gospel of Thomas introduction

In this series of talks, we will be looking at the teachings of Jesus as written down by Thomas. The Gospel of Thomas was lost for many hundreds of years, and only came to light relatively recently. You will not find the Gospel of Thomas in the Bible – it was not included in that canon. But there is little doubt about its authenticity. In many places, the Gospel of Thomas concurs with information in the other gospels. And it also carries new material not available elsewhere in the Bible.

The Gospel of Thomas has a different feel to the other gospels. The four gospels of the New Testament narrate the story of Jesus, including some of his teachings, of course. But they are in the form of a life story. This is very appealing to most people's minds. But there is a danger in it. And the danger is that we become more fixated on the person, the messenger, Jesus, than on the message that he is trying to convey to us.

The Gospel of Thomas does not make this mistake. It is just a collection of sayings by Jesus: his teachings. It says nothing about Jesus the man. It puts the focus entirely on the message, almost forgetting the messenger. And on our spiritual journey, we should always follow this approach. Whichever teacher we go to, we should listen to the message and not worry too much about the person, the individual.

It can be difficult, of course. Some people have a great charisma. And if such a person becomes a master, and starts teaching, it is very easy to be overwhelmed by that charisma, attracted to it. But it is not the important thing. The important thing is the message.

So in looking at the Gospel of Thomas, we are fortunate. Because it focusses on the message of Jesus. It presents that message to us in such a way that we cannot be distracted by the messenger. Of course, orthodox Christians may be rather unhappy with this. People who are attracted to orthodoxy have a narrow approach. Their truth can only come from one source – the Bible, for example. And such people are antagonistic towards every other source of wisdom. It is sad, for it limits their own spiritual growth. God is talking to us in a thousand and one ways every day: in scriptures, from all the different traditions, the Bible, yes, the Koran too. God is whispering to us as the wind in the trees and the fragrance of the wild rose. If we can listen to these different sources, then we are well on our way to meeting God; to being reunited with God; to being free.

So I hope that this series on the Gospel of Thomas will help us on that journey. This has been a little introduction to the series. But each of the episodes to follow will focus on one of the little sayings of Jesus, as contained in the Gospel of Thomas. There are 114 paragraphs. Perhaps we will consider each one in turn. Or perhaps just the selection. Let us see what comes.

Enjoy the series.