The Gospel of Thomas is an interesting text to those who are familiar with the synoptic gospels. Many of Jesus’ sayings are the same as found in Matthew, Mark and Luke, with slight variations and no context whatsoever. Even without context behind the sayings, one can obtain glimpses as to what the theology of these gnostic Christians would have been.
To start, lets look at their view of God and Jesus. In verse 30, Jesus says, “Where there are three Gods, they are Gods; where there are two or one, and am with him.” This seems like a riddle, but what Jesus is saying is that he is God or a god. It’s difficult to say if this is pointing to the idea of the trinity, but from a traditional Christian perspective that is what I see. The view on Jesus’ Christology is cleared up in verse 77 where Jesus says, “I am the light which is above all of them; I am the All. The All came forth from me and the All reached me. Split wood, I am there; lift up the stone, and you will find me there.” While the term “All” isn’t found in the synoptic gospels, it reminds me of John 1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…” In John, the term “Word” refers to the Logos, a Greek term we are now familiar with. In the Greek way of understanding God and the Logos, I would say that the All is referring to the God that is over everything. Then Jesus would be more like the Logos, which in John 1:1 is God, who created the world and is in every aspect of it.
Next comes the theology of the cosmos. This one is a little more difficult to draw from, but there are a few hints throughout the text. When the disciples inquire whom Jesus is so they can believe in him, he responds by saying, “You examine the face of the heavens and the earth, and yet you have not known him who is in front of you face, nor do you know how to examine this time.” (90) This implies that there is a direct correlation between Jesus and the heavens and the earth. Somehow, the disciples should know who Jesus is just by examining the heavens and the earth. This could point to Jesus as creator of the heavens and the earth, and also that within that creation there are clues or arrows pointing to who Jesus is. There are many apocalyptic sayings that are direct matches to the apocalyptic parables found in the synoptic gospels. In verse 111 there is a reference to the heavens and earth rolling up, suggesting that they aren’t eternal, and will pass away.
The composition of humans in the Gospel of Thomas is very clearly derived from the Greek philosophical view of the human. There is a body, and soul, and our soul is the true human so to speak. Our souls fell from heaven and became trapped in matter, to now be in a constant battle with the flesh. (Paul’s letters about battles between the flesh and spirit ring any bells?). Verses 87 and 112 both highlight this battle. “Woe to the flesh which depends on the soul; woe to the soul which depends on the flesh.” (112) As far as the human condition goes, Jesus mentions a few times how we don’t need the things of this world. He instructs the disciples to be naked, renouncing clothes and food and other fleshly things. In verse 76 Jesus instructs the people to seek treasures that don’t perish, that no moth can eat nor worm destroy. To overcome this problem people should care for others, spread the word that the Kingdom of God is coming, and give money to the poor. Verse 95 encourages people to give money without demanding interest, but to give and not expect to get paid back. The ethics in the Gospel of Thomas are similar to those in the synoptic gospels. Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear. Renounce fleshly desires and things that don’t last, and live life for the Kingdom of God.
The most interesting part of the text, and the part that requires the label Gnostic, is the soteriology. In this gospel, Jesus teaches that to obtain eternal life and escape death, one must have secret knowledge about the teachings of Jesus. This is clear in the opening of the gospel. “The one who finds the meaning of these words will not taste death.” (1) The people are encouraged to seek this knowledge until they find it. “Let him who seeks not cease seeking until he finds, and when he finds, he shall be troubled, and when he is troubled, he will marvel, and he will rule over the All.” (2) Later in verse 108 Jesus says, “He who drinks from my mouth will be as I am, and I will be he and the things that are hidden will be revealed to him.” (108) Disciples should listen to Jesus’ teachings, and the hidden knowledge will be revealed to them.
Even though this text has many parallels to the synoptic gospels, at its core it is very different, and that is why it was dubbed heretical. On a structural level, the lack of narrative context to go along with the sayings makes it hard for readers to relate. Jesus was an interesting person in more ways than one. The Gospel of Thomas only highlights the words part of Jesus. There are major parts of his ministry that are left out in this text; the miracles, deeds, and interactions with people such as the Pharisees. Beyond the structure of the text, the core message of the Gospel of Thomas is very different than the core message that the proto-orthodox Christians adopted. There is no death, no resurrection, and no grace, all major parts of the proto-orthodox tradition. When the canon was put together, the letters of Paul wouldn’t have made sense with a Gnostic text like this gospel. The salvation theology would have been the biggest problem with the heresiologists.