A comment on the historicity of the
Gospel of Thomas is that the (presumably) complete text we have is Coptic, and dates from the 4th century.
We have fragments in Greek which predate that, dated around 130-250CE, and a theory that the Greek is itself a translation of a Syriac original.
There is strong scholarship now to argue that
Thomas shows some dependence on the four canonical gospels, and that the Coptic text was a revised and edited version to favour the monastic spirituality of early Christian ascetics living in Egypt, later known as the Desert Fathers (and Mothers).
It's against this background that the most enigmatic sayings are most easily understood.
It's also worth noting that the
Gospel of Thomas is the common name, but there better title might be the opening statement:
"These are the secret words which the living
Jesus spoke, and Didymus Judas Thomas wrote them down"
In the context of its time, the 'secret' or 'hidden' words are commentaries that are kept for the advanced student only, and not disclosed to the neophyte. This again can be read to suggest that
Thomas should be read in conjunction with the four Gospels.
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Logion 16:
"Jesus said, “Possibly people think that I have come to cast
peace on the world (cf. Matthew 10:34 and Luke 12: 51), and they do not know that I have come to cast divisions upon the earth (Luke 12:51): fire (Luke 12:49),
sword (Matthew 10:34), and war. For there shall be five in a house: three shall be against two and two against three,
father against son, and son against father (Luke 12:52-53),
and they shall stand as solitary ones.”
Two points:
One is that the logion only makes better sense if read
in the light of the Lucan account.
Two is that the 'solitary' of the non-canonical phrase uses the word
monachos, Coptic ⲙⲟⲛⲁⲭⲟⲥ (
monachos), Greek μοναχός (
monakhós), meaning 'solitary' or 'monk' – the argument being that the Coptic Thomas took shape in the monastic community – and the term monachos appears more than once in the text, with the emphasis on the solitary individual, the hermit-monks of the desert, being the elect of
God.
Logion 4:
Greek: "Jesus said, 'A man old in days will not hesitate to ask a
child seven days old about his place in life and he will live. For many of the first will be last and many of the last will be first ... "
Coptic: "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 solitary ones'."
Monastic readers would recognise such wording from their everyday life. The old man (ⲡϩⲗ̄ⲗⲟ) is the title given an experienced
monk. The 'child' could then refer to a monk in training, not necessarily a child but a newcomer to the community. In such communities, the 'elder' is far more honourable than an untrained neophyte. (There is an account of St Pachomius who set a younger man to speak to the community. Some of the elder brothers took umbrage at being lectured to by a young man, and walked off! St Pachomius had seen that the younger man was more spiritually advanced than even his elders.) Thus both young and old can be 'solitary ones, that is, authentic monks.
The emphasis on solitary is there in logions 11, 16, 22, 23, 49, 75 and 106.
The Coptic
Thomas is championing – in the face of the pastoral collective – the ascetic ideal of the 'solitary one', to whom "the living Jesus" will reveal himself. One is reminded of the words of the desert father, Abba Alois: “Unless a man says in his heart, Only I and
God are in the world, he shall not find rest.” For those struggling with personal challenges, such as battling temptation, resources like
prayer points with scriptures can offer spiritual support. The call to be a 'solitary one' also resonates with the pursuit of
unity with God, emphasizing a deep, personal relationship over communal conformity. This focus on individual spiritual growth aligns with the broader Christian call to seek
grace and transformation.
and if Thomas, on what ground completely ignore other non-canonical texts?
