The Gospel of Thomas: Wisdom of the Twin [Paperback]

Lynn Bauman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2003

The discovery of the Gospel of Thomas has created an immense flurry of curiosity and speculation. Is the text real? Are these the authentic words of Jesus? If they are, what does it all mean? This new translation is surrounded by supportive material to help scholars and students alike explore these sayings in depth. Unlike other translations, Lynn Bauman’s sensitive work is not simply a “literal” translation. Based upon the principle of “dynamic equivalency,” its purpose is to propel the reader/listener into an equivalent experience of language and meaning as the original Coptic text but in English, with equivalent cultural terms and ideas. It is therefore fresher, more poignant, more direct, and more understandable without being a paraphrase. In addition, the text has with it a reader’s guide. Each saying of Jesus is accompanied by a section that includes Questions for Reflection, an academic translation of each saying, and notes dealing with translation choices. This enables the reader to make discoveries on his or her own through suggestions and questions for consideration, meditation, and journaling.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Gospel of Thomas has been the hot extrabiblical text this year, judging from the best seller status of Elaine Pagels's Beyond Belief and strong sales for translations and interpretations of this once-lost collection of Jesus' more Gnostic sayings. To this we add Lynn Bauman's The Gospel of Thomas: Wisdom of the Twin, which aims to be less a literal translation of the Coptic than an experiential encounter with Jesus as a teacher of wisdom. Each of Jesus' logia, or sayings, is accompanied by explanatory notes and questions for reflection.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Lynn Bauman is director of the Praxis Retreat and Learning Center in Telephone, Texas. He is a lecturer in Comparative Religion, Islamic Philosophy, Near Eastern Studies, Christian and World Spirituality. He lived for ten years in the Middle East, including seven years in Iran, where he studied Sufism and Islamic spirituality with Seyyed Hossein Nasr.

Product Details

• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: White Cloud Press (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883991560
• ISBN-13: 978-1883991562
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #233,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #48 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Apocrypha

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Study Guide for Group Discussions on Thomas, January 8, 2005

By 

Bonnie Neely - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gospel of Thomas: Wisdom of the Twin (Paperback)

The Gospel of Thomas By Lynn Bauman is a scholarly translation of the gospel that is now known to be the oldest of the written gospels discovered to date. It is not a narrative, as the four canonized Biblical gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but contains only the words which, according to "theTwin" who wrote it, are the direct teachings of Jesus, the Rabbi, to his Disciples. This is the Wisdom He imparted only to his close inner circle. Similar to a koan, these cryptic teachings require great thought and are somewhat paradoxical and perplexing. Dr. Bauman, whose academic credentials are numerous, has translated directly from the original Coptic Greek of the manuscripts which were only discovered in recent years. Dr. Bauman offers this translation as a thought provoking study guide with inciteful questions to ponder in order to come to your own conclusion as to the meanings of these amazing Wisdom Teachings of Jesus.

7 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ink-blotting through Thomas., December 28, 2005

By 

David Marshall (Seattle area) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gospel of Thomas: Wisdom of the Twin (Paperback)

I give Bauman and the publisher credit for making the most of what seems to me unpromising material. This book is nicely designed, reasonably introduced, and attractive. On one page a saying in paraphrase from the "Gospel" of Thomas is given, then on the facing page a series of questions, an "academic translation," and some notes. She doesn't give answers to the questions (though you might guess what she thinks); you're on your own. What you find will I think depend mostly on what you expect to find! If you don't mind a lot of white space, and want to get a discussion going that takes Thomas seriously as a source for spiritual wisdom, this is your book.

If you're open to critical comment on Thomas, please consider the relevant chapter in my book, Why the Jesus Seminar can't find Jesus, and Grandma Marshall Could. I argue that (1) Scholars who think Thomas is late and a worse source for the life of Jesus than MML & J have had much the better of the argument so far; (2) Thomas is more UNLIKE the canonical Gospels than the Iliad, the Epic of Gilgamesh, Agricola, Journey to the West, or (especially) the Analects of Confucius. (3) In particular, Thomas has left all the great moral teachings of Jesus on the cutting board, and that's a shame. My own feeling is that, if you like this sort of mysticism, the Upanishads and Buddhist sutras are better. But I admit to a prejudice against even ancient writers who say, "Jesus said," when they really mean, "I rather think."

Finally, one criticism of Bauman. It seems to me that the words of the canonical Gospels have become stale to her. I find this extraordinary; can Handel's Messiah be rendered elevator music? For any reader suffering the same affliction, I suggest looking at the Gospels from the point of view of some sensitive non-Westerner, like Lin Yutang, Vishal Mangalwadi, Yuan Zhimin, Sundar Singh, or Giming Shien in Hieromonk Damascene. G. K. Chesterton also brings a rather Zen-like approach to the texts that reawakens the heart to many of their amazing qualities. The analysis of the Gospels in the central third of my Jesus Seminar book may also help.