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Gospel of Thomas Annotated & Explained (SkyLight Illuminations)

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Stevan Davies maintains the online Gospel of Thomas Homepage and is the author of the 1983 book The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom, distinguishing himself as one of the leading scholars on the Gospel of Thomas. The chief virtue of Davies is that he stays close to what the Gospel of Thomas is saying rather than attempting to read into the text an over-arching gnostic, ascetic, or mystical motif. The result is a commentary filled with fresh insights, such as the humor of saying 72, the sexual innuendo of saying 22, the vegetarian doctrine of sayings 11&87, and the incompetent sower of saying 9. Davies is concise in his commentary, providing the text of Thomas in large type on the right side, with comments by Davies (and the occasional quote) on the left side. I have read most of the books in English on the Gospel of Thomas, and I can say confidently that this is the best commentary available to date and a must-read for anyone who is interested in this fascinating text.

Prof. Stevan Davies was one of the first scholars to take the Gospel of Thomas seriously as a first century text. An acknowledged expert in his field, he is fascinated by early Christianity, has few preconceptions as to its earliest form, and is always willing to try out new ideas.

This book contains a solid translation of the Gospel of Thomas, a good introduction, plus a new age preface by Andrew Harvey. The great strength of the book is the saying by saying commentary. Davies does not try to give a unified interpretation of the Gospel of Thomas, but to "offer suggestions, share observations, and participate in a reader's seeking..." Prof Davies has a way of wheedling out the system of thought that lurks beneath the text, and he looks at the sayings as clearly as he can, disregarding religious or scholarly commonplaces. This is one of the three or four best books on the Gospel of Thomas.

In 1945, twelve ancient texts were found in a sealed jar at the base of an Egyptian cliff. One of these, The Gospel of Thomas, is presented an expert translation accompanied with extensive interpretation in this impressive edition of The Gospel Of Thomas Annotated & Explained by Stevan Davies (a learned professor who has intensively studied the Gospel of Thomas for over twenty years). This is a seminal work that challenges a great many religious preconceptions within Christian literature and Biblical Studies. The Gospel Of Thomas offers a unique and sometimes contradictory perspective on the Kingdom of God (claiming that it is here and now rather than a future promise or threat), and sheds new light on the perception of Jesus Christ. The Gospel Of Thomas Annotated & Explained is very highly recommended reading for anyone seeking to better understand the these long-hidden aphoristic words attributed as the teachings of Jesus Christ.

I can thoroughly recommend this book for three reasons: 1) its simplicity of text; and 2) its ability to put NT passages into context; and 3) it serves as poignant personal reader for introspection and meditation.

Never mind exegese, dogma and historic church teachings. Make up your own mind with a refreshing text that still speaks to us on a very personal and direct level, unhindered by tradition.

--Simon Peter said to them: Mary should leave us because women are not worthy of the life. Jesus responded: Look, I'll lead her in order to make her male so that she can become a living spirit as you males are. For each woman who makes herself male will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.--

When I've read this passage to my biblical studies and history classes in seminary, they can usually agree readily that this might not have been the best document to include in the canon of scripture, at least when thinking about it from a `preachability' standpoint, particularly if one tends toward literalist interpretations. But many of the passages in the Gospel of Thomas defy simplistic interpretation and understanding because they really are of a different world and different worldview, and have not had a long history of hermeneutic development as have other, equally difficulty canonical passages.

The Gospel of Thomas gained a significant audience during the first decades after its discovery in the Egyptian desert in 1945. Part of a collection that has come to be called the Nag Hammadi scriptures, they were discovered only a few years prior to the Dead Sea Scrolls, another set of documents that has been pivotal in increasing our understanding of the religious culture of the time two thousand years ago.

One scholar classified the Gospel of Thomas along with most other non-canonical gospels as failing to gain widespread acceptance not primarily because of the content, but because of the style - the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are all narrative in their development; they tell stories and narrate a history in addition to giving the wisdom of Jesus. The Gospel of Thomas, like many of the other, is more a collection of sayings, more on the order of the book of Proverbs or Ecclesiastes than Mark or John. According to Stevan Davies, `The format of the Gospel of Thomas is little more than a disorganised list.... The Gospel of Thomas is about as primitive a form of text as there can be: a simple list with one thing following another in a manner that is much more reminiscent of oral tradition than of literary construction.'

The Gospel of Thomas is perhaps best understood as a Gnostic text (though there are some who would dispute that). Andrew Harvey, series editor of the Skylight Illuminations set in which this book falls, writes:

`The Gospel of Thomas is more than the most exciting archaeological find of the last century, even more than another gospel to add to the four canonical ones. It is far more than another Gnostic text, or one that carries on the tradition of Jewish wisdom sayings, or, as some have also claimed, a cross between the two. These are scholarly descriptions and distinctions, fascinating and helpful in their way, but they do not begin to describe the extraordinary importance of the Gospel of Thomas, or to show how it can be used today by all sincere seekers to awaken their divine identity and to focus its powers on a radical transformation of the world.'

There are 114 passages (not quite verses in the traditional since, but closer to verse-size than chapter-size). Each one is here presented in new translation by Davies, laid on with only a few (sometimes only one) per page, with commentary on the facing page. This commentary is primarily looking at social, historical, philosophical and theological ideas rather than linguistic and translation issues; thus, it is accessible to the general reader, but will need to be supplemented for the scholar. Davies avoids jargon and terminology with which only scholars would be comfortable, again in an effort to make the Gospel of Thomas generally accessible to non-professional readers.

Those who are looking for forbidden fruit might look elsewhere. As Davies points out in the introduction, we have no proof that this book was deliberately excluded by those councils and decision-makers who solidified the canon as we now have it - indeed, they might not have even been aware of the existence of the Gospel of Thomas, which might have been a more regional text in circulation and popularity. Still, its rediscovery has not provoked widespread movements to reopen the canon. It has provided fascinating insight into the early Christian world, and provided a new lens through which to assess how some people understood the person and phenomenon of Jesus.

This is a very good text to use to be introduced to the Gospel of Thomas, to some of the less-traveled by-ways of early Christianity, and to ideas of spirituality that are both Christian and foreign.

As for the opening passage -- that is actually the conclusion of the Gospel of Thomas. Remembering that the writers (and intended audience) would not have taken the terms 'male' and 'female' to be literal, flesh-and-blood attributes is the key to understanding this passage.

While the Gospel of Thomas itself is a great source of quotations to ponder and meditate on, this book offers some insights and direction to understanding what was intended.

The annotations help provide some context of the historical period that the Gospels were written, along with corresponding sayings incorporated into the New Testament Gospels.

The foreword by Andrew Harvey provides an inspiring viewpoint that sets the scene for reading the sayings attributed to Jesus.

The foreword also outlines the importance of saying 22, illustrating how it reveals the order "of the transformations that have to be undergone by every seeker if the 'Kingdom-consciousness' is to be realized."

The annotations offer evidence of the implied meanings to the sayings. The 'Kingdom-consciousness' is often related back to the creation stories of Genesis 1 & 2, with the creation of Adam and Eve, and the Garden of Eden. Not mentioned in the book, but perhaps apt, is Qabalistic Tree of Life, with Malkuth representing Kingdom. As with the sayings in the Gospel of Thomas that the Kingdom is within, and outside of you, there is a comparison within the Qabala that Kether is in Malkuth, and Malkuth is within Kether. To me, this suggests that by "entering" the Kingdom (or attaining "Kingdom-consciousness") one may reconnect with with the Divine.

Although the title suggests that in part this is the Gospel of Thomas "explained", it certainly isn't a spoiler of the mystery of each of the sayings. While some of the annotations certainly suggest the likely meaning of the saying it is still made clear that the sayings are ambiguous, and open to interpretation by the reader.

All of this presents a new and revolutionary view of a Christianity wildly different than any of the mainstream and orthodox Christianities that exist today. One in which Jesus is a fiery-spirited 'teacher' who leads by example, and imparts a wisdom of Self-growth (via Self Knowledge) that will allow anyone to know that the Kingdom of God is here now, and accessible (if only you have eyes to see and ears to hear). The sayings certainly fit with Hermetic teachings, and the elements of synthesis within them point to a spiritual alchemy.

Steven Davies (along with Andrew Harvey in the foreword) has done an excellent job of opening up the Gospels of Thomas to assist readers in quickly becoming acquainted with the themes and symbolism with this unique Gospel.

"Jesus said: I have thrown fire on the world. Look! I watch it until it blazes."

Would you like to never die? According to verse 1, immortality is the prize for one who "...finds the correct interpretation of these sayings." This is because it is a book dictated by the living Jesus so that we may find wisdom (and the Kingdom of Heaven) within ourselves, using Jesus` words as a guide. The Gospel of Thomas is a list of 114 verses, the purported sayings of Jesus Christ. Each verse has page facing commentary by author Stevan Davies. Around half of the verses are echoed in the New Testament: the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author kindly places New Testament verses where befitting in the commentary. The main message of The Gospel of Thomas seems to be echoed in the movie "Stigmata": "The Kingdom of God is within you and all around you, not in buildings of wood and stone (v 3a). .. Split a piece of wood and I am there, lift a stone and you will find me (v 77b)". This book comes highly recommended for those wanting to get to know the historical Jesus who critiques the credence of prophecy and apocalyptic proclamations.

This book was very meaningful for me. I believe "The Gospel of Thomas" should be included within the NT. Jesus demonstrates his depth of wisdom by presenting sayings that are difficult to understand, causing each reader committed to "seeking" to go through an astonishing self-discovery with Jesus's promise that "finding" develops tremendous powers within the "finder" to influence and transform reality ("move mountains").

This is the second book review I have done. Each relate to the profound text that is "The Gospel of Thomas." Stevan Davies is a Master at explaining "The Gospel of Thomas." He has spent over 20 years in study of the Master! I have much respect for other texts that are said to revere "The Gospel of Thomas." However, none are in comparison to the work Stevan Davies has done! I admit that I love all the commentary books on the gospel and each are special in their own way! Marvin Meyer is great on historical research and others on a universal application of Jesus' teachings and how they apply to other religions! But Stevan Davies
truly brings his gospel to life! He is a true believer just like me! All we have to do is recognize what is already before us. This is the hope that just might save the world! As a "Thomas Christian" I would make this required reading for all who seek a true spirituality. This text is more than just a Bible for "Thomas Christians" it is the very sacred source of eternal Life!

The Gospel of Thomas that is translated and annotated by Stevan Davies in the Shambhala Library is the same text but different editions of the same book.

I have been completely awestruck by the Gospel according to Thomas ever since I came across it from the movie Stigmata (1999). The central theme is best paraphrased in the screenplay: "The Kingdom of God is within you and all around you, not in buildings of wood and stone (v 3a). Split a piece of wood and I am there, lift a stone and you will find me (v 77b)".

With some 3 decades of intensive study on the Thomas gospel, Professor Stevan Davies' book was written with great depth and did not in any way attempt to be intelligent about deciphering the cryptic quotations of Jesus. Other than the introduction by senior editor Andrew Harvey which veered toward sensationalism and the somewhat contrived commentary on the gospel's condemnation on carnivores and support on vegetarianism (which contradicted with an earlier quotation by Jesus in v 14b: "whenever people receive you, eat whatever they provide for you.."), Professor Davies presented the translation as-is, highlighting side-by-side the anomalies, but more importantly, the many parallels that were found between Thomas and the canonical gospels of Mark (47x), Matthew (17x), John (5x) and Luke (4x). While I am no wiser in my comprehension of the hidden messages of the Gospel of Thomas, I am greatly encouraged by the sheer weight of evidence from the Gospel of Thomas that espoused the authenticity of much of what was already in situ in the four New Testament gospels.

To those who deem the Bible to be full of contradictions and argue for the superiority of the Gospel of Thomas on account of its diversion from common belief and to come to the presumption that its authorship may have preceded the four gospels is to completely miss the point. While meritorious and enlightening in its own right, the alternative book's central premise of the Kingdom of God in the present tense cannot be construed as being blatantly at odds with the teachings of the four gospels. Note that Jesus was, in the New Testament gospels, reportedly quoting "God's timeless or ever-present rule in daily life" and not merely a "definitive future act of God establishing his kingly rule". (For a detailed exposition on this theory, check out acclaimed scholar John P. Meier's 'A Marginal Jew', the volume of three books touted as one of the foremost studies ever written on the historical Jesus).

Further, the Gospel of Thomas certainly did contain conspicuous inconsistencies (v 22b vs v 114; v 14b-14c vs v 87 & v 112), not to mention that it is, in its rawest form (ie without the narratives/explanations prevalent in the four selected books of the Bible), a difficult tool to apply for en masse outreach and evangelism.

While the never-ending quest for truth about the doings and sayings of the historical Jesus is intellectually stimulating and spiritually edifying, one can take heart the Gospel of Thomas single most 'offensive' implication to organized religion emerged as a refreshing breath of fresh air, with a message focusing not on form but substance (v 53), that it is about Jesus' preaching of love (v 25) and forgiveness (v 26) to thy neighbors, and the Kingdom of God is with us here and now (v 113). In no way reducing the value of good and charitable deeds and how much it would pain God to see us lead sub-optimal lives or live persistently in sin, the Thomas Gospel stressed God's divine nature to love us regardless of our works and behavior: whether we gather in church for Sunday services or not, whether we fast or pray or donate to charities (v 14a). If enough of us behold these overriding messages by Faith, the Kingdom of God would be within us and all around us, and the experience of 'Heaven on Earth' is only beckoning around the corner.