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Gospel of Thomas: Difference between revisions
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El Morya said that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John did not personally write down the Gospels that bear their names. They could have been compiled by their students any time in the first century. But of course, the farther away from Jesus’ lifetime they were written, the farther they get from his direct words. The writers of the Four Gospels did edit and at times embellish their sources. And they did so to make them conform to their own theological viewpoints and to address the needs of the growing church. El Morya says they changed or edited their original sources by some 30 percent. Some of their changes were accurate but some were not. | El Morya said that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John did not personally write down the Gospels that bear their names. They could have been compiled by their students any time in the first century. But of course, the farther away from Jesus’ lifetime they were written, the farther they get from his direct words. The writers of the Four Gospels did edit and at times embellish their sources. And they did so to make them conform to their own theological viewpoints and to address the needs of the growing church. El Morya says they changed or edited their original sources by some 30 percent. Some of their changes were accurate but some were not. | ||
Furthermore, Morya says that the Gospel of Thomas was originally written down by Thomas himself. There were some later elaborations and | Furthermore, Morya says that the Gospel of Thomas was originally written down by Thomas himself. There were some later elaborations and 10 percent of the Gospel of Thomas was edited. But later editors did not insert sayings from the New Testament Gospels into the Gospel of Thomas. | ||
El Morya has also told us that the Gospel of Thomas is 85 percent accurate. The master’s comments tell us that the Gospel of Thomas is indeed founded upon “the sayings that the living Jesus spoke.” And many of these sayings are just as authentic—and perhaps more authentic—than the teachings that have come down to us in the New Testament Gospels. | El Morya has also told us that the Gospel of Thomas is 85 percent accurate. The master’s comments tell us that the Gospel of Thomas is indeed founded upon “the sayings that the living Jesus spoke.” And many of these sayings are just as authentic—and perhaps more authentic—than the teachings that have come down to us in the New Testament Gospels. | ||
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== Significance == | == Significance == | ||
The Gospel of Thomas is established upon the Rock of Christ and Jesus’ Christ consciousness, and we have in Thomas a profound teaching that expands our mind, our heart and our soul and brings us so much closer to our Lord. The fragments of Jesus’ teaching that are in this gospel are more real because they are rough. They’re not edited. They’re not poetically phrased. They simply | The Gospel of Thomas is established upon the Rock of Christ and Jesus’ Christ consciousness, and we have in Thomas a profound teaching that expands our mind, our heart and our soul and brings us so much closer to our Lord. The fragments of Jesus’ teaching that are in this gospel are more real because they are rough. They’re not edited. They’re not poetically phrased. They are simply statements without elaboration or interpretation. | ||
The reason that Thomas did not incorporate in his Gospel events in the life of Jesus Christ is because the synoptic Gospels which record those events were written later. He didn’t have those texts to incorporate that material. Secondly, Gnosticism emphasizes Jesus as a wisdom teacher, emphasizes the individual disciple, emphasizes Jesus’ sayings which we then assimilate as being our means to salvation. | The reason that Thomas did not incorporate in his Gospel events in the life of Jesus Christ is because the synoptic Gospels which record those events were written later. He didn’t have those texts to incorporate that material. Secondly, Gnosticism emphasizes Jesus as a wisdom teacher, emphasizes the individual disciple, emphasizes Jesus’ sayings which we then assimilate as being our means to salvation. | ||
So it is not intended to be a chronicle of Jesus’ life, which shows us that Jesus himself placed less emphasis on his life and more emphasis on his teachings. Thomas stressed what his Lord stressed. And each one of the sayings in his gospel is given to us | So it is not intended to be a chronicle of Jesus’ life, which shows us that Jesus himself placed less emphasis on his life and more emphasis on his teachings. Thomas stressed what his Lord stressed. And each one of the sayings in his gospel is given to us as a teaching for life, for approaching God, for annihilating evil. It’s a method, a formula for the Path. | ||
That’s what [[Gnosticism]] is all about. Jesus gave the wisdom sayings. When we study them and follow them and understand them and assimilate them, we are fulfilling Jesus’ command, “Except ye eat the flesh of the son of Man and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”<ref>John 6:53.</ref> The flesh and blood of Jesus Christ is [[gnosis]], is the mind of God, and we have to eat these words. We have to listen to them again and again. They are like mantras. They fall from heaven. They tie us to heaven. | That’s what [[Gnosticism]] is all about. Jesus gave the wisdom sayings. When we study them and follow them and understand them and assimilate them, we are fulfilling Jesus’ command, “Except ye eat the flesh of the son of Man and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”<ref>John 6:53.</ref> The flesh and blood of Jesus Christ is [[gnosis]], is the mind of God, and we have to eat these words. We have to listen to them again and again. They are like mantras. They fall from heaven. They tie us to heaven. | ||