰχθύδια χωρίς ὄκνου ἐκβάλλει εἰς θαλάσσᾳ. Ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκουέτω.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· ἰδοὺ, ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων, πληρώσας χεῖρας αὐτοῦ, ἐκβάλλει. ἃ μὲν ἔπεσεν παρὰ τὴν ὀδὸν καὶ ἐλθόντα τὰ πετεινὰ κατέφαγεν αὐτὰ. ἅλλα μὲν ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη καὶ οὐ ἐρίζον κατὰ τὴν γῆν καὶ οὐ πάλιν ἐξανέτειλεν ἐνωπίον οὐράνου. ἅλλα μὲν ἔπεσεν ἐν μέσῳ ἀκάνθας καὶ ἔπνιξαν τὰς σπείρας καὶ σκώληκες κατέφαγον. ἅλλα μὲν ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὴν καλὴν καὶ ἤνεγκε καλὸν καρπὸν ἑὼς οὐρανῶ, ἀπεδίδου δὲ ἑκατονταπλασίως καὶ ἑκατόν καὶ εικοσιπλασίως
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· ἐπιβάλλω πυρ ἐπὶ κόσμῳ καὶ ἰδοὺ, φυλάσσω ἑὼς αὐτὸ καυματίζεται.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· οὕτος οὐρανός τε ἀπελεύσεται, καὶ το ὑπέρ αὐτοῦ ἀπελεύσεται. Οἱ δὲ νεκροὶ οὑ ζητοῦσιν καὶ οἱ ζώοντες οὐ ἀποθανόνται. ἐν ἐκείναις ἡμέραις μὲν πότε τὰ ἀποθανόντα κατεφάγετε, δὲ αὐτὰ ἐζωοποιήσατε. ἐπειδὴ ἐισελεύσετε φωτὸς τί ποιήσετε; ἔν ἐκείνῃ ἡμέρᾳ συνηρμόσεσθε, τοτὲ διείλεσθε. ὁπότε διαιρεῖτε, τὶ ποιήσετε
οἱ μαθηταὶ ἕπον τῳ Ἰησοῦς· συνιέμεν ὅτι ἀναχωρήσεις. τις ἔσται ἐν ἡμὶν ῥαββὶ· ἀποκριθεὶς Ἰησοῦς λέγει αὐτοῖς, που ἵκεσθε, ἀνέρχεσθε πρὸς Ἰακὼβ τῳ δικαίῳ, αὐτοῦ ἕνεκα ὁ οὐρανὸς τε καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐγένετο.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς πρὸς τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ· κηρύξετε μοι τίνι ὁμοιωθήσομαι. ὁ Σίμων Πέτρος λέγει· σὺ εῖ ἴσος ἀγγέλῳ δικαίῳ. Ματθαίος λέγει· σὺ εῖ ἶσος τῳ φιλοσοφοῦντι περὶ καρδίας. Θωμᾶς λέγει· ὦ διδάσκαλος, του ἐμοῦ το στόμα οὐ δυναταὶ φέρειν το ἀφομοίωμα σου· ἔπιε πιομένου δε καὶ μεθυσθέντος ὑπὸ του πηγῆς ἣν ἐκκέχυκα, οὐκέτι σου εἰμι ὁ διδάσκαλος. Παραλαμβάνων δε καὶ αὐτὸν Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἀναχωροῦντες, λέγει τριά λόγια αὐτῷ· ἔπειτα ἐλθών πρὸς συνήθες Θωμᾶς, ἐρωτοῦσιν αὑτόν· Τι σοὶ λέγει Ἰησοῦς· Θωμᾶς λέγει αὐτόν· εἰ λέγω μία τῶν λογιῶν ὃν ἐπεὶ μοι, αἱρήσετε λίθοι ἴνα με ἐπιβάλλησθε. ἔτι πυρ προσελαύνων ὑμάς καυματίζεται.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς πρὸς αὐτούς· εῖ νηστεύσετε ποιήσετε παραπτώματα, εῖ προσεύχεσθε κατακρίνεσθε, εῖ ἐλεήσετε δυσθύμειτε. πότε δε πορεύεσθε κάτα χώρους, εῖ ὑμάς ἀπολαμβάνουσιν, φάγετε ὅτι ἄν ἐνώπιον τιθέασι καὶ θεραπεύσετε τοὺς ἔχοντας κακὼς έν αὐτοῖς. οὐ γὰρ το εἰσερχόμενον εἰς το στόμα κοινοῖ τον ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλά το ἐκπορευόμενον ἐκ του στόματος τοῦτο κοινοῖ τον ἄνθρωπον.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· πότε βλέψεις τον μη γεννητόν γυναικὼν, πεσὼν ἐπὶ τον πρόσωπον ὑμῶν τοὐτόν προσκυνεῖ· Οὕτος ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν εστιν.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· οἱ πολλοὶ ἴσως νομίζουσιν ὅτι ἐλήλυθα βαλεῖν εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν· Καὶ οὐκ οἴδασιν ἐλήλυθα βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τῆν γῆν ἐχθρίαν. Ἔσονται γὰρ πέντε ἐν οἴκῳ, τρεῖς ἐπὶ δυσίν, καὶ δύο ἐπὶ τρισίν. πατὴρ ἐπὶ υἱῷ, καὶ υἱὸς ἐπὶ πατρί· μήτηρ ἐπὶ θυγατρί καὶ κατ’ ἰδίαν στήσονται.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· ἁ μὲν ὀφθαλμὸς οὔτε ἑώρακε, οὔτε οὖς ἤκουσεν οὔτε ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ταῦτα δε ὑμὰς δώσω.
Οἱ μαθηταὶ εἶπον τῳ Ἰησοῦς· λέγε πως ἑξεῖ το τελεῖον ὑμῶν. Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· Ἀρά ἀρχὴν εὕρηκετε ἴνα ἐρώτητε περὶ τελειοῦ; ποι γὰρ ἀρχὴ εστιν, ἐκεῖ ἔσται το τελεῖον. Μακάριος ὅς στήσεται ἐπὶ ἀρχὴν. γνώσεται καὶ το τελεῖον καὶ θάνατον οὐ γεύσηται.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· Μακάριος ὃς ὑπῆρχε πρὸ το αὐτὸν γεννᾶσθαι. Ἂν μαθηταὶ παρὰ μοι γενήσεσθε καὶ τὰ λογία μου τηρήσετε , διακονήσουσιν ὑμὰς οὗτοι λίθοι. Πέντε γὰρ τὰ δένδρα ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἔσχετε, ἀ κατὰ το θέρον μένει ἀσάλευτος καὶ κατὰ χειμῶνα τὰ φύλλα οὐ πείσουσιν. Οἵτινες ταύτα γνώσεται, θάνατον οὐ γεύσηται.
Οἱ μαθηταὶ εἶπον τῳ Ἰησοῦς· λέγε τίνι ὁμοία ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἀποκριθεὶς Ἰησοῦς λέγει ὁμοιωθήσεται κόκκῳ σινάπεως. Ὁ μικρότερον μὲν εστιν πάντων των σπερμάτων, ὅταν δε πείσῃ ἐπὶ γῆν ἀροτριώμενον, αὐξηθῇ τε μείζον φυτόν καὶ γίνεται σκέπη τοῖς πετεινοῖς.
Καὶ εἶπεν Μαριὰμ τῳ Ἰησοῦς· τίνι ὁμοία εἰσὶν οἱ μαθηταὶ σου; Λέγει αὐτοὶ ὁμοιωθήσονται ὡς τὰ παιδία μικρὰ πορευθέντες κατ´ ἀγορὰν ἡν αὐτῶν οὑκ εστιν. Ὅταν κυρίοι ἐπανέρχηται ἐροῦσιν ἀπόδοτε ὑμὰς τὴν ἀγορὰν. Ἀποδυθήσονται ἴνα συγχωρῶσιν καὶ τὴν ἀγορὰν ἀποδίδωσιν. Φημι οὖν, εἰ ᾒδει ὁ οἰκοδεσπότης ὅτι ὁ κλέπτης ἔρχεται, γρηγορήσει ἄν πρό ἵκῃ, καὶ οὐκ ἂν εἴασεν διορυγῆναι τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ ἴνα ἀποφέρῃ τὰ ὑπάρχοντα. καὶ ὑμεῖς παρέχετε το νοῦν πρὸς τον κόσμον· ζώννυτε τὰς ὀσφύας δυνάμι μεγάλῃ μη λῃσταί πρόσοδον σοι εὑρίσκωσιν. Ἀφορμὴν εὑρήσουσιν ἢν προσδοκήσατε ἄν. Γενηθήτω ἐν ἡμὶν σωφρονιστὴς· Ὅταν δὲ παραδῷ ὁ καρπός, εὐθέως ἔρχεται μετὰ του δρεπάνου ἐν χειρὶ καὶ τοῦτον θερίσει. Ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκουέτω.
ἰδὼν δὲ Ἰησοῦς τὰ παιδία θηλαζόμενα, λέγει δὲ Ἰησοῦς τὰ παιδία θηλαζόμενα, λέγει τοῖς μαθηταῖς τάδε τὰ παιδία θηλαζόμενα εστιν ὁμοία τοῖς εἰσερχόμενοις τῇ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. λέγουσιν αὐτῷ• γινόμενοι ἄρα ὡς παιδία, ἐλευσόμεθα τῇ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν; ἀποκριθείς, λέγει Ἰησοῦς αὐτοῖς, ὅταν ποιῆσθε δύο ὡς ἔνα καὶ ἐκτὸς ὡς το ἐντὸς καὶ το ἐντὸς ὡς το ἐκτὸς καὶ το ἄνω ὡς το κάτω, καὶ ἀν τίθητι το ἄρσην μετὰ τῆς θηλῆς ὡς ἑνότης τελειότης, ὥστε ὁ ἀνὴρ οὑ ποιήσει τὰ ἄρσενα καὶ η γυνὴ οὐ ποιήσει τὰ θηλεία. Ὅταν τίθητι ὀφθαλμὸν ἀντὶ ὀφθαλμοῦ καὶ ἡ χεὶρ ἀντὶ τῆς χειρὸς καὶ πόδα ἀντὶ ποδὸς, καὶ εἰκὼν ἀντὶ εἰκόνος, ἔπειτα ἐλευσέτε τῇ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· ὑμὰς ἐκλέξω, ἑνὰ χιλιάδος καὶ δύο μυριάδος καὶ συναναστήσονται ὁμοῦ.
Οἱ μαθηταὶ εἶπον· ἀποκαλύψει ἡμίν τὸ τόπος αὐτοῦ. Ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἡμὰς αὐτὸν ζητεῖν. Λέγει αὐτοῖς· Ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκουέτω. Έν τοῦ ἔχοντος τὸ φῶς ὑπάρχει τὸ φῶς καὶ ἐκλάμπει πᾶς ὁ κόσμος. Ὅταν ἐκλάμπει εστιν σκοτία.
Ἀγαπᾶτε τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὡς τὴν ψυχὴν ὑμῶν· Φύλαξον αὐτὸν ὡς κόρην ὀφθαλμοῦ σου.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· βλέπεις τὸ κάρφος τὸ ἐν τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου, τὴν δὲ ἐν τῷ σῷ ὀφθαλμῷ δοκὸν οὐ κατανοεῖς. Ὅτε ἔκβαλε πρῶτον τὴν δοκὸν ἐκ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ σου, καὶ τοτὲ διαβλέψεις ἐκβαλεῖν τὸ κάρφος το ἐν τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ τοὺ ἀδελφοῦ σοῦ
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· Ἔαν μη νηστεύσητε τὸν κόσμον οὐ μὴ εὕρηται τὴν βασιλείαν τοὺ θεοῦ· καὶ ἐὰν μὴ σαββατίσητε τὸ σάββατον οὐκ ὄψεσθε τὸν πατέρα.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· Ἔστην ἐν μέσω τοὺ κόσμου καὶ ἐν σαρκὶ ὤφθην αὐτοῖς· καὶ εὑρὸν πάντας μεθύοντας καὶ οὐδένα εὑρὸν διψῶντα ὲν αὐτοῖς· καὶ πόνει ἡ ψυχὴ μου ἐπὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὅτι τυφλοὶ εἰσιν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν καὶ οὐ βλέπουσιν ὅτι κενοὶ εἰσελήλυθαν τῳ κόσμῳ καὶ κενοὶ ἀποχωρήσονται απο τοῦ κόσμου. Μέντοι νυν μεθύουσιν, ὅταν σωφρονίσωσιν τότε ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν μεταβαλεῖται.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· ἄν σάρξ γενηταὶ διὰ πνεύματος, θαυμαστὸν εστιν, Καίτοι ἄν ψυχὴ γένηται δία τοῦ σαρκὸς, θαυμαστότατον θαυμαστῶν. Ἔγωγε θαυμάζω τοῦτο· πως ὁδὲ ὁ πλοῦτος μεγάλη ἐκεῖτο ταύτῃ τῇ πτωχείᾳ μεγάλᾳ.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· ὀποῦ ἐὰν ὠσίν τρεῖς εἰσιν ἄθεοι, καὶ ὀποῦ εἳς εστιν μόνος, λέγω, ἐγώ ειμι μετ αὐτοῦ· ἐγεῖρον τον λίθον κἀκεῖ εὑρήσεις μὲ· σχίσον το ξύλον κἀγὼ ἐκεῖ ειμι.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· Οὐκ εστιν δεκτὸς προφήτης ἐν τῇ πατρίδι αὐτοῦ, οὐδέ ἰατρός ποιεῖ θεραπείας εἰς τοὺς γιγνώσκοντας αὐτὸν.
Λέγει Ἰησοῦς· Πόλις οἰκοδομημένα ἐπ ἄκρον ὀροὺς ὑψηλοὺς καὶ ἐστηριγμένη οὔτε πεσεῖν δύναται οὔτε κρυβῆναι.
GOSPEL OF THOMAS
These are the secret words which Jesus the living spoke and Judas, who is also Thomas, wrote. And he said: Whoever finds the interpretation of these words will not taste death.
Jesus says: Let the one who seeks not stop seeking until he finds, and when he finds he will be astonished, and having been astonished he will reign, and having reigned he will rest.
Jesus says: If those who lead you say to you, 'Look, the kingdom is in heaven,' the birds of heaven will precede you. If they say that it is under the earth, the fish of the sea will enter, preceding you. And the kingdom of God is within you and outside of you. Whoever knows himself will find it, and when you know yourselves, you will know that you are sons of the living father. But if you do not know yourselves, you are in poverty and you are poverty.
Jesus says: A man old in days will not hesitate to ask a child of seven days about the place of life, and he will live. For many who are first will be last, and the last first, and they will become one.
Jesus says: Know what is before your face, and what is hidden from you will be revealed to you. For there is nothing hidden that will not become manifest, and buried that will not be raised.
His disciples question him and say: How shall we fast, and how shall we pray, and how shall we give alms, and what shall we observe concerning foods? Jesus says: Do not lie, and what you hate, do not do, for all things are revealed before the truth. For there is nothing hidden which will not be manifest.
Jesus says: Blessed is the lion eaten by the man and has become man, and cursed is the man eaten by a lion.
He himself says: The kingdom of heaven is like a wise fisherman who casts his net into the sea. Having drawn it up from the sea full of small fish, he found a large and good one in the midst. This wise fisherman throws all the small fish without hesitation into the sea. The one who has ears, let him hear.
Jesus says: Look, the sower went out, having filled his hands, he throws. Some fell along the road and the birds, having come, ate them. Others fell on the rocky ground and did not take root in the earth and did not send up shoots toward heaven. Others fell in the midst of thorns and they choked the seeds and worms ate them. Others fell on the good earth and it brought forth good fruit up to heaven, and it yielded a hundredfold and a hundred and twentyfold.
Jesus says: I cast fire upon the world, and look, I am guarding it until it blazes.
Jesus says: This heaven will pass away, and the one above it will pass away. And the dead are not living and the living will not die. In those days when you ate what was dead, you made it alive. When you come to be in the light, what will you do? On the day you were one, you became two. When you become two, what will you do?
The disciples said to Jesus: We know that you will depart. Who will be our leader? Jesus, answering, says to them: Wherever you have come, go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being.
Jesus says to his disciples: Compare me, tell me whom I am like. Simon Peter says: You are like a just angel. Matthew says: You are like a philosopher of the heart. Thomas says: O teacher, my mouth is unable to bear your likeness. I am not your teacher, because you have drunk and become intoxicated from the spring which I have poured out. And Jesus, taking him and withdrawing, says three words to him. Then when Thomas came to his companions, they asked him: What did Jesus say to you? Thomas says to them: If I tell you one of the words which he said to me, you will take up stones to throw at me, and fire will come forth from the stones and burn you.
Jesus says to them: If you fast, you will create sins; if you pray, you will be condemned; if you give alms, you will do evil. And when you go into any land, if they receive you, eat what they place before you and heal the sick among them. For what enters into the mouth does not defile the person, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles the person.
Jesus says: When you see him who was not born of woman, fall on your face and worship him. This one is your Father.
Jesus says: Many perhaps think that I have come to cast peace upon the earth. And they do not know I have come to cast enmity upon the earth. For there will be five in a house: three against two, and two against three; father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and they will stand alone.
Jesus says: What eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, these things I will give you.
The disciples said to Jesus: Tell us how our end will be. Jesus says: Have you then found the beginning, that you ask about the end? For where the beginning is, there will be the end. Blessed is he who will stand at the beginning. He will know the end and will not taste death.
Jesus says: Blessed is he who existed before he was born. If you become my disciples and keep my words, these stones will serve you. For you have five trees in the heavens, which remain unmoved in summer and in winter and their leaves do not fall. Whoever knows these will not taste death.
The disciples said to Jesus: Tell us what the kingdom of heaven is like. Answering, Jesus says: It is like a mustard seed. Which is the smallest of all seeds, but when it falls on tilled earth, it grows into a large plant and becomes a shelter for the birds.
And Mary said to Jesus: Whom are your disciples like? He says: They are like little children who have gone into a field which is not theirs. When the owners return they will say, 'Give us back the field.' They will undress that they may yield and give back the field. Therefore I say, if the master of the house knew that the thief is coming, he would have watched before he came, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into to carry away his possessions. And you, give heed to the world. Gird your loins with great power lest robbers find a way to you. For they will find the opportunity that you would expect. Let there be a prudent man among you. When the fruit is ripe, he comes quickly with his sickle in his hand and will reap it. The one who has ears, let him hear.
And Jesus, seeing the nursing children, says to his disciples: These nursing children are like those who enter the kingdom of heaven. They say to him: Shall we then, by becoming as children, enter the kingdom of heaven? Answering, Jesus says to them: When you make the two as one, and the outside as the inside and the inside as the outside, and the above as the below, and when you place the male with the female as a perfect unity, so that the man will not make the male things and the woman will not make the female things. When you place an eye in place of an eye, and a hand in place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, and an image in place of an image, then you will enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus says: I will choose you, one from a thousand and two from ten thousand, and they will stand together as one.
The disciples said: Reveal to us his place, for it is necessary for us to seek it. He says to them: The one who has ears, let him hear. Within the one who has light, there is light, and it shines on the whole world. When it does not shine, there is darkness.
Love your brother as your soul. Guard him as the apple of your eye.
Jesus says: You see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but the beam in your own eye you do not notice. When you first cast out the beam from your eye, then you will see clearly to cast out the speck from your brother's eye.
Jesus says: If you do not fast from the world, you will not find the kingdom of God. And if you do not keep the Sabbath as a Sabbath, you will not see the Father.
Jesus says: I stood in the midst of the world and in flesh I appeared to them. And I found all of them drunk, and I found no one thirsty among them. And my soul grieved for the sons of men, because they are blind in their hearts and do not see that empty they have come into the world and empty they will depart from the world. However, now they are drunk. When they become sober, then their heart will change.
Jesus says: If flesh came to be because of spirit, it is a wonder. And yet if spirit came to be because of the body, it is a wonder of wonders. Indeed I wonder at this: how this great wealth has been placed in this great poverty.
Jesus says: Where there are three, they are without God; and where there is one alone, I say, I am with him. Raise the stone and there you will find me; split the wood and I am there.
Jesus says: A prophet is not acceptable in his own country, nor does a physician perform healings on those who know him.
Jesus says: A city built on the top of a high mountain and fortified can neither fall nor be hidden.
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AI Translation from Original Coptic.
1. Prologue & Saying 1
"These are the secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymus Judas Thomas recorded. And he said, 'Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death.'"
2. Saying 2
"Jesus said, 'Let one who seeks not stop seeking until one finds. When one finds, one will be disturbed. When one is disturbed, one will be astonished, and will reign over the All.'"
3. Saying 3
"Jesus said, 'If your leaders say to you, "Look, 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 within you and it is outside you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will
4. Saying 4
Jesus said, "The person old in days won't hesitate to ask a little child seven days old about the place of life, and that person will live. For many of the first will be last, and they will become a single one."
5. Saying 5
Jesus said, "Know what is in front of your face, and what is hidden from you will be disclosed to you. For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, nor anything buried that will not be raised."
6. Saying 6
His disciples asked him, saying, "Do you want us to fast? How should we pray? Should we give alms? What diet should we observe?" Jesus said, "Do not lie, and do not do what you hate, for all things are disclosed before heaven. For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed."
7. Saying 7
Jesus said, "Blessed is the lion that a person eats, so that the lion becomes a person. And cursed is the person whom a lion eats, so that the person becomes a lion."
8. Saying 8
And he said, "The person is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of little fish. Among them the wise fisherman found a large, good fish. He threw all the little fish back into the sea; he chose the large fish without difficulty. Whoever has ears to hear should hear."
9. Saying 9
Jesus said, "Look, a sower went out, took a handful (of seeds), and scattered them. Some fell on the road, and the birds came and gathered them. Others fell on rock, and they did not take root in the soil and did not produce heads of grain. Others fell on thorns, and they choked the seed, and worms ate them. And others fell on good soil, and it produced a good crop; it yielded sixty per measure and one hundred twenty per measure".
10. Saying 10
Jesus said, "I have cast fire upon the world, and look, I am guarding it until it blazes".
11. Saying 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. During the days when you ate what is dead, you made it alive. When you are 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. Saying 12
The disciples said to Jesus, "We know that you are going to leave us. Who will be our leader?" Jesus said to them, "Wherever you are, you are to go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being".
13. Saying 13
Jesus said to his disciples, "Compare me to something and tell me what I am like."
Simon Peter said to him, "You are like a just angel."
Matthew said to him, "You are like a wise philosopher."
14. Saying 14
Jesus said, "If you fast, you will bring sin upon 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 what comes out of your mouth is what will defile you."
15. Saying 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. Saying 16
Jesus said, "People perhaps think that I have come to cast peace upon the world. They do not know that I have come to cast conflicts upon the earth: fire, sword, war. For there will be five in a house: there'll be three against two and two against three, father against son and son aga
17. Saying 17
Jesus said, "I will give you what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no hand has touched, and what has not occurred to the human mind."
18. Saying 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 one who will take one's place in the beginning; that one will know the end and will not experience death."
19. Saying 19
Jesus said, "Blessed is the one who was, before coming into being. If you become my disciples and listen to my words, these stones will serve you. For there are five trees for you in Paradise which remains undisturbed summer and winter, and whose leaves do not fall. Whoever becomes acquainted with them will not experience death."
20. Saying 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. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it falls on tilled soil, it produces a great plant and becomes a shelter for the birds of the sky."
21. Saying 21
Mary said to Jesus, "Whom are your disciples like?" He said, "They are like little children who have settled in a field which is not theirs. When the owners of the field come, they will say, 'Let us have our field.' They (the children) will undress in their presence in order to let them have their field and to give it back to them."
Page 38: Sayings 23-29
Saying 23: Jesus said, "I shall choose you, one from a thousand and two from ten thousand, and they will stand as a single one."
Saying 24: His disciples said, "Show us the place where you are, for 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 lights up the whole world. If he does not shine, he is darkness."
Saying 25: Jesus said, "Love your brother like your soul, guard him like the pupil of your eye."
Saying 26: Jesus said, "You see the splinter in your brother's 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 splinter from your brother's eye."
Saying 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."
Saying 28: Jesus said, "I took my place in the midst of the world, and I appeared to them in 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."
Saying 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."
Page 39: Sayings 30-37
Saying 30: Jesus said, "Where there are three gods, they are gods. Where there are two or one, I am with him."
Saying 31: Jesus said, "No prophet is accepted in his own village; no physician heals those who know him."
Saying 32: Jesus said, "A city being built on a high mountain and fortified cannot fall, nor can it be hidden."
1 Saying 33: Jesus said, "Preach from your housetops that which you will hear in your 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
2 will see its light."Saying 34: Jesus said, "If a blind man leads a blind man, they will both fall into a pit."
Saying 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."
Saying 36: Jesus said, "Do not be concerned from morning until evening and from evening until morning about what you will wear."
Saying 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
3 will not be afraid."
Page 40: Sayings 38-45
Saying 38: Jesus said, "Many times have you desired to hear these words which I am saying to you, and you have no one else from whom to hear them. There will be days when you will look for me and will not find me."
Saying 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."
Saying 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."
Saying 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."
Saying 42: Jesus said, "Become passers-by."
Saying 43: His disciples said to him, "Who are you, that you should say these things to us?" He said to them, "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."
4 Saying 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 spiri
5 t will not be forgiven either on earth or in heaven."Saying 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."
Page 41: Sayings 46-50
Saying 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."
6 Saying 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
7 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."Saying 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."
Saying 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."
8 Saying 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 i
9 mage.' If they say to you, 'Is it you?,' say, 'We are its children, and 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.'"
Page 42: Sayings 51-57
Saying 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 for has come, but you do not know it."
10 Saying 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
11 one living in your presence and have spoken (only) of the dead."Saying 53: His disciples said to him, "Is circumcision useful or not?" He said to them, "If it were useful, their father would produce them circumcised from their mother. Rather, the true circumcision in spirit has become completely useful."
Saying 54: Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven."
Saying 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."
Saying 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."
12 Saying 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
13 not allow them to pull up the weeds; he said to them, 'I am afraid that you will go to pull up the weeds and pull up the wheat along with them.' For on the day of the harvest the weeds will be conspicuous, and they will be pulled up and burned."
Page 43: Sayings 58-62
Saying 58: Jesus said, "Blessed is the man who has suffered and found life."
Saying 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."
Saying 60: <They saw> a Samaritan carrying a lamb on his way to Judea. He said to his disciples, "That man is round about the lamb." 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 yourselves within repose, lest you become a corpse and be eaten."
Saying 61: Jesus said, "Two will rest on a bed: the one will die, and the other will live." Salome said, "Who are you, man, that you 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 one is <undivided>, one will be filled with light, but if one is divided, one will be filled with darkness."
Saying 62: Jesus said, "It is to those who are worthy of my mysteries that I tell my mysteries..."
Page 44: Sayings 62 (cont.) - 64
Saying 62 (cont.): "...What your right hand will do, let not your left hand know what it does."
Saying 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 storehouses 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."
Saying 64: Jesus said, "A man had received visitors. And when he had prepared the dinner, he sent his servant to invite the guests..."
Page 45: Sayings 64 (cont.) - 71
Saying 64 (cont.): "...The servant returned and said to his master, 'Those whom you invited to 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."
Saying 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...'" [This is the beginning of the parable, which continues on the next page.]
Saying 66: Jesus said, "Show me the stone which the builders have rejected. It is the cornerstone."
Saying 67: Jesus said, "If one who knows the all still feels a personal deficiency, he is completely deficient."
Saying 68: Jesus said, "Blessed are you when you are hated and persecuted. Wherever you have been persecuted they will find no place."
Saying 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."
Saying 70: Jesus said, "That which you have will save you if you bring it forth from yourselves. That which you do not have within you will kill you if you do not have it within you."
Saying 71: Jesus said, "I shall destroy [this] house, and no one will be able to build it [...]"
Page 46: Sayings 72-78
Saying 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?'"
Saying 73: Jesus said, "The harvest is great but the laborers are few. Beseech the lord, therefore, to send out laborers to the harvest."
Saying 74: "He said, 'O lord, there are many around the drinking trough, but there is nothing in the cistern.'"
Saying 75: Jesus said, "Many are standing at the door, but it is the solitary who will enter the bridal chamber."
Saying 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 single pearl for himself. You too, seek his treasure which is unfailing, which is enduring, where no moth comes near to devour and no worm destroys."
14 Saying 77: "Jesus said, 'It is I who am the light which is above them all. It is I who am the all. From me d
15 id 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.'"16 Saying 78: Jesus said, "Why have you come out into the desert? To see a reed shaken by the wind? And to see a
17 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."
Page 47: Gospel of Thomas, Sayings 79-86
Saying 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.'"
Saying 80: Jesus said, "Whoever has come to know the world has found the body, but whoever has found the body is superior to the world."
Saying 81: Jesus said, "Let him who has grown rich be king, and let him who possesses power renounce it."
Saying 82: Jesus said, "He who is near me is near the fire, and he who is far from me is far from the kingdom."
Saying 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."
Saying 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 nor become manifest, how much you will have to bear!"
Saying 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."
Saying 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."
Page 48: Gospel of Thomas, Sayings 87-95
Saying 87: Jesus said, "Wretched is the body that is dependent upon a body, and wretched is the soul that is dependent on these two."
Saying 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?'"
Saying 89: Jesus said, "Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Do you not realize that he who made the inside is also he who made the outside?"
Saying 90: Jesus said, "Come unto me, for my yoke is easy and my lordship is mild, and you will find repose for yourselves."
Saying 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 sk
y 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." Saying 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 ask for it."
Saying 93: "'Do not give what is holy to dogs, lest they throw it on the dunghill. Do not throw the pearls to swine, lest they [...] it [...]'"
Saying 94: Jesus [said], "He who seeks will find, and [he who knocks] will be let in."
Saying 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."
Page 49: Gospel of Thomas, Sayings 96-101
Saying 96: Jesus [said], "The kingdom of the father is like [a certain] woman. She took a little leaven, [hid] it in dough, and made it into large loaves of bread. Let him who has ears hear."
Saying 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 the 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 emp
ty." Saying 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
killed the powerful man." Saying 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
." Saying 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."
Saying 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 [...], but my true [mother] gave me life.'"
Page 50: Gospel of Thomas, Sayings 102-109
Saying 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."
Saying 103: Jesus said, "Fortunate is the man who knows where the brigands will enter, so that [he] may arise, gather together his domain, and gird up his loins before they enter."
Saying 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."
Saying 105: Jesus said, "He who knows the father and the mother will be called the son of a harlot."
Saying 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."
Saying 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 and looked for that one until he found it. When he had gone to this trouble, he said to the sheep, 'I care for you more than the ninety-nine.'"
Saying 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 be revealed to him."
Saying 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 wishe
d."
Page 51: Gospel of Thomas, Sayings 110-114 & The Gospel of Philip
Saying 110: Jesus said, "Whoever finds the world and becomes rich, let him renounce the world."
Saying 111: Jesus said, "The heavens and the earth will be rolled up in your presence. And the one who lives from the living one will not see death.' Does not Jesus say, 'Whoever finds himself is superior to the world?'"
Saying 112: Jesus said, "Woe to the flesh that depends on the soul; woe to the soul that depends on the flesh."
Saying 113: His disciples said to him, "When will the kingdom come?" <Jesus said,> "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."
Saying 114: Simon Peter said to them, "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."
The Gospel of Thomas - Coptic Manuscript Pages
This rewrite provides a more starkly literal rendering of the sayings and analyzes key linguistic differences between the Greek (Oxyrhynchus) and Coptic (Nag Hammadi) versions to clarify the original meaning.
Prologue and Saying 1
Coptic Version: These are the secret sayings which the living Jesus spoke and which Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down. And he said, "Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death."
Linguistic Rewrite & Analysis
A more direct rendering would be: "These are the words, the hidden ones, which Jesus the living spoke, and Judas, also Thomas, wrote. And he said: Whoever finds the interpretation of these words, of death he will not taste."
Sayings/Words: The Greek is logoi (λoˊγoι), which means "words" or "sayings," but implies divine utterances or reasoning, carrying more weight than the simple English "sayings."
Hidden/Secret: The Greek is apokryphoi (α˙πoˊκρυϕoι), literally "things hidden away." This implies esoteric knowledge intended for a select few, not merely a secret.
Interpretation: The Greek is hermēneia ($\ἑ\rho\mu\eta\nu\epsilon\acute{\iota}\alpha\nu$), the root of "hermeneutics." It signifies not just a simple explanation but a profound, transformative understanding.
Taste Death: The Greek "taste death" is a literal translation of a common Semitic idiom for the experience of dying. The Coptic "experience death" is a more direct, less idiomatic rendering of the same concept.
Saying 2
Coptic Version: 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."
Linguistic Rewrite & Analysis
"Jesus says: The one seeking, let him not cease seeking until he finds. And when he finds, he will be astonished. And being astonished, he will reign. And reigning, he will rest."
Marvel/Troubled/Astonished: This is a key divergence. The Greek root is thambos (θαˊμβoς), meaning "wonder, amazement, astonishment." The Coptic version introduces the concept of being "troubled" or "disturbed" as a middle step. This reflects a Gnostic theme where initial enlightenment involves a shocking, disturbing realization of one's condition before achieving astonished clarity and rule. The Greek fragment presents a smoother, more direct path from seeking to wonder to reigning.
Saying 3
Coptic Version: Jesus said, "If those who lead you say to you, '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."
Linguistic Rewrite & Analysis
"Jesus says: If the ones leading you say, 'Behold, the kingdom in heaven is,' the birds of heaven will precede you. If they say it is under the earth, the fish of the sea will precede you. But the kingdom is within you and it is outside you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known... if you do not know yourselves, in poverty you are, and you are the poverty."
Pulling/Leading: The Greek helkontes ($\ἕ\lambda\kappa o\nu\tau\epsilon\varsigma$) literally means "those pulling/dragging you," suggesting force or coercion by external authorities. The Coptic "those who lead you" is a softer term.
Kingdom: The Greek is basileia (βασιλϵιˊα), which means "reign" or "sovereignty" as much as "kingdom." The focus is on a state of being or rule, not a physical location.
Know Yourselves: This echoes the famous Greek maxim gnōthi seauton (γνω~θισϵαυτoˊν), "know thyself." Here, it is the key to discovering the basileia and divine sonship.
Saying 4
Coptic Version: 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."
Linguistic Rewrite & Analysis
"Jesus says: An old man in his days will not hesitate to ask a child of seven days concerning the place of life, and he will live. For many first will be last, and the last first, and they will become a single one."
Place in Life / Place of Life: This phrase is crucial. It refers not to social standing but to the origin or realm of true Life, a central Gnostic concept. The infant, being closer to that origin, possesses an intuitive knowledge the "old" person has lost.
Become One: The Greek eis hen katantēsousin literally means "they will arrive at one" or "come into one." This concept of unification, resolving duality into a single entity, is a core theme throughout the Gospel of Thomas.
Saying 5
Coptic Version: 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."
Linguistic Rewrite & Analysis
"Jesus says: Know that which is before your face, and the thing hidden from you will be revealed to you. For there is nothing hidden that will not become manifest, nor buried that will not be raised."
Know/Recognize: The Greek is imperative: gnōthi (γνω~θι), "Know!" It implies a deep, intuitive knowing, not just intellectual recognition.
Buried that will not be raised: This phrase, present in the Greek fragment, is absent from the Coptic version. It explicitly connects the theme of hidden knowledge with the theme of resurrection, suggesting that revelation is a form of being "raised."
Saying 6
Coptic Version: 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."
Linguistic Rewrite & Analysis
"His disciples ask him; they say: How shall we fast? And how shall we pray? And what shall we observe concerning foods? Jesus says: Do not lie, and the thing you hate, do not do it. For all things are revealed before the face of truth."
Rejection of Ritual: Jesus’s answer bypasses the disciples' questions about specific rituals (fasting, prayer, alms). Instead, he provides a single ethical principle rooted in inner truthfulness. The literal reading emphasizes the pivot from external observance to internal integrity.
Truth/Heaven: The Greek text refers to "truth" (alētheia, α˙ληθϵιˊας) as the witness before which all is revealed. The Coptic version uses "heaven," shifting the frame of reference slightly from an abstract principle to a divine realm.
Saying 26
Coptic Version: Jesus said, "You see the mote in your brother's 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."
Linguistic Rewrite & Analysis
The Greek fragment is the conclusion of the saying. A literal rendering of the full saying, combining the sense of both, would be: "You see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but the beam in your own eye you do not perceive. When you cast out the beam from your own eye, then you will see clearly to cast out the speck from your brother's eye."
See Clearly: The Greek is diablepseis (διαβλϵˊψϵις), which means "to see through" or "to see distinctly." It implies a newfound clarity of perception after self-correction.
Saying 27
Coptic Version: <Jesus said,> "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."
Linguistic Rewrite & Analysis
"Jesus says: If you do not fast to the world, you will not find the kingdom. And if you do not make the sabbath a sabbath, you will not see the Father."
Fast from the world: This is a metaphor for asceticism or spiritual detachment from worldly concerns and attachments (kosmos, κoˊσμoν). It is not about abstaining from food.
Keep the sabbath a sabbath: Literally "sabbatize the sabbath." This is also metaphorical. It means to truly enter a state of spiritual rest and peace, ceasing from worldly "work," not merely observing a ritual day.
Saying 28
Coptic Version: Jesus said, "I took my place in the midst of the world, and I appeared to them in 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."
Linguistic Rewrite & Analysis
"Jesus says: I stood in the middle of the world and in flesh I was seen by them. I found all of them drunk; I found not one among them thirsty. And my soul grieves over the sons of men, for they are blind in their heart and do not see..."
Worries/Became afflicted: The Greek implies grief or deep sorrow. The Coptic version confirms this sense of affliction.
Drunk/Thirsty: Metaphors for spiritual states. "Drunk" refers to being intoxicated with the world and ignorant of their true condition. "Thirsty" refers to a spiritual longing for truth. The savior finds humanity spiritually complacent, not seeking.
Coptic Addition: The Coptic version adds the explicit commentary that people come into the world empty and seek to leave empty, and introduces the idea of future repentance ("when they shake off their wine"). The Greek fragment is more immediate and focused on the current state of sorrow.
Saying 30 + 77b
Coptic Version: (30) Jesus said, "Where there are three gods, they are gods. Where there are two or one, I am with him." (77b) ...Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there."
Linguistic Rewrite & Analysis
"Jesus says: Where there are three, they are godless (atheoi). And where there is one alone, I say I am with him. Raise the stone, and there you will find me. Split the wood, and I am there."
Without God/Gods: This is the most significant and starkest contradiction between the manuscripts. The Greek is unambiguous: atheoi ($\ἄ\theta\epsilon o\iota$) means "godless" or "atheists." It suggests that a group of three (perhaps conventional religious authorities or a rejection of the Trinity) is devoid of God's presence. The Coptic version says, "Where there are three gods, they are gods," which is commonly interpreted as a polemic against polytheism. The Greek fragment is far more radical, suggesting divinity is found in solitude ("where there is only one") and immanently in nature (stone, wood), not in groups.
Saying 31
Coptic Version: Jesus said, "No prophet is accepted in his own village; no physician heals those who know him."
Linguistic Rewrite & Analysis
"Jesus says: A prophet is not received in his own fatherland, nor does a doctor work healings on those who know him."
This saying is almost identical in both versions and has close parallels in the canonical Gospels. The literal language emphasizes the concepts of "reception" for the prophet and "working" for the physician.
Saying 32
Coptic Version: Jesus said, "A city being built on a high mountain and fortified cannot fall, nor can it be hidden."
Linguistic Rewrite & Analysis
"Jesus says: A city built on the top of a high mountain and fortified cannot fall, nor is it able to be hidden."
Established/Fortified: Both words convey stability and security. The image is of the Gnostic who has achieved enlightenment—they are both secure in their position and visible to all.
Saying 37
Coptic Version: 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."
Linguistic Rewrite & Analysis
"His disciples say: When will you appear to us, and when will we see you? Jesus says: When you strip off your clothes and are not ashamed."
Coptic Expansion: The Coptic version expands significantly on this metaphor, adding the imagery of placing the garments underfoot like children and treading on them. This emphasizes a complete transcendence and mastery over the physical, worldly self, returning to a state of primal innocence.
Saying 39
Coptic Version: Jesus said, "The pharisees and the scribes have taken the keys of knowledge (gnosis) 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."
Linguistic Rewrite & Analysis
"Jesus says: The Pharisees and the scribes have taken the keys of knowledge (gnōsis) and hidden them. They did not enter, and those who wished to enter, they did not permit. You, therefore, become prudent as snakes and pure as doves."
Knowledge: The Greek is gnōsis (γνω~σϵως). In this context, it is a technical term meaning direct, experiential, spiritual knowledge, not mere intellectual information. The Coptic version explicitly includes the term.
Wise/Prudent: The Greek phronimoi (ϕρoˊνιμoι) means prudent, mindful, or practically wise. It is about skillful navigation of the world.
Innocent/Pure: The Greek akeraioi (α˙κϵˊραιoι) literally means "unmixed" or "pure." It implies an inner simplicity and integrity.
The Gospel of Thomas.
This collection of secret sayings, spoken by the living Jesus and recorded by Didymus Judas Thomas, promises that whoever discovers their interpretation will not taste death. They represent a path to profound spiritual understanding, organized here by their core themes.
The Inner and Ever-Present Kingdom
The nature of God's kingdom is a central theme, described not as a future place but as a present, though often unseen, reality. Jesus taught that the kingdom is not to be found by looking to external locations. He said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, 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 within you and it is outside you." Its arrival is not a matter of waiting or observation; it is already spread out upon the earth, yet people do not see it.
This kingdom is likened to a mustard seed—the smallest of all seeds—which, when it falls on tilled soil, produces a great plant that becomes a shelter for the birds of the sky. It is also compared to a woman who took a little leaven, hid it in dough, and made large loaves of bread. Entry into this kingdom is granted to those who exhibit a certain spiritual state. Jesus declared, "Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven," and taught that those who do the will of the Father are his true family and will enter his kingdom.
However, the path to it can be subtle and easily missed, as illustrated by the parable of a woman carrying a jar full of meal. While walking, the handle broke and the meal emptied out behind her, a loss she did not notice until she arrived home and found the jar empty. True commitment is required, like a shrewd merchant who, upon discovering a single pearl of great value, sold all his other merchandise to buy it. So too should one seek the Father's unfailing and enduring treasure. Similarly, the kingdom is like a man who found a hidden treasure in a field he inherited. Unaware of it, his son sold the field, and the buyer discovered the treasure while plowing, using the newfound wealth to become a lender. The promise is that if you do not fast as regards the world and observe the Sabbath as a true Sabbath, you will not find the kingdom or see the Father.
The Path of Inquiry and Self-Knowledge
The journey toward truth begins with a persistent search. Jesus stated, "Let one who seeks not stop seeking until one finds. When one finds, one will be disturbed. When one is disturbed, one will be astonished, and will reign over the All." This search is fundamentally an inward one. True understanding comes from self-knowledge: "When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will realize that you are the children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you dwell in poverty, and you are that poverty."
This wisdom is accessible to all who genuinely seek it, regardless of their station. As Jesus said, "The person old in days won't hesitate to ask a little child seven days old about the place of life, and that person will live." The goal is to find one's origin, for "where the beginning is, there will the end be." He proclaimed, "Blessed is one who will take one's place in the beginning; that one will know the end and will not experience death."
Knowing oneself provides a perspective that transcends the material world. "Whoever has come to understand the world has found only a corpse, and whoever has found a corpse is superior to the world." Similarly, he taught, "Whoever has come to know the world has found the body, but whoever has found the body is superior to the world." This pursuit is urgent, as Jesus noted there was a time he wished to share things his followers did not ask for, and a time would come when they would ask but he would not be there to answer. The invitation remains open: "Seek and you will find," and "He who seeks will find, and he who knocks will be let in." Ultimately, self-realization is paramount, for "whoever finds himself is superior to the world." Yet, a warning is given: "If one who knows the all still feels a personal deficiency, he is completely deficient."
The Demands of Discipleship
Following Jesus requires a radical reordering of one's life and loyalties. The path is for the few, as he said, "I shall choose you, one from a thousand and two from ten thousand, and they will stand as a single one." Disciples were instructed that after his departure, they were to go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being.
The commitment must be absolute, even superseding familial bonds. Jesus declared, "Whoever does not hate his father and his mother cannot become a disciple to me." In a similar vein, he said, "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 life, but my true mother gave me life." True kinship is defined by spiritual alignment: when told his mother and brothers were outside, he replied, "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."
A disciple must adopt a posture of detachment, becoming a passer-by in the world. They are compared to little children who have settled in a field that is not theirs and who, when the owners come, undress and give the field back. Disciples must also be prepared for rejection, for "no prophet is accepted in his own village; no physician heals those who know him." The core of discipleship involves an internal transformation. When the disciple Salome asked who he was, Jesus identified himself as one from the undivided and told her, "I am your disciple." He then explained that if one is undivided, they will be filled with light, but if divided, they will be filled with darkness. This transformation culminates in a new state of being. Regarding Mary Magdalene, 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."
Beyond Conventional Religion and Authority
Jesus frequently challenged conventional religious practices and the authority of established leaders. When his disciples asked about religious duties, he dismissed their questions about fasting, prayer, alms, and diet. Instead, he instructed, "Do not lie, and do not do what you hate, for all things are disclosed before heaven." He further radicalized this teaching, stating, "If you fast, you will bring sin upon yourselves. And if you pray, you will be condemned. And if you give alms, you will do harm to your spirits." Purity, he explained, comes not from external observance but from within: "For what goes into your mouth will not defile you, but what comes out of your mouth is what will defile you." The time for such rituals is also context-dependent. He said that only when the bridegroom leaves the bridal chamber should the wedding guests fast and pray.
He offered a sharp critique of religious elites. "The Pharisees and the scribes have taken the keys of knowledge and hidden them," he said. "They themselves have not entered, nor have they allowed to enter those who wish to." He compared them to a dog sleeping in the manger of oxen, which neither eats the feed nor allows the hungry animals to eat. He also cautioned his followers against misplaced reverence, saying they should not seek a man in fine garments, like their kings and great men, because such people are unable to discern the truth.
Spiritual truth, he taught, is an immediate and living reality. He chided his disciples for focusing on the past, saying, "Twenty-four prophets spoke in Israel, and all of them spoke in you," to which he replied, "You have omitted the one living in your presence and have spoken only of the dead." He reinterpreted sacred laws, explaining that physical circumcision was useless; otherwise, men would be born circumcised. Rather, "the true circumcision in spirit has become completely useful."
The Revelation of the Hidden
A core tenet of Jesus's message is that what is secret will eventually be made known. The sayings themselves are introduced as hidden words, and he promised, "Know what is in front of your face, and what is hidden from you will be disclosed to you." This principle is absolute: "For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, nor anything buried that will not be raised." The truth cannot be suppressed, "for all things are disclosed before heaven."
This revelation is not abstract but personal and experiential. Jesus told his disciples, "Preach from your housetops that which you will hear in your ear." Just as no one lights a lamp to put it under a bushel or in a hidden place, but on a lampstand for all to see, so too must truth be proclaimed. The moment of revelation, however, is tied to a state of spiritual readiness. When asked when he would be revealed, Jesus answered, "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 you will see the son of the living one, and you will not be afraid."
He also spoke of his own enigmatic nature, telling his disciples there would be days when they would look for him and not find him. He described how the divine light remains concealed within manifest images. "The images are manifest to man," he said, "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." For those who are prepared, however, direct knowledge is possible: "He who will drink from my mouth will become like me. I myself shall become he, and the things that are hidden will be revealed to him."
The Nature and Mission of Jesus
Jesus described his purpose in stark and uncompromising terms. "I have cast fire upon the world," he said, "and look, I am guarding it until it blazes." He came not to bring tranquility but division: "People perhaps think that I have come to cast peace upon the world. They do not know that I have come to cast conflicts upon the earth: fire, sword, war." This conflict would divide even the closest relationships, setting father against son and mother against daughter, causing them to stand alone.
His identity defied simple categorization. When his disciples tried to compare him to a just angel or a wise philosopher, Thomas confessed that his mouth was unable to say what Jesus was like. Jesus replied, "I am not your teacher. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring that I have tended." He then took Thomas aside and spoke three secret sayings, which Thomas feared would cause his companions to stone him if he revealed them. When the disciples did not recognize him from his words, he compared them to the Jews who either love the tree and hate its fruit or love the fruit and hate the tree. He challenged them directly, "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."
He presented himself as the embodiment of a universal, divine presence. "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." To be near him was to be near this transformative power: "He who is near me is near the fire, and he who is far from me is far from the kingdom." Yet, in the world, he remained an outsider, stating that foxes have their holes and birds have their nests, but the son of man has no place to lay his head and rest. His ultimate invitation was one of solace: "Come unto me, for my yoke is easy and my lordship is mild, and you will find repose for yourselves."
Parables of Conduct and Spiritual Reality
Jesus often used parables and metaphors to illustrate spiritual principles and human behavior. The importance of discernment was shown through the story of a wise fisherman who, after hauling in a net full of little fish, found one large, good fish. He threw all the small ones back and chose the large one without hesitation. Similarly, the parable of the sower illustrated how different people receive the word: some seeds fell on the road to be eaten by birds, some on rock where they could not take root, some among thorns that choked them, and some on good soil where they produced a magnificent crop.
He warned against spiritual contamination and misguidance. An unsound grapevine planted outside the Father's care, he said, will be pulled up by its roots and destroyed. Likewise, "If a blind man leads a blind man, they will both fall into a pit." He taught that good and evil originate from within: "Grapes are not harvested from thorns, nor are figs gathered from thistles... 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."
He also told stories cautioning against worldly attachment and shortsightedness. A rich man planned to build larger storehouses for his wealth, thinking he would lack nothing, but he died that very night. Another man prepared a great dinner and sent his servant to invite the guests, but they all made excuses. The master then instructed his servant to bring in anyone from the streets to share the meal, concluding that businessmen and merchants will not enter the places of his Father. To follow the path, one must be prepared and vigilant, like a man who knows where brigands will enter and so gathers his resources and girds his loins before they arrive. The cornerstone rejected by the builders, he said, is the one that becomes the most important.
Renouncing the Material World
A recurring instruction is to detach from material concerns and the physical body. Jesus taught, "Do not be concerned from morning until evening and from evening until morning about what you will wear." He marveled at the paradox of existence: "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."
This perspective leads to a radical re-evaluation of worldly status. "Let him who has grown rich be king," he said, "and let him who possesses power renounce it." The ultimate goal is complete renunciation: "Whoever finds the world and becomes rich, let him renounce the world." He expressed pity for beings trapped in cycles of dependency, stating, "Wretched is the body that is dependent upon a body, and wretched is the soul that is dependent on these two." Likewise, he declared, "Woe to the flesh that depends on the soul; woe to the soul that depends on the flesh." Financial practices were also to be reoriented away from personal gain. "If you have money," he advised, "do not lend it at interest, but give it to one from whom you will not get it back." Adam, despite coming into being from great power and wealth, did not become worthy because his attachment to the world led to death.
The Principle of Unity
The concept of oneness is presented as a state of spiritual perfection. Jesus spoke of a future in which "many of the first will be last, and they will become a single one." He challenged his disciples with the paradox of their own existence: "On the day when you were one, you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?" The elect are those who can achieve this unified state, standing "as a single one."
This unity has tangible power. "If two make peace with each other in this one house," Jesus promised, "they will say to the mountain, 'Move away,' and it will move away." To achieve this state is the highest calling, and those who do are blessed: "Blessed are the solitary and elect, for you will find the kingdom. For you are from it, and to it you will return." It is the solitary, he said, who will enter the bridal chamber. The ultimate transformation is the integration of all dualities: "When you make the two one, you will become the sons of man, and when you say, 'Mountain, move away,' it will move away."
Precepts for Ethical Conduct
Alongside profound metaphysical teachings, Jesus offered direct instructions for how to treat others. He commanded, "Love your brother like your soul, guard him like the pupil of your eye." He stressed the importance of self-correction before judging others, asking, "You see the splinter in your brother's 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 splinter from your brother's eye." Discretion in spiritual matters is also advised. He said, "Do not give what is holy to dogs, lest they throw it on the dunghill. Do not throw the pearls to swine." Furthermore, one's actions should be done without fanfare or a divided mind: "What your right hand will do, let not your left hand know what it does."
On Persecution, Life, and Death
Jesus acknowledged that the path would involve hardship but promised that it leads to true life. "Blessed is the man who has suffered and found life," he taught. Persecution was to be expected and even welcomed as a sign of progress. "Blessed are you when you are hated and persecuted. Wherever you have been persecuted they will find no place." He added, "Blessed are they who have been persecuted within themselves. It is they who have truly come to know the father."
The teachings aim to transcend the conventional understanding of life and death. Jesus declared, "The dead are not alive, and the living will not die." The promise of eternal life is tied to understanding his words and achieving a certain spiritual state. He said of his teachings, "Blessed is the one who was, before coming into being." Knowledge of the five trees in Paradise, which remain undisturbed through summer and winter, would grant one freedom from death. When his disciples asked about the repose of the dead and the coming of the new world, he replied, "What you look for has come, but you do not know it." The urgency is clear: "Take heed of the living one while you are alive, lest you die and seek to see him and be unable to do so." Ultimately, the heavens and the earth will be rolled up in your presence, but "the one who lives from the living one will not see death."