You may recall that my position is that classic Gnosticism was created in order to counter the information contained in the Gospel of Thomas, which is a real work of Gnosticism, in the true sense of the word.
When one understands the proper manner in which to approach the Gospel of Thomas, the secrets contained within the Judeo-Christian tradition can be accessed. But there were those who wished to keep this information hidden. And so a text was constructed which answered the enigmas raised within the Gospel of Thomas, so that one need look no further. This text was the Apocryphon of John, the defining text of classic Gnosticism.
For example take:
(7) Jesus said: Blessed is the lion which the man eats, and the lion will become man; and cursed is the man whom the lion eats, and the lion will become man.
And when she saw (the consequences of) her desire, it changed into a form of a lion-faced serpent. And its eyes were like lightning fires which flash. She cast it away from her, outside that place, that no one of the immortal ones might see it, for she had created it in ignorance. And she surrounded it with a luminous cloud, and she placed a throne in the middle of the cloud that no one might see it except the holy Spirit who is called the mother of the living. And she called his name Yaltabaoth.
AoJ 10:7-19
(18) The disciples said to Jesus: Tell us how our end will be.
Jesus said: Since you have discovered the beginning, why do you seek the end? For where the beginning is, there will the end be. Blessed is he who shall stand at the beginning (in the beginning), and he shall know the end, and shall not taste death.
In the Apocryphon of John we learn what happened before the beginning as recounted in Genesis.
(29) Jesus said, "It is amazing if it was for the spirit that flesh came into existence. And it is amazing indeed if spirit (came into existence) for the sake of the body. But as for me, I am amazed at how this great wealth has come to dwell in this poverty."
The Apocryphon of John shows how it came to pass that spirit became trapped in the flesh.
The Apocryphon of John
Due to the many themes which Thomas shares with John it is easy to see how Thomas came to be regarded simply as another work in the classic Gnostic tradition. But Thomas does not belong in this tradition at all. This tradition was created in order to provide answers to the questions raised by Thomas, but these answers are not the ones that the text of Thomas originally referred to. In order to discover the intended solutions one would have to dig deeply through the Judeo-Christian tradition. However since Thomas is classified as belonging to the same tradition as the Apocryphon of John one wouldn't feel any need to dig deeper since a quick glance through John provides a ready answer to each enigma. Hence there is no apparent reason to look any further.
Wednesday, May 28, 2003
Sunday, May 25, 2003
Should We Exclude Jesus Making Mary Male
So let us carefully examine the arguments for this saying being a late addition to the Gospel of Thomas.
One thing which must be mentioned before we begin. The primary reason that Logion 114 is considered a late addition is simply because it is the last saying. If someone wanted to add something to an existing document their only option, other than rewriting the entire document, is to tack on something at the end of the text. If you are going to question the validity of a piece of text, the final section of the document is always an easy target.
a. The saying begins with a disciple, Simon Peter, addressing the other disciples. This literary device is otherwise never used by Thomas.
As you know, I take the view that the text should be studied in reverse order, which effectively makes this the first saying. Here we have Simon Peter attempting to impose his will on the group. Jesus then soundly puts him in his place. After this event Peter is not in a position to question Mary's presence. His wings have been effectively clipped. And so Peter is no longer depicted in the document as asserting his authority before the other disciples.
b. The idea of one "guided" by Jesus occurs only here.
Actually it is closer to being led by Jesus. The same word is used in sayings 34 and 3:
(34) Jesus said, "If a blind person leads a blind person both will fall into a hole."
(3) Jesus said: If those who lead you say to you: See, the kingdom is in heaven, then the birds of the heaven will go before you; if they say to you: It is in the sea, then the fish will go before you. But the kingdom is within you, and it is outside of you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will know that you are the sons of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you are in poverty, and you are poverty.
Naturally the meaning in 114 is quite the opposite, it is Jesus that is doing the leading in this instance. So yes, it can be argued that this is the only instance where Jesus is doing the leading, but being led is a common theme of Thomas. Taking 114 as the first in order, one can read the entire text of Thomas as instructions from Jesus.
c. In Thomas D we find the phrase "Kingdom of the Father" appearing in 96, 97, 98, 99, 113. Only in 114 is "Kingdom of Heaven" used.
There are only two other instances of "Kingdom of Heaven" being used in the entire document, at numbers 20 and 54. As there is only one "Kingdom of Heaven" saying per each of these hypothetical 'chapters', excepting C which has none, why should only this occurrence be judged as being fundamentally different from the others?
Perhaps the "Kingdom of Heaven" sayings have some special significance to set it apart from "Kingdom of the Father," and Mary, as the guided, is being specifically directed towards these sayings.
d. Only in 114 do we hear anything like the idea that a person should "become a living spirit."
Yet there are many concepts within the sayings which occur only once in the work. Should each of those be brought into question as well? 'Go to Jacob the Just' is but a single example.
e. Finally, this logion is in direct contradiction to 22. There the male should become female, the female become male and neither should be any longer male or female. Here, in 114 the status "male" is positively valued and the status "female" is negatively valued. Indeed, the woman should become male.
Notice how 114 leads us directly to 22. 21 is the next saying after 22 if we continue following a reverse order throughout the document. With that in mind, let's look at 21.
21) Mary said to Jesus, "Whom are Your disciples like?"
He said, "They are like children ...
Mary is directly engaging Jesus. This is the only saying which opens with Jesus being addressed by a named individual. Except perhaps for 114 which opens with Peter addressing either Jesus or the group as a whole.
So we have come full circle. Not only does 114 function as an integral piece of the collection, it also serves as the portal through which the document as a whole must be approached.
One thing which must be mentioned before we begin. The primary reason that Logion 114 is considered a late addition is simply because it is the last saying. If someone wanted to add something to an existing document their only option, other than rewriting the entire document, is to tack on something at the end of the text. If you are going to question the validity of a piece of text, the final section of the document is always an easy target.
a. The saying begins with a disciple, Simon Peter, addressing the other disciples. This literary device is otherwise never used by Thomas.
As you know, I take the view that the text should be studied in reverse order, which effectively makes this the first saying. Here we have Simon Peter attempting to impose his will on the group. Jesus then soundly puts him in his place. After this event Peter is not in a position to question Mary's presence. His wings have been effectively clipped. And so Peter is no longer depicted in the document as asserting his authority before the other disciples.
b. The idea of one "guided" by Jesus occurs only here.
Actually it is closer to being led by Jesus. The same word is used in sayings 34 and 3:
(34) Jesus said, "If a blind person leads a blind person both will fall into a hole."
(3) Jesus said: If those who lead you say to you: See, the kingdom is in heaven, then the birds of the heaven will go before you; if they say to you: It is in the sea, then the fish will go before you. But the kingdom is within you, and it is outside of you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will know that you are the sons of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you are in poverty, and you are poverty.
Naturally the meaning in 114 is quite the opposite, it is Jesus that is doing the leading in this instance. So yes, it can be argued that this is the only instance where Jesus is doing the leading, but being led is a common theme of Thomas. Taking 114 as the first in order, one can read the entire text of Thomas as instructions from Jesus.
c. In Thomas D we find the phrase "Kingdom of the Father" appearing in 96, 97, 98, 99, 113. Only in 114 is "Kingdom of Heaven" used.
There are only two other instances of "Kingdom of Heaven" being used in the entire document, at numbers 20 and 54. As there is only one "Kingdom of Heaven" saying per each of these hypothetical 'chapters', excepting C which has none, why should only this occurrence be judged as being fundamentally different from the others?
Perhaps the "Kingdom of Heaven" sayings have some special significance to set it apart from "Kingdom of the Father," and Mary, as the guided, is being specifically directed towards these sayings.
d. Only in 114 do we hear anything like the idea that a person should "become a living spirit."
Yet there are many concepts within the sayings which occur only once in the work. Should each of those be brought into question as well? 'Go to Jacob the Just' is but a single example.
e. Finally, this logion is in direct contradiction to 22. There the male should become female, the female become male and neither should be any longer male or female. Here, in 114 the status "male" is positively valued and the status "female" is negatively valued. Indeed, the woman should become male.
Notice how 114 leads us directly to 22. 21 is the next saying after 22 if we continue following a reverse order throughout the document. With that in mind, let's look at 21.
21) Mary said to Jesus, "Whom are Your disciples like?"
He said, "They are like children ...
Mary is directly engaging Jesus. This is the only saying which opens with Jesus being addressed by a named individual. Except perhaps for 114 which opens with Peter addressing either Jesus or the group as a whole.
So we have come full circle. Not only does 114 function as an integral piece of the collection, it also serves as the portal through which the document as a whole must be approached.
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