The gospel of Thomas.

by K.W. Leslie, 15 October 2021

There are four gospels in the New Testament. That fact was pretty much established in the first century: The gospels which ancient Christians assumed were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are considered the canonical gospels. They’re the valid ones. Others, not so much.

For good reason. If you’ve ever read those other gospels, they read like obvious Christian fanfiction. They get Jesus all wrong. He’s less patient, more angry or judgey, more legalistic or more libertarian, or the author puts words in his mouth which are just plain heretic. It’s kinda obvious why the ancient Christians didn’t put ’em in their bibles.

The Gospel of Thomas is much less obvious. Yeah, but it’s because we don’t understand them that we can’t just definitively say, “Oh, it’s heretic.” It might be heretic, and some of the ancient Christians, like Eusebius of Caesarea and Origen of Alexandria, were entirely sure it was. There are some sayings in there which are kinda weird, which we don’t entirely understand, possibly because the gospel was composed by gnostics. (No, the apostle Thomas didn’t write it. That, we’re sure of.) Gnostic writings weren’t meant to be understood, unless you paid gnostic teachers to decode ’em for you. Whereas the canonical gospels are meant for everybody to understand.

Thomas is what scholars call a logia, a list of sayings. It’s what we suspect Matthew and Luke used as one of their sources for their gospels: One or more logias, plus Mark. As a logia, it only consists of Jesus’s sayings—not his acts, miracles, birth, death, resurrection, nor any of the longer and more complex teachings. Thomas doesn’t include the context of these sayings either, which makes them a lot harder to interpret if this is the only gospel you have. It definitely has its deficiencies. That’s why Christian scholars might read it, but none of us but the crackpots seriously think about adding it to the bible.

Thing is, Thomas overlaps the canonical gospels an awful lot. Read it for yourself: Most of the sayings are also found in the New Testament. And in some cases, with an extra sentence or word, which puts a whole new spin on their interpretation. But no, this doesn’t mean Thomas explains what the bible really means. Let’s not go the crackpot route, okay?

Our current copy was missing for centuries till 13 books, written in Coptic, were discovered in a sealed jar near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945. (They’re now at the Coptic Museum in Cairo.) Thomas was included in Codex 2. After their discovery, scholars soon realized three of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri (discovered in Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and now in museums round the world) were parts of Thomas written in Greek.

My translation below comes from the Coptic text. Some scholars split Thomas into chapters and verses. I didn’t do that; each saying (or logion) has a number, and each “verse” is a letter if you wanna refer to that specific part of the saying. And no, I’m not providing commentary; it’s not bible.

So if you wanna read it for yourself, here you go.

The text of Thomas.

1. These are the secret teachings spoken by the living Jesus.
The Twin, Judas Thomas, wrote them down,
B and said, “Whoever figures out the meaning of these words,
he will not taste death.”
2. Jesus says, “Don’t let the seeker stop seeking till he finds.
B Once he finds, he’ll be bothered.
C If he’s bothered, he’ll be […] amazed,
D and he’ll be king over everything!”
3. Jesus says, “If your leaders tell you, ‘Look, the kingdom is in the sky,’
then the birds of the sky take precedence over you.
B If they tell you, ‘The kingdom is in the sea,’
then the fish take precedence over you.
C But the kingdom is inside you, and visible.
D Once you know yourselves, they will know you,
and they’ll realize you’re children of the living Father.
E When you won’t know yourselves, you exist in poverty.
You are the poverty.”
4. Jesus says, “The man of many days’ age won’t hesitate
to ask the little boy of seven days about the place of Life. And he will live.
B For many of the first will become last,
C and they become a single one.”
5. Jesus says, “Know what’s in front of your face,
and what is hidden from you will be revealed to you.
B For nothing hidden will not be revealed.”
6. Jesus’s students questioned him, telling him this: “Do you want us to fast?
What’s the way to pray? Should we give charity?
From what foods should we abstain?”
B Jesus says, “Don’t lie,
C and don’t do what you hate.
D For all these things are revealed publicly, in heaven’s presence.
E For nothing hidden will not be revealed,
F and nothing covered will remain undisclosed.”
7. Jesus says, “How awesome for the lion the man will eat, and the lion becomes human.
B How cursed is the man the lion will eat, and the lion becomes human.”
8. Jesus says this: “A man is like a wise fisher who threw his net in the lake.
He pulled it out of the lake, full of little fish from below.
B Among them the wise fisher found a big, good fish.
C He threw all the little fish away, back into the lake.
He had no trouble choosing the big fish.
Whoever uses his ears to listen, listen!”
9. Jesus says this: “Look, a sower came out, filled his hand, and threw.
B Some actually fell on the road. Birds came and gathered them up.
C Others fell on the rock, never to put roots in the earth, and send ears to the sky.
D Others fell onto thorns. They choked the seed, and the worm ate them.
E Others fell on good soil, and bore good fruit to the sky,
and yielded 60 per measure, and 120 per measure.”
10. Jesus says this: “I have thrown fire onto the world.
Look, I watch over it till it burns.”
11. Jesus says this: “This sky will pass away.
That heaven which is above it will pass away.
B Those who are dead, don’t live.
Those who live, won’t die.
C The days when you ate dead things, you made them living things.
Once you should be in the light, what will you do?
D On the day you were one, you made two.
Once you should be two, what will you do?”
12. The students tell Jesus this: “We know you’ll leave from our hands.
So who will become great, raised up over us?
B Jesus tells them this: “When that time and place comes, you’ll go to James the Just.
Because of him, heaven and earth exist.”
13. Jesus tells his students this: “Compare me. Tell me this: Whom am I like?”
B Simon Peter tells him this: “You’re like a righteous messenger.”
C Matthew tells him this: “You’re like a wise philosopher.”
D Thomas tells him this: “Master, my mouth won’t let me say what you’re like.”
E Jesus says this: “Then I’m not your master. For you drank,
and you got drunk from the bubbling spring, the one I measured.”
F Jesus takes him and went away, and speaks three things to Thomas.
G When Thomas comes back to his fellows, they ask him this: “What did Jesus tell you?”
H Thomas tells them this: “If I should speak one of the things he told me,
you’ll take up stones and throw them at me—
and fire will come out of the stones and burn you.”
14. Jesus tells his students this: “If you fast, you’ll beget yourselves a sin.
B If you pray, they’ll condemn you.
C If you give charity, you’ll be doing evil to your spirits.
D If you go to any land, and walk in their squares:
If they accept you, eat what they put before you. Cure the sick among them.
E For whatever goes in your mouth will not defile you,
but what comes out of your mouth, that is what defiles you.”
15. Jesus says this: “When you look upon he who wasn’t begotten by a woman,
fall on your face and worship him: He’s your Father.”
16. Jesus says this: “Maybe men think I have come to bring peace to the world.
B And they don’t know I came to bring some division to the world. Fire. Sword. War.
C Five will be in a house, and three will be against two, and two against three.
The father against the son, and the son against the father.
D They will stand to their feet, being on their own.”
17. Jesus says this: “I will give you what eye didn’t look upon,
what ear didn’t hear, what hand didn’t touch,
what didn’t come up in the human mind.”
18. The students tell Jesus this: “Tell us this: How will our end take place?”
B Jesus says, “Has the beginning been revealed to you, so now you seek the end?
Where the beginning is, there the end will be.
C How awesome for one who stands on his feet at the beginning.
He’ll know the end, and he won’t taste death.”
19. Jesus says this: How awesome for the one who was in the beginning before he existed.
B If you would be my students, and listen to my words, these stones will become your servants.
C For you have five trees in paradise which stay there summer and winter,
and their leaves don’t fall.
D He who will know them, won’t taste death.”
20. The students tell Jesus this: “Tell us this:
What does heaven’s kingdom compare to?”
B Jesus tells them this: “It’s like a grain of mustard.
C Smaller than all seeds,
D and when it falls upon tilled earth,
it puts out a great breach and is shelter for the sky’s birds.”
21. Mary tells Jesus this: “Whom are your students like?”
B Jesus says this: “They’re like small children living in a field which isn’t theirs.
C When the masters of the field come, they’ll say this: ‘Give us our field back!’
D They strip naked before them so they give it back to them—
and they do give their field back to them.
E So I say this about it: If the master of the house knows the robber is coming,
he will keep watch before the robber comes, and not let him dig into his house,
his kingdom, to plunder his goods.
F And you all: Keep watch on the world from the beginning!
G Strap onto your waist a great power, lest robbers find you on the road,
H for the advantage you look for, they will find.
I Let a wise man be found in your midst.
J When the fruit opens, he comes quickly, sickle in hand, and reaps it.
K Whoever uses his ears to listen, listen!”
22. Once, Jesus sees some little ones drinking milk.
B Jesus tells his students this: “These little ones drinking milk:
They’re like those who go into the kingdom.”
C The students tell Jesus this: “Then are we little ones?
Do we go into the kingdom?”
D Jesus tells them this: “When you make the two into one,
and if you make the inside like the outside, and the outside like the inside,
and the topside like the underside,
E so I will make the male and the female into a single one.
Not so the male becomes male and the female becomes female.
F When you put eyes where an eye should go, and a hand where a hand should go,
and a foot where a foot should go, and an image where an image should go,
then you’ll go into the kingdom.”
23. Jesus says this: “I will chose you—
one out of a thousand, and two out of a myriad.
B And they will stand to their feet, being a single one.”
24. Jesus’s students say this: “Show us the place where you are.
It’s necessary that we seek it!”
B Jesus tells them this: “Whoever uses his ears to listen, listen!
C Light exists inside a man of light, and he becomes light to the world.
If he doesn’t become light, he’s darkness.”
25. Jesus says this: “Love your brother like your soul.
Guard him like the pupil of your eye.”
26. Jesus says this: “You see the wood chip in your brother’s eye.
You don’t see the support beam in your eye.
B When you get the beam out of your eye,
you can see out of it to get the chip out of your brother’s eye.”
27. Jesus says, “If you don’t fast from the world, you won’t find the kingdom.
B If you don’t keep Sabbath as Sabbath, you won’t look upon the Father.”
28. Jesus says this: “I stood to my feet in the midst of the world.
I appeared outwardly to them, in flesh.
B I found them—all of them—drunk. I found none of them thirsty.
C My soul pains over the sons of humanity, for they’re blind in their minds.
They don’t look outward, for they came into the world empty,
and they also seek to come out of the world empty.
D But now they are drunk.
When they throw away their wine, then they will repent.”
29. Jesus says this: “If the flesh exists because of spirit, it’s wonderful.
B If the spirit exists because of the body, it’s a wonder of wonders.
C But I myself wonder at this:
How these great riches were placed in this poverty.”
30. Jesus says this: “The place which has three gods: They’re in God.
The place which has two or one: I myself am with him.”
31. Jesus says, “No prophet is accepted in his village.
No physician cures those who know him.”
32. Jesus says this: “They’re building a city on a raised-up hill.
Because it’s fortified, there’s no way that it falls.
Nor can it be hidden.”
33. Jesus says this: “What you listen to with your ear and your other ear,
preach from your rooftops.
B For no one burns a lamp and puts it under their ear,
nor does he put it in a hidden place,
C but he puts it on the lampstand,
so that anyone who goes in and comes out, may see its light.”
34. Jesus says this: “A blind man, if he leads a blind man before him,
the two of them fall down into a pit.”
35. Jesus says this: “In no way can one go into the strong man’s house
and take it by force, unless he bind his hands.
Then he will clear out the house.”
36. Jesus says this: “Don’t worry from morning to evening, and from evening to morning,
about what you put on yourselves.”
37. Jesus’s students say this: “What day will you appear to us?
Which day will we look upon you?”
B Jesus says this: “When you strip yourselves naked without being ashamed,
and take your clothes, put them on the ground under your feet like little children,
and trample them,
C then you will look upon the Son of the Living One,
and you will not be afraid.”
38. Jesus says this: “Many times, you desired to listen to these words,
these which I speak to you, and had no one to hear them from.
B Someday will come when you seek me,
and will not find me.”
39. Jesus says this: “The Pharisees and scribes took the keys of knowledge.
They hid them.
B They didn’t enter, and those who desire to enter, they didn’t let them.
C You must be clever like serpents, and innocent like doves.”
40. Jesus says this: “A grapevine was planted outside the Father.
B It’s not supported; it will be pulled up by its root and destroyed.”
41. Jesus says this: “One who has in his hand, it’ll be given to him.
B One who has nothing, the little he has will be taken from his hand.”
42. Jesus says this: “Become those who pass by.”
43. Jesus’s students told him this: “Who are you, that you speak these things to us?”
B Jesus says, “From what I speak to you, do you not realize who I am?
C But you have become like the Judeans, for the love the tree and hate its fruit.
Or they love the fruit and hate the tree.”
44. Jesus says this: “Whoever tells off the Father, this will be forgiven.
B And whoever tells off the Son, this will be forgiven.
C And whoever tells off the Holy Spirit, this will not be forgven,
neither on earth nor in heaven.”
45. Jesus says, “They don’t harvest grapes from thorns.
They don’t gather figs from thistles, for they don’t produce fruit.
B A good person brings good out of his treasury.
C An evil person brings evil out of his wicked treasury, his mind.
He speaks evil things,
D for out of the mind’s excess, he brings out evil.”
46. Jesus says this: “Among those begotten of women from Adam to John the baptist,
none is raised up above John the baptist.
So John’s eyes needn’t be lowered.
B I also said this: Whoever will be the smallest among you
will know the kingdom, and will be raised up above John.”
47. Jesus says this: “There’s no way a man can climb onto two horses at once,
nor stretch two bows at once,
B and no way a slave can serve two masters at once,
or he will honor the one, and he will despise the other.
C No man drinks old wine, and immediately desires to drink new wine.
D And they don’t pour new wine into new wineskins, lest they split open;
and they don’t pour old wine into new wineskins, lest they be destroyed.
E They don’t sew old patches on new garments, lest there be a split.”
48. Jesus says this: “When two make peace with one another, in this one house,
they will tell this mountain, ‘Move away,’ and it will move.”
49. Jesus says this: “How awesome are the individuals and the elect.
B For they will find the kingdom.
For you are out of it. You will go back there again.”
50. Jesus says this: “If they tell you this: ‘Where did you come from?’
tell them this: ‘We came out of the light, the place where the light comes out by itself.
It stood to its feet and appeared in their image.’
B If they tell you this: ‘Is it you?’
say this: ‘We’re its sons. We’re the elect of the living Father.’
C If they ask you this: ‘What’s the sign of your Father in yourselves?’
tell them this: ‘It’s motion and rest.’ ”
51. Jesus’s students told him this: “On which day will the dead rest?”
And on which day will the new world come?”
B Jesus told them this: “That which you look out for, has come.
But you, you don’t know it.”
52. Jesus’s students told him this: “Twenty-four prophets spoke in Israel,
and all of them spoke through you.”
B Jesus told them this: “You left the One who lives in your presence,
and you speak about the dead.”
53. Jesus’s students told him this: “Is circumcision useful, or for us?
B Jesus told them this: “If it were useful,
their father would beget them from their mother already circumcised.
C But true circumcision in the Spirit:
All of it is profitable.”
54. Jesus says this: “How awesome for the poor,
for heaven’s kingdom is yours.”
55. Jesus says this: “Whoever doesn’t hate his father and mother,
cannot become my student.
B He who doesn’t hate his brothers and sisters,
who doesn’t take up his cross like I do,
he will not deserve me.”
56. Jesus says this: “Whoever truly knows the world, has found a corpse.
B Whoever has found a corpse, the world isn’t worthy of him.”
57. Jesus says this: “The Father’s kingdom is like a man who had good seed.
B His enemy came in the night and sowed darnel amongst the good seed.
C The man didn’t permit them to weed the darnel.
He told them this: ‘Lest you go to weed the darnel, and weed the grain with it.’
D At harvest time, the darnel will appear.
They weed them out, and burn them.”
58. Jesus says this: “How awesome for the man who’s suffered,
for he has found life.”
59. Jesus says this: “Look after the Living One while you are alive,
lest you die and seek to see him, and you are unable to find him.”
60. Jesus saw a Samaritan going into Judea, taking a lamb.
B Jesus told his students this: “That one has a lamb.”
C The students told Jesus, “So he can kill and eat it.”
D Jesus told them, “He won’t eat it while it’s alive,
but if he kills it, it’s a corpse.”
E The students told Jesus, “He can’t do otherwise.”
F Jesus told them this: “Look for a place to rest yourselves,
so you won’t become corpses and they won’t eat you.”
61. Jesus says, “Two will rest on a bed.
One will die. One will live.”
B Salomé says, “Who are you, mister?
When someone left, you got onto my dining couch and ate from my table.”
C Jesus told her this: “I’ve come from the One who is equal.
They gave me some of my Father’s things.
D Salome says, “I am your student.”
E Jesus says, “This is why I say this:
When one becomes equal, one will be full of light.
And when one becomes divided, one will be full of darkness.”
62. Jesus says this: “I speak my mysteries to those worthy of my mysteries.
B Whatever your right hand does, let not your left realize what that is.”
63. Jesus says this: “There’s a plutocrat who had much wealth.
B He said this: ‘I’ll make use of my wealth to sow, reap, and plant,
and fill my storehouse with fruit, so I won’t need anything.’
C These were his thoughts in his mind.
And in that very night, he died.
D Whoever has his ears, listen!”
64. Jesus says this: “A man had some visitors.
When he prepared dinner, he sent his slave so he might call the visitors.
B The slave went to the first.
C The slave told him this: ‘My master calls you.’
The visitor said this: ‘I have money for some traders who come to me at evening.
I will go and give them orders. I ask to be excused from dinner.’
D The slave went to another and told him this: ‘My master calls you.’
E The visitor told him this: ‘I bought a house.
They require a day of me, and I cannot rest.’
F The slave went to another and told him this: ‘My master calls you.’
G The visitor told him this: ‘My friend will be married,
and I, who will host the dinner, cannot come. I ask to be excused from dinner.’
H The slave went to another and told him this: ‘My master calls you.’
I The visitor told him this: ‘I bought a farm.
I’m going to collect rent. I cannot come. I ask to be excused.’
J The slave came and told his master this:
‘Those you called to the dinner have asked to be excused.’
K The master told the slave this: ‘Go outside the walls, to the roads.
Those you find there, bring them so they may dine.’
Buyers and sellers may not enter my Father’s lands.”
65. Jesus says this: “A good man had a vineyard.
He gave it to tenants so they’d work it, and he’d take its fruit from their hand.
B He sent his slave so the tenants might give him the vineyard’s fruit.
C They grabbed his slave, beat him; had they time they’d kill him.
The servant left, and spoke to his master.
D The master said this: ‘Maybe he didn’t know them.’
E He sent another slave, and the tenants beat the other slave.
F Then the master sent his son, saying this: ‘Maybe they’ll respect him.’
G The tenants there, knowing he was the vineyard’s heir, seized and killed him.
H Whoever has his ears, listen!”
66. Jesus says this: “Show me the stone, the one they turned away.
It is the corner stone.”
67. Jesus says this: “One who knows everything:
If he has needs himself, he needs the whole place.”
68. Jesus says this: “How awesome you are when they hate and persecute you.
B In the place they persecute you, they find no place for themselves.”
69. Jesus says this: “How awesome are those who are persecuted in their minds.
Those who are there, truly have known the Father.
B How awesome are those who are hungry.
The belly of one who desires, may be satisfied.”
70. Jesus says, “When you beget it in yourselves, that which you have will save you.
B When you don’t have it in you, that which you lack will kill you.”
71. Jesus says this: “I will destroy this house,
and no one can build it up. Not again.”
72. A man told Jesus this: “Speak to my brothers, so they may divide my father’s belongings with me.”
B Jesus told him this: “Mister, who made me an arbiter?”
C Jesus turned to his students. He told them this: “No really, am I an arbiter?”
73. Jesus says this: “The harvest is truly plentiful. The laborers few.
Pray to the Lord so he might send laborers out to the harvest.”
74. Jesus says this: “Lord, there are many around the fountain,
but nothing in the well.”
75. Jesus says this: “Many are standing at the door.
But the single ones will go into the wedding feast.”
76. Jesus says this: “The Father’s kingdom is like a man, a trader.
He had a consignment there, and found a pearl.
B The trader was wise, and gave his consignment back.
He bought only the pearl for himself.
C You too: Seek after treasure which doesn’t perish, which endures.
Kept in a place where no moth approaches to eat, nor worms destroy.”
77. Jesus says this: “I am the light, the one shining upon all of them.
I am everything. Everything has come out of me. Everything reaches out to me.
B Split open a timber, and I am there.
C Pick up a stone, and you will find me there.”
78. Jesus says this: “Why did you come out to the fields?
To see a reed blowing around in the wind?
B To see a man with soft clothing upon him, like your kings and oligarchs?
C Yes they’re in soft clothing, but they can’t recognize truth.”
79. A woman in the crowd told Jesus this: “How awesome is she,
the belly which birthed you, and the breasts which fed you.”
B Jesus told her this: “How awesome are those
who listened to the Father’s word, and guard it in truth.
C For in some days, you will say, ‘How awesome is she,
the one who doesn’t conceive, and the breasts which don’t give milk.’ ”
80. Jesus says this: “Whoever knows the world has found a body.
Whoever has found a body, the world isn’t worthy of them.”
81. Jesus says this: “Whoever becomes rich, let him become king.
B And whoever has power—let him renounce it.”
82. Jesus says this: “Whoever is close to me, is close to the fire.
BAnd whoever is far from me, is far from the kingdom.”
83. Jesus says this: “The images are revealed to humanity.
The light which is in them, the Father’s light, is hidden in the image.”
B The Father will be revealed,
and his image hidden away by this light.”
84. Jesus says this: “On the day you look at your image, you rejoice.
B And when you look at your images which came before you,
which neither die, nor appear anymore,
how much will you withstand?”
85. Jesus says this: “Did Adam come from great power and great wealth?
He never became worthy of you.
B Had he been deserving, he would not have tasted death.”
86. Jesus says this: “Foxes have their dens, and birds have their nests.
B And the Son of Man has no place to lay his head, and rest himself.”
87. Jesus says this: “A body which depends on a body is miserable.
A soul which depends on these two is also miserable.”
88. Jesus says this: “Angels are coming to you with the prophets,
and they will give you what they have.
B You yourselves, give them what you have,
and tell yourselves this: ‘When will they come and take what’s theirs?’ ”
89. Jesus says this: “Why do you wash the outside of the cup?
B Don’t you understand whoever created the inside also created the outside?”
90. Jesus says this: “Come to me, for my yoke is gentle, and my lordship is mild.
B You will find rest for yourselves.”
91. People told Jesus this: “Tell us what you are,
so we may believe in you.”
B Jesus told them this: “You read the face of the heavens and earth,
yet he was in your presence, and you didn’t know him.
You don’t know how to read the moment.”
92. Jesus says this: “Seek, and you will find.
B But the things you asked me about in those days:
I didn’t reveal them to you at that time.
Now, it pleases me to reveal them—yet you don’t seek them.”
93. Jesus says, “Don’t give a holy thing to dogs,
lest they throw it onto the dunghill.
B Don’t throw pearls to pigs,
lest it be made [worthless].”
94. Jesus says, “One who seeks will find.
B One who calls inside, it’ll be opened for him.”
95. Jesus says this: “If you have money, don’t lend at interest,
B but give it to one from whom you will not take from his hand.”
96. Jesus says this: “The Father’s kingdom is like a woman.
B She takes a little bit of yeast, hid it in dough,
and made it into some large loaves of bread.
C Whoever has his ears, listen!”
97. Jesus says this: “The Father’s kingdom is like a woman carrying a jar full of flour.
B Walking on a long road, the handle of the jar broke,
the flour emptied out behind her on the road,
C and she knew it not; she didn’t realize her trouble.
D When she arrived at her house she set the jar down,
and found it was empty.”
98. Jesus says, “The Father’s kingdom is like a man wanting to kill an oligarch.
B He drew the sword in his own house and stabbed the wall,
so he might see whether his hand was strong enough.
C Then he killed the oligarch.”
99. Jesus’s students told him this: “Your brothers and mother are standing outside.”
B Jesus told them this: “Those in this place who do my Father’s will,
these are my brothers and my mother.
C It is they who will go into my Father’s kingdom.”
100. People showed Jesus a gold coin, and told him this:
“Those who belong to Caesar, demand taxes of us.”
B Jesus told them this: “Give Caesar’s things to Caesar.
C Give God’s things to God.
D And whatever’s mine, give me.”
101. Jesus says, “Whoever doesn’t hate his father and his mother like me,
can’t become my student.
B Whoever doesn’t love his father and his mother like me,
can’t become my student.
C For my mother, she… […]
and my true mother gave me life.”
102. Jesus says this: “How sad for the Pharisees,
for they’re like a dog sleeping in a cattle trough.
He doesn’t eat, and he won’t let the cattle eat.”
103. Jesus says this: “How awesome is one who knows
which part of the house the thieves break in,
so he can get up, gather his kingdom, and strap his weapon on his waist
from the beginning, before they come in.”
104. People told Jesus this: “Come, pray today, and fast.”
B Jesus told them this: “Which sin have I done? How was I defeated?
C But when the bridegroom leaves the bridal chamber, let them fast and pray.”
105. Jesus says this: “Whoever knows the Father and mother,
they will call him ‘the son of the whore.’ ”
106. Jesus says this: “Once you make the two into one,
you will be the sons of man,
B and if you should say this: ‘Mountain, move away,’
it will move!”
107. Jesus says this: “The kingdom is like a man,
a shepherd who has there 100 sheep.
B One of them, the largest, strayed.
The shepherd left the 99, and sought after the sheep till he found it.
C Having suffered, he told the sheep this: ‘I love you more than the 99.’ ”
108. Jesus says this: “Whoever drinks from my mouth will be like me.
B I myself will also be like him.
C Hidden things will be revealed to him.”
109. Jesus says this: “The kingdom is like a man,
who had there in his field a hidden treasure, and he was ignorant of it.
B After his death, he left it to his son, and the son knew not.
He took the field there, and gave it away.
C Whoever bought it, came plowing and found the treasure.
He began to lend money at interest to those he loved.”
110. Jesus says this: “Whoever has found the world and become wealthy,
let him renounce the world.”
111. Jesus says this: “The heavens will be rolled up,
and the earth likewise, in your presence.
B Whoever lives according to the Living One, will not look upon death.”
C Because Jesus says this: “So whoever finds himself,
of him the world isn’t worthy.”
112. Jesus says this: “How sad for the flesh which depends on the soul.
How sad for the soul which depends on the flesh.”
113. Jesus’s students told him this: “On what day is the kingdom coming?”
B Jesus says, “It isn’t coming when one looks for it.
C They won’t say this: ‘Look over there,’ nor ‘Look at him!’
D But the Father’s kingdom is spread out upon the earth, and people don’t look at it.”
114. Simon Peter told them this, “Let Mary leave us, for women aren’t worthy of the Life.”
B Jesus says this: “Look, I myself will lead her,
so I can make her male, so she might also be a living spirit like you males.
C For any woman who makes herself male will go into heaven’s kingdom.”