The Gospel of Thomas
Introduction
The Gospel according to Thomas is an ancient collection of sayings of Jesus said to have been recorded by Judas Thomas the Twin. Unlike other early Christian gospels, which typically consist of narrative accounts interpreting the life of Jesus of Nazareth and culminating in descriptions of his death, the Gospel of Thomas focuses specifically upon sayings of Jesus. The document claims that these sayings themselves, when properly understood, communicate salvation and life: "Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death" (saying I).
The Coptic text of the Gospel of Thomas came to light with the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library, within which the Gospel of Thomas is to be found as the second tractate, or document, of Codex II. According to Muhammad Ali of the al-Samman clan, who has told his story to James M. Robinson, this remarkable manuscript discovery took place around December 1945.
At that time (so the story goes), several Egyptian fellahin, including Muhammad Ali, were riding their camels near the Jabal al-Tarif, a h ... read full excerpt from: The Gospel of Thomas ebook
