Customer Reviews

The Gospel of Thomas (Shambhala Library)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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This book makes the point that you are supposed to figure out the meaning of the Gnostic gospels (with which this gospel is loosely groupd) by yourself, so the author feels he can't do more than sort of point you in the right direction. Which he does in a fascinating way. This is a take on Jesus that is radically different than that of the Bible. For one thing, the Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas is consistently spirited and even sometimes humorous, as opposed to the sometimes spirited, sometimes mild-mannered split personality in the Bible (for which there are, of course, theories). For another, the author's interpretation of stories found in similar form in the bible is pretty much opposite that found in teh Bible. His interpretation of the prodigal son was startling. For those of us who are very familiar with Biblical interpretations, this book is fascinating because it stands those interpretations on their heads. It left me wanting more, so even though I'm supposed to figure it all out for myself, I'm gonna cheat get a book with more in depth interpretations. Well worth reading.

This is the best book out for "Thomas Christians" like myself. The deep insights and explanations of the sayings of the author are nothing less than incredible! I have become a better Christian after indulging in the numerous insights of the author. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. I liked the book so much I bought two of them!

This book is the same thing as The Gospel of Thomas: Annotated & Explained (Published by Skylight Illuminations). It has the same text, except this book has a hard cover, and the annotation format is slightly different.

I bought the paperback version of this book, and it is already falling apart. If I knew this book existed, I would have bought this hardcover version instead. There is almost no difference in price.

One caveat though: As I mentioned, the annotation format for this book is different. Stephan Davies comments are written along with each verse of the Gospel of Thomas. In the paperback book, his comments are written on the left side of each page, separate from the Thomas' verses. It's important to note this because there is another comment below this one, where the guy seems pissed off that the Gospel of Thomas isn't written by itself, but it is combined with the author's commentary. If you don't understand what I mean about the book format differences, just use Amazon's feature to read sample book pages and see for yourself

The lead in to the gospel is excellent. Includes a forward, comments about the Gospel of Thomas, an Introduction, and a Cast of Characters. Each saying is accompanied with a thought provoking analysis. The only drawback is the small size, faint and small print. Most seniors will need a magnifying glass to get throuth it.

I became interested in the Gospel of Thomas while reading The Goaspel of Jesus by Stephen Mitchell. That book was very solid form top to bottom, but this book is a struggle. The insights of the author detract from the message of the sayings of Jesus. I found myself disagreeing strongly with the take of the commentary and finally just skipping it entirely. I would not recommend this book; find another source for the gospel of Thomas.