The Dead Sea Scrolls are perhaps the most popular and important religious findings of the 20th century. But a year beforehand, a discovery in Nag Hammadi, Egypt, would bring forward The Gospel of Thomas. Over the years, this ancient text, hidden away in a sealed jar, showed a side of Jesus the Church knew would disrupt the foundations of Christianity. A collection of 114 sayings belonging to Jesus pertaining to this book could challenge much of what we know about early Christianity, as you’ll see below.
Why was The Gospel of Thomas Hidden?
One of the most obvious reasons The Gospel of Thomas was excluded from the Bible was the narrative of a humanized, yet still spiritual Jesus, who’s teachings emphasized individual enlightenment. This spiritual awakening was a direct conflict of the early Church’s obedient, institutional control.
The Gospel of Thomas suggested that:
- Divine truth is within all humans and can be obtained through spiritual belief and journey
- Spiritual enlightenment doesn’t necessarily require the Church’s authority, nor control
- Jesus provided secret wisdom to those who were ready to understand
How was The Gospel of Thomas Hidden ?
In 367 AD, Bishop Athanasius wrote a letter ordering the destruction of what he referred to as “heretical” or going against the norms. Somehow, a copy of The Gospel of Thomas was preserved in a risky move that very well could’ve threatened the life of whoever did so, as well as their loved ones. In fact, between the 2nd and 4th centuries, the formation of the New Testament was formally established, and many key ancient texts were deliberately left out. The other major controversial theme involves the positive view of women as leaders of the Church, much like The Gospel of Mary, as it also states the same claim that Mary Magdalene was a disciple of Jesus (along with Salome).
Evidence of Authenicity and Further Challenges in The Gospel of Thomas
The earliest known reference to The Gospel of Thomas was an important ancient theological text Hippolytus of Rome around 222 AD. Other cited references include Origen of Alexandria (233 AD) and Refutation of All Heresis (early 3rd century AD). The text itself is difficult to be assigned an exact time of writing, but scholars have projected as early as 60 AD to the latest date of 140 AD. Some scholars have also referenced the text as a possible finding of the alleged and suspected Q Source, which is thought to be a lost collection of Jesus’ teachings.
“Jesus said: ‘The Kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father.’”
Conclusion
Perhaps the truth is as simple as The Gospel of Thomas being hidden to keep social order and control, which essentially is argued as “protecting Christianity”. The key element of finding divine truth within yourself without using the Church as an intermediary, is understandably enough for the decision for its suppression. However, it’s an excellent additional source of theology that’s worth looking at. In the end, the decision, like anything religious, is yours alone. However, something that was directly left out of the Bible, for whatever reason, does deserve attention in my opinion. In conclusion, perhaps the real reason The Gospel of Thomas was removed from the Bible maybe wasn’t to simply keep control and order, but to prevent the masses from discovering their own divine potential.
“Jesus said: ‘If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.’”
Source:https://medium.com/the-thought-collection/gospel-of-thomas-removed-from-bible-8fa93e36e231
