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The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus

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The first verse of the Gospel of Thomas tells the reader that whoever understands the gospel's sayings will not "...taste death." It is a clear message that understanding these sayings of Jesus is key to one's spiritual growth. Thus, the onus is on the interpreter to create both an effective translation and a context to evaluate the sayings in order to facilitate this growth. Meyer does a marvelous job of meeting these demands.

The book's introduction gives the reader excellent background information on the discovery and authorship of the text. The translation of the text itself is bolstered by the very helpful notes listed after the gospel. The notes made it very easy to cross-reference the gospel's text with similar passages in the New Testament's four gospels. Finally, Harold Bloom provides an interesting commentary that's useful for reflection on the gospel's themes.

There is no guarantee that reading the Gospel of Thomas as translated by Meyer will provide the spiritual enlightenment that many people seek. However, Meyer does his best to allow the reader to discover this enlightenment by not clutter the text with his own views and biases. The result is that Meyer's interpretation is a perfect way to learn about and evaluate this important "lost" book of Christianity.

I have used this book as a study with my congregation and the members of the class found it both engaging and helpful. While not a 'traditional' gospel in the manner of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, it is a unique, though not entirely foreign, look at the sayings of Jesus.

There are several translations of the Gospel of Thomas available and I have found this particular one to be very straightforward, no nonsense, with little of the editorializing that sometimes slips into other translations. It has a brief but informative introduction and would serve the 'average' reader well.

As to the comment in a previous review that this book was written by the 'doubting Thomas'of the Gospel of John, I would hope that most people realize such an assertion is hog wash.Read the introduction to the book and get a more informative perspective on authorship.

In 1945 a couple of Egyptians digging in the Nile River valley found a sealed storage jar that contained a collection of fifty-two ancient manuscripts, most of which were devoted to the teachings of Gnosticism, early Christians who believed that matter is evil and that emancipation comes through "gnosis" (the Greek word for "knowledge"). The Gnostic inner quest for spiritual understanding put them at odds with the authority of the Church in the first, formative centuries of Christianity. It is not surprising that the Gnostic writings were suppressed by the early Church and were really only known to us through the writings of their opponents. The discovery of these manuscripts allows us to read what these early Christians were thinking and to judge for ourselves the value of their beliefs.

Marvin W. Meyer has provided new English translations of several of the most important and revealing of these early Christian texts. Of these, the Gospel of Thomas is the most interesting. Biblical scholars have long maintained that one of the source documents for the Gospels was a collection of sayings that was integrated with the Gospel of Mark to produce the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The Gospel of Thomas is an example of such a collection, providing dozens of sayings attributed to Jesus. For example, Saying 75: "I am the light that is over all things. I am all: all came forth from me, and all attained to me. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Pick up a stone, and you will find me there." The words might be different, but certainly the idea is recognizable, which is true of the vast majority of 144 Sayings collected in the Gospel of Thomas. These sayings are not a radical depature from what we have in Scripture and at the very least we can accept them as being accurate representations of early Christian beliefs. Certainly they are more familiar than the other Gnostic writings Meyer has translated. You will have to judge for yourself how compatable they are with the New Testament. But I think they are definitely worth thinging about.

The Gospel of Thomas was found in 1945 along with the Nag Hammadi Library near the town of Nag Hammadi in Egypt. It's text dates back some 1600 years. The gospel contains many sayings which are found in the New Testament Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John). However, it also includes many sayings never found before. Unlike the other gospels, "The Gospel of Thomas" has no story line but instead focuses on the specific sayings of Jesus Christ. There are 114 sayings, spoken by Jesus and recorded by Judas Thomas the twin. Many have come to know this man as Thomas the disciple or "doubting Thomas". Either way the fact that it was written by one of the twelve disiples adds credibility to the text. As far as the translation goes; in the preface, Marvin Meyer explains his careful use of coptic text to translate the document. Nothing is added, nor is anything taken out. What a relief for christians seeking the truth! I highly recommend this book, however, I would advise skipping the reading by Harold Bloom.

From the dead sea scrolls discovered in 1945, this book shares more insight into the teachings of Jesus Christ. Though this book says nothing about Jesus having magical powers, it tells wisdom that probably can't be beat by many people.:)

This is a lucid, fluent, plain-English translation. Few readers will use the Coptic source text, but there it is for those who can appreciate such things. Book design & presentation aid reader access. A valuable book for historians, religious scholars & wise general readers.

Jesus said, "I am the light that is over all things. I am all: From me all has come forth, and to me all has reached. Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there." --saying number 77
That saying is one of the most startling things I have ever heard attributed to Jesus--or anyone. What it means precisely I do not have the scholarship to tell you, but what I take it to mean is that Jesus lives in all things, not just humans but ALL THINGS. When I first read that saying, I went outside and literally split a piece of wood, looking for signs of Jesus. What I found was simply the inside of a tree. Then I went and lifted a stone; A dozen or so insects went running. I said to myself, "Jesus is living in all life". Quite a contradiction when you consider that most churches do not even consider animals as worthy of the slightest bit of mercy, and certainly not worthy of concern or help. Since I read that passage a few years ago, I have found myself watching where I step, so as not to kill any little creatures. I have taken to releasing uninvited insect guests in my house, rather than taking the fly-swatter to them. When I find a stray dog, I feed it and water it and either find it a home or keep it myself. I try to be kind to all creatures, plants and people. I remember the passage in the Bible where Jesus says, "As you do unto one of these the least of my children, so you do unto me". I have expanded my understanding of that to include not just human children, but all living things.
The Gospel of Thomas contains 114 sayings, many of them as deep and mysteriously beautiful as number 77. Whether, after reading the book, you come to regard the sayings as genuine or not, it is worth owning. Every Christian and every other human being on this earth should read this book. Even if it doesn't change your life, it is a good introduction to Jesus as a teacher, without references to the events of His life or comments from the author of this gospel.

The author, Marvin, is a brilliant man. Nobody has put together a book with such FLAVOR as he has in the Gospel of Thomas. The text is translated brilliantly and is understandable even for young readers. Anybody who believes that the sayings of Jesus exist should read this book. An A+ in my book!

This book does a wonderful job of presenting the Gospel of Thomas. Here we have a work that focuses on the actual teachings of Jesus and the messages he was trying to convey to his followers. It is not an attempt to chronicle the story line of his life like the Synoptic Gospels. The historical value of the Synoptic Gospels has long been established by scholars and historians to be minimal. A quick sampling of works to illustrate this would include Rex Deus and The Bloodline of the Holy Grail although there are many other works out there. However, what should be most important to followers of Jesus should not be the details of what town was he in on which day with which people. The real importance of Christ is what he was trying to teach to the world. Here in the Gospel of Thomas we see exactly that, what was he teaching (instead of worrying about what he had for breakfast).

Here every person can see and feel and absorb the essence of those teachings for themselves instead of having some "expert" interpret it for them. Jesus didn't spend his time teaching to the "experts" of his day, he taught to the common man and woman. The Gospel of Thomas was written in the same manner.

Reading this text will only serve to enhance your understanding of Jesus and his teachings.

To the average person that reads this book, there may be confusion of what Jesus is saying. However, having studied the Kabalah (ancient Jewish mysticism) it clearly shows the mystical side of Jesus the Christ, a side that until now we really never knew existed. I feel that the Gospel of Thomas (originally called The Sayings of Jesus) is a book that reveals the gospel of our age. I would recommend this book to those who are seriously seeking spiritual enlightenment.