Eleventh International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

The Gospel of Thomas represents some of the earliest attested non-canonical sayings attributed to Jesus, some of which bear a resemblance to canonical gospel sayings and others which are entirely different. Particular thematic emphases in the document, such as secrecy and knowledge, have long been recognized as reflecting division in the beliefs of second century Christ groups arising from various ideologies often placed under the banner of gnosticism. Such differences between this gospel and the canonical gospels help to illustrate the shifts that Christian communities underwent in the second century, and provide valuable insight into not only how beliefs changed over time but how syncretism and adaptation took place between belief systems gives rise to such change. One area of difference between the Gospel of Thomas and the canonical Gospels is related to concepts of living and dying, which appear frequently in sayings attributed to Jesus. This paper explores the sayings of Jesus related to life and death in the Gospel of Thomas, elucidating how these compare with the canonical sayings, reflect changes and syncretistic adaptations in the beliefs of second century communities, and how such insights help to illuminate early Christian ideas of existence, whether orthodox or heterodox with respect to the earliest tradition.