One day, right after finishing a synoptic analysis of the divorce sayings of Jesus, a small book which I posted on the World Wide Web, I was reading the Gospel of Thomas. Some of the sayings especially resonated with me, and I started to restate them in the ways that I felt those resonances. Before long, I realized that I was in essence composing another sayings gospel, albeit using considerable license; in fact some of the license I was using was possibly comparable to that used in the composition of ancient gospels. I was intrigued, for I had stumbled upon an experiment that might inform my understanding of how those gospels had been composed. So I determined to carry through.
Initially I decided that my main field of vision would be the ancient extra-canonical sayings and stories of Jesus, which would then be supplemented by the canonical books for the sake of balance. Included among the extra-canonical sources would be Q, the hypothetical document that is supposed to have been one of the common sources that lay behind the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. I have great doubts about the Q hypothesis, but I was intrigued with how I might use modern reconstructions of the Q document.
The point of developing this text would not be one of putting forward the authentic sayings of Jesus. Rather it would be one of reworking certain thoughts attributed chiefly to Jesus in the ways that they have resonated with one individual of the late Twentieth Century. The result gives these thoughts a strange status. On the one hand, I cannot claim to live up to them; but, on the other hand, I would not, to use a colloquialism, "stick" Jesus with the authorship of them or, at least, not the vast majority of them. I am tempted to say that therefore their weight rests entirely with the degree to which they resonate. However, the core personality associated with the Jesus traditions seems to shine through, despite my often heavy adaptation.
At a late point in selection and adaptation, I realized that some of the key thoughts and attitudes I wanted to include for the sake of balance were inextricably embedded in narrative. So I decided to include some narrative segments. With these segments, most of the adaptation done was less for the sake of bringing out resonance than for the sake of interpreting elements of those narratives for an audience that long ago lost touch with their historical context and that has often been misled as to the nuances involved.
An example would be the story of the Samaritan woman, who is often mistakenly or, at least gratuitously, treated as a courtesan. In the social categories of her time and place, if she were cohabiting with a man, she would have been regarded as either his wife or his concubine. In other words, it is highly unlikely that the writer of the Gospel of John, the source of the story, meant her to be understood as a courtesan. More likely, she was meant to be understood either as an ordinary, if unfortunate, woman, or as a prophet in the tradition of Hosea, whose marriage had symbolic significance, and of John the Baptist, whose mission was "to make straight the way of the Lord" (Isaiah 40:3; John 1:23).
With the introduction of narrative about Jesus, I realized that an imbalance would continue to exist until I included some statements reflecting Jesus' sense of identity with the transcendent. Even in the Q document Jesus comes across as absolutely riveting, demanding centrality as the one who is conveying the transcendent. This non-egotistical egocentricity was excised to a significant degree in the course of my adaptation of some of the sayings; but if Jesus himself was to be introduced, then I found it important to reflect this aspect of the Jesus traditions; and so I added a section devoted to his sense of identity with the transcendent.
The point of reflecting Jesus' non-egotistical egocentricity was not doctrinal. Rather it was meant merely to communicate the riveting character of his self-expression. As a matter of fact, doctrinal issues regarding the person of Christ are not in focus here, but are played down in order to allow the teachings, as adapted, a clear hearing. However, some effort has been made to keep this text from being doctrinally offensive. For example, the statement attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas 77 that "I am the All," was not included, since some scholars read it as pantheistic, although I can certainly see other possible interpretations.
So christology has been played down, to be saved perhaps for another gospel experiment; and likewise the egocentricity of Jesus has been played down, except in the one section devoted to the subject. Other subjects that have been played down include:
Likewise, many sayings and incidents which are so tied to their historical context that generalization would be cumbersome are omitted.
It seems that the audience has a considerable impact upon deselection.
Certain subjects were played up, such as the reality of the realm of the spirit; the Jewishness of Jesus; the cosmic nature of his teachings; the affirmation of the body, including its reproductive processes; and the relations between the sexes.
Regarding the last two subjects, they receive prominent treatment because issues of sex and sexuality are among a handful of major issues wracking congregations and denominations world-wide today. This text reaches back before ascetic dualism became the chief lens through which the life and teachings of Jesus were read. The Jesus presented here has female traveling companions; he cures a reproductive malady; he engages women in serious dialog; he makes overtures to a woman to be another female disciple, perhaps even to be another wife (remembering the polygynous context of his day and that Jewish men were expected to be married, generally at an early age); he is impatient with the marginalization and ready condemnation of women who don't fit a standard of expectation; he appreciates sensual contact with a woman; and he insists upon the negation of maleness and femaleness in the spiritual realm, while leaving alone most of the possible implications for the physical realm, at least for the time being. (Jesus' affirmation of the prohibition against porneia, which the Apostles in Acts 15 apparently understood to refer to most or all of the sexual and marital offenses prohibited in Leviticus 18 and 20-21, may preclude some avenues of thought regarding later implications. See Matthew 5:32, along with its parallel in 19:9; and Matthew 15:19, along with its parallel in Mark 7:21.)
Omitted were certain incidents from non-canonical sources that went further, such as Jesus' frequent kissing of Mary Magdalene to express his love for her (Gospel of Philip 63-64 = 55b in Schneemelcher 1.194; 48 in Layton 339) and his union with a woman in the Greater Questions of Mary (Schneemelcher 1.390 and Layton 209), which M.R. James declined to publish in his Apocryphal New Testament (see p. 20). Canonical incidents and a few extracanonical ones in the same vein were more than adequate to gain an appreciation of how positive towards women and sexuality a portrayal of Jesus might be, once the encrustation of centuries of callous interpretation had been removed. In any case, seeing these incidents through my lens is probably more than enough of a stretch for most potential readers.
The narratives are interpretive renderings, which, for the most part, point to original meanings in their original languages and contexts; but the sayings form a new collection, which itself forms a major part of the context for the control of meaning with regard to individual sayings. So, for instance, whatever the All meant in ancient documents written under Gnostic influence, here the Gnostic world-view must be stripped away; and whatever fire might have symbolized in certain ancient contexts, here it represents spiritual cleansing.
Each saying is followed by the source or sources from which it was adapted. These citations serve a dual purpose. First they enable this text to function as an entrée to the Jesus traditions. Hopefully readers will ask, What was actually attributed to Jesus? With these citations, they will have the means of finding the answer. Second, they will enable anyone who is interested to glean many of the lessons I have learned about the composition of a gospel. Collaterally, they will in some cases help students find parallels, although many more parallels could have been mentioned.
Speaking of parallels, I should mention that a citation for Q applies also to the Gospel of Luke, so that Q 13:24 implies also Luke 13:24. Furthermore a citation for the Gospel of Thomas applies also to the comparable passage in the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, unless otherwise indicated. To be more precise:
The Gospel of Thomas and the comparable passages in the Oxyrhynchus Papyri are given side by side in English translation in Schneemelcher (1991).
Having been for many years a librarian in a theological seminary, I am keenly aware of how time-consuming it is to locate ancient sources in translation. So for nearly all ancient works outside of the Hebrew Bible, the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical Books, the New Testament, and Q (for which see Kloppenborg, Mack, and Miller), an English translation is mentioned along with the page number. A bibliography is provided at the end.
Allow me to conclude this preface by saying that one of the biggest lessons learned about the composition of the canonical Gospels was how much time and effort must have gone into them. This lesser effort has led me to appreciate them all the more.
Whoever is near these words is near the fire; whoever is far from these words is far from the spiritual kingdom. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 82 (Schneemelcher 1.91, 127)
My soul is in pain for the sons and daughters of humankind. Their hearts are blind and do not see that they came empty into the world; that they are questing for nothing more than emptiness; that it is with emptiness, then, that they will leave the world. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 28 (Schneemelcher 1.121)
My soul is in pain for the sons and daughters of humankind. So few thirst, since they are drunk with diversion. With soberness comes repentance. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 28 (Schneemelcher 1.121)
I have so much to tell, but to whom do I say it? -- Adaptation of Coptic Psalm-Book II, 187.29 (Schneemelcher 1.403)
How long will you think that answers come easily, as though they can be merely heard and not gained through hardship? -- Adaptation of one interpretation of Epistula Apostolorum 24, Ethiopic text (Schneemelcher 1.263)
How long will you keep trying to get me to say what you want to hear, thinking there will be no anguish? -- Adaptation of one interpretation of Epistula Apostolorum 24, Ethiopic text (Schneemelcher 1.263)
There are two paths, one of life and one of death; and there is a great difference between these two paths. -- Didache 1:1 (Lightfoot 251)
Yes, there are two paths, one broad, the other narrow. The one that leads to life is narrow. Few find it. -- Q 13:24 (Matthew 7:13-14); cf. John 10:7, 9
You are called to undertake a spiritual journey. -- Adaptation of one interpretation of the Gospel of Thomas 42 (Schneemelcher 1.124); cf. Hebrews 13:14
Even as you pass through this transitory realm, be coming into being. -- Adaptation of one interpretation of the Gospel of Thomas 42 (Schneemelcher 1.124); cf. Hebrews 13:14
If you do not seek, how will you find? If you do not knock, how can you expect the door to be opened for you? But if you keep seeking, you will find; if you keep knocking, the door will be opened for you. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 94 (Schneemelcher 1.128); cf. Q 11:9-10 (Matthew 7:7-8); Gospel of Thomas 92 (Schneemelcher 1.128); Epistula Apostolorum 39 (Schneemelcher 1.271); Dialog of the Savior 20 (Schneemelcher 1.306)
Having sought and found, then marvel, reign, and rest. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of the Hebrews, fragment 4 (Schneemelcher 1.177) ; cf. Gospel of Thomas 2 (Schneemelcher 1.117)
When you question with faith and with your whole heart, the teacher rejoices. -- Adaptation of Epistula Apostolorum 25 (Schneemelcher 1.263)
Many stumble upon that which is hidden and fail to recognize it. -- Adaptation of the Book of Thomas 138:19-20 (Schneemelcher 1.241)
If the things that are visible to you are obscure though right in front of you, how will you be able to grasp the things that are not visible? -- Adaptation of the Book of Thomas 138:27-29 (Schneemelcher 1.241)
Recognize what is before you, and what is hidden from you will be revealed; everything hidden will ultimately be made manifest. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 5 (Schneemelcher 1.118); Kephalaia LXV, vol. 1, 163.28-29 (Schneemelcher 1:403); cf. Matthew 10:26; Mark 4:22; Luke 8:17; 12:2; Gospel of Thomas 6 (Schneemelcher 1.118)
Receive that which the eye has not seen and the ear has not heard and which has not yet entered into your hearts. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 17 (Schneemelcher 1.119); Turfan fragment M 789 (Schneemelcher 1.403); cf. Isaiah 64:4; 1 Corinthians 2:9; 1 John 1:1; Acts of Peter 39 (Schneemelcher 2.316); Prayer of Paul the Apostle, Nag Hammadi Codex 1, A.25-30 (Layton 305)
In these words is no stench of death, only the aroma of life. Inhale, imbibe, ingest; and you will know life. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 1 (Schneemelcher 1.117); cf. John 8:51-52
When a pearl drops into the mud, it loses no value; nor does it gain in value when anointed with precious oils. So it is with the children of God. Wherever they may be and in whatever circumstance, in the eyes of God their value is always the same. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Philip 48 = 41 (Schneemelcher 1.194; Layton 337)
Not a sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing about it. Have no fear. You are worth more than many sparrows. -- Adaptation of Q 12:6-7 (Matthew 10:29, 31)
Whoever sees the self only without and not within renders every self small. -- Adaptation of Turfan fragment 801.547-551 (Schneemelcher 1.408)
If within you are one open expanse, then are you open to fullness of light; but if divided, then darkness is housed. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 61 (Schneemelcher 1.125); cf. Hermas, Visions 4.2.6 (Lightfoot 373)
The aperture of the body is the eye. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if it is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. -- Adaptation of Q 11:34 (Matthew 6:22-23)
The lamp of the body is the mind. As long as it is kept in order, your bodies are luminous. -- Adaptation of Dialog of the Savior 8 (Schneemelcher 1.305)
Any deficiency in the knowledge of All-ness is utter deficiency. -- Adaptation of one interpretation of the Gospel of Thomas 67 (Schneemelcher 1.126)
Whoever thinks to know the All by knowing the self alone misses everything. -- Adaptation of one interpretation of the Gospel of Thomas 67 (Schneemelcher 1.126)
Whoever thinks to know the All without knowing the self misses everything. -- Adaptation of one interpretation of the Gospel of Thomas 67 (Schneemelcher 1.126)
When you know yourselves, then will you be known; and you will know that you are children of the living God. But if you do not know yourselves, then you exist in poverty. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 3 (Schneemelcher 1.117); cf. Dialog of the Savior 30 (Schneemelcher 1.307)
Whoever has known the self has already obtained knowledge about the depth of the All. -- Adaptation of one interpretation of the Book of Thomas 138:17-18 (Schneemelcher 1.241)
Whoever judges the All by the deficiencies of the self is utterly mistaken. -- Adaptation of one interpretation of the Gospel of Thomas 67 (Schneemelcher 1.126)
Whoever exalts the self will be humbled; whoever humbles the self will be exalted. -- Adaptation of Q 14:11; 18:14 (Matthew 23:12)
Whoever truly finds the self, the realm of selfishness is beneath you. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 111 (Schneemelcher 1.129); cf. Hebrews 11:38
To be a true disciple of the way of life, you must act selflessly even to the point of suffering and death, as other followers of the way before you have done. -- Adaptation of Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; cf. Matthew 10:38; Luke 14:27; Gospel of Thomas 55 (Schneemelcher 1.125)
What advantage is it if you acquire everything there is and lose your life? -- Adaptation of Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25; 2 Clement 6:2 (Lightfoot 111)
Let your light shine in such a way that others may see your good deeds and praise God for them. -- Adaptation of Matthew 5:16
Beware of practicing good deeds in order to be noticed by others; if you do so, you have no reward with God. -- Adaptation of Matthew 6:1
Let your contributions be made quietly. -- Adaptation of Matthew 6:4; cf. Manichaean text T II D 173b,2, Turkish (Klimkeit 326)
What goes into your mouth will not defile you; but what comes out of your mouth, that can defile you. -- Adaptation of the Matthew 15:10-11; Mark 7:14-15; Gospel of Thomas 14 (Schneemelcher 1.119)
Enlightenment has nothing to do with arrogance. -- Adaptation of the Apocryphon of James 13.19-20 (Schneemelcher 1.295)
Enlightenment has nothing to do with jealousy. Only when you rid yourselves of jealousy will you be able to clothe yourselves in light. -- Adaptation of Dialog of the Savior 50 (Schneemelcher 1.308); cf. Romans 13:12-13; Gospel of Thomas 75 (Schneemelcher 1.127)
Are you able to add a single day to your life by worrying? Do not worry about what you will eat or drink or wear. God knows your needs. Just make sure of God's rule over you, and all these things will be yours as well. -- Adaptation of Q 12:25, 29-31 (Matthew 6:25, 31-33); cf. Gospel of Thomas 36 (Schneemelcher 1.123)
Expend your energy protecting your life and you shall lose it; lose your life for the good and you will save it. -- Adaptation of Matthew 10:39; 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 17:33; cf. John 12:25
Can you not find joy? Then look on your fellow human being with love, and joy will at last be found. -- Gospel of the Hebrews, fragment 7 (Schneemelcher 1.91)
Love your fellow traveler in the light as your very life; be as protective of that one as you are of your own eyes. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 25 (Schneemelcher 1.120)
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. -- Q 6:27-28 (Matthew 5:44); cf. Oxyrhychus Papyrus 1224:176 (Schneemelcher 1.100); Epistula Apostolorum 18 (Schneemelcher 1.259); Polycarp, Epistle to the Philippians 12:3 (Lightfoot 219); Didache 1:3 (Lightfoot 251)
If you love only those who love you, what credit is that to you? What more are you doing than anyone else? -- Adaptation of Q 6:32 (Matthew 5:46); 2 Clement 13:4 (Lightfoot 119); Ignatius, Epistle to Polycarp 2:1 (Lightfoot 195); Didache 1:3 (Lightfoot 251)
If you are kind only to those who are kind to you, what credit is that to you? Again, what more are you doing than anyone else? -- Adaptation of Q 6:33 (Matthew 5:47)
Do for others what you would have them do for you. -- Adaptation of Q 6:31 (Matthew 7:12); cf. 1 Clement 13:2 (Lightfoot 43)
Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. -- Acts 15:20, 29 (Western text); Didache 1:2 (Lightfoot 251); Epistula Apostolorum 18 (Schneemelcher 1.259); cf. Tobit 4:15; Gospel of Thomas 6 (Schneemelcher 1.118)
Abstain from every form of evil. -- 1 Thessalonians 5:22; cf. Romans 12:9
Seek the good for each person that you may affect. -- Adaptation of 1 Thessalonians 5:15; cf. Romans 12:9; Galatians 6:10
Among the worst of all offenses is this, to grieve the spirit of one's fellow. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of the Hebrews, fragment 6 (Schneemelcher 1.177); cf. Matthew 5:22; Ephesians 4:30
Do not squelch the spirit of goodness. -- Adaptation of 1 Thessalonians 5:19
Be honest; do not tell lies. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 6 (Schneemelcher 1.118)
If you have acquired wealth, do you think you can reign in the spiritual kingdom? Renounce the use of wealth for self-aggrandizement; let wealth be the servant of generosity and the facilitator of benevolence. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 81 and 110 (Schneemelcher 1.129)
Renounce the use of power for self-aggrandizement, and do not try to be controlling with other people. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 81 (Schneemelcher 1.127); Dialog of the Savior 20 (Schneemelcher 1.306)
Do not play favorites on the basis of wealth or power or other social status. -- Adaptation of Epistula Apostolorum 37, 42, 46 (Schneemelcher 1.270, 273, 276); cf. Deuteronomy 1:17; 10:17; 2 Chronicles 19:7; James 2:1-9
Give laborers their due compensation, including those who labor on behalf of the spiritual kingdom. -- Adaptation of Q 10:7 (Matthew 10:10); 1 Corinthians 9:14; 1 Timothy 5:18; Dialog of the Savior 53 (Schneemelcher 1.308); Didache 13:1-2 (Lightfoot 267)
Do not repay evil with evil. -- Adaptation of 1 Thessalonians 5:15; Romans 12:17; 1 Peter 3:9
If someone slaps you on the cheek, offer your other cheek as well. If anyone grabs your cloak, offer your shirt as well. -- Adaptation of Q 6:29 (Matthew 5:39); Didache 1:4 (Lightfoot 251)
To treat a spouse faithlessly is a form of faithlessness against God. Do not engage in such double faithlessness. -- Adaptation of Matthew 5:32; 19:9; Mark 10:11; Luke 16:18; Hermas, Mandates 4.1.6 (Lightfoot 381); cf. 1 Corinthians 7:10, 27-28; Clement of Alexandria, Stromateis 3:15 = 3.97.4 (Schneemelcher 1.211)
If you belong to the light, do not marry a person who does not. That too is to act faithlessly against God. -- Adaptation of Matthew 19:9; Mark 10:11; Luke 16:18; cf. 1 Corinthians 7:12-16, 39; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
First expel the timber from your own eye. Only then you will see well enough to remove the minuscule chip from your fellow's eye. -- Adaptation of a saying by Jesus the carpenter prophet in Q 6:42 (Matthew 7:5); Gospel of Thomas 26 (Schneemelcher 1.121)
If your fellow causes offense and, upon your rebuke, is sorry and acts accordingly, forgive, even if seven times, even if seventy times seven. -- Adaptation of Q 17:3-4 (Matthew 18:21-22); Gospel of the Nazareans, fragments 15a-b (Schneemelcher 1.161); contrast Genesis 4:24
Judge not, and you will not be judged. The standard you use will be the standard used against you. -- Q 6:37-38 (Matthew 7:1-2); 1 Clement 13:2 (Lightfoot 43); Polycarp, Epistle to the Philippians 2:3 (Lightfoot 209); cf. Mark 4:24
The day will come when you will be called upon to be judges over others. -- Adaptation of Q 22:30 (Matthew 19:28)
Be discerning and not misled. -- Adaptation of Matthew 24:4; Mark 13:5; Luke 21:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; 1 John 4:1; Gospel of Mary, Papyrus Berolinensis 8.12-9.5 (Schneemelcher 1.392); Parable about the Farmer, M 6005, Parthian (Asmussen 98-99; Klimkeit 194)
Be as cunning as serpents and as innocent as doves. -- Matthew 10:16; Gospel of Thomas 39 (Schneemelcher 1.123); Gospel of the Nazareans, fragment 7 (Schneemelcher 1.160); Ignatius, Epistle to Polycarp 2:2 (Lightfoot 195)
Life is yours! As children of God, live joyfully and be glad! -- Apocryphon of James 10:39-11.1 (Schneemelcher 1.294); cf. Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16
Love life! -- Adaptation of the Apocryphon of James 9.19-20 (Schneemelcher 1.294)
Remember that God loves the cosmos beyond all measure, including those who live in it. -- Adaptation of John 3:16
Remember that what people so often rank highly is loathsome in the sight of God. -- Adaptation of Luke 16:15
It is easier for earth and sky to pass into oblivion than for one stroke of God's Law to be rendered invalid. -- Adaptation of Q 16:17 (Matthew 5:18)
When you pray, pray not for show but in secret. -- Adaptation of Matthew 6:6
When you pray, don't babble on and on, but be simple like this: "Abba, holy is your name; come rule; provide for our essentials; pardon our debts, for we ourselves pardon those indebted to us; deliver us from trouble; and keep us from temptation." -- Adaptation of Q 11:2-4 (Matthew 6:7-13); Didache 8:2 (Lightfoot 259); Gospel of the Nazareans, fragment 5 (Schneemelcher 1.160)
Rejoice always, and in all circumstances offer thanks. -- 1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18; cf. Philippians 4:4; Apocryphon of James 10:39-11.1 (Schneemelcher 1.294)
Live your existence in an attitude of prayer. -- Adaptation of 1 Thessalonians 5:17
The truth is one but is expressed as manifold. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Philip 12b = 8 (Schneemelcher 1.189; Layton 330)
Truth is sowed everywhere, the truth which exists from the beginning. Many see it as it has been sowed, but few see it as it is reaped. -- cf. Gospel of Philip 16b = 13 (Schneemelcher 1.190; Layton 331)
The truth seeks out those who are just and wise. -- Adaptation of Dialog of the Savior 7 (Schneemelcher 1.305)
The wise are nourished by the truth; they are like trees growing beside the steadily flowing stream. -- Adaptation of the Book of Thomas 140:16-17 (Schneemelcher 1.243); cf. Psalm 1:3
Whatever is born of woman dies, but whatever is born of truth does not die. -- Adaptation of Dialog of the Savior 59 (Schneemelcher 1.309)
Be fearless in declaring the truth, or be disowned by it. -- Adaptation of Matthew 10:32-33; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; 12:8-9; 2 Timothy 2:12; cf. Revelation 3:5; 2 Clement 3:2 (Lightfoot 109)
The truth will set you free! -- John 8:32
Wisdom can be told by its children. -- Adaptation of Q 7:35 (Matthew 11:19); Origin, Homilies on Jeremiah 14:5
More favor and more joy is found in giving than in receiving. -- Acts 20:35; cf. Didache 1:5 (Lightfoot 253); 1 Clement 2:1 (Lightfoot 31); Hermas, Mandates 2:4-6 (Lightfoot 377)
Whoever lacks the ability to receive, how much more will that person lack the ability to give! -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Philip 99c = 85 (Schneemelcher 1.200; Layton 346)
Faith receives, love gives. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Philip 45 = 39 (Schneemelcher 1.193; Layton 337)
Whoever gives without love, receives no benefit. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Philip 45 = 39 (Schneemelcher 1.193; Layton 337); cf. 1 Corinthians 13:2-3
Where love is deficient, all actions are imperfect. -- Adaptation of Turfan fragment M 801.628-630 (Schneemelcher 1.408)
The messenger is not greater than the one who sends the messenger. -- Adaptation of John 13:16; cf. Matthew 10:24-25; Luke 6:40; John 15:20; Dialog of the Savior 53 (Schneemelcher 1.308)
When the blind lead the blind, both fall into the ditch. -- Adaptation of Q 6:39 (Matthew 15:14); Gospel of Thomas 34 (Schneemelcher 1.122); Epistula Apostolorum 47 (Schneemelcher 1.276-277)
If a blind person and a sighted person are together in the darkness, their sight is no different. However, when the light comes, then the sighted person will see the light; and the blind person will yet remain in darkness. -- Gospel of Philip 56 = 48 (Schneemelcher 1.194; Layton 339); cf. Book of Thomas 139:12-21 (Schneemelcher 1.242)
It is not possible to stretch two bows. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 47 (Schneemelcher 1.124)
No one can serve two masters. So you cannot serve both God and wealth. -- Adaptation of Q 16:13 (Matthew 6:24); cf. Gospel of Thomas 47 (Schneemelcher 1.124); 2 Clement 6:1 (Lightfoot 111)
Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. -- Matthew 22:21; Mark 12:17; Luke 20:25; Gospel of Thomas 100 (Schneemelcher 1.128)
Be prepared for whatever may come. -- Adaptation of Dialog of the Savior 72 (Schneemelcher 1.309)
The sun rises on the evil and the good; the rain falls on the just and the unjust. -- Adaptation of Q 6:35 (Matthew 5:45)
A garden plant growing outside of the care of the gardener, since it is not native, either perishes or is destroyed. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 40 (Schneemelcher 1.124); cf. Matthew 15:13; John 15:6; Ignatius, Epistle to the Trallians 11:1 (Lightfoot 165); Ignatius, Epistle to the Philadelphians 3:1 (Lightfoot 179)
Whether a crop tree is good or bad can be told by its fruit. -- Adaptation of Q 6:43-44 (Matthew 7:20; 12:33); Ignatius, Epistle to the Ephesians 14:2 (Lightfoot 147); cf. Gospel of Thomas 45 (Schneemelcher 1.124)
The person who is honest in trivial matters can be entrusted with important matters, typically; and, typically, the person who is dishonest in trivial matters cannot be entrusted with important matters. -- Adaptation of Luke 16:10; 2 Clement 8:5 (Lightfoot 115)
Salt is good; but if it loses its saltiness, would you season the salt? -- Adaptation of Matthew 5:13; Mark 9:50; Luke 14:34
Where the carrion is, there the vultures gather. -- Q 17:37 (Matthew 24:28)
Where your treasure is, there will your heart be too. -- Q 12:34 (Matthew 6:21)
Seek the treasure that cannot decompose or corrode or be moth-eaten or stolen, but that endures. -- Adaptation of Q 12:33 (Matthew 6:19-20); Gospel of Thomas 76 (Schneemelcher 1.127)
Favored are those who have experienced the pangs of birth; you have found life. -- Adaptation of one interpretation of the Gospel of Thomas 58 (Schneemelcher 1.125)
Favored are those who have suffered; you have invested in life. -- Adaptation of one interpretation of the Gospel of Thomas 58 (Schneemelcher 1.125)
Favored are those who have toiled; you have nurtured life. -- Adaptation of one interpretation of the Gospel of Thomas 58 (Schneemelcher 1.125)
Favored are the humble; in God's eyes, you reign. -- Adaptation of Matthew 5:3
Favored are the unassuming; the whole earth shall be your inheritance. -- Adaptation of Matthew 5:5; cf. Didache 3:7 (Lightfoot 255)
Favored are those who are mocked and not esteemed; you are loved and will be loved forever more. -- Adaptation of the Book of Thomas 145:3-4 (Schneemelcher 1.246); cf. Q 6:22 (Matthew 5:11)
Favored are the poor; to you belong the riches of God. -- Adaptation of Luke 6:20; Gospel of Thomas 54 (Schneemelcher 1.125); cf. James 2:5; Polycarp, Epistle to the Philippians 2:3 (Lightfoot 209)
Favored are the hungry; you shall have your fill. -- Adaptation of Luke 6:21; Gospel of Thomas 69 (Schneemelcher 1.126)
Favored are those who hunger and thirst to live justly; you shall banquet with God. -- Adaptation of Matthew 5:6
Favored are those who mourn; you shall find comfort. -- Adaptation of Matthew 5:4; cf. John 16:20, 22
Favored are those who weep; you will be made happy. -- Adaptation of Luke 6:21
Favored are those who weep from oppression; you will be released from all bonds. -- Adaptation of the Book of Thomas 145:5-7 (Schneemelcher 1.246)
Favored are those who have been stricken in heart; you have approached the heart of God. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 69 (Schneemelcher 1.126)
Favored are those who have been persecuted for the sake of goodness; you are welcomed into the present and coming reign of God. -- Adaptation of Matthew 5:10; cf. 1 Peter 3:14; Polycarp, Epistle to the Philippians 2:3 (Lightfoot 209)
Favored are those who have been hated and persecuted for the sake of the divine; the very spot of your persecution, indeed the whole world, will be rendered sacred for your relief, off-limits to all persecutors. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 68 (Schneemelcher 1.126); cf. Q 6:22-23 (Matthew 5:11-12); 1 Peter 4:14; Epistula Apostolorum 38 (Schneemelcher 1.270-271)
Favored are those who facilitate peace; you shall be claimed as the children of God. -- Adaptation of Matthew 5:9
Favored are those who seek the truth and rely upon it forever; you will prevail over the promulgators of falsehood and distortion. -- Adaptation of the Book of Thomas 140:41 (Schneemelcher 1.243)
Favored are the pure in heart; you shall see God. -- Adaptation of Matthew 5:8
Favored are the merciful; you shall receive mercy. -- Adaptation of Matthew 5:7; cf. Luke 6:36
To all children of light: May the fragrances of the springtime sun and the autumn moon and the wafting sea breeze and the richly sodded earth and the purest flowing waters be yours. -- Adaptation of the Book of Thomas 144:19-20 (Schneemelcher 1.246)
How sad for flesh, which depends upon life; even more so, how sad for life that depends upon flesh! -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 112 (Schneemelcher 1.129); cf. John 6:63; Gospel of Thomas 29, 87 (Schneemelcher 1.121, 127)
How sad for those who have masters over their bodies; they will be grieved. -- Adaptation of the Book of Thomas 144:10-11 (Schneemelcher 1.246)
How sad for those whose mind turns round and round and can never settle! -- Adaptation of the Book of Thomas 143:17 (Schneemelcher 1.245)
Alas to the rich and the well-fed and the merry, relative to those who are not; they are receiving their portion now. -- Adaptation of Luke 6:24-25
Alas to those who are insatiable and cannot know contentment. -- Adaptation of the Book of Thomas 143:15-16 (Schneemelcher 1.245); cf. Philippians 4:11-12; 1 Timothy 6:8; Hebrews 13:5
How wretched are the godless, who lack hope and who rely upon that which will not endure. -- Adaptation of one interpretation of the Book of Thomas 143:8-9 (Schneemelcher 1.245)
How wretched are the spiritually misguided, whose hope is hollow, since they rely upon that which will not eventuate. -- Adaptation of one interpretation of the Book of Thomas 143:8-9 (Schneemelcher 1.245)
How wretched are those who place their hope in that which is mortal. How long will they remain oblivious? -- Adaptation of the Book of Thomas 143:10-11 (Schneemelcher 1.245)
How wretched are those who have been captivated by inanities, thinking that they are free. -- Adaptation of the Book of Thomas 143:21-23 (Schneemelcher 1.245)
Gloom upon the cosmos itself because of enticements to evil, for they are inescapable. Nevertheless, woe to those human beings who deliberately act as vehicles for such enticements. -- Adaptation of Q 17:1 (Matthew 18:7); cf. Deuteronomy 4:19; 17:3; Job 31:24-28
Woe to those who lead astray the impressionable. It is better to drown in the deep sea than to do such a thing. -- Adaptation of Matthew 18:6; Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2; 1 Clement 46:8 (Lightfoot 81); cf. Deuteronomy 13:5, 10
Woe to those who act like a dog lying in the cattle manger, which neither eats nor lets the cattle eat. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 102 (Schneemelcher 1.129); cf. Aesop, Fable of the Dog in the Manger
Woe to those who withhold the key of knowledge from people. Thereby they themselves remain outside the spiritual kingdom while hindering those who would enter. -- Adaptation of Q 11:52 (Matthew 23:13); Gospel of Thomas 39 (Schneemelcher 1.123)
Woe to those who load people with burdens, including burdensome rules and judgments, and who will not lift a finger to help them bear those burdens. -- Adaptation of Q 11:46 (Matthew 23:4)
Woe to those who are scrupulous about insignificant matters and then neglect justice and the love of God. -- Adaptation of Q 11:42 (Matthew 23:23)
Woe to those who make themselves presentable on the outside, but inside harbor the filthiness of selfishness and greed. -- Adaptation of Q 11:39 (Matthew 23:25); cf. Gospel of Thomas 89 (Schneemelcher 1.128)
Woe to those who gather honors but inside are rotten. -- Adaptation of Q 11:43-44 (Matthew 23:6-7, 27-28)
Woe to those who adulterate sexuality with evil. -- Adaptation of the Book of Thomas 144:8-9 (Schneemelcher 1.246)
Woe to those who treat the authentic as inauthentic. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 105 (Schneemelcher 1.129)
Woe to those who oppress the children of light. They will be caught in their own nets. -- Adaptation of the Book of Thomas 144:40 (Schneemelcher 1.246)
Woe to aggressors. They shall be vanquished; their wake shall be dissipated; shame and infamy and ignominy shall attach to their names. -- Adaptation of A Hymn of Mani to Jesus, M 28 II Ri-Vi, Middle Persian (Asmussen 108; Klimkeit 65-66)
Woe to those who destroy others by night, they are caught by the moon. Woe to those who destroy others by night or day, they are judged by the sun. -- Adaptation of the Book of Thomas 144:6-7 (Schneemelcher 1.246)
If you have known the realm of meaninglessness, you have found a cadaver; if you have found a cadaver, what does the realm of meaninglessness hold for you? -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 56 (Schneemelcher 1.125); cf. Hebrews 11:38; Gospel of Thomas 80 (Schneemelcher 1.127)
Unless you are born anew, this time of the spirit, you cannot see the spiritual kingdom. -- Adaptation of John 3:3, 5-6
Those entering the spiritual kingdom are like infants being suckled. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 22 (Schneemelcher 1.120); cf. 1 Corinthians 3:1-2; Hebrews 5:12-13; 1 Peter 2:2
Whoever does not receive the spiritual kingdom elementally, like a child, shall not enter it. -- Adaptation of Matthew 18:3; Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17; cf. Matthew 19:14; Mark 10:14; Luke 18:16; John 3:3, 5; Gospel of Thomas 22 (Schneemelcher 1.120)
What is the spiritual kingdom like? It is like the tiny mustard seed that a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and melodious birds nested in its branches. -- Adaptation of Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18-19; Gospel of Thomas 20 (Schneemelcher 1.120)
To what should the spiritual kingdom be compared? It is like yeast that a woman hid in some dough until it leavened the whole amount. -- Adaptation of Q 13:20-21 (Matthew 13:33); Gospel of Thomas 96 (Schneemelcher 1.147)
The spiritual kingdom is also like this: A farmer scattered seed on the land. Day after day he went about his business, and night after night he slept. Meanwhile the seed sprouted and matured, without the farmer taking any notice. All of its own accord, the land produced first the sprout, then the ear, then the full grain. Suddenly when harvest-time was come, the farmer took a sickle and reaped the ripened grain. -- Adaptation of Mark 4:26-29; cf. Joel 3:13; Gospel of Thomas 21 (Schneemelcher 1.120)
When you ate of what is dead, you made of it what is living. So, when you come to be light, what will you do? On the day when you were one (possessed of the old nature alone), you became two (possessed of both the old nature and light). But when you have become two, what will you do? -- Gospel of Thomas 11 (Schneemelcher 1.119)
When will you enter the spiritual kingdom? When you make the two one: When you make the inside as the outside and the outside as the inside; when you make both the male function and the female function into a single one, so that the male is not male and the female is not female; when you grow spiritual eyes and spiritual appendages, both hands and feet, to take over your physical ones; when your impact becomes a spiritual impact. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 22 (Schneemelcher 1.120); cf. Galatians 3:28; Gospel of Thomas 4, 11, 23, 61, 106 (Schneemelcher 1.117, 119, 120, 125, 129); Gospel of the Egyptians (Schneemelcher 1.211); 2 Clement 12:2-6 (Lightfoot 119)
Being endowed with a place in the spiritual kingdom is open to son and daughter alike. -- Adaptation of a gospel saying recorded in the Babylonian Talmud at Shabbath 116a-b (Bruce 61); cf. Matthew 22:30; Mark 12:25; Luke 20:35; Gospel of Mary, Papyrus Berolinensis 18.1-21 (Schneemelcher 1.394)
In the spiritual kingdom, there are no distinctions between peoples, nor are there social classes, nor is there even male or female. -- Adaptation of Galatians 3:28
When do you see the spiritual kingdom? When you toss away your clothes and are not ashamed; when you trample upon your clothing like little children. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 37 (Schneemelcher 1.121); cf. Dialog of the Savior 50, 85 (Schneemelcher 1.308, 310); Gospel of the Egyptians, fragment f (Schneemelcher 1.211)
If the flesh came into existence because of the spirit, it is a marvel; but if the spirit because of the body, it is a marvel of marvels. But wonder further at this: How did such great wealth make its home in such poverty? The marvelous body in an impoverished spirit? The durable spirit in the vulnerable body? -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 29 (Schneemelcher 1.121)
The wind blows where it will, and you hear its whistle, but you have no idea where it is coming from or going to. Like the wind, such are those in the spiritual kingdom. -- Adaptation of John 3:8; cf. Dialog of the Savior 35 (Schneemelcher 1.307)
The coming of the spiritual kingdom cannot be observed; no one can say, "Look, it is here! Look, it is there!" If you could observe it, you would see that the spiritual kingdom is within you! -- Adaptation of Luke 17:20-21; cf. Matthew 24:23-26; Mark 13:21; Gospel of Thomas 3 (Schneemelcher 1.117); Dialog of the Savior 16 (Schneemelcher 1.305)
The spiritual kingdom is spread out over the earth, and people do not see it. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 113 (Schneemelcher 1.129)
People will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the spiritual kingdom with the spiritual patriarchs and matriarchs of old. -- Adaptation of Q 13:29 (Matthew 8:11); cf. 2 Esdras 1:38-39
Beware of letting the spiritual kingdom become a barren desert within you. -- Adaptation of the Apocryphon of James 13.17-19 (Schneemelcher 1.295)
The withering of the kingdom is like a date-palm shoot, whose fruits fall around it and sprout and cause it to dry up. Only with great labor will any of the sprouts eventually yield fruit. Better to preserve the original plant! -- Adaptation of the Apocryphon of James 7:22-29 (Schneemelcher 1.293)
Would you fast? Abstain from evil words and actions. The spiritual kingdom is not to be found through the practice of evil. Would you observe the sabbath? Find peace and rest in the practice of goodness. Thereby will you be in touch with the very Source of the cosmos. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 27 (Schneemelcher 1.121); cf. Gospel of Thomas 6, 14, 104 (Schneemelcher 1.118, 119, 129)
If someone asks, "What is the sign of God in you?", respond: "It is both movement and rest." -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 50 (Schneemelcher 1.124)
By this shall it be known that you belong to the spiritual kingdom, that you practice love towards one another. -- Adaptation of John 13:35; cf. John 15:12, 17
Gaze upon the beauty of true life so long as you live, lest you die and seek and are unable to recognize it. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 59 (Schneemelcher 1.125)
Have you fed the hungry? You have fed God. Have you given drink to the thirsty? You have given drink to God. Have you showed hospitality to a stranger? You have showed hospitality to God. Have you clothed the ragged? You have clothed God. Have you looked in on the sick? You have looked in on God. Have you visited the imprisoned? You have visited God. And if you have neglected such children of God, you have neglected God. -- Adaptation of Matthew 25:34-46; cf. Matthew 10:42; Mark 9:41; Mani, Sabuhragan, title C (Asmussen 105; Klimkeit 243)
The Judge of humankind is like a farmer who sowed good seed. His nemesis came by night and sowed weeds among the good seed. The farmer did not allow the farm hands to scoop up the bad seed, "lest," he said to them, "you discard the wheat with the weeds. Wait until the harvest when the weeds can be separated from the wheat and burned." -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 57 (Schneemelcher 1.125); cf. Matthew 13:24-30
The Judge of humankind is like a wise catcher of fish who cast a net into the sea and drew it up full of small fish. Among them was a large fish. The catcher returned the small fish alive back into the sea and kept the large fish. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 8 (Schneemelcher 1.118); cf. Matthew 13:47-48
As you are found, so will you be led away to judgment. -- Syriac Liber Graduum, Sermon 3.3; 15.4 (Schneemelcher 1.91)
The woman giving birth has pain, for her time has arrived; but after the child is delivered, she no longer remembers the suffering, for joy that a human being has been born into the cosmos. -- John 16:21
When you escape the sufferings and passions of the body, you will receive a place of rest. -- Book of Thomas 145:12-13 (Schneemelcher 1.247)
Fear not the destruction of the body, rather fear the power of evil. -- Strasbourg Coptic Papyrus 1, Copt. 5, verso (Schneemelcher 1.104); cf. Matthew 10:28
Have no fear of those who can kill the body but not the life within you itself. -- Q 12:4-5 (Matthew 10:28); cf. 2 Clement 5:4 (Lightfoot 111)
The last will be first and the first last. -- Matthew 19:30; 20:16; Mark 10:31; Luke 13:30; Gospel of Thomas 4 (Schneemelcher 1.117); Epistle of Barnabas 6:13 (Lightfoot 291)
The one who stands at the beginning should be happy; that one shall know the end. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 18 (Schneemelcher 1.119); cf. 2 Esdras 7:30; Revelation 22:13
When you have opened your heart and turned it upwards, listen to the hymns in the heavens. -- Apocryphon of James 14:27-29 (Schneemelcher 1.296)
1Jesus came to the region of Galilee and the town of Nazareth, where he had been raised in the Jewish tradition; and, as he customarily did, he attended synagogue on the sabbath day.
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1Jesus traveled from one city and village to another, proclaiming and announcing the good news of the rule of God.
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Jesus taught as one who knew first-hand, not as the scholars, whose style, of course, was one of commentary and debate, all perfectly staid, except when laced with deception or arrogance or insincerity or spite or greed.
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1When Jesus spoke to the crowds, he spoke in parables.
2Do you recall the words of the Psalmist? "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden from the foundation of the cosmos."
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10.5. The Parabolic and the Obvious
Jesus said to his disciples, "You have been to me both a parable among parables and the obvious in the open."
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10.6. Eating with Non-Observers of the Law
1Jesus had called a tax-collector, Matthew, to be one of his disciples.
2One day Jesus was dining at Matthew's house; and many tax-collectors and non-observers of Jewish Law, among others, came and reclined with him and his disciples.
3When certain of the Pharisees saw this, they asked the disciples, "Why does your teacher" (a teacher of Jewish Law) "eat with such people?"
4Overhearing this, Jesus said: "It is not the healthy that need a physician, but the ill. Take to heart what the Scripture means when it says, 'I desire compassion and not sacrifice'; you see, I didn't come to call observers of the Law, but non-observers."
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10.7. Picking Grain on the Sabbath
1One sabbath day, Jesus was walking through the grain fields; and his disciples became hungry and plucked off some of the ears of grain to eat.
2When certain Pharisees took note of this, they said to Jesus, "Look, your disciples break the Law of Moses regarding the sabbath." (The disciples were not accused of stealing, for Mosaic Law otherwise provided for what they did.)
3Jesus answered: "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions became hungry? He entered the house of God; and they ate consecrated bread, which was allowed to the priests alone."
4The point Jesus was making was this: The sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the sabbath. So the child of humankind has precedence even over the sabbath.
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Jesus saw a man working on the sabbath. He said to him: "If you know what you are doing, then you have found the favor of God; but if you do not know, then you have found God's disfavor, and you are a lawbreaker."
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10.9. The Woman with a Hemorrhage
1Among many other things, Jesus was a healer.
2One day there was a woman who had been suffering from a vaginal flow for twelve years. (While she was in that condition, by the way, no Jewish man was allowed to touch her.) She thought, "If only I can touch his cloak, my reproductive health will be restored; and then I will be able to fulfill the first commandment, to be fruitful and to multiply, and also to participate in the promise given to Abraham of a divine inheritance." So she came up behind Jesus in a crowd and touched his tzitzit, that is, the fringes on his cloak, which were worn in accordance with Mosaic Law. Amazingly her hemorrhaging stopped that moment; however, because of her ritual uncleanness, she continued to be apprehensive.
3Jesus turned and, seeing her, said, "Daughter, take heart; your faith in God has set you right."
4But the disciples noted that it was through Jesus and no other physician that she became well.
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10.10. The Servant as Preeminent
1Once when they came home to Capernaum, Jesus asked his disciples, "What were you discussing on the road?"
2They fell into an abashed silence, because on the road they had been bickering among themselves about who was the more prominent, that is, which of them was the more prominent.
3Jesus sat down and called the twelve; and he said to them, "If any one wishes to be first, that person shall be last of all and servant of all."
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10.11. Advice to Mary Magdalene
1Mary Magdalene said, "I want to understand everything as it actually is."
2Jesus replied: "Then seek life! Life, and I mean much more than mere instinct, is the wealth of the cosmos, beside which the valuing of gold and silver is a mere delusion."
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1During one of Jesus' travels, some Pharisees came and began to debate with him, demanding from him a sign from the sky, putting him to the test.
2Groaning under his breath, he exclaimed: "Why does this generation insist on a sign? I tell you solemnly, on no account will such a sign be given, not to this generation!"
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1When Jesus was in Jerusalem, he would teach in the Temple during the day and at night retire to the Mount of Olives. People would get up early in the morning to come and listen to him in the Temple.
2By the way, it was on the Mount of Olives that Jesus was eventually betrayed by one of the twelve and led away, ultimately to his death.
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10.14. The Widow's Contribution
1Jesus sat down opposite the Temple treasury and observed people placing money into one of the trumpet-shaped receptacles.
2Several rich people put in large sums. Then a poor widow came and put in two tiny copper coins, called lepta, which amounted to just a pittance.
3Jesus motioned his disciples over and said to them, "Let me tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all the contributors to the treasury together; they contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty."
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10.15. The Samaritan Woman at the Well
1Do you remember that the wives of Isaac, Jacob, and Moses were all found at wells? After Jesus had been in Jerusalem teaching in the Temple and while he was passing through Samaria on the way back to Galilee, he came to a well outside the city of Sychar, Jacob's well, in fact.
2The sun was at its height in the sky; and Jesus was weary from the journey and the heat. He was sitting by himself near the well, his disciples having gone into the city to buy food. A Samaritan woman came to draw water from the well, and Jesus asked her for a drink.
3The woman said, "How is it that you, a member of the Jewish cult, ask me for a drink, since I am a woman of the Samaritan cult?" (As a general rule, Jews would have no dealings with Samaritans, since Samaritans worshipped on Mount Gerizim and not in Jerusalem.)
4Jesus answered, "If you knew what God is capable of giving you and who just asked you for a drink, you would be the one doing the asking, and he would surely give you life-giving water."
5"Look," she said, "you don't have anything to draw water with, and the well is deep. How do you expect to come up with any of this life-giving water? Do you think that you can do better than our patriarch Jacob who dug this well and quenched not only his own thirst, but that of his family and his livestock and the generations that followed up to this very day?"
6Jesus responded to her, saying, "Anyone who drinks of this water will become thirsty again; but the water I have to give will bubble within as an unending fountain of true life."
7"Okay, then, sir," she said, "I'll ask. Give me some of this water so that I'll never get thirsty and have to keep coming back here for more."
8Jesus replied, "Go call your husband and come back."
9The woman said, "I have no husband."
10Jesus said, "You've spoken correctly saying that you have no husband, currently. You have had five." (This corresponds, by the way, to the five ancestral peoples of Samaria, each of which pursued one or more gods other than the one God.) "And," he continued, "the one whose care you are now under is not your husband." (Jesus was referring to her relative and also to himself and especially to God.)
11The woman said, "Sir, it's dawning on me that you're a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but members of your Jewish cult say that Jerusalem must be the center for worship. What do you say?"
12"Believe me," Jesus answered, "the time is coming when you will worship God neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what has remained unknown; but we Jews worship One who has been active among us for the sake of the whole world. The time is coming -- in fact, it is already here -- when those who truly worship will worship simply out of inward spiritual honesty, without regard to place. Those are the kind of worshippers God really wants. God is spirit, not confined, and can be worshipped truly only that way, that is, out of inward spiritual honesty."
13The woman said, "I realize that the Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything."
14Jesus replied, "You're speaking to him now."
15At this point the disciples returned and they were puzzled as to why Jesus was talking to a woman at the well, as if he had betrothal in mind. But they didn't have the temerity to ask reprovingly what was on their minds, which was, "What are you looking for, another woman? Then what were you doing speaking with her, a Samaritan!"
16Upon their arrival, the woman went back to the city, leaving behind her water-bucket for Jesus. She said to the people there, "Come and see a person who sketched out for me my entire life up to this very day. Do you think maybe he's the Messiah?"
17At this they set out from the city and were on their way to him.
18Meanwhile the disciples were saying, "Rabbi, eat something."
19But Jesus said to them, "I have food to eat, food you are not aware of."
20Puzzled again, the disciples queried each other, saying "Did you bring him any food? or did you?"
21Jesus explained to them, "My food is to do the will of the One who sent me by bringing God's work to fruition. You were saying, it's still four months till harvest. But take a look. The fields are white, ready for harvest. I am today reaping my reward and gathering a crop for enduring life, in order that the One who sows and the one who reaps may rejoice together, turning happy the woeful proverb that 'one sows, another reaps.' This is like me sending you into the city to harvest what you haven't labored over; you've benefited from their labor." Jesus pointed to the coming crowd.
22After the Samaritans arrived, they kept begging Jesus to stay with them; so he did stay for a couple of days.
23Many had already believed him to be the Messiah because of the woman's testimony, "He sketched out my entire life for me up to this very day." Many more came to believe because of the things he said to them directly; and they made this confession, that he really is the rescuer of the world.
24After the two days, Jesus left for Galilee, where, of course, he had testified from experience that a prophet receives no honor in his (or her) own country.
25Thus did Jesus come seeking to restore not only Oholibah, the younger wife of God, which is Jerusalem, but also Oholah, the elder wife of God, which is Samaria; to recall the metaphors of Ezekiel, the prophet.
26Do you wonder any more why Jesus was once called a Samaritan?
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10.16. The Greatest Commandments
1Jesus was asked: "What is the greatest commandment?"
2He replied: "'Hear, O Israel; ADONAI our God, ADONAI is one; and you shall love ADONAI your God with all your heart, and with all your vitality, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.'
3"The second greatest commandment is this: 'You shall love your fellow as yourself.'"
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1A lawyer, anxious to justify himself, asked Jesus, "Who is my fellow?"
2Jesus replied: "A certain man was on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of bandits. Having both stripped him and inflicted wounds, they departed, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be traveling down the same road; and when he saw the victim, he crossed over to the other side. So too a Levite, who came upon the scene, having gone and taken a look, similarly crossed over to the other side. But a certain Samaritan traveler came upon him and, seeing, was moved to compassion. Approaching him, he bandaged his wounds, pouring olive oil and wine upon them. Then hoisting him onto his own mount, he took him to an inn and attended to him. The next day, taking out two silver coins, denarii, he handed them to the innkeeper and said, 'Look after him; and, whatever the additional expense, on the way back I will reimburse you myself.'
3"Which of these three do you think proved to be a fellow to the one who fell victim to the bandits?"
4The lawyer answered, "The one who treated him compassionately."
5Then Jesus said to him, "You should live that way too; habitually do likewise."
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10.18. The Woman Caught in Adultery
1During one of his visits to Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple early in the morning; and the people flocked to him. He sat down and began to teach.
2Certain scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. (What happened to her paramour, who was subject to the same penalty, is not reported.) Having set her in the middle of the court, they said to Jesus: "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. The Law of Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. What do you say?" They were posing this question as a test, hoping to find grounds for bringing an accusation against him.
3But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger. When they persisted, he straightened up and said, "Whoever among you has not offended the Law, let that person be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
4Upon hearing this, they began to drift away, one by one, starting with the older ones; and Jesus was left alone with the woman. Raising himself up, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?"
5She answered, "No one, sir."
6Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; you're free to go; from now on offend no more."
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10.19. The Woman Who Loved Much
1One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to dine with him, so Jesus went to his house and reclined at his table.
2A woman of the city, a non-observer of Jewish Law, having found out that Jesus was dining at the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment. Situating herself behind at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears; and she wiped them dry with the hair of her head; and she covered them with kisses; and she poured the ointment upon them.
3When the Pharisee, the host, saw this, he muttered to himself, "If this man were a prophet (as he seems to be), he would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a non-observer of Jewish Law."
4In response, Jesus said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."
5"Teacher," he said, "speak!"
6"Two debtors had a certain creditor. One owed 500 denarii, but the other 50. Since they were not in a position to pay, he generously remitted both debts. Therefore which will love him more?"
7Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he remitted the more."
8Jesus said, "You have answered correctly." Turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house. You provided no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them dry with her hair. You did not give me a kiss; but she, ever since I came in, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with olive-oil, but she has poured ointment upon my feet. I tell you, her non-observances, which are many, have been forgiven. How to tell? Because she has loved much. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little."
9The fellow dinner-guests began to exclaim among themselves, "Who is this guy, who even forgives offenses against Jewish Law!"
10Then Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has rescued you; live in peace."
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One day Jesus said to his disciples, "I have issued no new law, for I would not have you constrained thereby."
-- Adaptation of the Gospel of Mary, Papyrus Berolinensis 8.12-9.5 (Schneemelcher 1.392-393); cf. Gospel of Mary, Papyrus Berolinensis 18:1-21 (Schneemelcher 1.394); Babylonian Talmud at Shabbath 116a-b (Bruce 61)
*****
1When Jesus predicted a day of incredible abundance under the eventual reign of those who had lived by the light, Judas, the one who was to betray him, was incredulous and asked, "How can such abundance possibly be accomplished?"
2Jesus replied, "Those who come to those times will see."
*****
10.22. The Day and Hour to Come
Jesus was expounding on the end of the age, which was to occur in his own generation. He said, "Regarding that day and hour, no one knows but God alone."
*****
1Do you recall the beautiful blessing that the patriarch Jacob bestowed upon his son, Joseph? The relevant part can be rendered like this: "May the joys of breasts and womb be yours."
2When Jesus was on one of his journeys to Jerusalem and teaching the people, a woman in the crowd expressed a similar sentiment of good-will. She called out, "How favored is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed!"
3Jesus gave an immediate riposte. "More importantly," he said, "how favored are those who hear God's message and live by it."
4In a later incident, in fact, when Jesus was on his way to be crucified, he turned to the grieving women in the crowd and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, don't shed tears for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children. For the days are coming when it will be said, 'How favored are the barren and the wombs that have never given birth and the breasts that have never nursed!'"
5Lamentably, it so happened, within the lifetime of many there, that Jerusalem was razed to the ground, along with its magnificent Temple.
*****
10.24. Expulsion of Interlopers from the Temple
1When Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover, he entered the forecourt of the Temple, which was called the Court of the Gentiles, for it had been consecrated as a place of prayer for all the nations. There he found sellers of oxen and sheep and doves for the sacrifices. Also there were currency traders, who would exchange shekels for other coinage. (Shekels were required for the temple tax.)
2Jesus made a whip out of ropes and expelled them all, driving out even the sheep and the oxen. Then he poured out the coins of the currency traders and knocked over their tables. As for the doves, he said to the sellers, "take them away; don't turn God's house into a marketplace!"
3Jesus then explained: "Isn't it written in the prophecies of Isaiah that 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it into the 'lair of marauding interlopers' spoken of by the prophet Jeremiah."
4Jesus' disciples recalled the passage from the Psalms that says, "Zeal for Your house has consumed me."
*****
10.25. Resurrecting the Temple
1When Jesus was in Jerusalem, certain leaders of the Jewish cult said to him, "What sign can you give us to justify your actions?"
2Jesus answered, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
3They scoffed, saying, "It took forty-six years to build this Temple, and you will raise it up in three days!"
4Later his disciples figured out that he must have been speaking of the temple of his body, a temple of which they and many others were to become members, a temple unconfined.
I know God; I am from God; God sent me. -- Adaptation of John 7:29
I am one with God. -- Adaptation of John 10:30; cf. John 8:58; 17:22
If you knew me, you would also know God. -- Adaptation of John 8:19; cf. John 12:44-45
I am in God and God is in me. -- Adaptation of John 10:38; 14:10-11, 20; 17:21, 23
I am the child of God. -- John 10:36; cf. John 5:17-18
I am one who derives his being from the One Who Is the Same Throughout. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 61 (Schneemelcher 1.125)
I have come from the self-originating light. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 50 (Schneemelcher 1.124)
I am the light that shines upon everything. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 77 (Schneemelcher 1.127); cf. John 1:9; 8:12; 9:5; 12:36, 46
The All has derived from me, and it has attained to me. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 77 (Schneemelcher 1.127); cf. Colossians 1:17; 2:9
Split a piece of wood, I am there; lift a stone, I am there. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 77 (the Coptic version in Schneemelcher 1.127) = 30 (Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 1.28-31 in Schneemelcher 1.122)
I am living bread; whoever eats of it shall have life that endures. -- John 6:51; cf. John 6:35, 48, 58
I am the bridegroom; rejoice at my voice. -- Adaptation of John 3:29; cf. Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19-20; Luke 5:34-35; Gospel of Thomas 104 (Schneemelcher 1.129)
I am the hope of the hopeless, the helper of those who have no helper, the treasure of those in need, the physician of the sick, the resurrection of the dead. -- Epistula Apostolorum 21 (Schneemelcher 1.262); cf. John 11:25; Acts of Paul and Thecla 37 (Schneemelcher 2.246)
I am a lamp to the one who sees me; I am a mirror to the one who knows me. -- Acts of John 95 (Schneemelcher 2.183)
Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. -- John 18:37; cf. John 8:47
Mary Magdalene asked Jesus, "Is there any place that is absent truth?" Jesus answered, "Wherever I am not." -- Adaptation of Dialog of the Savior 62-63 (Schneemelcher 1.309)
I am the way, both truth and life; this is the only way by which God can be approached. -- Adaptation of John 14:6; cf. John 1:4, 14; 11:25; 1 John 5:20
Grace dances. I will pipe; dance, all of you. -- Acts of John 95 (Schneemelcher 2.182)
If you have assimilated within the teachings of faith and love and hope, what you have will salvage you; if not, what you lack will kill you. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 70 (Schneemelcher 1.126)
Blessed are those who perceive and accept the truth of these words and who remember them and act upon them. -- Adaptation of Luke 11:28; John 13:17; Gospel of Thomas 79 (Schneemelcher 1.127); cf. James 1:25
Those who use these words as pretexts for evil bring upon themselves the curse of God. -- Adaptation of Epistula Apostolorum 50 (Schneemelcher 1.278)
There was once a farmer who went out to scatter seeds by hand. Some seeds fell along the path, and the birds swooped down and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground where there wasn't much soil; they sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow; but when the sun came up they were scorched by the heat and withered away because they had no roots. Some seeds fell among thorn-bushes, which grew and choked them out. But some seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop, some a hundred times what had been sowed, some sixty times, and some thirty times. If you have ears to hear, use them! -- Matthew 13:4-9; Mark 4:3-8; Luke 8:5-8; Gospel of Thomas 9 (Schneemelcher 1.118); 1 Clement 24:5 (Lightfoot 57)
Everyone who heeds these words is like a person who built a house upon rock. The rain fell, a torrent broke against the house, and it did not fall, for it had a solid foundation. But everyone who hears these words and fails to abide by them is like a person who built a house upon sand. The rain came, the torrent broke against it, and it collapsed. The ruin of that house was calamitous. -- Adaptation of a saying by Jesus the carpenter prophet in Q 6:48-49 (Matthew 7:24-27)
Within a person of light, there is light able to illumine the whole world. If it does not shine, there is darkness. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 24 (Schneemelcher 1.120); cf. Matthew 5:14-16; Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16; 11:33; Gospel of Thomas 33 (Schneemelcher 1.122)
Only the one who can see is able to reveal. -- Adaptation of Dialog of the Savior 79 (Schneemelcher 1.309)
You, the blessed, are the light of the cosmos. -- Adaptation of Matthew 5:14
I have cast a fire upon the world; see, I will tend it until it is ablaze. -- Adaptation of the Gospel of Thomas 10 (Schneemelcher 1.118); cf. Luke 12:49
Aland (1973). Synopsis Quattuor Evangeliorum: Locis Parallelis Evangeliorum Apocryphorum et Patrum Adhibitis, edidit Kurt Aland. 8. Auflage. Stuttgart: Württembergische Bibelanstalt, 1973.
Asmussen (1975). Manichaean Literature: Representative Texts Chiefly from Middle Persian and Parthian Writings, selected, introduced, and partly translated by Jes P. Asmussen. Delmar, N.Y.: Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints, 1975. In: UNESCO Collection of Representative Works. Persian Heritage Series; no. 22.
Bruce (1974). Jesus and Christian Origins Outside the New Testament, by F.F. Bruce. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans, 1974.
Crossan (1986). Sayings Parallels: A Workbook for the Jesus Tradition, designed and edited by John Dominic Crossan. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, c1986. In series: Foundations and Facets.
Guillaumont (1959). The Gospel according to Thomas, Coptic text established and translated by A. Guillaumont, H.-Ch. Puech, G. Quispel, W. Till and Yassah cAbd al Masih. Leiden: E.J. Brill; New York: Harper, c1959.
James (1924). The Apocryphal New Testament, Being the Apocryphal Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Apocalypses, with Other Narratives and Fragments, newly translated by Montague Rhodes James. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924.
Klimkeit (1993). Gnosis on the Silk Road: Gnostic Texts from Central Asia, translated & presented by Hans-Joachim Klimkeit. New York, NY: HarperSanFrancisco, c1993.
Kloppenborg (1988). Q Parallels: Synopsis, Critical Notes & Concordance, [by] John S. Kloppenborg. Sonoma, Calif.: Polebridge Press, c1988. In: Foundations & Facets Reference Series.
Layton (1987). The Gnostic Scriptures, a new translation with annotations and introductions by Bentley Layton. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1987.
Lightfoot (1992). The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations of Their Writings. 2nd edition, J.B. Lightfoot and J.R. Harmer, editors and translators; Michael W. Holmes, editor and reviser. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1992.
Mack (1993). The Lost Gospel: The Book of Q & Christian Origins, [by] Burton L. Mack. New York, N.Y.: HarperSanFrancisco, c1993. For the Q document, see pages 81-102; and for correlation of its versification, see pages 260-261.
Miller (1992). The Complete Gospels: Annotated Scholars Version, Robert J. Miller , editor. Sonoma, Calif.: Polebridge Press, c1992.
Robinson (1988). The Nag Hammadi Library in English, translated and introduced by members of the Coptic Gnostic Library Project of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont, California; James M. Robinson, editor. 3rd, completely revised edition, with an afterword by Richard Smith, managing editor. San Francisco: Harper & Row, c1988.
Schneemelcher (1991). New Testament Apocrypha. Revised edition, edited by Wilhelm Schneemelcher; English translation edited by R. McL. Wilson. Cambridge: James Clarke; Louisville, Ky: Westminster/John Knox Press, c1991-1992.
The translations of the Gospel of Thomas used include those of A. Guillaumont (1959); B.M. Metzger in Aland (1973); F.F. Bruce (1974); Bentley Layton (1987); Thomas O. Lambdin in Robinson (1988); Marvin W. Meyer in Kloppenborg (1988); R. McL. Wilson in Schneemelcher (1991); and the Scholars Version in Miller (1992), for which Marvin W. Meyer and Stephen J. Patterson provided draft translations.
Among the versions of the New Testament that were occasionally, sometimes much, consulted are the Revised Standard Version (1952), the New American Bible (1970), the New American Standard Bible (1973), the New Jerusalem Bible (1985), the New Revised Standard Version (1989), and the Scholars Version (1992); as well as those of Helen Barrett Montgomery (1924), Henry Einspruch (The Good News according to Matthew, 1939), Edgar J. Goodspeed (1939), George M. Lamsa (1957), Hugh J. Schonfield (1958), and J.B. Phillips (1960).
Also invaluable in the translation process, in part because it sometimes suggested possibilities that had not occurred to me, was: A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament, [by] Max Zerwick [and] Mary Grosvenor (Unabridged, 3rd, revised edition. Roma: Editrice Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 1988).
The edition of the Greek New Testament used was: Nestle-Aland, Novum Testamentum Graece (27. revidierte Auflage. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1993).
Selection and adaptation by Norman E. Anderson
Begun May 7, 1998; posted October 19, 1998; new url, January 28, 2004; last modification, January 28, 2004
Copyright ©1998-2004 by Norman E. Anderson
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