ON LOVE; PART XDXV

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GoodWill IS Love in Action

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The Gospel of Thomas

These are the hidden words that the living Jesus spoke. And Didymos Judas Thomas wrote them down.

(51) His disciples said to him: “When will the <resurrection> of the dead take place, and when will the new world come?” He said to them: “That (resurrection) which you are awaiting has (already) come, but you do not recognize it.”

(52) His disciples said to him: “Twenty-four prophets have spoken in Israel, and all (of them) have spoken through you.” He said to them: “You have pushed away the living (one) from yourselves, and you have begun to speak of those who are dead.“

(53) His disciples said to him: “Is circumcision beneficial, or not?” He said to them: “If it were beneficial, their father would beget them circumcized from their mother. But the true circumcision in the spirit has prevailed over everything.“

(54) Jesus says: “Blessed are the poor. For the kingdom of heaven belongs to you.“

(55) Jesus says: “Whoever does not hate his father and his mother cannot become a disciple of mine. And whoever does not hate his brothers and his sisters (and) will not take up his cross as I do, will not be worthy of me.“

(56) Jesus says: “Whoever has come to know the world has found a corpse. And whoever has found (this) corpse, of him the world is not worthy.“

(57) Jesus says: “The kingdom of the Father is like a person who had (good) seed. His enemy came by night. He sowed darnel among the good seed. The person did not allow (the servants) to pull up the darnel. He said to them: ‘Lest you go to pull up the darnel (and then) pull up the wheat along with it.’ For on the day of the harvest, the darnel will be apparent and it will be pulled up (and) burned.“

In the last essay we began our discussion on the fifty first saying from the Gospel of Thomas and we noted that this is yet another obscure saying and one where there are several different ideas put forth by the different translations as some render the Coptic word that IS rendered as repose here and in the fiftieth saying by the Interlinear Version, as rest, as resurrection and repose; of the six translations that we use in our study three render as rest, two as repose and one as resurrection. Since the English word repose includes the idea of rest as this is commonly understood we have chosen to see the proper rendering as repose in which we see the ideas of peace, stillness, tranquility and harmony, and of course rest. This is similar to the way we should see the idea of the Greek word anapauo in the New Testament; Jesus uses this word in saying “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden , and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28) and in this we should see the ideas above of peace, stillness, tranquility and harmony rather than merely a rest from activity. Jesus also uses this word as rest as we would likely understand it in telling His apostles that they should “Sleep on now, and take your rest” (Matthew 26:45) in the Garden at Gethsemane and He uses it in yet another context in the Parable of the Rich Fool who says to himself: “thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry” (Luke 12:19). In this idea from Luke the rendering is “take thine ease” though some do render this as rest even when this English word does not confer the Truer thought of taking is easy, being content in what he has, etc.

This same word is used by the Apostle Paul where it is rendered as refreshed and by the Apostle Peter where the idea is rest but of a different kind as we read “for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you” (1 Peter 4:14). We should try to see here that in both the Coptic and in the Greek this idea of rest and of repose is multifaceted and we can likely see the more obscure ideas of repose in the New Testament sayings as well. Having somewhat settled this idea for ourselves, the saying itself is still a mystery as even in the rendering from the Interlinear that “which day is-the-repose of-those-who-are-dead coming-into-being?” we are quite unsure of the idea of this question that the disciples are asking the Master. The shorter version rendered by Lambdin is a bit clearer as we read “When will the repose of the dead come about” and this is similar to another similar idea from Layton who renders this as “When will the repose of the dead come to pass”. The assumption here by Patterson and Robinson that this reference is to the resurrection is just that, an assumption, but this idea can work here if we could understand the True nature of the resurrection as we understand it from the words of the Master which we recently discussed. In the steady cycle of death and rebirth there is no True rest, the man IS in constant motion; not as the Soul per se but as the man who IS trapped in this cycle; the Truth of the resurrection is to free oneself from this cycle, free oneself from the need to be reborn yet again. Here however we have the difficulty of this word which is misused and misunderstood; this word IS NEVER explained and if we look at it apart from the resurrection of the Master we can likely see the greater reality that the idea that “But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead” (Luke 20:35) is in reference to this idea of freedom. Can we see here then in this idea the notion of repose, that in this resurrection and this freedom is also the peace, stillness, tranquility and harmony for the Soul that no longer has to endure this cycle of Life, death and rebirth?

In ALL of this then we still have this idea of “When will the repose of the dead come to pass” as a question to the Master that is yet obscure; having settled upon the idea of repose as our rendering and having related this to the idea of the freedom of the Soul from the continuing saga of death and rebirth in the world of men we come to this idea of what is the meaning of dead. Here we can say that this idea of dead IS in reference to the Soul’s being trapped in this worldly Life in form and we would be saying rightly but at the same time we DO NOT KNOW that this IS the understanding of the disciples who are asking this question; in fact, we would think that it is not. The question then is from the disciples who DO NOT yet understand these ideas; they are perhaps asking this based in the Jewish ideas of Life and death and of the resurrection that the Sadducee had asked the Master about in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Here in these synoptic gospels the Master tells the enquirers that they do not rightly understand and He explains this as we have above in the quote from Luke’s Gospel. Here in Thomas, while our word is repose and not resurrection, we should try to see that in this idea of repose with its peace, stillness, tranquility and harmony for the Soul can be seen in the same way as resurrection as both can be indicating what the disciples would perceive as heavenly places. The idea from the commentary of Funk and Hoover that we posted yesterday can offer some understanding; here; while we do not understand how they see the idea of salvation as a synonym for rest, we can see the idea of salvation in these ideas of repose and of resurrection as we understand them in the freedom from the cycle of death and rebirth. Salvation IS our deliverance “from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). In this idea of salvation or deliverance from the words repose and resurrection we should be able to see that the physical death of the body IS NOT a requirement as a man achieves the Kingdom during his Life in the world of men and NOT at death.

Hence the Master’s answer as we see it from Layton IS the answer to this reality and from His answer we can see that the disciples do not yet grasp this Truth; we read: “That (repose) which you (plur.) are waiting for has come, but for your part you do not recognize it“. They are disciples, they are in the Kingdom of God, they are expressing the Love and the Power of their Souls through their Life in form and although they ARE still learning and coming to understand the Truths of Life, they are nonetheless such that they have accepted and achieved the criteria for discipleship in that day which is simply outlined for us by the Master as He tells them and us these things that they surely have accomplished:

• They have forsaken ALL as we read His instruction which says: “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14;33). We KNOW this is so because of Peter’s words as he speaks for the disciples saying “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold , we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore” (Matthew 19:27).
• They DO keep His words, the keep ALL of the commandments. They are His disciples and this IS His criteria that tells us that “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed”  (John 8:31).
• And it IS in keeping His words that they do bear the fruits of the Spirit in their expression to the world and of this the Master says: “that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8).

So then we have disciples, men who have forsaken ALL, men who keep His words and men who in so doing bear the fruit of the Spirit to the world of men. This IS their salvation and their deliverance and this is their repose; they have found that rest the the Master speaks of for those who come to Him; these men have found the peace, stillness, tranquility and harmony that comes in keeping His words and in His admonition that we ALL “take no thought” (Matthew 6:24). Perhaps in this question to the Master and His answer, these disciples DO come to understand these Truths and these realities.

This next saying, the fifty second is seemingly even more obscure at first glance than was the preceding one that we discuss above. In many of these we see a perspective from disciples that we do not generally see in the accepted gospels; we do not see the steady stream of questions from them that we see here in Thomas and which are only natural in the complexity of the spiritual teaching and the ways of the Master. Here we should see that the questions are likely based in their own understanding of Life and their own understanding of religion through the eyes of a Jew. This next question is likely based in some of the teachings of the Jewish religion as they first address the idea of the prophets. Again we have translation issues; here the idea of the prophets speaking of, or through, or by, or in the Master can change the understanding of this part of this saying; however, since the rest of the idea remains intact, we will not post the individual translations and, in our reading, this part seems of no consequence in right  understanding of the whole of the saying. From our perspective it does not matter that there are 24, and any count by us today would of course depend on who we count as a prophet, and it does not matter that they speak of or through the Master; we need only see the idea of the question. There were prophets and they did speak of H i,is the more sensible idea historically; there were prophets and they do speak through or in Him can be seen as a Truth in the disciples eyes as the Master repeats much of what it is that they say. Either way the disciples make their statement which we see as a question as it does get an answer from the Master. Before we go further here let us look at some of the available commentary:

• Robert M. Grant and David Noel Freedman write: “Gartner has well identified the twenty-four as the authors of the canonical books of the Old Testament, contrasted with seventy secret books in the apocalypse of Ezra (2 Esdras [4 Ezra] 14:44-48). Perhaps, as I have elsewhere suggested, they consist of twenty-three prophets and John the Baptist. In any case, the Old Testament revelation is completely outmoded. What counts is the new revelation of the Gnostic Jesus.” (Gnosticism & Early Christianity, p. 186).
• F. F. Bruce writes: “The number of prophets corresponds to the number of books in the Hebrew Bible. [Another, but less probable, view is that the twenty-four prophets are the twenty-three listed in the old Jewish Lives of the Prophets, edited by C. C. Torrey (Philadelphia, 1943), with the addition of John the Baptist (Grant and Freedman, The Secret Sayings of Jesus, p. 153).] Throughout the New Testament it is emphasized that Christ has fulfilled the Old Testament Scriptures: ‘To him all the prophets bear witness’ (Acts 10:43). [Some translators and commentators treat ‘in you’ as though it meant ‘concerning you’; it includes this, but goes beyond it. Christ, as the Logos, is the one in whom they prophesied – which is the reverse way of putting the New Testament statement that ‘the Spirit of Christ within them prophesied’ (1 Peter 1.11). Cf. A. A. T. Ehrhardt, ‘The Disciples of Emmaeus’, New Testament Studies 10 (1963-64), p. 192; he compares the apocryphal Epistle of the Apostles 19 (‘all the words which were spoken by the prophets were fulfilled in me, for I myself was in them’).] But this saying reflects a disparaging attitude to the Old Testament comment to several of the Gnostic schools. Augustine knew the saying, and dismissed it as an invention. [Against an Adversary of the Law and the Prophets 2.14.]” (Jesus and Christian Origens Outside the New Testament, p. 134).

• Funk and Hoover write: “in the question, the number twenty-four is significant: in later Jewish tradition, this was the number of sacred or scriptural books. The saying therefore masks a polemic against the Hebrew scriptures. One might expect to find such a polemic in the works of Marcion or his followers in the mid-second century C.E., but not among the sayings of Jesus. The saying appears to reflect a time when Christianity was no longer a Judean sect, but had become largely gentile.” (The Five Gospels, p. 503).

• Marvin Meyer writes: “Augustine, Against the Adversary of the Law and the Prophets 2.4.14, provides a close parallel to this saying: ‘You have rejected the living one who is before you, and you speak idly of the dead.’ Also noteworthy is Acts of Thomas 170: ‘Since you do not believe in the living, how do you wish to believe in the dead? But do not fear. Jesus the Christ, through his great goodness, treats you humanely.’ Compare also John 5:37-40; 8:52-53.” (The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus, p. 90).
• R. McL. Wilson writes: “The saying is quoted by Augustine who, as Grant and Freedman say, has no hesitation about declaring it fictitious, but Jeremias shows very clearly how it could find a place within the context of the historic ministry. Here we have a case of a saying recorded only in an apocryphal document, as Augustine says, which may yet have some claim to consideration as possibly authentic. Even if not authentic, it would appear to reflect a period of controversy with the Jews about the Messiahship of Jesus, such a situation as is envisaged, for example, in Ignatius’ letter to the Philadelphians (chap. 8), and this may justify its inclusion at this point.” (Studies in the Gospel of Thomas, p. 127).

As we can see the first few of these address the number of prophets which is not an important factor here from our perspective; they reflect as well some ideas of the authenticity of the sayings with Funk and Hoover clearly coming out on the side that such a saying would be not among the sayings of Jesus. Of course that this is accounted as fictitious by Augustine is of no moment to us as neither this question nor this answer fit into the doctrinal approach to the Master’s words. The key points and Thomas inclusion of these words in this gospel are found  in the answer and in this view it is likely that the inclusion of a question is to create a foundation for the answer which has reference to Himself, that He IS the living that they should be asking of instead of posing questions about the prophets who have long since been alive in this world of men. There is no derogatory idea in this as the Master simply says that the ideas of the prophets no longer matter as He tells them ‘I am here’.

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.

Values to Live By

A Love of Truth—essential
for a just, inclusive and progressive society;

A Sense of Justice—recognition
of the rights and needs, of all.

Spirit of Cooperation—based
on active goodwill and the principle of right human
relationships;

A Sense of Personal Responsibility—for
group, community and national affairs;

Serving the Common Good— through
the sacrifice of selfishness. Only what is good for all
is good for each one.

The world of the future depends on what each one of us chooses to do today.

From a previous essay and Quote of the Day we reprise these words:  It is interesting to note that the ideas of the Quote of the Day embody much of the Master’s teachings and can set the stage for the beginning of each man’s revelation and realization of the Light of the Soul; that is, that by the intentional practice of these ‘rules’ of conduct one can put himself in the position of a follower of the Master and an keeper of His word and this regardless if he has ever heard of the Christ or wants to be affiliated with any ideas Christian. By keeping these sound principals of Life in mind and practicing them a man can lift himself up above and beyond the world of men and into the world of the Good, the Beautiful and the True as it exists for those in whom the Christ Within, the God Within, is awakened. Ponder on this.

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/