chapter five
shows that Thomasine Christians and Jewish Christians had made use of
the products of the same scribal culture but they had also freely reinter-
preted their common stock material. In the following section, attention
will be turned to possible contacts on the ideological level. If both tra-
jectories deal with similar theological topics—whether agreeing or dis-
agreeing with each other—this shows that the writings in question also
shared an ideological milieu and were probably created by two distinct
communities living in the same cultural context.
TheGospel of Thomastakes a critical stance towards Jewish practices
and Jews and so it must also have done with the Jewish Christians who
were using the Jewish-Christian gospels because these “heretics” were
known precisely for adhering to Jewish practices. Therefore, it is to be
expected that there are opposing views, and, as far there is agreement, it
is likely to be found in the marginal ideas rather than in the central ideas
of these trajectories.
Jesus As a Ruler and Wisdom’s Rest
Thomas’logion(itsP.Oxy.versioninparticular,seeabove)shouldbe
understood as an exhortation to a seeker of Wisdom to continue seeking
until he/she finds rest. The description of Jesus’ baptism in a fragment
preserved by Jerome seems to illustrate the same objectives from the
viewpoint of Wisdom which has finally found rest in Jesus:
But according to the Gospel that was written in Hebrew language and read
by the Nazoreans: “The whole fountain of the Holy Spirit came upon him.”... Further in the gospel.. .: “It happened then when the Lord ascended
from the water, that the whole fountain of the Holy Spirit descended and
rested upon him and said to him: My son, I expected you among all the
prophets that you should come and that I should rest upon you. For you
are my rest, you are my first-born son, who shall reign in eternity.”
(Jerome,Comm. Isa. .–; NGH: theGospel of the Hebrews).
Notably, the description of the baptism characterizes Jesus both as “rest”
andasa“ruler.”Thus,thepassagedepictsJesusasapersoninwhomthe
ideal state of every seeker of Wisdom—as described in logion and its
parallels—has already been realized.
There is no description of baptism in theGospel of Thomasbut there
is a logion where Jesus—obviously speaking as personified Wisdom—
promises rest to his followers:
Jesus said, “Come unto me, for my yoke is easy and my lordship is mild
and you find repose for yourselves.” (Gos. Thom. ).