The Gospel of Thomas....

Seven years ago, I saw a movie entitled Stigmata. It was about a woman, an atheist, who, without physical cause, spontaneously suffered the same wounds endured by Jesus Christ during his crucifixion. This phenomena was subsequently investigated by the Vatican, which led to the uncovering of hidden gospels which turned out to be inimical to the interests of the Church.

That movie was perhaps my first exposure to the so-called "missing gospels" through popular media. I have heard and even read about some of these gospels before, but I never really realized the impact they possessed, especially when some of the ideas they advance run counter to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

Of course, the events depicted in the movie are fictional, but the gospels referred to in it are based on a real document, the Gospel of Thomas, a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus Christ found completely preserved in 1945 in Nag Hammadi, Egypt.

This gospel, consisting of 114 verses, together with the gospels of Philip, Mary Magdalene, the recently discovered lost Gospel of Judas, as well as several others, form part of the so-called "gnostic texts" and are not part of the Bible and even considered by the Church as heretical.

Despite the non-canonical status of the gospel, it makes for a fascinating read, particularly in those passages which seemingly run counter to current Church wisdom.

Here are a few verses which I personally find interesting. I'm not a theologian, so my amateurish attempt at interpreting them are only from a layman's point of view, and in no way claimed to be their definitive meaning. I am posting this only as a mental exercise, and not in any way an attempt to extoll, nor dismiss the significance of these verses. An open mind is strongly recommended when readings texts such as these. If you have a better way of interpreting them please feel free to leave a comment.

2. Jesus said, "Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will reign over all. [And after they have reigned they will rest.]"

Here's a typically gnostic verse if I ever saw one. While the Church has been extolling the virtues of blind faith (John 20:29 comes to mind), here is a line attributed to Jesus Christ which tells us to strive for absolute knowledge. Not only that, but those who have come into the possession of such knowledge will occupy a higher status in society than those who have not. Does it point towards absolute knowledge as the key towards salvation? I can't say.

15. Jesus said, "When you see one who was not born of woman, fall on your faces and worship. That one is your Father."

I can't help but relate this verse with all the advancements in science, specifically in the field of genetic engineering. It won't be far long, if we're not there already, that a human being can be totally conceived and developed as a human being without being "born of woman". It can easily be attributed to the understanding of God the Father as being a supreme being without beginning or end, hence God was never brought into existence, since He always was. Nonetheless, such a statement does boggle the imagination. Who would have thought that technology would develop to a point that such a feat can be medically possible?

37. His disciples said, "When will you appear to us, and when will we see you?"

Jesus said, "When you strip without being ashamed, and you take your clothes and put them under your feet like little children and trample then, then [you] will see the son of the living one and you will not be afraid."

Can we take this literally? Probably not. Nowadays a lot of people are capable of shedding their clothes without being ashamed, a case in point would be the proliferation of various nudist organizations and facilities. Perhaps it refers to man's return to innocence, the innocence lost when Adam and Eve gave in to temptation and ate the fruit of the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. Afterwards, they realized their nakedness and hid themselves out of shame (Genesis 3:10). But how do you suppose we can still regain our innocence?

77. Jesus said, "I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attained.

Split a piece of wood; I am there.

Lift up the stone, and you will find me there."

This verse has been paraphrased in the movie Stigmata as: The Kingdom of God is inside you and all about you, not in mansions of wood and stone. Split a piece of wood and I am there; lift a stone and you will find me. The implication in the movie version is that it questions the role of the Church in salvation. In the movie, the road to salvation is direct to God and not through any structures, or institutions created by man. Of course, this is the fictional version. But what of the real version? To my mind it speaks of God's omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence, and the road to salvation is solely through Him. By implication, it may seem that an intermediary (a person, or an institution, like the Church) isn't really necessary in order to reach out to God.

114. Simon Peter said to them, "Make Mary leave us, for females don't deserve life."

Jesus said, "Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven."

Is this an endorsement of lesbianism? Probably not. At first glance it does seem to connote sexism in a general sense, considering that women were deemed unworthy of spiritual teachings during those times. But is it really? I don't think so. Sexism as we understand it today simply did not exist back then, so we must look into this passage without referring to the modern concept of sexism. So how do we look at it then? It is surmised by some that this verse refers to the view as espoused by Platonist teachings that "becoming a male" is described as rising to a higher spiritual plane, an ascent to flawlessness or faultlessness that can only be achieved through a balance of both male and female. I'd explain it more, but I probably have to take a refresher on my knowledge of Platonist views first. It is fascinating to note that the Gospel of Thomas makes mention of female disciples, when the canonical gospels only make mention of men disciples.

So what have I learned from this reading? Quite a lot, actually. Have I read anything capable of shaking my faith as a Catholic? No, my faith remains as it was before. Of course, from an intellectual point of view, alternate views of Christianity can be really be absorbing, as you can see how these relate to established canon. The Gospel of Thomas is probably more philosophical than any of the canonical gospels, which tend to be more narrative in style. It is in this regard that the Gospel of Thomas is more susceptible to varied interpretations, making it unsuitable as a teaching tool during the early days of Christianity. This is probably one of the reasons for its non-inclusion into canon. Does it really go against established Christian teachings? Maybe. Maybe not. It's all a matter of interpretation. I leave you to make your own conclusions regarding this subject.

If you're interested in reading the English translation of the Gospel of Thomas in its entirety, click here. As mentioned before, an open mind is strongly encouraged when dealing texts such as these. If you wish to share your views on this topic, please feel free to leave your comments.

A blessed Good Friday to you all.