View source for Gospel of Thomas

{{Short description|Extra-canonical sayings gospel}}
{{Distinguish|Acts of Thomas|Book of Thomas the Contender|Infancy Gospel of Thomas}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox religious text
| image = File:El Evangelio de Tomás-Gospel of Thomas- Codex II Manuscritos de Nag Hammadi-The Nag Hammadi manuscripts.png
| caption = [[Nag Hammadi Codex II]]:{{pb}}The beginning of the Gospel of Thomas
| author = Attributed to [[Thomas the Apostle|Thomas]]
| religion = [[Christianity]]
| language = [[Coptic language|Coptic]], [[Greek language|Greek]]
| verses =
| period = [[Early Christianity]]{{pb}}(possibly [[Christianity in the 1st century#Apostolic Age|Apostolic Age]])
}}
{{New Testament Apocrypha}}

The '''Gospel of Thomas''' (also known as the '''Coptic Gospel of Thomas''') is a non-canonical [[Logia|sayings gospel]].<ref name="o742">{{cite web |date=14 September 2020 |title=Our Most Important Gospel from Outside the NT: The Gospel of Thomas |url=https://ehrmanblog.org/wanna-read-the-gospel-of-thomas/ |access-date=31 January 2025 |website=The Bart Ehrman Blog}}</ref>{{sfnp|Foster|2008|p=16}} It was discovered near [[Nag Hammadi]], [[Egypt]], in 1945 among a group of books known as the [[Nag Hammadi library]]. Scholars speculate the works were buried in response to a letter from Bishop [[Athanasius of Alexandria|Athanasius]] declaring a strict canon of Christian scripture. Most scholars place the composition during the second century,{{sfnp|Bock|2006|p=61,63}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Ehrman |first=Bart |author-link=Bart Ehrman |title=Lost Christianities |url= https://archive.org/details/lostchristianiti00ehrm |url-access=registration |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |date=2003 |pages=xi–xii |isbn=978-0-19-514183-2}}</ref> while some have proposed dates as late as 250&nbsp;AD and others have traced its signs of origins back to 60&nbsp;AD.{{sfnp|Valantasis|1997|p=12, 20}}{{sfnp|Porter|2010|p=9}} Some scholars have seen it as evidence of the existence of a "[[Q source]]" that might have been similar in its form as a collection of sayings of [[Jesus]], without any accounts of his deeds or his life and death, referred to as a sayings gospel, though most conclude that Thomas depends on or harmonizes the Synoptics.{{sfnp|Meier|1991|pp=135–138}}{{sfnp|Schnelle|2007|p=230}}<ref>{{cite book |last=McLean |first=Bradley H.|date=1994 |editor-last=Piper| editor-first=Ronald A. |title=The Gospel behind the Gospels: Current Studies on Q |publisher=Brill |pages=321–345 |chapter=Chapter 13: On the Gospel of Thomas and Q |isbn=978-90-04-09737-7}}</ref>

The [[Coptic language|Coptic-language]] text, the second of seven contained in what scholars have designated as Nag Hammadi Codex II, comprises 114 sayings attributed to Jesus. Almost two-thirds of these sayings resemble those found in the [[canonical gospels]]{{sfnp|Linssen|2020}} and its ''[[editio princeps]]'' counts more than 80% of parallels.{{sfnp|Guillaumont|Puech|Quispel|Till|1959|pp=59-62}} Experts speculate that the gospel's other sayings were added from [[Gnostic]] tradition.{{sfnp|Ehrman|2003b|pp=19–20}} Its place of origin may have been [[Syria (region)|Syria]], where [[Thomasines|Thomasine]] traditions were strong.{{sfnp|Dunn|Rogerson|2003|p=1574}} Other scholars have suggested an [[Alexandria]]n origin.{{sfnp|Brown|2019}}

The introduction states: "These are the hidden words that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas wrote them down."{{sfnp|Patterson|Robinson|Bethge|1998}} Didymus ([[Koine Greek]]) and Thomas ([[Aramaic]]) both mean "twin". Most scholars do not consider the [[Apostle Thomas]] the author of this document; the author remains unknown.{{sfnp|DeConick|2006|p=2}} Because of its discovery with the Nag Hammadi library, and the cryptic nature, it was widely thought the document originated within a [[School of thought|school]] of early Christians, [[Proto-Gnosticism|proto-Gnostics]].{{sfnp|Layton|1987|p=361}}{{sfnp|Ehrman|2003a|p=59}} By contrast, critics have questioned whether the description of Thomas as an entirely gnostic gospel is based solely on the fact it was found along with gnostic texts at Nag Hammadi.{{sfnp|Davies|1983a|pp=23–24}}{{sfnp|Ehrman|2003a|p=59}}

The Gospel of Thomas is very different in tone and structure from other [[New Testament apocrypha]] and the four canonical Gospels. Unlike the canonical Gospels, it is not a [[Narrative#Literary theory|narrative]] account of Jesus' life; instead, it consists of ''logia'' (sayings) attributed to Jesus, sometimes stand-alone, sometimes embedded in short [[Dialogue#Literary and philosophical genre|dialogues]] or [[Parable#Parables of Jesus|parables]]; 13 of its 16 parables are also found in the [[Synoptic Gospels]]. The text contains a possible allusion to the death of Jesus in logion 65{{sfnp|DeConick|2006|p=214}} ([[Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen]]), but does not mention his [[crucifixion of Jesus|crucifixion]], his [[resurrection of Jesus|resurrection]], or the [[Last Judgment]]; nor does it mention a messianic understanding of Jesus.{{sfnp|McGrath|2006|p=12}}{{sfnp|Dunn|Rogerson|2003|p=1573}}

==Finds and publication==
[[File:P. Oxy. 1.jpg|thumb|P. Oxy. 1]]
[[File: Nag Hammadi Codex II.jpg|thumb|[[Nag Hammadi Codex II]], folio 32, the beginning of the Gospel of Thomas]]
The manuscript of the Coptic text ([[Nag Hammadi Codex II|CG II]]), found in 1945 at Nag Hammadi in Egypt, is dated at around 340&nbsp;AD. It was first published in a photographic edition in 1956.<ref group=note>For photocopies of the manuscript see: {{cite web |url=http://www.gospels.net/thomas/ |title=The Gospel of Thomas Resource Center « gospels.net |access-date=2010-02-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008055033/http://www.gospels.net/thomas/ |archive-date=8 October 2010}}</ref> This was followed three years later (1959) by the first English-language translation, with Coptic transcription.{{sfnp|Guillaumont|Puech|Quispel|Till|1959}} In 1977, [[James M. Robinson]] edited the first complete collection of English translations of the Nag Hammadi texts.{{sfnp|Robinson|1988}} The Gospel of Thomas has been translated and annotated worldwide in many languages.

The original Coptic manuscript is now the property of the [[Coptic Museum]] in Cairo, Egypt, Department of Manuscripts.{{sfnp|Labib|1956}}

===Oxyrhynchus papyrus fragments===
After the Coptic version of the complete text was discovered in 1945 at Nag Hammadi, scholars soon realized that three different Greek text fragments previously found at [[Oxyrhynchus]] (the [[Oxyrhynchus Papyri]]), also in Egypt, were part of the Gospel of Thomas.{{sfnp|Grenfell|Hunt|1897}}{{sfnp|Grant|Freedman|1960}} These three papyrus fragments of Thomas date to between 130 and 250&nbsp;AD.

Prior to the Nag Hammadi library discovery, the sayings of Jesus found in Oxyrhynchus were known simply as [[Logia|Logia Iesu]]. The corresponding [[Uncial script]] Greek fragments of the Gospel of Thomas, found in Oxyrhynchus are:
* [[Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 1|P. Oxy. 1]]: fragments of logia 26 through 33, with the last two sentences of logion 77 in the Coptic version included at the end of logion 30 herein.
* [[Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 654|P. Oxy. 654]]: fragments of the beginning through logion 7, logion 24 and logion 36 on the flip side of a papyrus containing [[surveying]] data.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://163.1.169.40/cgi-bin/library?e=d-000-00---0POxy--00-0-0--0prompt-10---4----ded--0-1l--1-en-50---20-about-1708--00031-001-1-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=POxy&cl=CL5.1.4&d=HASH66d3d01e4d152cbe92ae08|title=P.Oxy.IV 0654|access-date=2 November 2011|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303203556/http://163.1.169.40/cgi-bin/library?e=d-000-00---0POxy--00-0-0--0prompt-10---4----ded--0-1l--1-en-50---20-about-1708--00031-001-1-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=POxy&cl=CL5.1.4&d=HASH66d3d01e4d152cbe92ae08|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 655|P. Oxy. 655]]: fragments of logia 36 through 39. 8 fragments designated ''a'' through ''h'', whereof ''f'' and ''h'' have since been lost.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://163.1.169.40/cgi-bin/library?e=d-000-00---0POxy--00-0-0--0prompt-10---4----ded--0-1l--1-en-50---20-about-1708--00031-001-1-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=POxy&cl=CL5.1.4&d=HASH66d3d01e4d152cc692ae08|title=P.Oxy.IV 0655|access-date=2 November 2011|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303202730/http://163.1.169.40/cgi-bin/library?e=d-000-00---0POxy--00-0-0--0prompt-10---4----ded--0-1l--1-en-50---20-about-1708--00031-001-1-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=POxy&cl=CL5.1.4&d=HASH66d3d01e4d152cc692ae08|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The wording of the Coptic sometimes differs markedly from the earlier Greek Oxyrhynchus texts, the extreme case being that the last portion of logion 30 in the Greek is found at the end of logion 77 in the Coptic. This fact, along with the quite different wording Hippolytus uses when apparently quoting it (see below), suggests that the Gospel of Thomas "may have circulated in more than one form and passed through several stages of redaction."{{sfnp|Meier|1991|p=125}}

Although it is generally thought that the Gospel of Thomas was first composed in Greek, there is evidence that the Coptic Nag Hammadi text is a translation from [[Syriac language|Syriac]] (see [[#Syriac origin|Syriac origin]]).

===Attestation===
The earliest surviving written references to the Gospel of Thomas are found in the writings of [[Hippolytus (writer)|Hippolytus of Rome]] ({{c.|222–235}}) and [[Origen|Origen of Alexandria]] ({{c.|233|lk=no}}).{{sfnp|Koester|1990|pp=77ff}} Hippolytus wrote in his ''[[Refutation of All Heresies]]'' 5.7.20:
{{blockquote|<nowiki>[</nowiki>The [[Naassenes]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> speak{{nbsp}}[...] of a nature which is both hidden and revealed at the same time and which they call the thought-for kingdom of heaven which is in a human being. They transmit a tradition concerning this in the Gospel entitled "According to Thomas," which states expressly, "The one who seeks me will find me in children of seven years and older, for there, hidden in the fourteenth [[aeon]], I am revealed."}}

This appears to be a reference to saying 4 of Thomas, although the wording differs significantly. As translated by Thomas O. Lambdin, saying 4 reads: "Jesus said, 'the man old in days will not hesitate to ask a small child seven days old about the place of life, and he will live. For many who are first will become last, and they will become one and the same".{{sfnp|Robinson|1988|p=126}} In this context, the preceding reference to the "sought-after reign of the heavens within a person" appears to be a reference to sayings 2 and 3.{{sfnp|Johnson|2010}} Hippolytus also appears to quote saying 11 in ''Refutation'' 5.8.32, but without attribution.{{sfnp|Johnson|2010}}

[[Origen]] listed the "Gospel according to Thomas" as being among the [[heterodoxy|heterodox]] apocryphal gospels known to him (''Hom. in Luc.'' 1). He condemned a book called "Gospel of Thomas" as heretical; it is not clear that it is the same gospel of Thomas, however, as he possibly meant the [[Infancy Gospel of Thomas]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Carlson |first=Stephen C. |date=2014-01-01 |title=Origen's Use of the Gospel of Thomas |url=https://www.academia.edu/7414722 |journal=Sacra Scriptura: How &quot;Non-Canonical&quot; Text Functioned in Early Judaism and Early Christianity}}</ref>

In the 4th and 5th centuries, various Church Fathers wrote that the Gospel of Thomas was highly valued by [[Mani (prophet)|Mani]]. In the 4th century, [[Cyril of Jerusalem]] mentioned a "Gospel of Thomas" twice in his ''[[Catechesis]]'': "The Manichaeans also wrote a Gospel according to Thomas, which being tinctured with the fragrance of the evangelic title corrupts the souls of the simple sort."<ref>Cyril ''Catechesis'' [http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310104.htm 4.36]</ref> and "Let none read the Gospel according to Thomas: for it is the work not of one of the twelve Apostles, but of one of the three wicked disciples of Manes."<ref>Cyril ''Catechesis'' [http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310106.htm 6.31]</ref> The 5th-century ''[[Gelasian Decree]]'' includes "A Gospel attributed to Thomas which the Manichaean use" in its list of heretical books.{{sfnp|Koester|1990|p=78}}

==Date of composition==
Richard Valantasis writes:

{{blockquote|Assigning a date to the Gospel of Thomas is very complex because it is difficult to know precisely to what a date is being assigned. Scholars have proposed a date as early as 60{{nbsp}}AD or as late as 140{{nbsp}}AD, depending upon whether the Gospel of Thomas is identified with the original core of sayings, or with the author's published text, or with the Greek or Coptic texts, or with parallels in other literature.{{sfnp|Valantasis|1997|p=12}} }}

Valantasis and other scholars argue that it is difficult to date Thomas because, as a collection of ''logia'' without a narrative framework, individual sayings could have been added to it gradually over time.{{sfnp|Patterson|Robinson|Bethge|1998|p=40}} Valantasis dates Thomas to 100–110&nbsp;AD, with some of the material certainly coming from the first stratum, which is dated to 30–60&nbsp;AD.{{sfnp|Valantasis|1997|p=20}} J. R. Porter dates the Gospel of Thomas to 250&nbsp;AD.{{sfnp|Porter|2010|p=9}}

Scholars generally fall into one of two main camps: an "early camp" favoring a date for the core "before the end of the first century,"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mark's Use of the Gospel of Thomas |url=http://users.misericordia.edu/davies/thomas/tomark1.htm}}</ref> prior to or approximately contemporary with the composition of the canonical gospels; and a more common "late camp" favoring a date in the 2nd century, after composition of the canonical gospels.<ref name="Bock2" group=quote/><ref group=quote>{{harvnb|Van Voorst|2000|p=189}}: "Most interpreters place its writing in the second century, understanding that many of its oral traditions are much older."</ref>

In August 2023, the [[Egypt Exploration Society]] published the second century [[Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 5575]], which includes the earliest extant fragment from the Gospel of Thomas.<ref name=Moss>{{cite web |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/scholars-publish-new-papyrus-with-early-sayings-of-jesus?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3utn-NmoTKE4Fjhcet2v0Iba6YZLtNmXz4s02YCOhVsuDm63idJAfmdIk_aem_AWDFErL3O7DdguHs4kvCyrPahWzwJENj6Ed_lfsQrYgXVA5jIFdCVc9BYjoSC6mhGtc6NBYKf4PIq3sVrtTHn1Eh |title=Scholars Publish New Papyrus With Early Sayings of Jesus
 |last=Moss |first=Candida |date=Aug 31, 2023 |website = thedailybeast.com| publisher = The Daily Beast Company LLC| access-date = May 25, 2024|quote=}}</ref><ref name=Holmes>{{cite web |url=https://textandcanon.org/whats-the-big-deal-about-a-new-papyrus-with-sayings-of-jesus/ |title=What's the Big Deal about a New Papyrus with Sayings of Jesus? |last=Holmes |first=Michael |date= September 13, 2023|website=textandcanon.org |publisher=Text & Canon Institute |access-date = May 25, 2024 |quote=}}</ref>

=== Argument for early composition ===

====Form of the gospel====
Theissen and Merz argue the genre of a collection of sayings was one of the earliest forms in which material about Jesus was handed down.{{sfnp|Theissen|Merz|1998|pp=38–39}} They assert that other collections of sayings, such as the Q source and the collection underlying [[Mark 4]], were absorbed into larger narratives and no longer survive as independent documents, and that no later collections in this form survive.{{sfnp|Theissen|Merz|1998|pp=38–39}} [[Marvin Meyer]] also asserted that the genre of a "sayings collection" is indicative of the 1st century,{{sfnp|Meyer|2001|p=73}} and that in particular the "use of parables without allegorical amplification" seems to antedate the canonical gospels.{{sfnp|Meyer|2001|p=73}} 

====Independence from synoptic gospels====
[[Stevan L. Davies]] argues that the apparent independence of the ordering of sayings in Thomas from that of their parallels in the synoptics shows that Thomas was not evidently reliant upon the canonical gospels and probably predated them.{{sfnp|Davies|1992}}{{sfnp|Davies|n.d.}} Some authors argue that Thomas was a source for Mark, usually considered the earliest of the synoptic gospels.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Johnson |first=Kevin |date=1997-01-01 |title=Mark's Use of the Gospel of Thomas Part Two |url=https://www.academia.edu/41451442 |journal=Neotestamentica}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Davies |first=Stevan |date=December 1, 1996 |title=The use of the Gospel of Thomas in the Gospel of Mark |url=https://journals.co.za/doi/epdf/10.10520/AJA2548356_472 |journal=Neotestamentica |volume=30 |issue=2 |pages=307–334 |via=journals.co.za}}</ref> Several authors argue that when the logia in Thomas do have parallels in the synoptics, the version in Thomas often seems closer to the source. Theissen and Merz give sayings 31 ([[Rejection_of_Jesus#Hometown_rejection|Rejection at Nazareth]]) and 65 ([[Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen]]) as examples of this.{{sfnp|Theissen|Merz|1998|pp=38–39}} Koester agrees, citing especially the parables contained in sayings 8, 9, 57, 63, 64 and 65.{{sfnp|Koester|Lambdin|1996|p=125}} In the few instances where the version in Thomas seems to be dependent on the synoptics, Koester suggests, this may be due to the influence of the person who translated the text from Greek into Coptic.{{sfnp|Koester|Lambdin|1996|p=125}}

Koester also argues that the absence of narrative materials, such as those found in the canonical gospels, in Thomas makes it unlikely that the gospel is "an eclectic excerpt from the gospels of the New Testament".{{sfnp|Koester|Lambdin|1996|p=125}} He also cites the absence of the [[Eschatology|eschatological]] sayings considered characteristic of Q source to show the independence of Thomas from that source.{{sfnp|Koester|Lambdin|1996|p=125}}

====Intertextuality with the Gospel of John====
{{Update|section|reason=The majority of this section's sources come from the early-to-mid 2000s. As one example, the final paragraph said that as "the scholarly debate continues" someone "recently" responded to these in 2009. This was clearly out of date. That error is fixed, but the rest of the section remains outdated and in need of work.|date=September 2016}}
Another argument for an early date is what some scholars have suggested is an interplay between the [[Gospel of John]] and the ''logia'' of Thomas. Parallels between the two have been taken to suggest that Thomas's ''logia'' preceded John's work, and that the latter was making a point-by-point riposte to Thomas, either in real or mock conflict. This seeming dialectic has been pointed out by several New Testament scholars, notably Gregory J. Riley,{{sfnp|Riley|1995}} [[April DeConick]],{{sfnp|DeConick|2001}} and [[Elaine Pagels]].{{sfnp|Pagels|2004}} Though differing in approach, they argue that several verses in the Gospel of John are best understood as responses to a Thomasine community and its beliefs. Pagels, for example, says that the Gospel of John states that Jesus contains the divine light, while several of Thomas's sayings refer to the light born 'within'.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bettencourt |first=Michael |date=October 30, 2018 |title=The Gospel of Thomas According to Dr. Elaine Pagels {{!}} Revel News |url=https://blogs.yu.edu/revel/2018/10/30/the-gospel-of-thomas-according-to-dr-elaine-pagels/ |access-date=2022-07-13 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>Logia 24, 50, 61, 83</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Townsend |first=Mark |title=Jesus Through Pagan Eyes: Bridging Neopagan Perspectives with a Progressive Vision of Christ |publisher=Flux |year=2012 |isbn=978-0738721910 |location=Minnesota, U.S. |pages=54 |language=English}}</ref>

The Gospel of John is the only canonical one that gives Thomas the Apostle a dramatic role and spoken part, and Thomas is the only character therein described as being {{transliteration|grc|apistos}} ({{gloss|unbelieving}}), despite the failings of virtually all the Johannine characters to live up to the author's standards of belief. With respect to the famous story of "[[Doubting Thomas]]",<ref>Jn. 20:26–29</ref> it is suggested{{sfnp|Pagels|2004}} that the author of John may have been denigrating or ridiculing a rival school of thought. In another apparent contrast, John's text matter-of-factly presents a bodily resurrection as if this is a ''[[sine qua non]]'' of the faith; in contrast, Thomas's insights about the spirit-and-body are more nuanced.<ref>Logia 29, 80, 87</ref> For Thomas, resurrection seems more a cognitive event of spiritual attainment, one even involving a certain discipline or asceticism. Again, an apparently denigrating portrayal in the "Doubting Thomas" story may either be taken literally, or as a kind of mock "comeback" to Thomas's logia: not as an outright censuring of Thomas, but an improving gloss, as Thomas's thoughts about the spirit and body are not dissimilar from those presented elsewhere in John.<ref group=note>e.g. Jn. 3:6, 6:52–6 – but pointedly contrasting these with 6:63.</ref> John portrays Thomas as physically touching the risen Jesus, inserting fingers and hands into his body, and ending with a shout. Pagels interprets this as signifying one-upmanship by John, who is forcing Thomas to acknowledge Jesus's bodily nature. She writes that "he shows Thomas giving up his search for experiential truth{{snd}}his 'unbelief'{{snd}}to confess what John sees as the truth".{{sfnp|Pagels|2004|pp=66–73}} The point of these examples, as used by Riley and Pagels, is to support the argument that the text of Thomas must have existed and have gained a following at the time of the writing of the Gospel of John, and that the importance of the Thomasine logia was great enough that the author of John felt the necessity of weaving them into their own narrative.

As this scholarly debate continued, theologian Christopher W. Skinner<!-- Please do not wikilink to Christopher Skinner the mathematician --> disagreed with Riley, DeConick, and Pagels over any possible John–Thomas interplay, and concluded that in the book of John, Thomas the disciple "is merely one stitch in a wider literary pattern where uncomprehending characters serve as [[Foil (literature)|foils]] for Jesus's words and deeds."{{sfnp|Skinner|2009|pp=38, 227}}

====Role of James====
Albert Hogeterp argues that the Gospel's saying 12, which attributes leadership of the community to [[James the Just]] rather than to [[Saint Peter|Peter]], agrees with the description of the early Jerusalem church by Paul in Galatians 2:1–14<ref>{{bibleverse|Galatians|2:1–14}}</ref> and may reflect a tradition predating 70&nbsp;AD.{{sfnp|Hogeterp|2006|p=137}} Meyer also lists "uncertainty about James the righteous, the brother of Jesus" as characteristic of a 1st-century origin.{{sfnp|Meyer|2001|p=73}}

In later traditions (most notably in the Acts of Thomas, Book of Thomas the Contender, etc.), Thomas is regarded as the twin brother of Jesus.{{sfnp|Turner|n.d.}}

====Depiction of Peter and Matthew====
In saying 13, Peter and Matthew are depicted as unable to understand the true significance or identity of Jesus. Patterson argues that this can be interpreted as a criticism against the school of Christianity associated with the Gospel of Matthew, and that "[t]his sort of rivalry seems more at home in the first century than later", when all the apostles had become revered figures.{{sfnp|Patterson|Robinson|Bethge|1998|p=42}}

====Parallel with Paul====
According to Meyer, Thomas's saying 17{{snd}}"I shall give you what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard and no hand has touched, and what has not come into the human heart"{{snd}} is strikingly similar to what [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:9,<ref>{{bibleverse|1 Corinthians|2:9}}</ref>{{sfnp|Meyer|2001|p=73}} which was itself an allusion to Isaiah 64:4.<ref>{{bibleverse|Isaiah|64:4}}</ref> 

=== Argument for late composition ===
The late camp dates Thomas some time after 100&nbsp;AD, generally in the early second century.<ref name="Bock2" group=quote>{{harvnb|Bock|2006|pp=61, 63}}: "Most date the gospel to the second century and place its origin in Syria{{nbsp}}[...] Most scholars regard the book as an early second-century work."(61); "However, for most scholars, the bulk of it is later reflecting a second-century work."(63)</ref><ref name="Bock1" group=quote>{{harvnb|Bock|2009|pp=148–149}}: "for most scholars the ''Gospel of Thomas'' is seen as an early-second century text."</ref> They generally believe that although the text was composed around the mid-second century, it contains earlier sayings such as those originally found in the New Testament gospels of which Thomas was in some sense dependent in addition to inauthentic and possibly authentic independent sayings not found in any other extant text. J. R. Porter dates Thomas much later, to the mid-third century.{{sfnp|Porter|2010|p=9}}

====Dependence on the New Testament====
Several scholars have argued that the sayings in Thomas reflect conflations and harmonisations dependent on the canonical gospels. For example, saying 10 and 16 appear to contain a redacted harmonisation of Luke 12:49,<ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|12:49}}</ref> 12:51–52<ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|12:51–52}}</ref> and Matthew 10:34–35.<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|10:34–35}}</ref> In this case it has been suggested that the dependence is best explained by the author of Thomas making use of an earlier harmonised oral tradition based on Matthew and Luke.{{sfnp|Snodgrass|1989}}{{sfnp|Grant|Freedman|1960|pp=136–137}} Biblical scholar [[Craig A. Evans]] also subscribes to this view and notes that "Over half of the New Testament writings are quoted, paralleled, or alluded to in Thomas... I'm not aware of a Christian writing prior to 150&nbsp;AD that references this much of the New Testament."{{sfnp|Strobel|2007|p=36}} [[Mark Goodacre]] also argues that Thomas is dependent on the Synoptics.<ref>{{cite book |last= Goodacre |first= Mark |author-link= Mark Goodacre |year= 2012 |title= Thomas and the Gospels: The Case for Thomas's Familiarity with the Synoptics |publisher= Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. |isbn= 978-0802867483}}</ref>

Another argument made for the late dating of Thomas is based upon the fact that saying 5 in the original Greek (Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 654) seems to follow the vocabulary used in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 8:17),<ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|8:17}}</ref> and not the vocabulary used in the Gospel of Mark (Mark 4:22).<ref>{{bibleverse|Mark|4:22}}</ref> According to this argument{{snd}}which presupposes firstly the rectitude of the two-source hypothesis (widely held among current New Testament scholars),<ref>{{Cite book |last=Derrenbacker |first=Robert |title=The Enduring Impact of the Gospel of John: Interdisciplinary Studies |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |year=2022 |editor-last1=Derrenbacker |editor-first1=Robert |editor-last2=Lee |editor-first2=Dorothy |editor-last3=Porter |editor-first3=Muriel |location=Eugene |page=3 |chapter=Echoes of Luke in John 20-21}}</ref> in which the author of Luke is seen as having used the pre-existing gospel according to Mark plus a lost Q source to compose their gospel{{snd}}if the author of Thomas did, as saying 5 suggests, refer to a pre-existing Gospel of Luke, rather than Mark's vocabulary, then the Gospel of Thomas must have been composed after both Mark and Luke, the latter of which is dated to between 60 and 90&nbsp;AD.

Another saying that employs similar vocabulary to that used in Luke rather than Mark is saying 31 in the original Greek (Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 1), where Luke 4:24's term {{transliteration|grc|dektos}} ({{gloss|acceptable}})<ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|4:24}}</ref> is employed rather than Mark 6:4's {{transliteration|grc|atimos}} ({{gloss|without honor}}).<ref>{{bibleverse|Mark|6:4}}</ref> The word {{transliteration|grc|dektos}} (in all its cases and genders) is clearly typical of Luke, since it is only employed by the author in the canonical gospels Luke 4:19,<ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|4:19}}</ref> 4:24, and Acts 10:35.<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts|10:35}}</ref> Thus, the argument runs, the Greek Thomas has clearly been at least influenced by Luke's characteristic vocabulary.<ref group=note>For general discussion, see {{harvp|Meier|1991|pp=137, 163–64 n. 133}}. See also {{harvp|Tuckett|1988|pp=132–57, esp. p. 146}}.</ref>

J. R. Porter states that, because around half of the sayings in Thomas have parallels in the synoptic gospels, it is "possible that the sayings in the Gospel of Thomas were selected directly from the canonical gospels and were either reproduced more or less exactly or amended to fit the author's distinctive theological outlook."{{sfnp|Porter|2010|p=166}} According to [[John P. Meier]], scholars predominantly conclude that Thomas depends on or harmonizes the Synoptics.{{sfnp|Meier|1991|pp=135–138}}

====Syriac origin====
Several scholars argue that Thomas is dependent on Syriac writings, including unique versions of the canonical gospels. They contend that many sayings of the Gospel of Thomas are more similar to Syriac translations of the canonical gospels than their record in the original Greek. [[Craig A. Evans]] states that saying 54 in Thomas, which speaks of the poor and the kingdom of heaven, is more similar to the Syriac version of Matthew 5:3 than the Greek version of that passage or the parallel in Luke 6:20.{{sfnp|Evans|2008|p={{Page needed|date=September 2010}} }}

[[Klyne Snodgrass]] notes that saying 65–66 of Thomas containing the [[Parable of the Wicked Tenants]] appears to be dependent on the early harmonisation of Mark and Luke found in the old Syriac gospels. He concludes that, "''Thomas'', rather than representing the earliest form, has been shaped by this harmonizing tendency in Syria. If the ''Gospel of Thomas'' were the earliest, we would have to imagine that each of the evangelists or the traditions behind them expanded the parable in different directions and then that in the process of transmission the text was trimmed back to the form it has in the Syriac Gospels. It is much more likely that Thomas, which has a Syrian provenance, is dependent on the tradition of the canonical Gospels that has been abbreviated and harmonized by oral transmission."{{sfnp|Snodgrass|1989}}

[[Nicholas Perrin]] argues that Thomas is dependent on the ''[[Diatessaron]]'', which was composed shortly after 172 by [[Tatian]] in Syria.{{sfnp|Perrin|2006}} Perrin explains the order of the sayings by attempting to demonstrate that almost all adjacent sayings are connected by Syriac catchwords, whereas in Coptic or Greek, catchwords have been found for only less than half of the pairs of adjacent sayings.{{sfnp|Perrin|2002}} Peter J. Williams analyzed Perrin's alleged Syriac catchwords and found them implausible.{{sfnp|Williams|2009}} [[Robert F. Shedinger]] wrote that since Perrin attempts to reconstruct an [[Syriac language|Old Syriac]] version of Thomas without first establishing Thomas's reliance on the ''Diatessaron'', Perrin's logic seems [[Circular reasoning|circular]].{{sfnp|Shedinger|2003|p=388}}

====Lack of apocalyptic themes====
[[Bart D. Ehrman]] argues that the [[Historical Jesus#Apocalyptic prophet|historical Jesus]] was an [[apocalypse|apocalyptic]] preacher, and that his apocalyptic beliefs are recorded in the earliest Christian documents: Mark and the authentic [[Pauline epistles]]. The earliest Christians believed Jesus would soon return, and their beliefs are echoed in the earliest Christian writings. The Gospel of Thomas proclaims that the Kingdom of God is already present for those who understand the secret message of Jesus (saying 113), and lacks apocalyptic themes. Because of this, Ehrman argues, the Gospel of Thomas was probably composed by a Gnostic some time in the early 2nd century.{{sfnp|Ehrman|1999|pp=75–78}} Ehrman also argued against the authenticity of the sayings the Gospel of Thomas attributes to Jesus.{{sfnp|Ehrman|2012|p=219}}

[[Elaine Pagels]] points out the Gospel of Thomas promulgates the Kingdom of God not as a final destination but a state of self-discovery. Additionally, the Gospel of Thomas conveys that Jesus ridiculed those who thought of the Kingdom of God in literal terms, as if it were a specific place. Pagels goes on to argue that, through saying 22, readers are to believe the "Kingdom" symbolizes a state of transformed consciousness.{{sfnp|Pagels|1979|pp=128-129}}

[[John P. Meier]] has repeatedly argued against the historicity of the Gospel of Thomas, stating that it cannot be a reliable source for [[The Quest of the Historical Jesus|the quest of the historical Jesus]] and also considers it a Gnostic text.{{sfnp|Meier|1991|p=110}} He has also argued against the authenticity of the parables found exclusively in the Gospel of Thomas.{{sfnp|Meier|2016|p={{page needed|date=July 2021}}}} [[Bentley Layton]] included the Gospel of Thomas into his list of Gnostic scriptures.{{sfnp|Layton|1987|p={{page needed|date=July 2021}}}}

[[Craig A. Evans]] has argued that the Gospel of Thomas represents the theological motives of 2nd century Egyptian Christianity and is dependent on the Synoptic Gospels and the Diatesseron.{{sfnp|Evans|2008|p={{page needed|date=July 2021}}}}

[[N.T. Wright]], Anglican bishop and professor of New Testament history, also sees the dating of Thomas in the 2nd or 3rd century. Wright's reasoning for this dating is that the "narrative framework" of 1st-century Judaism and the New Testament is radically different from the worldview expressed in the sayings collected in the Gospel of Thomas. Thomas makes an anachronistic mistake by turning Jesus the Jewish prophet into a Hellenistic/Cynic philosopher. Wright concludes his section on the Gospel of Thomas in his book ''The New Testament and the People of God'' in this way:

{{blockquote|[Thomas's] implicit story has to do with a figure who imparts a secret, hidden wisdom to those close to him, so that they can perceive a new truth and be saved by it. "The Thomas Christians are told the truth about their divine origins, and given the secret passwords that will prove effective in the return journey to their heavenly home." This is, obviously, the non-historical story of Gnosticism{{nbsp}}[...] It is simply the case that, on good historical grounds, it is far more likely that the book represents a radical translation, and indeed subversion, of first-century Christianity into a quite different sort of religion, than that it represents the original of which the longer gospels are distortions{{nbsp}}[...] Thomas reflects a symbolic universe, and a worldview, which are radically different from those of the early Judaism and Christianity.{{sfnp|Wright|1992|p=443}} }}

==Relation to the New Testament canon==
[[File:Nag Hammadi coptic.gif|thumb|Last page of the Gospel of Thomas]]
Although arguments about some potential New Testament books, such as ''[[The Shepherd of Hermas]]'' and the [[Book of Revelation]], continued well into the 4th century, four canonical gospels, attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, were accepted among [[proto-orthodox Christians]] at least as early as the mid-2nd century. Tatian's widely used ''[[Diatessaron]]'', compiled between 160 and 175&nbsp;AD, utilized the four gospels without any consideration of others. [[Irenaeus of Lyons]] wrote in the late 2nd century that: "since there are four-quarters of the earth{{nbsp}}[...] it is fitting that the church should have four pillars{{nbsp}}[...] the four Gospels."<ref>{{cite book |author=[[Irenaeus of Lyons]] |title=[[On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis|Against Heresies]] |at=3.11.8}}</ref> and then shortly thereafter made the first known quotation from a fourth gospel – the now-canonical version of the Gospel of John. The late 2nd-century [[Muratorian fragment]] also recognizes only the three synoptic gospels and John.

Bible scholar [[Bruce Metzger]] wrote regarding the formation of the New Testament canon:
{{blockquote|Although the fringes of the emerging canon remained unsettled for generations, a high degree of unanimity concerning the greater part of the New Testament was attained among the very diverse and scattered congregations of believers not only throughout the Mediterranean world, but also over an area extending from Britain to Mesopotamia.{{sfnp|Metzger|1997|p=75}}}}

==Relation to the Thomasine milieu==
The question also arises as to various sects' usage of other works attributed to Thomas and their relation to this work.

The [[Book of Thomas the Contender]], also from Nag Hammadi, is foremost among these, but the extensive [[Acts of Thomas]] provides the mythological connections. The short and comparatively straightforward [[Apocalypse of Thomas]] has no immediate connection with the synoptic gospels, while the canonical [[Epistle of Jude|Jude]] – if the name can be taken to refer to Judas Thomas Didymus – certainly attests to early intra-Christian conflict.

The [[Infancy Gospel of Thomas]], shorn of its mythological connections, is difficult to connect specifically to the Gospel of Thomas, but the Acts of Thomas contains the [[Hymn of the Pearl]] whose content is reflected in the [[Psalms of Thomas]] found in [[Manichaean]] literature. These psalms, which otherwise reveal [[Mandaeism|Mandaean]] connections, also contain material overlapping with the Gospel of Thomas.{{sfnp|Masing|Rätsep|1961}}

==Relation to other Christian texts==
Scholars such as Sellew (2018) have also noted striking parallels between the Gospel of Thomas and ''[[Apophthegmata Patrum]]''.<ref>Sellew, Melissa Harl. "Reading Jesus in the Desert. The Gospel of Thomas meets the ''Apophthegmata Patrum''", in ''The Nag Hammadi Library and Late Antique Egypt'', ed. Hugo Lundhaug and Lance Jenott. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2018, 81-106.</ref>

==Importance and author==
[[File:P. Oxy. 655.jpg|thumb|P. Oxy. 655]]
Considered by some as one of the earliest accounts of the teachings of Jesus, the Gospel of Thomas is regarded by some scholars as one of the most important texts in understanding [[early Christianity]] outside the [[New Testament]].{{sfnp|Funk|Hoover|1993|p=15}} In terms of faith, however, no major Christian group accepts this gospel as canonical or authoritative. It is an important work for scholars working on the Q document, which itself is thought to be a collection of sayings or teachings upon which the gospels of Matthew and Luke are partly based. Although no copy of Q has ever been discovered, the fact that Thomas is similarly a "sayings" gospel is viewed by some scholars as an indication that the early Christians did write collections of the sayings of Jesus, bolstering the Q hypothesis.{{sfnp|Ehrman|2003b|pp=57–58}}

Modern scholars do not consider Thomas the Apostle the author of this document and the author remains unknown. J. Menard produced a summary of the academic consensus in the mid-1970s that stated that the gospel was probably a very late text written by a Gnostic author, thus having very little relevance to the study of the early development of Christianity. Scholarly views of Gnosticism and the Gospel of Thomas have since become more nuanced and diverse.{{sfnp|DeConick|2006|pp=2–3}} Paterson Brown, for example, has argued forcefully that the three Coptic Gospels of Thomas, [[Gospel of Philip|Philip]] and [[Gospel of Truth|Truth]] are demonstrably not Gnostic writings, since all three explicitly affirm the basic reality and sanctity of incarnate life, which Gnosticism by definition considers illusory and evil.{{sfnp|Paterson Brown|n.d.}}

In the 4th century [[Cyril of Jerusalem]] considered the author a disciple of [[Mani (prophet)|Mani]] who was also called Thomas.{{sfnp|Schneemelcher|2006|p=111}} Cyril stated:
{{blockquote|Mani had three disciples: Thomas, Baddas and Hermas. Let no one read the Gospel according to Thomas. For he is not one of the twelve apostles but one of the three wicked disciples of Mani.{{sfnp|Layton|1989|p=106}} }}

Many scholars consider the Gospel of Thomas to be a gnostic text, since it was found in a library among others, it contains Gnostic themes, and perhaps presupposes a Gnostic worldview.{{sfnp|Ehrman|2003b|pp=59ff}} Others reject this interpretation, because Thomas lacks the full-blown mythology of Gnosticism as described by [[Irenaeus of Lyons]] ({{c.|185}}), and because Gnostics frequently appropriated and used a large "range of scripture from Genesis to the Psalms to Homer, from the Synoptics to John to the letters of Paul."{{sfnp|Davies|1983b|pp=6–8}} The mysticism of the Gospel of Thomas also lacks many themes found in second century Gnosticism,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Foster |first=Paul |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JqgSDAAAQBAJ&dq=Thomasines+christology&pg=PA39 |title=The Apocryphal Gospels: A Very Short Introduction |date=2009-02-26 |publisher=OUP Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-923694-7 |language=en}}</ref> including any allusion to a fallen [[Sophia (Gnosticism)|Sophia]] or an evil [[Demiurge]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=van den Broek |first1=Roelof |title=Gnostic Religion in Antiquity |date=2013 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=38}}</ref> According to David W. Kim, the association of the Thomasines and Gnosticism is anachronistic and the book seems to predate the Gnostic movements.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kim |first=David W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F6ouEAAAQBAJ&dq=Thomasines+ascetism&pg=PA86 |title=The Words of Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas: The Genesis of a Wisdom Tradition |date=2021-07-01 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-000-37762-0 |language=en}}</ref>

==The historical Jesus==
Some scholars (most notably those belonging to the [[Jesus Seminar]]) believe that the Gospel of Thomas was written independently of the canonical gospels, and therefore is a useful guide to [[historical Jesus]] research.{{sfnp|Funk|Hoover|1993|p=15}}{{sfnp|Koester|1990|pp=84–86}} These scholars may utilize one of several critical tools in [[biblical criticism|biblical scholarship]], the [[criterion of multiple attestation]], to help build cases for historical reliability of the sayings of Jesus. By finding those sayings in the Gospel of Thomas that overlap with the [[Gospel of the Hebrews]], Q, Mark, Matthew, Luke, John, and Paul, scholars feel such sayings represent "multiple attestations" and therefore are more likely to come from a historical Jesus than sayings that are only singly attested.{{sfnp|Funk|Hoover|1993|pp=16ff}} However, [[Bart Ehrman]] states that the Gospel of Thomas has very little value in historical Jesus research, because it places no importance on the physical experiences of Jesus (e.g. his crucifixion) or the physical existence of believers.<ref>''Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium'' by Bart D. Ehrman 2001 {{ISBN|019512474X}} pp. 72–78</ref>

== Representation of women ==
Interpretations of the Gospel of Thomas's view of women vary widely, with some arguing that it is chauvinistic, while others view it as comparatively positive.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Marjanen |first=Antti |title=Thomas at the Crossroads: Essays on the Gospel of Thomas |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2000 |editor-last=Uro |editor-first=Risto |location=London |pages=89 |chapter=Women Disciples in the Gospel of Thomas}}</ref>

=== Women disciples ===
The Gospel of Thomas names six people who are close to Jesus and, of these, two are the women disciples [[Mary Magdalene]] and [[Salome (disciple)|Salome]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Marjanen |first=Antti |title=Thomas at the Crossroads: Essays on the Gospel of Thomas |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2000 |editor-last=Uro |editor-first=Risto |location=London |pages=90 |chapter=Women Disciples in the Gospel of Thomas}}</ref> Professor Antti Marjanen suggests that their inclusion is significant and purposeful because of how few people are named.<ref name=":2" /> He argues that, in logio 61 and 21, their discussions with Jesus clarify the nature of discipleship. They are shown not as "ones who misunderstand, but as ones who do not quite understand enough."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Marjanen |first=Antti |title=Thomas at the Crossroads: Essays on the Gospel of Thomas |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2000 |editor-last=Uro |editor-first=Risto |location=London |pages=92 |chapter=Women Disciples in the Gospel of Thomas}}</ref> This is shown to be the case for all of the disciples and Marjanen states that "Mary Magdalene's or Salome's lack of understanding should not be overemphasized."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Marjanen |first=Antti |title=Thomas at the Crossroads: Essays on the Gospel of Thomas |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2000 |editor-last=Uro |editor-first=Risto |location=London |pages=93 |chapter=Women Disciples in the Gospel of Thomas}}</ref>

=== Logion 114 ===
{{blockquote|Simon Peter said to them, "Mary should leave us, for females are not worthy of the life." Jesus said, "Look, I am going to guide her in order 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."|''Logion'' 114}}

The final saying of the Gospel of Thomas is one of the most controversial and has been highly debated by academics.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Marjanen |first=Antti |title=Thomas at the Crossroads: Essays on the Gospel of Thomas |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2000 |editor-last=Uro |editor-first=Risto |location=London |pages=95 |chapter=Women Disciples in the Gospel of Thomas}}</ref> It has been criticised for implying that women are spiritually inferior, but some scholars argue that it is symbolic, with "male" representing the prelapsarian state.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Buckley |first=Jorunn Jacobsen |date=1985 |title=An Interpretation of Logion 114 in "The Gospel of Thomas" |journal=Novum Testamentum |volume=27 |issue=3}}</ref> [[Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley]] argued that Logion 114 represents a process with females becoming male before achieving the prelapsarian state, a reversal of the Genesis story in which women were made from men.<ref name=":1" /> Melissa Harl Sellew's trans-centered reading emphasizes the idea that the outer appearance must be transformed to reflect the inner reality.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sellew |first=Melissa Harl |title=Reading the Gospel of Thomas from Here: A Trans-Centred Hermeneutic |url=https://hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:29255/ |journal=Journal for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies |date=2020 |language=en-US |pages=89 |doi=10.17613/4etz-b919}}</ref>

==Comparison of the major gospels==
The material in the comparison chart is from ''Gospel Parallels'' by B. H. Throckmorton,{{sfnp|Throckmorton|1979}} ''The Five Gospels'' by R. W. Funk,{{sfnp|Funk|Hoover|1993}} ''The Gospel According to the Hebrews'' by E. B. Nicholson{{sfnp|Nicholson|1879}} and ''The Hebrew Gospel and the'' ''Development of the Synoptic Tradition'' by J. R. Edwards.{{sfnp|Edwards|2009}}

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Concept !! Matthew, Mark, Luke !! John !! Thomas !! Nicholson/Edwards Hebrew Gospel
|-
| New Covenant || To love God with all one's being and love one's neighbor as oneself || Love is the New Commandment given by Jesus<ref>{{bibleverse|John|13:34}}</ref> || Secret knowledge, love one's friends<ref>Logion 25</ref> || Love one another<ref group=quote>{{cite book |author=Jerome |title=Commentary on Ephesians |quote=The Lord says to his disciples: 'And never be you joyful, except when you behold one another with love.'}}</ref>
|-
| Forgiveness || Very important – particularly in Matthew and Luke<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|18:21}}, {{bibleverse|Luke|17:4}}</ref> || Assumed to be important<ref>{{bibleverse|John|20:23}}</ref> || Mention of being forgiven in relation to blasphemy against the Father and Son, but no forgiveness to those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit<ref>Logion 44</ref>|| Very important – forgiveness is a central theme and the Nicholson/Edwards Hebrew Gospel goes into the greatest detail<ref group=quote>{{cite book |author=Jerome
|title=Against Pelagius ''3.2'' |quote=In ''the Gospel of the Hebrews'', written in the Chaldee and Syriac language but in Hebrew script, and used by the Nazarenes to this day (I mean the ''Gospel of the Apostles'', or, as it is generally maintained, ''the Gospel of Matthew'', a copy of which is in the library at Caesarea), we find, "Behold the mother of the Lord and his brothers said to him, 'John the Baptist baptizes for the forgiveness of sins. Let us go and be baptized by him.' But Jesus said to them, 'in what way have I sinned that I should go and be baptized by him? Unless perhaps, what I have just said is a sin of ignorance.{{'"}} And in the same volume, "'If your brother sins against you in word, and makes amends, forgive him seven times a day.' Simon, His disciple, said to Him, 'Seven times in a day!' The Lord answered and said to him, 'I say to you, Seventy times seven.{{'"}}}}</ref>
|-
| The Lord's Prayer || Present in Matthew and Luke, but not Mark<ref name="Trite">Trite</ref> || Not mentioned || Not mentioned || Important – {{transliteration|hbo|mahar}} or {{gloss|tomorrow}}<ref group=quote>{{cite book |author=Jerome |title=Commentary on Matthew ''1'' |quote=In the so-called ''Gospel of the Hebrews'', for "bread essential to existence", I found ''mahar'', which means 'of tomorrow'; so the sense is: our bread for tomorrow, that is, of the future, give us this day.}}</ref><ref group=quote>{{cite book |author=Jerome |title=On Psalm ''135'' |quote=In Matthew's [[Hebrew Gospel of Matthew|Hebrew Gospel]] it states, 'Give us this day our bread for tomorrow.'}}</ref>
|-
| Love and the poor || Very important{{snd}}the [[Jesus and the rich young man|rich young man]] is present in all three gospels<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|19:16}}, {{bibleverse|Mark|10:17}} and {{bibleverse|Luke|8:18}}</ref>|| Assumed to be important<ref>{{bibleverse|John|12:8}}</ref> || Important<ref group=quote>{{cite book |title=Gospel of Thomas, ''Logion 54'' |quote=Jesus said "Blessed are the poor, for to you belongs the Kingdom of Heaven"}}</ref> || Very important{{snd}}the rich young man is present<ref group=quote>{{cite book |author=Origen |title=Commentary to Matthew ''15:14'' |quote=The second rich youth said to him, "Rabbi, what good thing can I do and live?" Jesus replied, "Fulfill the law and the prophets." "I have," was the response. Jesus said, "Go, sell all that you have and distribute to the poor; and come, follow me." The youth became uncomfortable, for it did not please him. And the Lord said, "How can you say, I have fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, when it is written in the Law: You shall love your neighbor as yourself and many of your brothers, sons of Abraham, are covered with filth, dying of hunger, and your house is full of many good things, none of which goes out to them?" And he turned and said to Simon, his disciple, who was sitting by Him, "Simon, son of Jonah, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven."}}</ref>
|-
| Jesus starts his ministry || Jesus meets John the Baptist and is baptized in the 15th year of [[Tiberius Caesar]]<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|3:1}}, {{bibleverse|Mark|1:9}}, {{bibleverse|Mark|3:21}}, {{bibleverse|Luke|3:1}}</ref>|| Jesus meets John the Baptist, 46 years after [[Herod's Temple]] is built (John 2:20)<ref>{{bibleverse|John|1:29}}</ref> ||Only speaks of John the Baptist<ref group=quote>{{cite book |title=Gospel of Thomas, ''Logion 46'' |quote=Jesus said, "From Adam to John the Baptist, among those born to women, no one is greater than John the Baptist that his eyes should not be averted. But I have said that whoever among you becomes a child will recognize the (Father's) kingdom and will become greater than John."}}</ref> || Jesus meets John the Baptist and is baptized. This gospel goes into the greatest detail.<ref name="Epiphanius, Panarion 30:13">Epiphanius, Panarion 30:13</ref>
|-
| Number of disciples || Twelve<ref name="Matt 10:1, Mk 6:8, Lk 9:3">{{bibleverse|Matthew|10:1}}, {{bibleverse|Mark|6:8}}, {{bibleverse|Luke|9:3}}</ref> ||Twelve<ref name="Jn 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20">{{bibleverse|John|13:23}}, {{bibleverse|John|19:26}}, {{bibleverse|John|20:2}}, {{bibleverse|John|21:7}}, {{bibleverse|John|21:20}}</ref>|| Not mentioned<ref name="Logion 13">Logion 13</ref> || Twelve<ref group=quote>{{cite book |author=Epiphanius |title=Panarion ''30:13'' |quote=There was a certain man named Jesus, about thirty years old, who chose us. Coming to Capernaum, He entered the house of Simon, who is called Peter, and said, "As I passed by the Sea of Galilee, I chose John and James, sons of Zebedee, and Simon, and Andrew, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas Iscariot; and you Matthew, sitting at the tax office, I called and you followed me. You therefore, I want to be the Twelve, to symbolize Israel."}}</ref>
|-
| Inner circle of disciples || [[Saint Peter|Peter]], [[Andrew the Apostle|Andrew]], [[James, son of Zebedee|James]] and [[John the Apostle|John]]<ref name="Matt 10:1, Mk 6:8, Lk 9:3"/> ||Peter, Andrew, James and [[the Beloved Disciple]]<ref name="Jn 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20"/>|| [[Thomas the Apostle|Thomas]],<ref name="Logion 13"/> [[James the Just]]<ref>Logion 12</ref> || Peter, Andrew, James, and John<ref name="Epiphanius, Panarion 30:13"/>
|-
| Other [[Disciples of Jesus|disciples]] ||Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Simon the Zealot, Judas Thaddaeus and Judas Iscariot<ref name="Jn 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20"/> || Philip, [[Nathanael (disciple of Jesus)|Nathanael]], Thomas, Judas (not Iscariot) and Judas Iscariot<ref name="Jn 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20"/> || Peter,<ref name="Logion 13"/><ref name="Logion 114">Logion 114</ref> Matthew,<ref name="Logion 13"/> Mariam,<ref name="Logion 114"/><ref>Logion 21</ref> and [[Salome (disciple)|Salome]]<ref>Logion 61</ref> || Matthew, James the Just (brother of Jesus), Simon the Zealot, Thaddaeus, Judas Iscariot<ref>Epiphanius, ''Panarion'' 30:13, Jerome, ''On Illustrious Men'', 2</ref>
|-
| Possible authors || Unknown;<ref group=note>Although several Fathers say Matthew wrote the Gospel of the Hebrews they are silent about Greek Matthew found in the Bible. Modern scholars are in agreement that Matthew did not write Greek Matthew, which is 300 lines longer than the [[Hebrew Gospel of Matthew|Hebrew Gospel]] (See {{harvnb|Edwards|2009}})</ref> [[Mark the Evangelist]] and [[Luke the Evangelist]] || The Beloved Disciple<ref group=note>Suggested by [[Irenaeus]] first</ref> || Unknown|| [[Matthew the Evangelist]] (or otherwise unknown)<ref group=quote>{{cite book |author=Epiphanius |title=Panarion ''30:3'' |quote=They too accept Matthew's gospel, and like the followers of Cerinthus and Merinthus, they use it alone. They call it the ''Gospel of the Hebrews'', for in truth Matthew alone in the New Testament expounded and declared the ''Gospel in Hebrew'' using Hebrew script}}</ref>
|-
| Virgin birth account || Described in Matthew and Luke; Mark only makes reference to a "Mother"<ref>Matthew 1:16, 18–25, 2:11, 13:53–55, Mark 6:2–3, Luke 1:30–35, 2:4–21, 34</ref>|| Not mentioned, although the "Word becomes flesh" in John 1:14 || N/A as this is a gospel of Jesus's sayings || Not mentioned

|-
| Jesus's baptism || Described<ref name="Trite"/> || Seen in flashback (John 1:32–34)<ref name="Trite"/>|| N/A ||Described great detail<ref group=quote>{{cite book |author=Epiphanius |title=Panarion ''30:13'' |quote=After the people were baptized, Jesus also came and was baptized by John. As Jesus came up from the water, Heaven was opened, and He saw the Holy Spirit descend in the form of a dove and enter into him. And a voice from Heaven said, "You are my beloved Son; with You I am well pleased." And again, "Today I have begotten you." Immediately a great light shone around the place; and John, seeing it, said to him, "Who are you, Lord?" And again a voice from Heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Then John, falling down before Him, said, "I beseech You, Lord, baptize me!" But Jesus forbade him saying, "Let it be so as it is fitting that all things be fulfilled."}}</ref>
|-
| Preaching style || Brief one-liners; parables<ref name="Trite"/> || Essay format, [[midrash]]<ref name="Trite"/> ||  Sayings, parables<ref group=quote>{{cite book |title=Gospel of Thomas, ''Logion 107'' |quote=Jesus said, "The [Father's] kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety-nine and looked for the one until he found it. After he had toiled, he said to the sheep, 'I love you more than the ninety-nine.{{'"}}}}</ref> || Brief one-liners; parables<ref name="Trite"/>
|-
|  Storytelling || Parables{{sfnp|Mills|Bullard|McKnight|1990}} || Figurative language and metaphor{{sfnp|Van der Watt|2000}} || Hidden meanings in sayings, parables<ref>Logion 109</ref> ||Parables{{sfnp|Scott|1989}}
|-
| Jesus's theology || 1st-century populist Judaism<ref name="Hillel" group=note>Similar to beliefs taught by [[Hillel the Elder]]. (e.g. "golden rule") [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Quote/hillel.html Hillel]</ref> || Critical of Jewish authorities<ref>{{bibleverse|John|7:45}} and {{bibleverse|John|3:1}}</ref> || Disputed, possibly proto-Gnostic || 1st-century Judaism<ref name="Hillel" group=note/>
|-
| Miracles || Many miracles || [[Seven Signs]] || N/A  || Fewer miracles<ref>Jerome, ''Commentary on Matthew''  2</ref>
|-
| Duration of ministry || Not mentioned, possibly 3 years according to the [[Parable of the barren fig tree]] (Luke 13) || 3 years (four Passovers are mentioned)<ref>John 2:13, 4:35, 5:1, 6:4, 19:14</ref> || N/A || 1 year<ref name="Events leading up to Passover" group=note>Events leading up to Passover</ref>
|-
| Location of ministry || Mainly Galilee || Mainly Judea, near Jerusalem || N/A || Mainly Galilee
|-
| Passover meal|| Body and Blood = bread and wine || Interrupts meal for foot washing || N/A || Hebrew Passover is celebrated but details are N/A<ref>Epiphanius, Panarion 30:22</ref>
|-
| Burial shroud || A single piece of cloth || Multiple pieces of cloth<ref group=note>As was the Jewish practice at the time. (John 20:5–7)</ref> || N/A || Given to the High Priest<ref>Jerome, ''On Illustrious Men'', 2</ref>
|-
|Resurrection|| [[Mary Magdalene|Mary]] and [[Female disciples of Jesus|the women]] are the first to learn that Jesus has arisen<ref>Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1, Luke 24:1</ref>|| John adds detailed account of Mary's experience of the Resurrection<ref>John 20:11</ref>|| N/A || In the Gospel of the Hebrews is the unique account of Jesus appearing to his brother, [[James the Just]].<ref>Jerome, On Illustrious Men, 2</ref>
|}

==See also==
* [[British Library Or 4926]]
* [[Common Sayings Source]]
* [[Five Trees]]
* [[List of Gospels]]
* [[Psalms of Thomas]]

==References==

===Notes===
{{reflist|group=note}}

===Quotes===
{{reflist|199em|group=quote}}

===Citations===
{{reflist|25em}}

===Works cited===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Bock |first=Darrell |author-link=Darrell L. Bock |title=The Missing Gospels |location=Nashville |publisher=Thomas Nelson |year=2006 |isbn=9780785212942 |oclc=63178769}}
* {{cite book |first=Darrell L. |last=Bock |chapter=Response to John Dominic Crossan |title=The Historical Jesus: Five Views |editor1-first=James K. |editor1-last=Beilby |editor2-first=Paul Rhodes |editor2-last=Eddy |year=2009 |publisher=InterVarsity Press |isbn=9780830838684 |oclc=421949536}}
* {{cite journal |last=Brown |first=Ian Phillip |title=Where Indeed Was the Gospel of Thomas Written? Thomas in Alexandria |journal=Journal of Biblical Literature |volume=138 |number=2 |year=2019 |pages=451–572|doi=10.15699/jbl.1382.2019.523931 |s2cid=197843780 }}
* {{cite book |author-link=Stevan L. Davies |last=Davies |first=Stevan |year=1983a |title=The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom |publisher=Seabury Press |isbn=9780816424566 |oclc=8827492}}
* {{cite journal |last=Davies |first=Stevan |title=Thomas: The Fourth Synoptic Gospel |journal=The Biblical Archaeologist |year=1983b |volume=46 |issue=1 |pages=6–14 |publisher=The American Schools of Oriental Research|doi=10.2307/3209683 |jstor=3209683 |s2cid=171644324 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Davies |first=Stevan |title=The Christology and Protology of the Gospel of Thomas |journal=Journal of Biblical Literature |volume=111 |year=1992 |issue=4 |pages=663–682 |doi=10.2307/3267438 |jstor=3267438 |url=http://users.misericordia.edu/davies/thomas/jblprot.htm |access-date=22 February 2020 |archive-date=27 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727075154/http://users.misericordia.edu/davies/thomas/jblprot.htm |url-status=dead |url-access=subscription }}
* {{cite web |last=Davies |first=Stevan |date=n.d. |url=http://users.misericordia.edu/davies/thomas/correl.htm |title=Correlation Analysis |website=users.misericordia.edu |access-date=24 February 2016 |archive-date=5 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305031933/http://users.misericordia.edu/davies/thomas/correl.htm |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book |author-link=April DeConick |last=DeConick |first=April D. |year=2001 |title=Voices of the Mystics: Early Christian Discourse in the Gospels of John and Thomas and Other Ancient Christian Literature |series=Journal for the Study of the New Testament. Supplement Series |number=157 |location=United Kingdom |publisher=Sheffield Academic Press |isbn=9781841271903 |oclc=46393476}}
* {{cite book |last=DeConick |first=April D. |year=2006 |title=The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=9780567043825 |oclc=60837918}}
* {{cite book |last1=Dunn |first1=James D. G. |first2=John William |last2=Rogerson |title=Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible |year=2003 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans |isbn=9780802837110 |oclc=53059839}}
* {{cite book |last=Edwards |first=James R. |title=The Hebrew Gospel and the Development of the Synoptic Tradition |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. |year=2009 |isbn=9780802862341 |oclc=368048433}}
* {{cite book |first=Bart D. |last=Ehrman |author-link=Bart Ehrman |year=1999 |title=Jesus: Apocalyptic prophet of the new millennium |edition=rev. |location=Oxford, UK; New York, NY |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195124736 |oclc=470376921 |url=https://archive.org/details/jesusapocalyptic00ehrm/ }}
* {{cite book |last=Ehrman |first=Bart |title=Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew |year=2003a |publisher=Oxford University Press, USA |isbn=9780195141832 |oclc=52335003}}
* {{cite book |last=Ehrman |first=Bart |title=Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make it into the New Testament |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=United States |year=2003b |isbn=9780199727131 |oclc=57124978 |url=https://archive.org/details/lostscripturesbo00ehrm }}
* {{cite book |last=Ehrman |first=Bart D. |title=Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth |year=2012 |publisher=Harper Collins |isbn=9780062089946 |oclc=808490374 |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last1=Evans |first1=Craig A. |title=Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels |date=2008 |publisher=InterVarsity Press |isbn=978-0-8308-3355-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F5lQxQEACAAJ |language=en }}
* {{cite book |editor-first=Paul |editor-last=Foster |title=The Non-Canonical Gospels |year=2008 |location=United Kingdom |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=9780567033017 |oclc=212847437}}
* {{cite book |last1=Funk |first1=Robert Walter |author1-link=Robert W. Funk |last2=Hoover |first2=Roy W. |title=The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus : New Translation and Commentary |date=1993 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-685-63458-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jc9zuAAACAAJ |language=en }}
* {{cite book |author1-link=Robert M. Grant (theologian) |last1=Grant |first1=Robert M. |author2-link=David Noel Freedman |first2=David Noel |last2=Freedman |title=The Secret Sayings of Jesus |location=Garden City, NY |publisher=Doubleday & Company |year=1960 |oclc=942353}}
* {{cite book |author1-link=Bernard Pyne Grenfell |last1=Grenfell |first1=Bernard P. |author2-link=Arthur Surridge Hunt |first2=Arthur S. |last2=Hunt |title=Sayings of our Lord from an early Greek Papyrus |year=1897 |location=United Kingdom |publisher=Henry Frowde |oclc=1084533283 |url=https://archive.org/details/sayingsourlordf00huntgoog }}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Guillaumont |editor1-first=Antoine Jean Baptiste |editor2-first=Henri-Charles |editor2-last=Puech |editor3-first=G. |editor3-last=Quispel |editor4-first=Walter Curt |editor4-last=Till |editor5-first=Yassah |editor5-last='Abd al-Masi-h |year=1959 |title=Evangelium nach Thomas |location=Leiden |publisher=E. J. Brill |oclc=1332210700}} - ''Standard edition of the Coptic text.''
* {{cite book |last=Hogeterp |first=Albert L. A.  |title=Paul and God's Temple  |location=Leuven, Netherlands; Dudley, MA |publisher=Peeters |year=2006 |isbn=9789042917224 |oclc=62741567}}
* {{cite journal |last=Johnson |first=Stephen R. |year=2010 |journal=Journal of Early Christian Studies |publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=305–326 |title=Hippolytus's Refutatio and the Gospel of Thomas |doi=10.1353/earl.0.0326|s2cid=170403332 }}
* {{cite book |first=Helmut |last=Koester |title=Ancient Christian Gospels |location=Harrisburg, PA |publisher=Trinity Press International |isbn=9780334024590 |oclc=21333973 |year=1990 |url=https://archive.org/details/ancientchristian00koes }}
* {{cite book |first1=Helmut |last1=Koester |first2=Thomas O. (tr.) |last2=Lambdin |contribution=The Gospel of Thomas |editor-first=James MacConkey |editor-last=Robinson |title=The Nag Hammadi Library in English |publisher=E. J. Brill |location=Leiden, New York, Cologne |year=1996 |isbn=9789004088566 |oclc=36684919 |edition=Revised}}
* {{cite book |last=Kim |first=David William |title=The words of Jesus in the gospel of Thomas: the genesis of a wisdom tradition |date=2021 |publisher=Routledge |location=Abingdon New York (N.Y.) |isbn=9780367629229}}
* {{cite book |last=Labib |first=Pahor |year=1956 |title=Coptic Gnostic Papyri in the Coptic Museum at Old Cairo |volume=I |location=Cairo Government Press |url=https://archive.org/details/copticgnosticpap0001cair }} Plates 80, line 10–99, line 28.
* {{cite book |author-link=Bentley Layton |last=Layton |first=Bentley |year=1987 |title=The Gnostic Scriptures: A New Translation with Annotations |publisher=Doubleday |isbn=9780385478434 |oclc=32841875}}
* {{cite book |last=Layton |first=Bentley |year=1989 |title=Nag Hammadi Codex II |volume=2 |publisher=E.J.Brill |isbn=9789004090194 |oclc=18134527}} - ''The critical edition of the seven texts of Codex II, including the Gospel of Thomas.''
* {{cite journal |last=Linssen |first=Martijn |title=The 72 logia of Thomas and their canonical cousins |url=https://www.academia.edu/41668680 |journal=Absolute Thomasine Priority |language=en |volume=Part III |date=January 18, 2020 |via=academia.edu |access-date=2020-08-12 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Masing |first1=Uku |last2=Rätsep |first2=Kaide |year=1961 |title=Barlaam and Joasaphat: Some problems connected with the story of "Barlaam & Joasaphat", the ''Acts of Thomas'', the ''Psalms of Thomas'', and the ''Gospel of Thomas'' |journal=Communio Viatorum |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=29–36}}
* {{cite book |last=McGrath |first=Alister E. McGrath |year=2006 |title=Christian Theology |publisher=Wiley |isbn=9781405153607 |oclc=70882125}}
* {{cite book |last=Meier |first=John P. |title=A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the historical Jesus |location=New York |publisher=Doubleday |year=1991 |url=https://archive.org/details/mentormessagemir00john }}
* {{cite book <!-- This is a different book to the one above, and is required by referencing --> |last=Meier |first=John P. |title=A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus |volume=V: Probing the Authenticity of the Parables |year=2016 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-21647-9}}
* {{cite book |first=Bruce M. |last=Metzger |author-link=Bruce M. Metzger |title=The Canon of the New Testament: Its origin, development and significance |publisher=Clarendon Press |edition=Reprint |year=1997 |isbn=9780198261803 |oclc=14188714}}
* {{cite book |last=Meyer |first=Marvin |contribution=Albert Schweitzer and the Image of Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas |title=Jesus Then & Now: Images of Jesus in History and Christology |editor-first=Marvin |editor-last=Meyer |editor2-first=Charles |editor2-last=Hughes |location=Harrisburg, PA |publisher=Trinity Press International |year=2001 |isbn=9781563383441 |oclc=44932109 |url=https://archive.org/details/jesusthennowimag0000unse/ }}
* {{cite book |title=Mercer Dictionary of the Bible |isbn=9780865543737 |oclc=613917443 |last1=Mills |first1=Watson E. |last2=Bullard |first2=Roger Aubrey |last3=McKnight |first3=Edgar V.|year=1990|publisher=Mercer University Press }}
* {{cite book |last=Nicholson |first=E. B. |title=The Gospel According to the Hebrews |url=https://archive.org/details/thegospelaccordi00nichuoft |location=London |publisher=Paul |year=1879 }}
* {{cite book |last=Pagels |first=Elaine |title=The Gnostic Gospels |publisher=Vintage |year=1979 |isbn=9780679724537 |oclc=915535931}}
* {{cite book |last=Pagels |first=Elaine |year=2004 |title=Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas |location=New York |publisher=Vintage |isbn=9780375703164 |oclc=55076968}}
* {{cite book |title=The Fifth Gospel: The Gospel of Thomas Comes of Age |isbn=9781563382499 |oclc=39747746 |first1=Stephen J. |last1=Patterson |last2=Robinson |first2=James M. |last3=Bethge |first3=Hans-Gebhard |location=Harrisburg, PA |publisher=Trinity Press International |year=1998}}
* {{cite web |last=Paterson Brown |first=Thomas |title=Are the Coptic Gospels Gnostic? |date=n.d. |url=https://www.metalogos.org/files/gnostic.html |website=Metalogos |language=en |via=metalogos.org |access-date=2022-01-25 }}
* {{cite book |author-link=Nicholas Perrin |last=Perrin |first=Nicholas |title=Thomas and Tatian: The Relationship between the Gospel of Thomas and the Diatessaron |series=Academia Biblica |volume=5 |location=Leiden |publisher=Brill Academic Publishers |year=2002 |isbn=9789004127104 |oclc=50253053}}
* {{cite journal |first=Nicholas |last=Perrin |title=Thomas: The Fifth Gospel? |journal=Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society |number=49 |date=March 2006 |pages=66–80}}
* {{cite book |last=Porter |first=J. R. |title=The Lost Bible |year=2010 |publisher=Metro Books |location=New York |isbn=9781435141698 |oclc=1288482369 |url=https://archive.org/details/lostbible0000port/ }}
* {{cite book |last=Riley |first=Gregory J. |title=Resurrection Reconsidered: Thomas and John in Conflict |location=Augsberg |publisher=Fortress Press |year=1995 |isbn=9780800628468 |oclc=31374903}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Robinson |editor1-first=James M. |display-authors=etal |title=The Nag Hammadi Library in English |edition=Revised |year=1988 |location=Leiden; San Francisco |publisher=E.J. Brill; Harper and Row |isbn=9789004088566 |oclc=36684919}}
* {{cite book |first=Wilhelm |last=Schneemelcher |year=2006 |title=New Testament Apocrypha |isbn=9780664227210 |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press |oclc=1105225814}}
* {{cite book |last=Schnelle |first=Udo |year=2007 |title=Einleitung in das Neue Testament |isbn=9783825218300 |oclc=230126596}}
* {{cite book |title=Hear Then the Parable |isbn=9780800608972 |oclc=18415818 |last1=Scott |first1=Bernard Brandon |date=1989|publisher=Fortress Press }}
* {{cite journal |first=Robert F. |last=Shedinger |title=Thomas and Tatian: The Relationship between the Gospel of Thomas and the Diatessaron by Nicholas Perrin |journal=Journal of Biblical Literature |volume=122 |number=22 |date=Summer 2003|doi=10.2307/3268457 |jstor=3268457 }}
* {{cite book |last=Skinner |first=Christopher W. |year=2009 |title=John and Thomas – Gospels in Conflict?: Johannine Characterization and the Thomas Question |publisher=Pickwick Publications |series=Princeton Theological Monograph Series 115 |isbn=9781606086148 |oclc=365050716}}
* {{cite journal |author-link=Klyne Snodgrass |last=Snodgrass |first=Klyne R. |title=The Gospel of Thomas: A secondary Gospel |journal=Second Century |volume=7 |number=1 |year=1989 |pages=19–30}}
* {{cite book |last=Strobel |first=Lee |title=The Case for the Real Jesus |url=https://archive.org/details/caseforrealjesus00stro |url-access=registration |year=2007 |publisher=Zondervan |location=United States |isbn=9780310242109 |oclc=122526600 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Theissen |first1=Gerd |first2=Annette |last2=Merz |title=The Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide  |isbn=9780800631239 |oclc=38590348 |location=Minneapolis |publisher=Fortress Press |year=1998}}
* {{cite book |last=Throckmorton |first=B. H. |title=Gospel Parallels: a synopsis of the first three Gospels with alternative readings from the manuscripts and noncanonical parallels |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/gospelparallels00thro |location=Nashville |publisher=T. Nelson, Inc. |year=1979 |isbn=0840751508 |oclc=4883096 }}
* {{cite journal |author-link=Christopher Tuckett |last=Tuckett |first=Christopher M. |title=Thomas and the Synoptics |journal=Novum Testamentum |number=30 |year=1988 |volume=30 |pages=132–157 |doi=10.1163/156853688X00217}}
* {{cite web |first=John D. (tr.) |last=Turner |url=http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/bookt-jdt-ln.html |title=The Book of Thomas: NHC II,7, 138,4 |date=n.d. |website=The Gnostic Society Library |access-date=2021-06-17 }}
* {{cite book |title=The Gospel of Thomas |first=Richard |last=Valantasis |location=London; New York |publisher=Routledge |year=1997 |isbn=9780415116213 |oclc=36008405}}
* {{cite book |last=Van der Watt |first=J. G. |year=2000 |title=Family of the King: dynamics of metaphor in the Gospel according to John. |location=Boston |publisher=Brill |isbn=9789004116603 |oclc=43555226}}
* {{cite book |last=Van Voorst |first=Robert |author-link=Robert E. Van Voorst |title=Jesus Outside the New Testament: an introduction to the ancient evidence |url=https://archive.org/details/jesusoutsidenewt00voor |url-access=registration |location=Grand Rapids |publisher=Eerdmans |year=2000 |isbn=9780802843685 |oclc=43286799 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Williams |first=P. J. |title=Alleged Syriac Catchwords in the Gospel of Thomas |journal=Vigiliae Christianae |volume=63 |number=1 |year=2009 |pages=71–82 |publisher=BRILL |doi=10.1163/157007208X312743 |url=http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/brill/vc/2009/00000063/00000001/art00004 |url-access=subscription }}
* {{cite book |last=Wright |first=N. T. |author-link=N. T. Wright |year=1992 |title=The New Testament and the People of God |publisher=Fortress Press |isbn=9780800626815 |oclc=27044029}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Asgeirsson |first=Jon |title=Thomasine Traditions in Antiquity The Social and Cultural World of the Gospel of Thomas |publisher=BRILL |publication-place=Boston |year=2005 |isbn=9789047417866 |oclc=1202472721}}
* {{cite book |last=Burke |first=Tony |title=The Syriac tradition of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas: a critical edition and English translation |date=2017 |publisher=Gorgias Press |location=Piscataway, NJ |isbn=9781463205843}}
* {{cite book |author1=Clontz, T. E. |author2=Clontz, J. |title=The Comprehensive New Testament |publisher=Cornerstone Publications |year=2008 |isbn=9780977873715 |oclc=496721278}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Farid |editor1-first=Mehrez |display-editors=etal |title=The Facsimile Edition of the Nag Hammadi Codices: Codex II |publisher=E.J. Brill |year=1974 |oclc=1244719490 |url=https://archive.org/details/the-facsimile-edition-of-the-nag-hammadi-codices-codex-ii-by-farid-mehrez-et-al.-eds-z-lib.org}}
* {{cite book |last=Gagné |first=André |title=The Gospel according to Thomas |date=2019 |publisher=Brepols |location=Turnhout |isbn=9782503584904}}
* {{cite book |last=Gathercole |first=Simon |title=The composition of the Gospel of Thomas: original language and influences |date=2012 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge New York |isbn=9781107009042}}
* {{cite book |last=Gathercole |first=Simon J. |title=The Gospel of Thomas: introduction and commentary |date=2014 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden ; Boston |isbn=9789004190412}}
* {{cite journal |last=Higgins |first=Angus John Brockhurst |title=Non-Gnostic sayings in the Gospel of Thomas |journal=Novum Testamentum |volume=4 |number=4 |year=1960 |pages=292–306|doi=10.1163/156853660X00064 }}
* {{cite web |title=The Gospel of Thomas |first=Thomas O. (tr.) |last=Lambdin |date=n.d. |publisher=The Gnostic Society Library |url=http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gthlamb.html |access-date=2021-06-02 }}
* {{cite book |last=Leloup |first=Jean-Yves |title=The Gospel of Thomas: The Gnostic Wisdom of Jesus |date=2005 |publisher=Inner Traditions International, Limited |location=Rochester |isbn=9781594776397}}
* {{cite book |last=Meyer |first=Marvin |year=2004 |title=The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=9780060655815 |oclc=26132735}}
* {{cite book |last=Miroshnikov |first=Ivan |title=The gospel of Thomas and Plato: a study of the impact of Platonism on the "Fifth Gospel" |date=2018 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden Boston (Mass.) |isbn=9789004367296}}
* {{cite book |last1=Patterson |first1=Stephen J. |last2=Bethge |first2=Hans-Gebhard |last3=Robinson |first3=James M. |title=Fifth Gospel (New Edition): The Gospel of Thomas Comes of Age |date=2011 |publisher=Continuum International Publishing |location=London |isbn=9780567310842}}
* {{cite book |last=Patterson |first=Stephen |title=The Gospel of Thomas and Christian origins: essays on the Fifth Gospel |publisher=Brill |publication-place=Leiden |year=2013 |isbn=9789004256217 |oclc=857769614}}
* {{cite book |last=Perrin |first=Nicholas |title=Thomas: The Other Gospel |publisher=Presbyterian Publishing Corporation |year=2007 |isbn=9780664232115 |oclc=137305724}}
* {{cite book |last1=Pokorný |first1=Petr |title=Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas: from interpretations to the interpreted |date=2010 |publisher=T & t Clark Ltd |location=New York |isbn=9780567502506}}
* {{cite book |last=Robinson |first=James M. |display-authors=etal |title=The Nag Hammadi Library in English |edition=4th rev. |location=Leiden; New York |publisher=E.J. Brill |year=1996 |isbn=9789004088566 |oclc=36684919}}
* {{Cite thesis |last=Vuković |first=Marijana |title=Survival and success of an apocryphal childhood of Jesus: reception of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas in the Middle ages |date=2022 |publisher=De Gruyter |place=Berlin Boston (Mass.) |isbn=9783110752724}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote|Gospel of Thomas}}
{{Commons category|Gospel of Thomas}}
{{Wikiversity}}
* [https://www.academia.edu/42110001/ Interactive Coptic-English Thomas translation]. With hyperlinear translation of every single word linked to online [https://coptic-dictionary.org/search.cgi KELLIA Coptic Dictionary], 2020. Contains verified representation of facsimile, including corrections to all previous translations such as those of Guillaumont, Quispel, Layton, Lambdin, and Patterson / Meyer / Robinson
* [https://metalogos.org/files/thomas.html The Gospel of Thomas]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002202232/https://www.freelyreceive.net/metalogos/files/thomas.html |date=2 October 2019 }} With hyperlinear translation linked to Crum's ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20140423083522/http://www.metalog.org/files/crum.html Coptic Dictionary]'' and Plumley's ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20140103025334/http://www.metalog.org/files/plum.html Coptic Grammar]''. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140329064611/http://metalog.org/ Ecumenical Coptic Project] online edition, 1998 ff.
* [https://archive.org/details/Metagosp Ecumenical Coptic Project] at [[Internet Archive]].
* [http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl_thomas.htm Gospel of Thomas Collection at The Gnosis Archive]
* [http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/thomas.html Gospel of Thomas at Early Christian Writings]
* [http://www.gospelofthomas.info/ Gospel of Thomas Collection] Commentary and Essays by [[Hugh McGregor Ross]]
* [http://gospel-thomas.net/ Michael Grondin's Coptic–English Interlinear Translation of the Gospel of Thomas]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20001016171904/http://www.geocities.com/kielas/essay_thomas.html Why is the Gospel of Thomas not in the canon. Online essay by Simonas Kiela]
* [http://www.sofiatopia.org/equiaeon/thomas.htm The Gospel of Thomas] English translation of the text, by Wim van den Dungen
* [http://www.diegutebotschaft.de/literatur Gospel of Thomas, bibliography]

{{The Nag Hammadi Codices |state=collapsed}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gospel of Thomas}}
[[Category:Apocryphal collections of logia|Thomas, Gospel of]]
[[Category:Books of quotations]]
[[Category:Coptic literature]]
[[Category:Gnostic Gospels|Thomas]]
[[Category:Nag Hammadi library]]
[[Category:Thomas the Apostle]]
[[Category:Works of unknown authorship]]