Fifth Gospel: The Gospel of Thomas Comes of Age [Paperback]

Stephen J. Patterson (Author), Hans-Gebhard Bethge (Author), James M. Robinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1998

In December 1945, at the base of cliffs that run along the Nile River near the modern-day town of Nag Hammadi, an Egyptian farmer discovered, in a sealed jar, thirteen ancient Coptic codices containing more than fifty separate tracts. This discovery represented arguably the most significant manuscript discovery of the twentieth century for the study of the New Testament and Christian origins. Of all the texts in this Nag Hammadi Library, none has been more celebrated than the Gospel of Thomas—a Gospel that has played a crucial role in the newly emerging view of early Christianity as a very diverse phenomenon and in the recent revival of historical Jesus studies. Now, after more than fifty years of study, the best text and the best translation of Thomas are presented here in user-friendly form by the Berlin Working Group for Coptic Gnostic Writings, with Stephen J. Patterson and James M. Robinson. In addition, two essays have been included for persons who may be unfamiliar with this new Gospel or with events that led to its discovery and publication. The first, by Patterson, is a general introduction to the Gospel of Thomas as it appears fifty years after its discovery. The second, by Robinson, tells the fascinating story of that discovery itself by one who was directly involved in bringing this new Gospel to light. An annotated list "for further reading" completes the volume. Stephen J. Patterson is Associate Professor of New Testament at Eden Theological Seminary and author of The God of Jesus: The Historical Jesus and the Search for Meaning (Trinity Press). James M. Robinson is the former director of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Professor Emeritus at The Claremont Graduate School, and editor of The Nag Hammadi Library.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an excellent new presentation of the Gospel of Thomas for a general audience, and it will be a very useful textbook."—Fred W. Burnett, Anderson University, reviewing for Religious Studies Review, July 1999 (Fred W. Burnett Religious Studies Review )

"I hardly thought there was need for a new translation of the Gospel of Thomas until I read this one...this translation...advances the grace and ease of translation more than any previous one...This translation also distinguishes itself by clarifying some of the more obscure and difficult readings of the Gospel of Thomas. Although scholars may disagree with the reading, the general reading public will find them more accessible...In all this is an excellent translation."—Richard Valantasis, Iliff School of Theology, as printed in Review of Biblical Literature, October 1999 (Richard Valantasis Review Of Biblical Literature )

"The translation will likely become the standard for citation in the future."—Edgar Krentz, Currents (Edgar Krentz )

"As an introduction to the Gospel of Thomas, The Fifth Gospel is ideal. It is the perfect book for anyone wishing to know more about its content and discovery, while also introducing the reader to the most prevelant issues regarding the relation of the Gospel of Thomas to the New Testament and the historical Jesus."—Dr. J. Liebenberg, (UNISA) Theological Studies June 2002 (Dr. J. Liebenberg )

"This is an excellent new presentation of the Gospel of Thomas for a general audience, and it will be a very useful textbook."—Fred W. Burnett, Anderson University, reviewing for Religious Studies Review, July 1999 (, Religious Studies Review )

"I hardly thought there was need for a new translation of the Gospel of Thomas until I read this one...this translation...advances the grace and ease of translation more than any previous one...This translation also distinguishes itself by clarifying some of the more obscure and difficult readings of the Gospel of Thomas. Although scholars may disagree with the reading, the general reading public will find them more accessible...In all this is an excellent translation."—Richard Valantasis, Iliff School of Theology, as printed in Review of Biblical Literature, October 1999 (, Review Of Biblical Literature )

"The translation will likely become the standard for citation in the future."—Edgar Krentz, Currents (, )

"As an introduction to the Gospel of Thomas, The Fifth Gospel is ideal. It is the perfect book for anyone wishing to know more about its content and discovery, while also introducing the reader to the most prevelant issues regarding the relation of the Gospel of Thomas to the New Testament and the historical Jesus."—Dr. J. Liebenberg, (UNISA) Theological Studies June 2002 (, )

From the Back Cover

In December 1945, at the base of cliffs that run along the Nile River near the modern-day town of Nag Hammadi, an Egyptian farmer discovered, in a sealed jar, thirteen ancient Coptic codices containing more than fifty separate tracts. This discovery represented arguably the most significant manuscript discovery of the twentieth century for the study of the New Testament and Christian origins.

Of all the texts in this Nag Hammadi Library, none has been more celebrated than the Gospel of Thomas--a Gospel that has played a crucial role in the newly emerging view of early Christianity as a very diverse phenomenon and in the recent revival of historical Jesus studies.

Now, after more than fifty years of study, the best text and the best translation of Thomas are presented here in user-friendly form by the Berlin Working Group for Coptic Gnostic Writings, with Stephen J. Patterson and James M. Robinson. In addition, two essays have been included for persons who may be unfamiliar with this new Gospel or with events that led to its discovery and publication. The first, by Patterson, is a general introduction to the Gospel of Thomas as it appears fifty years after its discovery. The second, by Robinson, tells the fascinating story of that discovery itself by one who was directly involved in bringing this new Gospel to light. An annotated list "for further reading" completes the volume.

Stephen J. Patterson is Associate Professor of New Testament at Eden Theological Seminary and author of The God of Jesus: The Historical Jesus and the Search for Meaning (Trinity Press). James M. Robinson is Director of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, The Claremont Graduate School, and editor of The Nag Hammadi Library.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Trinity Press Int'l; annotated edition edition (November 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563382490
• ISBN-13: 978-1563382499
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #864,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

90 of 94 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Early Christian History, November 6, 2000

By 

Jeffrey Leach (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fifth Gospel: The Gospel of Thomas Comes of Age (Paperback)

This book is a printing of the Gospel of Thomas, a collection of the sayings of Jesus found with Gnostic writings in a collection known as the Nag Hammadi collection. The title of "Gospel" is rather shaky as there is no narrative and no retelling of the story of Jesus as can be found in the Synoptic Gospels.

Most of the book consists of two very scholarly articles written by Stephen Patterson and James Robinson. Both are heavily involved in biblical research and have worked extensively with the Nag Hammadi writings. The first article discusses the origins of Thomas by looking at where it may have been written and what influence it may have had. One interesting point is raised when the author goes so far as to suggest that it may have been Jesus' twin brother Judas who wrote this Gospel. He is totally speculating of course, but can you imagine the implications of this? It makes the article more interesting to read. The second article discusses how the Nag Hammadi writings were found and the enormous effort that scholars undertook to get the writings published.

The first part of the book is the actual Gospel of Thomas. Some of the sayings are pretty mysterious. One of them is, "Jesus says: Be passers-by." Passers-by to what? Sin? Pharisees and Sadducees? It is fun to contemplate what the saying means. A large amount of the sayings are recognizable from the Synoptic Gospels, although most seem to be very simplified versions of these sayings. They lack the embellishments that the Gospel writers gave to them. It is also important to note that the Gospel of Thomas is written in Coptic, a form of Greek with letters added to mimic sounds of the Egyptian language. The Coptic version is a translation from an earlier Greek source, so errors abound. Also, when the writings were found, the Egyptian tore them up to give to some of his companions. As a history student, I still cringe when I think of the damage he caused.

This is a good book with obvious implications for Christians as well as New Testament scholars. Be aware that this is a VERY scholarly work. You will find huge footnotes with titles of books written in German. The second article could be very wearisome to the non-scholar, who probably doesn't care about the numerous academic bodies that were convened to gain access to the writings. The Gospel itself is still worth reading.

89 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gospel of Thomas comes to life, March 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Fifth Gospel: The Gospel of Thomas Comes of Age (Paperback)

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

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Gospel of Thomas Has Indeed Come of Age!, October 29, 2005

By 

Nate Merit "Nate" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fifth Gospel: The Gospel of Thomas Comes of Age (Paperback)

First, I wish to say that this translation of The Gospel of Thomas in this book is first rate, five stars, two thumbs way up, the best I have read. Scholarly and accurate, yet readable and easy on the eyes (an important feature when one wears trifocals). As a former Buddhist priest, I was struck by the Zen nature of many of the sayings of Jesus in this Gospel. This translation brings out these nuances much better than any others.

For example, saying five: "Come to know what is in front of you, and that which is hidden from you will become clear to you." This is very much in the nature of a kung-an ("koan" or Zen-riddle), and reveals that the Teacher, Jesus Christ,was well and truly and Illumined Master.

This book also contains a detailed recounting of how this Gospel was discovered, and the intriques that ensued in the wake of this discovery. A very interesting read, and a worthy adjunct to a very worthy book.

The section Understanding the Gospel of Thomas Today, is also helpful. However, once you have read this section, I encourage the reader to contemplate this Gospel on one's own, as one would contemplate a kung-an. Perform this saying-by-saying, giving yourself plenty of time to have an intuitive/mystical breakthrough of your own. For that is what this Gospel really is; a mirror by which your Original Face will be revealed to you if you put in sincere effort.

This Gospel is proof that the Occident and the Orient share the same mystical insights at the foundational level. You can find in Gnostic Christianity the same Dharma as taught by the Buddha, yet in a far more accesible manner.

Nate
[...]