Recovering Jewish-Christian Sects and Gospels (Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae)

 chapter five

...Let Him Who Seeks Continue Seeking

Gos. Thom. /P.Oxy. . –/Clement, Strom. II IX .; V XIV .^63

Gos. Thom.

Jesus said, “Let him who seeks
continue seeking until he finds.
When he finds, he will become
troubled. When he becomes troubled,
he will be astonished, and he will rule
over the all.”

Clement,Strom. II IX .

(NGH: TheGospel of the Hebrews)^64

“He who has become astonished will

become king and he who has become

king will rest.”

P.Oxy. . –

[Jesus said], “Let him who seeks
continue seeking until he finds.
When he finds, he will be amazed.
And when he becomes amazed, he
will rule. And [once he has ruled], he
will [attain rest].”

Strom. V XIV .

“He who seeks will not cease until

he finds and having found he will

marvel and having marvelled he will

become king and having become

king, he will rest.”

The Jewish-Christian version of the saying has to be reconstructed from
two quotations presented by Clement in hisStromata(II IX .; V
IX .). Clement’s first quotation seems to be an abbreviated version
which is presented as a parallel to Plato’s thought according to which the
beginning of all knowledge is wondering (Theaetetusd).^65

(^63) If not otherwise indicated, the translations of theGospel of Thomasare from
Layton . Translations from the Coptic are by B. Layton (pp. –) and from the
Greek (P.Oxy.) by H. Attridge (pp. –). The translations of the Jewish-Christian
fragments are—if not otherwise indicated—from Klijn , –, , –. A
remote synoptic parallel for the admonition “to seek” is to be found in Matt :/Luke
: (Q) but there are so many differences between logion  and the synoptic passage
that there is no need to assume any literary dependance. Logia ,  and  are much
closer parallels for the Q-saying, but their analysis would go beyond the scope of this
discussion.
(^64) The attributions presented in connection with the translations are according to
the new reconstruction (NGH) which, however, in this chapter often agrees with the
attributions of the GH. In case the GH has a different attribution, that is indicated in
the footnote.
(^65) Connection to Plato’s wondering (αυμ%ω) also explains why the first quotation
uses the verbαυμ%ωwhilethesecondonehasαμ* ω. The second quotation should
be regarded as original. Thus, Klijn , –. The first quotation also uses the verb
ναπα$ωwhilethesecondonehasπαναπα$μαι. Because there is no difference in
meaning between these words, there is no need to try to decide which one was in the
Jewish-Christian gospel.