early and medieval christian heresy
university of oregon, spring 2015
The Gospel of Thomas is one of the most disputed and discussed book that is not in the current canonical Bible. It is theorized that this Gospel was written by Jesus’ twin brother. The book records 114 unique and secret teachings. There are many things that are different from the Gospels to the Gospel of… Continue reading Gospel of Thomas
The Gospel of Thomas offers us 114 sayings of Jesus. Unlike other texts, it provides us with no context. These sayings are written in a sort of list format, one coming directly after another. Often there is no similar theme to tie one to the next. At first these sayings appear to be peculiar and… Continue reading Gospel of Thomas
One strong connection between the Gospel of Thomas and Greek philosophy is dualism. Greek thinkers divided the world into polar opposites: good/bad, spiritual/physical, light/dark. This dualism can be seen in the Gospel of Thomas when Jesus says that “On the day when you were one, you became two. But now that you are two, what… Continue reading The Gospel of Thomas
In reading the Gospel of Thomas, we can see something that is truly unique and different from the other, more well-known gospels that we are used to reading. The writer of the Gospel of Thomas didn’t include miracles or even the death and resurrection of Jesus; the author only included parables and sayings! An example… Continue reading The Gospel of Thomas
Within the Gospel of Thomas consists a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus that has him revealing the secret to salvation through parables. For example in passage 44 Jesus is to have said “Whoever blasphemes the Father, it will be forgiven him, and whoever blasphemes the Son, it will be forgiven him, but he who… Continue reading Gospel of Thomas
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… Continue reading Gospel of Thomas
Theology and Christology of the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas Rather than write in general terms on this extremely broad topic I am focusing on Thomas 13 since it seems to be a particularly clear example where the account in the synoptic gospels has been reframed to lend credence to the Gnostic outlook on the process… Continue reading Gnostic Gospel of Thomas
In the biblical account, Mary Magdalene was present for the key parts of Jesus’ ministry. She was healed of seven demons, and accompanied Jesus for at least part of his ministry (Luke 8:1-3), and was present at his crucifixion,death and burial (Mark 15:40-47). Most importantly, she was the first woman to receive and proclaim the… Continue reading The Gospel of Mary
In Luke 8:1-3 it is implied that Mary has some sort of special relationship with Jesus and the group due to her being specifically named along with the naming of her having seven demons exercised from herself. It said that they supported the group as they roamed around preaching the gospel and teaching. Mk 15:40-41//Mt… Continue reading Mary Magdalene