The Gospel of Thomas - Essay Example

The gospel of ThomasThe gospel of Thomas comprises of a collection of traditional sayings, prophesies and parables that were made by Jesus Christ. The name ‘Gospel of Thomas’ is a translation of the Greek dated back to A.D. 200. Didymos Judas Thomas is recognized for authoring a book. He was identified within the Syrian church as an apostle as well as a twin brother to Jesus. The gospel of Thomas’s relationship to the New Testament has been a matter of very particular interest. Per se, many of the most of the sayings in the book have parallels in the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.

It is believed that the sayings are a collection of what the living Jesus spoke. The group intentions are esoteric. According to the book, there are several other aspects in a person’s divine identity. Among the aspects is divine character recognition and ones’ origin recognition. The book stipulates that a disciple shall return to his or her origin if he or she becomes separate from the world. The disciple is supposed to strip off the fleshly garments and pass by the present corruptible existence.

After that the disciple shall experience a new world referred to as the kingdom of light, peace and life. There exist 114 sayings in the book that are not included in the manuscript but followed by most scholars today. The Gospel of Thomas suggests that Thomas and Jesus were so close during Jesus’ work on earth. Thomas wrote all the sayings that Jesus said in His lifetime moments. Most of the sayings resemble those found in the conical gospel. Consequently, the influence of Gnostic theology is clearly present in the Gospel of Thomas.

Even so, it is still not clear to distinguish the work by identifying it with any particular school sect. Works CitedRoss, Hugh McGregor. The Gospel of Thomas: newly presented to bring out the meaning, with introductions, paraphrases and notes. 4th ed. London: Watkins Pub., 2006. Print.Davies, Stevan L.. The Gospel of Thomas. Boston, Mass.: Shambhala, 2004. Print.