Monthly Archives: November 2013

ON LOVE; PART CDXLVII

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GoodWill IS Love in Action

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The Gospel of Thomas

These are the hidden words that the living Jesus spoke. And Didymos Judas Thomas wrote them down.

(76) Jesus says: “The kingdom of the Father is like a merchant who had merchandise and found a pearl. That merchant is prudent. He sold the goods (and) bought for himself the pearl alone. You too look for his treasure, which does not perish, (and) which stays where no moth can reach it to eat it, and no worm destroys it.“

(77) Jesus says: “I am the light that is over all. I am the All. The All came forth out of me. And to me the All has come.” “Split a piece of wood – I am there. Lift the stone, and you will find me there.“

(78) Jesus says: “Why did you go out to the countryside? To see a reed shaken by the wind, and to see a person dressed in soft clothing [like your] kings and your great/powerful persons? They are dressed in soft clothing and will not be able to recognize the truth.“

(79) A woman in the crowd said to him: “Hail to the womb that carried you and to the breasts that fed you.” He said to [her]: “Hail to those who have heard the word of the Father (and) have truly kept it. For there will be days when you will say: ‘Hail to the womb that has not conceived and to the breasts that have not given milk.’”

(80) Jesus says: “Whoever has come to know the world has found the (dead) body. But whoever has found the (dead) body, of him the world is not worthy.“

(81) Jesus says: “Whoever has become rich should be king. And the one who has power should renounce (it).“

In the last post we looked at the seventy sixth saying from the Gospel of Thomas. This is a saying that we find in the synoptic gospels; the first part about the pearl in Matthew and the second part about the nature of that treasure that is of the Kingdom of God in both Matthew and Luke albeit in different contexts as we discussed in the last essay. Here however we find Thomas combining these into a single saying and doing so with the added emphasis of the Master’s admonition to the hearer that “You too look for his treasure” which is to say that as the merchant finds the “ pearl of great price” as Matthew frames this, and sells ALL to have, that the hearer should be in search of the same. We can also see this as that the hearer of this second part should seek the treasure that IS the great pearl for this IS the Kingdom of God. Regardless of how one wishes to frame this idea, Thomas does combine two very profound ideas from the Master as He tells us of the Kingdom, that when the seeker does find it he will give up ALL for it, and he tells us as well that we should be seeking this same treasure, the Kingdom of God, “which does not perish, (and) which stays where no moth can reach it to eat it, and no worm destroys it” and here we should remember the Master’s other words that tell us clearly that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).

This IS the fullness of this saying from Thomas who weaves the Master’s words in his own style and in according to his own recollection of the Master’s words. Here we should also be able to see that regardless of whether we believe that these ARE the words of the Master according to Thomas or that they are the words of some Gnostic impersonator of a later date as many do believe, these are His words and they are profoundly assembled into a saying that is of importance to ALL who say that they are Christians. We should note as well that the same differences that our commentators note between Thomas writing and the writings of the accepted gospels occur within the accepted gospels as well and that the comparisons that we see against Q are theoretical at best as there is in reality no such document to quote. Here we should note that the saying on the pearl occurs ONLY in Matthew and that the sayings on the idea of the treasure of the Kingdom is offered in very different contexts by Matthew and Luke with Matthew expanding upon the idea greatly. Our point here is the same as we have previously stated, that the nature of these sayings from Thomas’ Gospel can help us to better understand the Master’s words in the accepted gospels and perhaps the epistles as well.

This next saying, the seventy seventh, is another that DOES NOT have a similar matching idea in the accepted gospels although we can tie the Master words on Light from John’s Gospel in these words as well as some of the more obscure ideas offered by both the Master and the apostle. The Thomas translators offer us some different ways to view this saying as we note in these renderings:

•  Jesus said: “I am the light that is above them all. I am the all; the all came forth from me, and the all attained to me. Cleave a (piece of) wood; I am there. Raise up a stone, and you will find me there” (Blatz).
• Jesus said, “It is I who am the light (that presides) over all. It is I who am the entirety: it is from me that the entirety has come, and to me that the entirety goes. Split a piece of wood: I am there. Lift a stone, and you (plur.) will find me there” (Layton).
• Jesus says: “I am the light which is on them all. I am the All, and the All has gone out from me and the All has come back to me. Cleave the wood: I am there; lift the stone and thou shalt find me there!” (Doresse).
• Jesus said, “It is I who am the light which is above them all. It is I who am the All. From me did the All come forth, and unto me did the All extend. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there” (Lambdin).
• Jesus says: “I am the light that is over all. I am the All. The All came forth out of me. And to me the All has come.” “Split a piece of wood – I am there. Lift the stone, and you will find me there” (Patterson and Meyer).
• Jesus said, “I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attained. Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there” (Patterson and Meyer).
• Said-JS70 this: “I am the-light, the-one which-is-up-on-them, all of them. I am the-All; has-the-All come out of-me, and has-the-All -split(open) up to-me. > Split(open) a-timber, I (I)am-there; > take the-stone up , and you(pl)-will-fall upon-me there” (Interlinear Version).

We should remember that we saw the second part of this saying already as it IS also a part of the thirtieth saying and we will reprise our ideas on this from there as well as add some new based on the context here. Let us look at the first part from the perspective of the accepted gospels before we look at the commentary on this saying  as these ideas are covered in a combination of the words of the Master and of His apostle:

• First we find in the Master’s words a rather simple statement that encompasses the same reality that we see above in His words that “I am the-light, the-one which-is-up-on-them, all of them” as the Interlinear frames this. We read:
  • “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).
  • “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5).
  • “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46).
• For the rest of this idea from Thomas’ Gospel we look at the Prologue to John’s Gospel where John, in his divine vision of Truth, tells us these things that accommodate a part of these words from Thomas which are rather choppy in the interlinear and rendered differently by the other translators. The main part, “I am the-All; has-the-All come out of-me” (Interlinear) seems to be framed as a question here but the consensus of the others makes this a statement which IS the more logical way to view this. We can then equate this to these words from the apostle:The final section of the first part of this saying which the Interlinear frames as “and has-the-All -split(open) up to-me” which in the positive from of a statement would say that’ the ALL has split up to me’ which is at first glance rather obscure. Another version of the Interlinear sees the world split rendered as it could possibly be split/reach while the next occurrence in this same saying has the alternate rendering of split (open). Now this Coptic word is rendered in other sayings as split (open) when speaking about fruit ready to harvest and as split (open) when speaking about the new wine put into old bottles. It is rendered as opened without the idea of split when referring to the woman that arrived or reached her house and here perhaps we can see the alternate rendering of reach above. Now the idea of reach does not work in all of these ideas but the idea of open does and when we consider this, the idea used as split can be understood as the method of opening. We can find no ideas in the translations above that suffice in our understanding to say that ‘everything has opened to me‘ which appears to be be the intent of these words so that we can see the Master’s words as ‘I am the Light of the world, ALL things come from me and ALL things open to me‘. From the perspective of Life in this world, this idea works out according to our own understanding.
  • “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3).

While we can be sure of the ALL but this last part, we should note that some of the ideas from the translators can work as well when they are viewed in the present or in the future rather than the past as we KNOW that “the all attained to me” from Blatz is not yet a Truth, nor is “All has come back to me“, as Doresse states this, yet accomplished. Layton’s rendering of this idea as “from me that the entirety has come, and to me that the entirety goes” is a Truth but seems to be a more carnal view as would be seen from only the perspective of the physical form while the reality is more clearly seen as “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). This spiritual view is maintained by Blatz in attaining and Doresse in the need to “come back“. The available commentary on this saying includes:

• Marvin Meyer writes: “Compare Ecclesiastes 10:9; perhaps Habakkuk 2:18-20, on wooden and stone iamges. Note also the philosophical position presented by the Greco-Roman author Lucian of Samosata, Hermotimus 81: ‘God is not in heaven but rather permeates all things, such as pieces of wood and stones and animals, even the most insignificant.'” (The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus, p. 98).
• Jean Doresse writes: “Cf. the Gnostic Gospel of Truth (Codex XIII of Chenoboskion, p. 17): ‘The All has been in search of Him from whom he came forth; and the All was within him, unseizing, unthinkable!’ One might also mention the Acts of Peter, Chapter XXXIX: ‘Thou art the All, and the All is in thee, and thou art! And there is nothing else that exists, except thou alone!’ The same allusion is found in Col. III, 11: ‘Christ is all and in all.'” (The Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostics, p. 376).
• Robert M. Grant and David Noel Freedman write: “As the All, Jesus is everywhere present. He is in wood and under stones. We cannot agree with Doresse (pages 188-189) that Thomas is referring to the cross and the stone at his tomb. A much closer parallel is provided in the Gnostic Gospel of Eve (Epiphanius, Pan., 26, 3, 1): ‘In all things I am scattered, and from wherever you wish you collect me.’ At this point Thomas’s doctrine is pantheist, not Christian. The Greek version inserts the words about wood and stone at the end of Saying 31 to indicate that Jesus is present with his disciples, or with one disciple. The meaning is approximately the same: Jesus is everywhere.” (The Secret Sayings of Jesus, p. 178).
• Stevan Davies writes: “Gos. Thom. 77b: ‘Split a piece…’ etc, is appended to Gos. Thom. 30 in POxy. 1. This probably means that 77b once existed independently of 77a, but whether this means that 77a existed once independently of 77b in Thomas we do not know. It is possible that 77b was appended both to 77a and to 30 in POxy 1.” (http://www.misericordia.edu/users/davies/thomas/jblprot.htm).
• Stevan Davies writes: “From him, primordial light, all comes forth, and to him all extends. As the light, he is everywhere, for example, within logs and under stones.” (http://www.misericordia.edu/users/davies/thomas/jblprot.htm).
• Funk and Hoover write: “In this complex, Jesus speaks of himself in highly exalted terms, as he often does in the Gospel of John (for example, John 8:12; 10:7). But such self-reference is not characteristic of the Jesus of the synoptic parables and aphorisms. The term ‘light’ has special significance in the Gospel of Thomas (11:3b; 24:3; 50:1; 61:5; 83:1-2), and the ‘All’ is a technical gnostic term for the whole of cosmic reality (note Thomas 67). Such ideas, of course, had currency elsewhere in early Christian circles as well (note John 8:12; Rom 11:36; 1 Cor 8:6). But they are not characteristic of Jesus.” (The Five Gospels, p. 515)
  Gerd Ludemann writes: “Jesus identifies himself with light (cf. John 8.12; 9.5), which is tremendously important in Thomas: 11.3b; 24.3; 50.1; 61.5; 83.1-2. Jesus claims to be mediator at creation (cf. Romans 11.36; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16). All this recalls the role of wisdom. The presence of Jesus as it is described in vv. 2-3 echoes Matt. 18.20; 28.20 – but in that passage, too, there is a wisdom background.” (Jesus After 2000 Years, p. 629).
• Jack Finegan writes: “The first sentence in this saying is doubtless to be recognized as thoroughly Gnostic in character. The theme of light is prominent in Gnostic writings (e.g., §113), and the ‘All,’ presumably meaning the totality of being, is also mentioned in such works as the Gospel of Truth (§341). The second sentence, which is the part common to the Coptic and the Greek texts, can be interpreted most simply as promising the invisible presence of Christ to the believer in his daily work, involved with stone and wood, the common materials of human labor. But with the introductory sentence in the Coptic, where Jesus is the ‘All,’ the promise seems to be set within the framework of pantheism or, more precisely stated, of panchristism.” (Hidden Records of the Life of Jesus, p. 250).
• F. F. Bruce writes: “Jesus is not only the light of the world (cf. John 1.9; 8.12); all things cohere in him (Colossians 1.17) and he embodies the fulness of deity (cf. Colossians 2.9). This is presented here in pantheistic terms going far beyond the sense of a canonical saying as Matthew 18.20.” (Jesus and Christian Origins Outside the New Testament, pp. 142-143).
• Joseph A. Fitzmyer writes: “In what sense is this second part of the saying to be understood? It has often been interpreted in a pantheistic sense, or more precisely a ‘panchristic’ sense, asserting the ubiquity of Jesus in the world. Cf. Eph 4:6. J. Jeremias (Unknown Sayings, 96, n. 2) gives a convenient list of those who so explained it. He rejects this interpretation and prefers that first suggested by H. Lisco and adopted by A. von Harnack, H. B. Swete, and Evelyn White. According to this interpretation, two pictorial illustrations are given to explain how Jesus is present to the individual – two kinds of strenuous work, lifting stones and splitting wood. The combination of these two types of work was probably suggested by Eccl 10:9, ‘He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, while he who splits logs is endangered by them.’ In contrast to the pessimism of the Preacher, Jesus promises his abiding presence even in the most strenuous type of work.” (Essays on the Semitic Background of the New Testament, pp. 400-401).

We decided to leave in all of the commentary on this saying so that we can get a feel for the ideas of these men who again offer little in the way of understanding the Truths that may be found in these words that are attributed to Jesus. We should note here that should we dissect the words of the Master according to John we would find much of what these comments see in the Gospel of Thomas. We should note as well that much of this commentary cites the idea of pantheism which is a topic that we seldom look at; pantheism is a seemingly confused word that means different things to different people. The modern dictionary calls pantheism: 1. the doctrine that God is the transcendent reality of which the material universe and human beings are only manifestations: it involves a denial of God’s personality and expresses a tendency to identify God and nature. 2. any religious belief or philosophical doctrine that identifies God with the universe ⁷; while others include in this the worship of more than one God as we read as part of the definition from another dictionary: readiness to worship all or a large number of gods ¹⁰. Again, there are many ways to look at this depending upon one’s own view of Life and this whole idea of pantheism IS NOT looked upon favorably by much of doctrinal Christianity. The reasons are likely many and seem to center upon some form of disbelief that God could be associated with this corruptible universe. Of course to us the very idea of God being separated from any part of His Great and Awesome Creation is nonsensical and we should get this idea from the writings above from Thomas as well as the writers of the accepted scripture. We leave off today with this from the Apostle Paul which should address this idea of pantheism: “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:11). n

We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.

Aspect of God	Potency	Aspect of Man	In Relation to the Great Invocation	In relation to the Christ
GOD, The Father	Will or Power	Spirit or Life	Center where the Will of God IS KNOWN	Life
Son, The Christ	Love and Wisdom	Soul or Christ Within	Heart of God	Truth
Holy Spirit	Light or Activity	Life Within	Mind of God	Way

Note on the Quote of the Day

This daily blog also has a Quote of the Day which may not be in any way related to the essay. Many of these will be from the Bible and some just prayers or meditations that may have an influence on you and are in line with the subject matter of this blog. As the quote will change daily and will not store with the post, it is repeated in this section with the book reference and comment.

As the Lord’s Prayer is given to us by the Christ for our use 2000 years ago, the Great Invocation, according to esoteric sources, was give from Him as well and whether we believe that this IS True or not we should look at this prayer as containing the same selfless invocative style as does the Lord’s Prayer and then any that are modeled after their style. We again encourage ALL to read and reread this Great Invocation and our comments as in these words can be found keys to our spiritual reality.

From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let light stream forth into the minds of men.
Let Light descend on Earth.

From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let love stream forth into the hearts of men.
May Christ return to Earth.

From the centre where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide the little wills of men–
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.

From the centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.

Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.

This prayer is a part of our Prayers and Meditations section and there is much information about it there and in our discussion of it in the Quote of the Day section of In the Words of Jesus parts 128-132

The above Invocation or Prayer does not belong to any person or group but to all Humanity. The beauty and the strength of this Invocation lies in its simplicity, and in its expression of certain central truths which all men, innately and normally, accept—the truth of the existence of a basic Intelligence to Whom we vaguely give the name of God; the truth that behind all outer seeming, the motivating power of the universe is Love; the truth that a great Individuality came to earth, called by Christians, the Christ, and embodied that love so that we could understand; the truth that both love and intelligence are effects of what is called the Will of God; and finally the self-evident truth that only through humanity itself can the Divine Plan work out.

Like the Lord’s Prayer, this invocation is a World Prayer which is as all that a prayer is intended to be. It is a prayer for the uplifting of the Human Family out of the mire of materialism and selfishness. The Lord’s Prayer asks nothing for the individual praying it but asks that its benefits be for US and for WE which is why it was given by the Christ as a prayer and as a model over 2000 years ago. This invocation is also attributed to the Christ who, as He promised, has never left us; He, through channels that we do not readily understand, has Himself instructed His disciples to distribute this prayer and to encourage its use as a world prayer and as an aid in preparing the world for His return.

The first three stanzas of this prayer should be understood as reflecting the effective potencies of the Trinity which is God and which, when brought down to an individual level, the Trinity which is Man. His Will, His Love and His Light we should seen as the Potent Powers of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!

• ⁷ Dictionary.com Unabridged based on Random House Dictionary – 2011
• ¹⁰ Dictionary.com. Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers
• ¹⁴ The Gospel of Thomas; Translated by Stephen J. Patterson and James M. Robinson; http://gnosis.org/