gnosis92

doherty and i agree on one thing: some of the sayings preserved in the gospel of thomas seems older and perhaps more original than what we find in the synoptic gospels. (ehrman like most christians believe thomas gospel is a late second century gnostic document)

perhaps if the gospel of thomas is an early first century document, it would show gnosticism did indeed exist in first century palestine. (ehrman and christian fundie apologists argue since the gospel of thomas is gnostic, it must be dated in the second century, as gnosticism did not exist in the first century).

in the synoptic gospels, jesus is reported to have said "the kingdom of heaven is like"

whereas in the thomas gospel, jesus is reported to have said "the kingdom of the father"



the parable of the lost sheep

Another example is the parable of the lost sheep, which is paralleled by Matthew, Luke, John, and Thomas.

This is the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 18:12–14 NIV
12"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost."

This is the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15: 3-7 NIV
3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."

This is the parable of the lost sheep in Thomas 107 SV
107. Jesus said, "The kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety-nine and looked for the one until he found it. After he had toiled, he said to the sheep, I love you more than the ninety-nine."

This is the parable of the lost sheep in John 10: 1-18 NIV

1"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." 6Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them. 7Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[1] He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life — only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

luke clearly redacts the orignal as a homily over repentence in a manner like the lost widow and her coin. matthew redacts the original in a manner that the father celebrates, rather like the prodigal son.

thomas redaction has his pecular "the largest" which is also found with respect to the fish and the net, but does not connect it with any post-resurrection christology of sinful repetence. thomas actually seems more primitive than the synoptics.

mountainman

Perhaps the sayings are attributable to an older
and more original, more primitive wisdom which is
independent of christianity. For example, the
revival in interest of pythagoreanism, which is
clearly evident in the history of the period from
the first century BCE through the first 300 years
CE, until Constantine obliterated it (with the new
and strange religion)


http://www.mountainman.com.au/essene..._aphorisms.htm

The wisdom expressed in various forms of pythagoreanism
is not dissimilar to the purported sayings of the synoptics,
and the pre-existent Essenic philosophy, so perhaps it is
not unreasonable to hypothesise a (neo-) pythagorean
source.

This solution avoids the chronological anachronism of
having to base the goT on (probably fictitious) fourth
century synoptic literature.


Pete Brown
www.mountainman.com.au