chapter five
〈Jesus said〉“Whoever does not hate his [father] and his mother as I do
cannot become a [disciple] to me. And whoever does [not] love his [father
and] his mother as I do cannot become a [disciple to] me. For my mother
[...],but[my]true[mother]gavemelife.” (Gos. Thom. ).The beginning of logion is verbatim that of logion . These two
logia form one of the doublets which some scholars have used as a
basis for trying reconstructThomas’sources.^120 Quispel, for instance,
originally argued, on the basis of the doublets, that theGospel of Thomas
must be based on two written sources: TheGospel of the Hebrewsand
an encratiteGospel of the Egyptians.^121 However, other scholars have
instead taken the doublets as evidence of different layers in theGospel
of Thomas.^122 Jon Ma. Asgeirsson, for instance, has identified five real
doublets inThomasof which four have their second, more elaborated
part towards the end of the gospel.^123 Thus, the doublets reveal more
about the development of traditions within the Thomasine community
than about the sources used for the gospel. If this is correct, then the
reference to the “true mother” would have been added to the saying at
a secondary stage of interpretation because it is missing in logion .^124
If the “true mother” can be identified with the Holy Spirit,^125 as in the
Jewish-Christian fragments and in theActs of Thomas, logion would
indicate the beginnings of the development of a Spirit theology which is
more clearly observable in theActs of Thomas.Itisinterestingtonote
that the part that is common to logia and seems to harmonize
Matthean and Lukan/Q expressions^126 —a phenomenon that was also
observed in the above analyzed passages. Thus, we have in logia
that the quotation inPelag. would not be from the same gospel as that in theCommentary
on Isaiah.
(^120) For an overview of the role of the doublets in reconstructing Thomas’ sources and
layers, see Asgeirsson , –.
(^121) Quispel , –.
(^122) For a summary and assessment of recent theories about Thomas’ redactional layers,
see Uro .
(^123) Asgeirsson , . Asgeirsson’s doublets are in logia b/; c/; /;
/; /.
(^124) Irrespective of their overall theories, scholars usually ascribe logion to a later
layer inThomas. Thus, Arnal , , n. : (secondary Gnostic stratum). Asgeirsson
, , (a chria elaboration). DeConick , – (secondary encratite saying).
(^125) Thus, for instance, Meyer , – n. . W.E. Arnal assumes that the “true
mother” refers to Sophia. See Arnal , n. .
(^126) The expression “worthy of me” in logion is typical of Matthew (Matt :). See,
for instance, Luz , . OtherwiseThomasis closer to the Lukan/Q version. Thus,
Uro .