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The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom

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Now in an updated and expanded second edition, The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom by Stevan Davies (Professor of Religious Studies, College Misericordia, Pennsylvania) focuses upon the writings known as the Gospel of Thomas which were discovered in Egypt in 1945 as part of the now famous Nag Hammadi Library, a collection of first century Christian documents that are some of the earliest written records we have available arising from the earliest days of the Christian movement. This Bardic Press edition returns to print a classic work of painstaking yet accessible scholarship and features a new forty page introduction discussing recent developments in scholarship, the distinctions of the Gospel of Thomas from the canonical gospels, the role of Mary Magdalene in the Gospel of Thomas, and additional, invaluable insights into one of the most exciting finds of the 20th Century in Biblical Studies. Not to be missed is a fascinating and provocative essay on the possible use of the Gospel of Thomas an oracle text for those early Coptic Christians thought to be responsible for the Nag Hammadi Library collection. Highly recommended reading for both scholarship and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in Christian Theology and History, The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom is an enduring work of substantial value and interest. Also very highly recommended reading are Professor Davies other works: The Gospel of Thomas Annotated & Explained; Jesus the Healer, New Testament Fundamentals, and Revolt of the Widows. Additionally recommended is Professor Davies' The Gospel of Thomas website which is a world class Internet website dedicated specifically to this subject.

Davies's book is quite good representation of scholars's view on gospel of Thomas. He arguments, that the GoTh's groundwork is wisdom tradition. The book thus represents one of various views abot GoTh's underlying traditions. On the other hand, one must take in consideration that The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom consentrates on just one part of the gospel. Also, one gets a feeling, that the author is overburdened with repudiation of gnostic label for GoTh (as gnosticism should be something negative). This effort seems to be the main starting point for the interpretation.. so the discussion sometimes gets quite one-sided. Nevertheless I must commend the inclusion of the paper "Does GoTh have a meaning" in this second edition of the book. Here author also acknowledges the fact that his view is just one among the many that seem equally legitimate and so puts the whole book The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom into a more objective perspective.