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A:The Gospel of Thomas, as with the 'Q' document, or Q Gospel, is a purely sayings document, with no narrative content and no reference to the crucifixion or resurrection of Jesus. The Q Gospel is, of course, the hypothetical document from which the authors of Matthew and Luke drew much of the material for their gospels. John Dominic Crossan has done a detailed analysis of the parallels between Thomas and the other gospels in his 1998 book, The Birth of Christianity. He provides the following statistics:
  • 28 per cent (37 out of 132 units) of the Gospel of Thomas have parallels in the Q Gospel.

    This corresponds to 37 per cent of the units in Q.

  • 30 per cent (11 out of 37 units) of what is common to Thomas and Q also have parallels in Mark.
  • 17 per cent (16 of 95 units) of what is in Thomas, but not in Q, have parallels in Mark.

Crossan says this can only be explained by there having been an even earlier, Common Sayings Tradition, from which the authors of Thomas, Q and Mark drew some of their material. Thomas redacts the original source towards Gnosticism, while Q redacts it towards apocalypticism, but the original tradition had neither Gnosticism nor apocalypticism.

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The Gospel of Thomas is purely a sayings gospel, containing sayings attributed to Jesus, but no narrative about his life and mission. It is thought to be one of the earliest gospels.

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Q: How does the Gospel of Thomas relate to Jesus?
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The gospel according to mark thomas?

The gospel according to Mark is independent of the gospel according to Thomas. The Gospel according to Mark is the second of the four found in the New Testament. This gospel relates the story and experiences in the life of Jesus Christ. The Gospel according to Thomas is described by many scholars as being a tribute to oral tradition. Instead of containing information about the actual life of Jesus Christ, it is said to be an actual account of Jesusâ??s own words and teachings.


Which apostle only believed after he had seen Jesus?

A:Any suggestion of doubt is totally absent from the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), but John's Gospel casts Thomas in the role of the doubting apostle, especially in the resurrection story of John's Gospel.When Jesus appeared to the assembled disciples on the evening of his resurrection in Luke's Gospel, all eleven were there but in John's Gospel, Thomas was not there. His absence was significant, because when Jesus breathed on the disciples and gave them the Holy Spirit (20:22), Thomas was the only disciple not to receive the Holy Spirit. Eight days later, Jesus again appeared to the disciples at a meal in the same room, but this time Thomas was there. Thomas had expressed doubts when told that Jesus had been seen alive, but on seeing Jesus he was convinced.The respected New Testament scholar, Elaine Pagels, says there is a theme in John's Gospel of portraying Thomas as constantly doubting Jesus. She says that comparative texts indicate that there was rivalry between members of the Johannine community and other Christians who believed they followed the apostle Thomas. By creating the notion of "doubting Thomas" and by portraying Thomas as the only disciple not to receive the Holy Ghost, John's Gospel undermines to status of Saint Thomas.


What was the significance of Thomas in the resurrection story?

A:Thomas only has a prominent role in the resurrection story of John's Gospel. When Jesus appeared to the assembled disciples on the evening of his resurrection in Luke's Gospel, all eleven were there, but in this account Thomas was not there. Hisabsence was significant, because when Jesus breathed on the disciples and gave them the Holy Spirit (20:22), Thomas was the only disciple not to receive the Holy Spirit. Eight days later, Jesus again appeared to the disciples at a meal in the same room, but this time Thomas was there. Thomas had expressed doubts when told that Jesus had been seen alive, but on seeing Jesus he was convinced.The respected New Testament scholar, Elaine Pagels, says there is a theme in John's Gospel of portraying Thomas as constantly doubting Jesus. She says that comparative texts indicate that there was rivalry between members of the Johannine community and other Christians who believed they followed the apostle Thomas. By creating the notion of "doubting Thomas" and by portraying Thomas as the only disciple not to receive the Holy GHost, John's Gospel undermines to status of Saint Thomas.


What gospel portrays Jesus as one who suffers with humanity and shares God's love with humankind?

All four of the Gospels relate that message.


How is the Gospel of thomas different from the gospels of mark and john?

The Gospel of Thomas is different from the Gospels of Mark and John in several ways. Just a couple: 1) Thomas in not in the Bible. Mark and John are. 2) Mark and John were accepted by the early Church. Thomas wasn't. 3) Mark and John are in some sense chronological histories of Jesus' ministry. Thomas is a sayings gospel.


Where did Thomas go when Jesus went to heaven?

In Luke's Gospel, Jesus went to heaven on the evening following his resurrection. In Acts of the Apostles, Jesus went to heaven forty days after his resurrection. In neither case, does it state where Thomas went.


What is the teachings of the gospel of St Thomas?

The Gospel of St. Thomas is a non-canonical text that contains sayings attributed to Jesus. It emphasizes the importance of self-discovery and inner knowledge, suggesting that individuals have the potential to attain enlightenment by looking within themselves. This gospel presents a more mystical and esoteric interpretation of Jesus' teachings compared to the canonical gospels.


Where did Jesus find Saint Thomas?

According to Christian tradition, Jesus found Saint Thomas in Judea or in present-day Iraq. After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples, including Thomas, to show him his wounds and strengthen his faith.


What is the Gospel of Thomas about?

AnswerThe Gospel of Thomas is considered to be a sayings gospel. It contains many sayings of Jesus that the Gospels of Matthew and Luke also include, but also sayings that apparently derive from a different tradition. Elaine Pagels (Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas) believes the author of the Gospel of John probably knew what this gospel taught, even if he did not know of the actual text. In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus performs no physical miracles, discloses no fulfilment of prophecy, announces no apocalyptic kingdom that will disrupt the world order, and dies for no one's sins. Instead, he reveals wisdom and knowledge so that people may be enlightened. The sole reference to the cross occurs in saying 55, where the image of one bearing a cross seems to be used in a metaphorical sense. (Euan Cameron, The Secret Gospels of Jesus: The Definitive Collection of Mystical Gospels and Secret Books About Jesus of Nazareth).The Gospel of Thomas was never seriously considered for inclusion in the New Testament canon.


What evidence for the resurrection does John present?

The evidence that John presents for the resurrection of Jesus somewhat contradicts the evidence of the other gospels, but is closest to Luke, the synoptic gospel that John's Gospel most closely resembles.In John's Gospel, the risen Jesus appeared to the disciples in the upper room and showed them his wounds, but Thomas was not present. Eight days later, Jesus again appeared to the disciples, this time with Thomas present, and offered to let Thomas touch his wounds. These appearances, and the later appearance at the Sea of Galilee, are provided as evidence of the resurrection, and the wounds are the evidence that this really was Jesus, in the flesh.


Which Gospel does not have the story of Jesus?

The word gospel means "good news" which is the story of Jesus. The gospel is the story of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There can't be a gospel that does not have the story of Jesus in it unless in is an incorrect gospel. All of the gospel books in the KJV Bible - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - have the story of Jesus in them.


Why was the Infancy Gospel of Thomas not put into the New Testament?

The Infancy Gospel of Thomas is one of several surviving Infancy Gospels that give an idea of the miracle literature that was created to satisfy the desire of early Christians for more detail about the early life of Jesus. It contains the story about Jesus in the Temple at the age of 12, evidence that it was written later than the Gospel of Luke; and it was mentioned by Irenaeus around 185 CE. So, it can be assumed to date from the fisrt half of the second century CE. The Infancy Gospel of Thomas depicts a number of cruel and malicious deeds performed by the child Jesus. While these no doubt inspired awe and proved the miraculous powers of Jesus, the Gospel was at odds with the image of Jesus that the Church Fathers wanted to teach. No doubt this was an important reason for its exclusion.