A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas: From Interpretations to the Interpreted

by Petr Pokorný

Publisher:

T&T Clark

, 2011

This commentary is opened by a study offering information about all aspects of the Gospel of Thomas, especially about its relation to other texts of early Christian literature, including the canonical Gospels. The successive commentary is based upon the Coptic version and discusses also all fragments of the original Greek text. The volume is divided into two parts: The first discusses the function of each logion (saying) within the frame of piety and theology of the Thomasine group, for which the Gospel is composed; The second part discusses its literary shape and its history, including its relation to the historical Jesus. The result is a portrait of the Gospel as a radical interpretation of Jesus' heritage, still preserving some forgotten features of his teaching.

Features

This book provides a full historical background on the text.
The commentary reconstructs the spiritual word and social structure of the Thomasine community, which played an important role in Syriac Christianity from the 1st through 3rd centuries.
The commentary explains why and how the Gospel of Thomas is useful to the history of Christianity, in Jesus research, and in the study of literary genres.

Contents

Part I
Introduction

I. BASIC INFORMATION
1. Discovery
2. Description
3. Attestation
4. Text
5. Impact in Antiquity

II. THE MEANING OF THE LITERARY SHAPE
1. The Literary Shape - Wisdom, Prophecy?
2. The Gospel as Oral Message and as a Book
3. Problems with Transmission of Jesus´ sayings
4. The Gospels as Feedback of Christian Proclamation and Prophecy
5. The Title of the Gospel of Thomas

III. A SOURCE FOR JESUS RESEARCH?
1. The Problem of Methodology
2. Gospel of Thomas - A Possible Source of Information about Jesus?
3. John and Thomas
4. The Gospel of Thomas and the Synoptics
5. The Two Streams of Christian Tradition - the Two Ways of Christian Reflection
6. The Layers of the Gospel of Tomas
7. The Name of Thomas and the Thomasian Writings

IV. THE SPIRITUAL WORLD OF THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS
1. Between Gnosticism and Mainstream Christianity (Characteristics of the Gospel of Thomas)
2. Theological Ideas of the Gospel of Thomas
3. Bibliography

Part II
I. A Successive Commentary on the Individual Sayings
II. Conclusion: The Meaning and Significance of the Gospel of Thomas

Product Details

• Title: A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas: From Interpretations to the Interpreted
• Author: Petr Pokorný
• Publisher: T&T Clark
• Print Publication Date: 2011
• Logos Release Date: 2024
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9780567166609, 9780567507495, 0567507491, 0567166600
• Resource ID: LLS:9780567166609
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-04-12T03:54:45Z

About Petr Pokorný

Petr Pokorný (1934– ) is director of the Centre for Biblical Studies, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Charles University, Prague. He is also coeditor of Jesus Research: An International Perspective.