ON LOVE; PART CDLXXXII
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α
GoodWill IS Love in Action
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α
The Gospel of Thomas
These are the hidden words that the living Jesus spoke. And Didymos Judas Thomas wrote them down.
(109) Jesus says: “The kingdom is like a person who has a hidden treasure in his field, (of which) he knows nothing. And [after] he had died, he left it to his [son]. (But) the son did not know (about it either). He took over that field (and) sold [it]. And the one who had bought it came, and while he was ploughing [he found] the treasure. He began to lend money at interest to whom he wished.“
(110) Jesus says: “The one who has found the world (and) has become wealthy should renounce the world.“
(111) Jesus says: “The heavens will roll up before you, and the earth. And whoever is living from the living one will not see death.” Does not Jesus say: “Whoever has found himself, of him the world is not worthy“?
(112) Jesus says: “Woe to the flesh that depends on the soul. Woe to the soul that depends on the flesh.“
(113) His disciples said to him: “The kingdom – on what day will it come?” “It will not come by watching (and waiting for) it. They will not say: ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Rather, the kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and people do not see it.“
(114) Simon Peter said to them: “Let Mary go away from us, for women are not worthy of life.” Jesus said: “Look, I will draw her in so as to make her male, so that she too may become a living male spirit, similar to you.” (But I say to you): “Every woman who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven.” 14
In the last essay we discussed our ideas regarding the one hundred ninth saying from the Gospel of Thomas and in the commentaries on this we found that this idea as we see it here in our version above is rather firm above in the minds of the commentators. In this form this saying makes little or no sense as a saying from the Master as there IS no point and there is no relevance to the reality of the Kingdom being this man who has this field and KNOWS NOT about the treasure nor is there any purpose in introducing the son in the same way. Many relate this to old fables and stories but if we are to believe that this is a saying from Jesus, there must be some redeeming spiritual quality to it that we can find behind the words themselves. We always stress that these are parables and as such there IS NO need for the hidden story to mimic the outer one but there is just the need that the there is some spiritual reality that can be extracted from the words. In doing this is it at times necessary to see the current parable through the reality of the Master’s overall teaching. Here in this view from Thomas we see a similar idea to that presented by Matthew and whether this is a different time and saying that Thomas recalls or if he or Matthew or both have worded this in their own understanding, we do not KNOW. At the same time however it does not matter if the hidden message is one that IS in accordance with the overall teaching and that it elicits a spiritual understanding in the minds of the disciple and the others who may come to understand the Master’s True words.
We should remember as well that translation has a large effect upon the right discernment of these and ALL sayings from the Master and we should ever be diligent to seek out the Truer meaning when we find that some part of what we are reading, hearing or believing DOES NOT conform to the reality of the Love that underlies ALL of His teaching. Here in this saying we have such a translation problem and one that we may not have realized without seeing other renderings of Thomas’ words and here we should say that it is in the uneasiness found of any translation that should cause one to seek further; in our case here we learned early on in this study of this translation issue and have been diligent to look as ALL the translations for every saying. In this saying we find quite a different prestnetation between the Interlinear’s original verison and the others that we have in our library; we post the Interlinear here again along side another of the other translations:
- Said-JS97 this: “the-kingdom, she-compares to-a-man who-had-he there in-his-\-field a-treasure ( )hiding, he-being not-knowing about-him;>and after-his-death, he-left-him to-his-son. The-son knew not. He-took-the-field which-was-there; he-gave-her a way, > and whoever-bought-her, he-came ()plowing; he-fell on-the-treasure. Did-he-begin to-give-money (at-interest) to-those-he-loves()” (Interlinear Version, original).
- Jesus said, “What the kingdom resembles is a man who possessed a hidden treasure in his field without knowing it. And [upon] dying he left it to his [son]. The son [was] not aware of the fact. He assumed (ownership of) the field and sold it. And the person who bought it came plowing, [found] the treasure, and began to lend out money at interest to whomever he wished” (Layton).
This rendering from Layton is largely the same as what we posted yesterday and as we see above from Patterson and Robinson; ALL translations make the same assumptions except the Interlinear and it is in the Interlinear that we can compose some rational ideas that would be understandable from the perspective of the Kingdom of God and as a teaching from the Master. In the version from Matthew there is a different dynamic but the same end result and while this is not readily apparent, the conclusion is found in the reality of the man who finds the treasure; these verses from Matthew read:
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had , and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away” (Matthew 13:44-48).
We post here the whole series of saying on the Kingdom which follow upon the Parable of the of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Leaven as they are called. These two which we have recently discussed are concerned with the growth of the Kingdom while these that follow, especially the Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Parable of the Pearl of Great Value, are concerned with what one would or should do in finding the Kingdom. Here in Matthew the Kingdom is likened to the treasure and to the man seeking pearls and it is in finding these that the seeker expends ALL effort to attain them. The last one, the Parable of Drawing in the Net is beyond all of these mentioned here, beyond the pearl and the hidden treasure and beyond the mustard seed and the leaven, this parable is concerned with our understanding that there can be no pretense in one’s efforts to find and to grow the Kingdom on his Life; here the Kingdom itself IS the net and the tenders of the Kingdom or the net are those that separate the pretender from the real. This is of course the action of one’s own Soul but the lesson IS here nonetheless. And so then in the Parable of the Hidden Treasure we have this reality that whatsoever it takes to realize the Kingdom IS what one must do; the field IS one’s heart, his consciousness, and the treasure of the Kingdom IS ever there; it is this treasure which the man will do his ALL to possess once he finds it, once he realizes that it is there.
Thomas version of this has a different perspective; the Kingdom here is likened to the man who owns the field which we can see as the Spiritual Man as ALL things belong to Him and this can parallel that idea from yesterday that the Kingdom can be seen as the Father; in both this IS the Spirit Aspect as we see in our chart below. On this level both the Spiritual Man and the Father are ‘NOT KNOWING’ about this treasure as it has no meaning to him. This field then passes to the son and in this we must remember that there need not be a real time parallel from the story to the reality and here that would reflect that there IS not need to keep this idea of death in this equation, but simply to see that the Kingdom field with the treasure passes on the the son. Here we can see the Son as the Second Aspect of the Trinity or we can see the Son as the Soul, the manifestation of the Spirit which IS then the True man, the Christ Within; here again we find no interest in the treasure and it IS this attitude of disinterest that we see in the story as ‘NOT KNOWING’. Finally we have the Soul who gives the field away or, as we posited yesterday, the disciple to whom the Son gives the field with the hidden treasure. Either way we need to keep this in a spiritual Light and if this IS the Son giving to the disciple in the world this field and this is seen as an actual field and actual treasure then we can clearly see the reality of the end of the parable, that the disciple finds the treasure and gives ALL away as instructed in the other parables and sayings of the Master and here the rhetorical question plays well.
We can also see this along the other track that the Spiritual Man has this field of consciousness and passes this to the Son who IS the manifestation of the Life and consciousness in the realm of man; again neither have any interest in this treasure because in a strange way they actually are the treasure and here again we should understand the parabolic nature of these ideas. An so then this passes on to the man in the world who discovers this treasure, his own Soul and Spiritual Life, and then what does he choose to do with it? Again we can see the rhetorical question; does he lend it out ‘at interest’ or does he share what he has discovered freely with ALL. Here we would see this in the spiritual equivalent of the ninety fifth saying which reads: “If you (plur.) have money, do not lend it out at interest. Rather, give [it] to one from whom you will not get it back” (Layton); by placing the idea of this treasure in place of the idea of money. Our point here is that this parable is a lesson on the Kingdom of God on both these levels and as real field and a real treasure may be how the apostle understood the Master’s words; here we can see a reality of the very nature of the parable and how these can be seen in more than one light depending upon one’s own view of Life.
Our next saying, the one hundred tenth, is at first glance a bit cryptic and it is as well very similar to other ideas from Thomas’ Gospel. We could also see this as a sort of moral and an ending to the last saying when that is seen from the Interlinear perspective and it is understood that this treasure IS of the world. We will however treat it separately and note here that ALL of the translations do say much the same things. Similar ideas can be seen in several sayings and the feeling of the commentators is generally that the Gnostic has a disparaging view of riches; our view here however is that that Master has a disparaging view of riches and of wealth and tells us many times that same sentiment that we see in the ninety fifth and, by extension, in our one hundred ninth above. Looking at some of these similarities, we can see above in the ninety fifth the clear idea that one should give the money away which is the same sentiment that we discussed finding in the Master’s words in such sayings as “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” (Matthew 5:42); and here we should see that He means money and much, much more. From the perspective of Thomas Gospel we have these ideas:
- Jesus says: “Let him who has become rich reign, and let him who has strength refrain <from using it>!” (Thomas 81; Doresse)
- Said -J S73 this: “whoever-has-become-rich, let-him-become-king, > and he-who-has-he (a) power, let-him-abdicate” (Thomas 81; Interlinear Version).
We post both of these ideas here to show again the differences; the other translations render as renounce while the Interlinear renders as abdicate and this is the same as is done with our current saying. Doresse here renders very differently as he sees this as “refrain <from using it” while in the current saying he renders as renounce along with the others and we should note that this IS the same Coptic word. Here we should add the idea that when we last discussed this saying we did compare it to this current one and we also said this eighty first is a single unified saying that had two related ends and we tried to discern the meaning on this basis. However, looking at this again today we have a different view emerging and that is that these ARE two separate sayings which, while related, are pointing to the carnal ways of man. In the idea of “whoever-has-become-rich, let-him-become-king” is a saying that shows the idea that if one has riches he should take kingly control over them and reign and the converse of this IS the Life of the disciple who can never become rich as he would give ALL away, he would forsake it ALL; this IS the same idea we get from the ninety fifth above. Here then is a sort of play on words since as addressed to His disciples there can be no one who IS rich and, as addressed to others, that they should take care of the riches as one’s reign. The second part is more to the disciple and is rather clear and whether we equate this power with the riches or not, the worldly power of the man in the world is of no use to the man seeking the Kingdom. These same ideas are found scattered throughout the Master’s words.
The teachings of the Master are for us clearly teachings on discipleship and the attitude of the disciple is clearly “take no thought” (Matthew 6:25) and when we look at these parables and sayings in that light ALL does make more sense. The available commentary on our current saying are:
- Marvin Meyer writes: “Compare saying 81. The teaching on renunciation of the world also occurs in the Acts of Paul and Thecla, the Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles, and Pistis Sophia. See also Gospel of Thomas saying 27 on fasting from (or, abstaining from) the world.” (The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus, p. 107).
- Helmut Koester writes: “To be ‘children of the living Father’ is to be free from the society and not to be bound to the world and its values. ‘Blessedness’ does not depend upon the marks of success in this world. One’s identity should not be determined by whatever is valuable for personal status in the social fabric of the world: householder, family member, religious leader, successful business person: [110].” (Ancient Christian Gospels, p. 128).
- Gerd Ludemann writes: “Like Logia 56; 80; 111.3, the logion is about the renunciation of the world. This time Jesus is addressing those who like the man from Logion 109 have profited from the world, but should now withdraw from it as rapidly as possible.” (Jesus After 2000 Years, p. 641).
Mr. Koester’s view here is an accurate depiction of the role of the disciple in the world and this is also the ideas that are captured by these parables that we are discussing today; these ideas are neatly tied together for us in the Master’s teaching on treasures. The things of the world are of NO profit to the man who is seeking the Kingdom and this is clearly stated by Jesus saying: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt , and where thieves break through and steal : 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt , and where thieves do not break through nor steal : 21 For where your treasure is , there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). Here again we should see the reality that He speaks of riches and much, much more; He speaks of every part of carnal Life that takes one’s attention away from the things of God.
It IS this same idea that is found in our one hundred tenth saying which is simply stated to say that when we have found the treasures of the world in ANY form and become wealthy in ANY form, we should renounce such treasure. Can we see in this the list that Mr. Koester cites above? can we see how anything that binds one to the world IS contrary to the Kingdom? Can we see how this IS any of the many marks of success in this world, marks which are rather self defined, and can we see how this stretches across the entire ‘social fabric’ and includes even family and religion. Can we see in these ideas the Master’s words as He tells us that we should:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:24).
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
| Aspect of God |
Potency |
Aspect of Man |
In Relation to the Great Invocation |
In relation to the Christ |
|
GOD, The Father |
Will or Power |
Spirit or Life |
Center where the Will of God IS KNOWN |
Life |
|
Son, The Christ |
Love and Wisdom |
Soul or Christ Within |
Heart of God |
Truth |
|
Holy Spirit |
Light or Activity |
Life Within |
Mind of God |
Way |
Note on the Quote of the Day
This daily blog also has a Quote of the Day which may not be in any way related to the essay. Many of these will be from the Bible and some just prayers or meditations that may have an influence on you and are in line with the subject matter of this blog. As the quote will change daily and will not store with the post, it is repeated in this section with the book reference and comment.
This is the Prayer of Saint Francis which we repeat again from a previous post as our Quote of the Day. If we were all to accept these ideas as guiding Lights in our lives, we would be expressing the Love and the Faith that the Master teaches. It is attributed to the 13th-century saint Francis of Assisi, although the prayer in its present form cannot be traced back further than 1912*. Regardless of the True authorship, the sentiments revealed in this prayer are genuine and are in keeping the intent of the teachings of the Master and His apostles. We should note here that the dying is not necessarily the death of the body but the death of the carnal man in the world when one is born again. In this context we read this about Saint Francis: Francis was the son of a wealthy foreign cloth merchant in Assisi, and he lived the high-spirited life typical of a wealthy young man, even fighting as a soldier for Assisi. While going off to war in 1204, Francis had a vision that directed him back to Assisi, where he lost his taste for his worldly life**. Here is the antithesis of the rich young man of the gospels. While he may not have authored this prayer, many do attribute it to him and in reading about his Life one can easily see these ideas in his heart.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
This is a prayer that is Truly in line with the teachings of the Master and the ideals encapsulated in this should be those that govern our lives and our prayer should be that ALL can see Life in this same way. We should try to see the reality of these words in the verses above regarding feeding and visiting the least of His and our brethren; in these words is a deeper meaning, as clearer expression of Love and, we should look at the Master’s words above as an expression of Love and not merely in the terms that He presents as this is the intent of the entirety of His teachings.
Additional background information on Saint Francis of Assisi can be found in a rather lengthy article in the Catholic Encyclopedia; a link to this is provided below.†
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!
- 14 The Gospel of Thomas; Translated by Stephen J. Patterson and James M. Robinson; http://gnosis.org/
- † Link to New Advent http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06221a.htm*
- Wikipedia contributors. “Prayer of Saint Francis.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 24 Jan. 2013.
- **Wikipedia contributors. “Francis of Assisi.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 24 Jan. 2013.
