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The Gospel of Thomas
The Fifth (5th) Gospel

The Gospel of Thomas is a collection of traditional sayings, prophecies, proverbs, and parables of Jesus. The Coptic Gospel of Thomas was translated from the Greek; in fact, several fragments of this Greek version have been preserved, and can be dated to about 200 C.E. Thus the Greek (or even or Aramaic) collection was composed in the period before about 200 C.E., possibly as early as the second half of the first century, in Syria, Palestine, or Mesopotamia. The authorship of the Gospel of Thomas is attributed to Didymos Judas Thomas, that is, Judas "the Twin," who was an apostle of Jesus.

The relationship of the Gospel of Thomas to the New Testament gospels have been a matter of special interest: many of the sayings of the Gospel of Thomas have parallels in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). A comparison of the sayings in the Gospel of Thomas with their parallels in the synoptic gospels suggests that the sayings in the Gospel of Thomas either are present in a more primitive form or are developments of a more primitive of such sayings. Indeed, the Gospel of Thomas resembles the synoptic sayings source, often called "Q" (from the German word Quelle, "source"), which was the common source of sayings used by Matthew and Luke. Hence, the Gospel of Thomas and its sources are collections of sayings and parables are closely related to the sources of the New Testament gospels. Because of the close parallel between many of the sayings in Thomas and the Gospels, some scholars have suggested that Thomas is also based on the Q source or is actually Q itself. Of course, these remain only hypotheses since there is no conclusive proof that a Q source ever existed. Still, the existence of a collection of sayings of Jesus as early as the dates proposed for Thomas suggests that there did exist such a collection in the early church. Some authorities have referred to this sacred text as the Fifth Gospel (5th Gospel)

A primary criticism to the Gospel of Thomas is of its Gnostic origin. This is primaraly due to the fact most ancient Gnostic writings are in Coptic and that the Gospel of Thomas was found among other Gnostic writings. This is a clear case of judgement by association. Greek fragments older than the Coptic version prove the Gospel of Thomas predates Gnosticism so the Gnostic bias should be removed.

The Apostle Thomas was also called Didymus which in the Greek means Twin or Double.

KJV John 11:16 said Thomas, which is called Didymus KJV John 20:24 ..one of the twelve, called Didymus KJV John 21:2 Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus

This is from the King James Version, some translations render it the Twin instead of using the Greek Didymus

Revised Standard Version John 11:16 Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

Amplified Bible John 11:16 Then Thomas, who was called the Twin...

The Gnostics called Thomas the Twin Brother of Jesus. Since the Gnostic movement was started about 100 years or so after the death of Christ, the oral history had obviously been distorted by then on this particular detail.

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Gospel of Thomas
Scholars Translation

Gospel of Thomas
Paul Halsall

Gospel of Thomas
Translator Nancy Johnson

Gospel of Thomas
Messrs-Brill of Leiden

Links

Gospel of Thomas (Research by Stevan Davies.)

a New Translation Based On the Inner Meaning

Mark's Use of the Gospel of Thomas

Mark's Use of the Gospel of Thomas II

Gospel of Thomas Translated by Thomas O. Lambdin

Gospel of Thomas: Dennis Bratcher

Is the Gospel of Thomas Reliable?

Why Isn't The Gospel of Thomas Canon?

Gospel of Thomas Gnostic Scripture

Johannine Sayings in the Gospel of Thomas

The Gnostic Apostle Thomas

Gospel of Thomas: Nadia Babich and Hang Nguyen

THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS, AND THE OTHER GNOSTIC APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS

The truth behind the hidden Gospel of Thomas

Rehabilitating the Gospel of Thomas

What about the Gospel of Thomas?

Gospel of Thomas xref NT

Thomas at the Crossroads: Essays on the Gospel of Thomas

The Fifth Gospel: The Gospel of Thomas Comes of Age

Gospel of Thomas

Yeshua: The Gospel of St. Thomas

The Mustard Seed : DisCourses on the Sayings of Jesus Taken from the Gospel according to Thomas

The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus

The Gospel of Thomas: Unearthing the Lost Words of Jesus

Unearthing the Lost Words of Jesus: The Discovery and Text of the Gospel of Thomas

The Gospel of Thomas and Jesus

Insights from the Secrets Teachings of Jesus: The Gospel of Thomas

Gospel of Thomas Study Guide