1
The Gospel
of Thomas
I he Gospel of Thomas is a wisdom gospel. Like the sayings gospel
I Q, which most scholars now suggest was a source used in compil-
JL. ing the gospels of Matthew and Luke, the Gospel of Thomas por-
trays Jesus as one who disseminates life-giving wisdom through his sayings.
Unlike the New Testament gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and
other, non-canonical gospels, the Gospel of Thomas contains almost no nar-
rative. Jesus in Thomas performs no physical miracles, reveals no fulfillment
of prophecy, announces no apocalyptic kingdom about to disrupt the world
order, dies for no one's sins, and does not rise from the dead on Easter Sunday.
His value, rather, lies in his enigmatic sayings, which are pregnant with possi-
bility and power. "Whoever discovers what these sayings mean will not taste
death," Jesus promises. That is to say, one who uncovers the interpretive keys
to the meaning of these sayings thinks Jesus' thoughts after him and completes
his sayings in new and sagacious ways. Such a one seeks and finds true wisdom
and knowledge.
The editor of the gospel is said to be Judas Thomas, or Judas the twin, who
is acclaimed by Syrian Christians as the twin brother of Jesus and the messen-
ger (or apostle) to the Syrians. A version of this gospel may have been composed,
most likely in Greek, as early as the middle of the first century, or somewhat
later. A few scholars have suggested that the Gospel of Thomas may have been
composed in Syriac, but that proposal has not proved to be convincing. The