What is the Gospel of Thomas?

The Gospel of Thomas is a non-canonical, Coptic-language sayings gospel discovered in Egypt in 1945 as part of the Nag Hammadi library. Unlike the canonical Gospels, it contains no narrative account of Jesus's life, crucifixion, or resurrection, but instead presents 114 logia or sayings attributed to Jesus. Most scholars date its composition to the second century, though its exact authorship and the extent of its Gnostic influences remain subjects of scholarly discussion.

What we know

• The Gospel of Thomas consists of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus, differing from the canonical Gospels by omitting narrative accounts of his life, crucifixion, resurrection, and Last Judgment. [1, 2]
• The text was discovered in December 1945 by farmers near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, preserved within a collection known as the Nag Hammadi library. [2, 5]
• Most scholars place the composition of the Gospel of Thomas during the second century, while other proposed dates range from as early as 60 AD to as late as 250 AD. [2]
• Although the text's introduction attributes the work to Didymos Judas Thomas, the true author remains unknown and most modern scholars reject apostolic authorship. [2]

Still open

• Scholars debate whether the Gospel of Thomas should be categorized strictly as a Gnostic text or if its classification is merely a byproduct of its discovery alongside Gnostic manuscripts at Nag Hammadi.
• Experts disagree on the precise provenance of the text, with some suggesting a Syrian origin due to strong Thomasine traditions there, while others propose an Alexandrian origin.

Where to go next

• how we knowHow was the Nag Hammadi library discovered?
• compared withWhat is inside the Infancy Gospel of Thomas?
• the bigger pictureWhat do the New Testament apocrypha include?
• what caused itWhy did Bishop Athanasius declare a strict Christian scriptural canon?
• a case in pointWhat teachings are found in the Gospel of Philip?
• an unexpected connectionHow do hidden sayings link early texts to modern farming?This ancient theological text survived centuries hidden underground only to be uncovered by chance when local farmers dug it up in Egypt in 1945.

Sources

• [1]Gospel of Thomas (Wikidata Q131546) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Gospel of Thomas · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Infancy Gospel of Thomas · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Gospel of Mary · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Gospel of Philip · CC BY-SA 4.0