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Gospel of Thomas: Difference between revisions
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== Discovery == | == Discovery == | ||
The only complete copy we have of the Gospel of Thomas was discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945. Buried for 1600 years, the text was accidentally unearthed by an Arab peasant along with some fifty other Gnostic texts. Scholars surmise that around 367 A.D., monks from a nearby monastery buried these texts to prevent them from being destroyed. 367 <small>A</small>.<small>D</small>. was the year that the Bishop of Alexandria declared that the twenty-seven books of the New Testament were the only works that could be called scripture. He also denounced heretical books that he said falsely claimed to be the works of apostles. The Gospel of Thomas was no doubt among these so-called heretical works. | The only complete copy we have of the Gospel of Thomas was discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945. Buried for 1600 years, the text was accidentally unearthed by an Arab peasant along with some fifty other Gnostic texts. Scholars surmise that around 367 <small>A</small>.<small>D</small>., monks from a nearby monastery buried these texts to prevent them from being destroyed. 367 <small>A</small>.<small>D</small>. was the year that the Bishop of Alexandria declared that the twenty-seven books of the New Testament were the only works that could be called scripture. He also denounced heretical books that he said falsely claimed to be the works of apostles. The Gospel of Thomas was no doubt among these so-called heretical works. | ||
The Gospel of Thomas was controversial then and it’s controversial now. Ever since it was first published in English in 1959, it has been the subject of intense debate among scholars as to its authenticity and when it was written. But it has also captivated the imagination of a wide range of readers. Why is this short text of 114 sayings so intriguing? And why has the Church hierarchy, in this very day, declared it to be unorthodox? | The Gospel of Thomas was controversial then and it’s controversial now. Ever since it was first published in English in 1959, it has been the subject of intense debate among scholars as to its authenticity and when it was written. But it has also captivated the imagination of a wide range of readers. Why is this short text of 114 sayings so intriguing? And why has the Church hierarchy, in this very day, declared it to be unorthodox? | ||