-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- I've read the book of Thomas not worth putting in I thought. Sorry if its a bit preachy I just had it in my drafts in case the topic arose for reference. Got something great on Puharich for tomorrow. Nicky -----Original Message----- From: Nicky Molloy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Sunday, 23 January 2000 22:10 Subject: Gospel of Thomas http://www.newageministry.org/NewAge.htm Listed under- Inside the new age Gospel of Thomas As you begin to be a witness for Jesus Christ to those involved in the New Age movement, you will eventually encounter people who will tell you amazing things that at first may challenge your beliefs about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, sin, creation, and many other aspects of Christianity. The Bible itself is often brought into question. In fact, there is an ancient document, "The Gospel of Thomas" which calls into question the very nature of man and God. Without having a firm foundation in the fundamentals of Christianity, a person hearing about this "Gospel" can easily mistake it for the true Gospel. After all, it is a historic fact that this "Gospel of Thomas" document exists and that it appears to be credible and authoritative ... at least at first glance! Before we get into the Gospel of Thomas, let's recall what Paul said about the gospel: Gal. 1:9 "As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!" A Gnostic Gospel The Gospel of Thomas is a collection of 114 individual, unrelated sayings attributed to Jesus. This collection of sayings falls into the category of "Gnostic" gospels, or "Gnosticism." The English word "Gnostic" comes from the Greek word gnosis, which means knowledge. Gnosticism is an ancient religion which claims secret knowledge based on revelations outside of the Bible. Its appeal is very simple. Like present day New Agers, Gnosticists (?) invite seekers to come and be enlightened with knowledge that would give them the power to be in charge of their own destiny. Gnosticism can best be described as a blend of Platonic philosophy, ancient gods, and a smattering of every school of thought, including Christianity. This is the same system of blending that the Mind Sciences have used to create their belief system. Acts 17:11 tells us that "the Bereans received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." So shouldn't we be like the Bereans and examine everything in this gospel of Thomas in light of the Bible? What is the Gospel of Thomas? Gnosticism (which is supported by the so called Gospel of Thomas) believes that the Kingdom of God is on the earth today. There is divinity within all people which enables anyone to see the Kingdom of God on earth. The perspective of Thomas is that the Image of God in the beginning still exists and people can assume that identity. This gospel encourages people to restore their identities as the Image of God, and see the Kingdom of God on earth. No one knows who wrote this gospel of Thomas. New Agers claim that Jesus took Thomas aside and enlightened him, revealing the secret knowledge to only Thomas. So the knowledge they claim to have is not mere observation but rather the "true knowledge" that stems from the personal revelation of Jesus. Since the revelation is based on an esoteric interpretation, many in the movement declare that it is more authoritative than the Bible itself. Does the Gospel of Thomas reflect the views of Jesus? Many of the sayings attributed to Jesus in the gospel of Thomas are similarly found in the Bible. New Age adherents would say to you, "See, right there in the Gospel of Thomas are the very sayings of Jesus that we find in the Gospels of the Bible! Doesn't that prove that the Gospel of Thomas is right-on?" That's an interesting argument, but the answer is "No, that doesn't prove anything about the Gospel of Thomas." The real test is to examine some of the actual text of this so-called Gospel of Thomas and see for ourselves if "these things are true." Jesus and Caesar's taxes - What is the point of this section? n verse 100 of the Gospel of Thomas we read: They showed Jesus a gold coin and said to Him, "Caesar's men demand taxes from us." He said to them, "Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, give God what belongs to God, and give Me what is Mine." In Matt. 22:18, we read a similar account of this event. "But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, 'You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.' They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, 'Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?' 'Caesar's,' they replied. Then he said to them, 'Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Similar accounts of Jesus' parable of the sower and the seed, and of the mustard seed are actually in this Gospel of Thomas. Sayings which are contrary to the real Gospel. The following are just a few examples of the differences which are shockingly contrary to what Jesus says in the Bible (and in other portions of the Gospel of Thomas!). In verse 3 the gospel of Thomas tells us that Jesus said, "...the Kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living Father..." Another verse tell us, "...the Kingdom of God is inside of you, and it is outside of you. [Those who] become acquainted with [themselves] will find it..." But the Bible tells us that "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9) According to verses 69 and 70 in the Gospel of Thomas, we are saved by our works: Jesus said, "If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you." In verse 111 we are told to find ourselves: "Does not Jesus say, 'Whoever finds himself is superior to the world?" Also verse 107 tells us that God shows partiality based on merit and gender: "The Kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety-nine sheep and looked for that one until he found it. When he had gone to such trouble, he said to the sheep, 'I care for you more than the ninety-nine.'" But doesn't the Bible say that there is no partiality with God? Doesn't it also say "He is no respecter of persons?" ( put verse here ) And finally we come to verse 114 in the Gospel of Thomas, which records that Simon Peter said to Him, "Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of Life." Jesus said, "I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the Kingdom of Heaven." But the Bible tells us that there is no male or female once we are in Christ. How can these both be true? It doesn't take a genius to see that this is not the same message given by Jesus to His disciples. Yet New Age disciples attempt to interpret the verse esoterically to give it spiritual meaning. Conclusion Measured against the Bible, this so-called gospel of Thomas is a very weak document. We don't know who wrote it, but we do know that it contains ideas which are contrary to the clear teachings of the Bible ...especially the sayings of Jesus. Based on our research and study of the contents of the gospel of Thomas, we must conclude that it has no merit on its own. If we really want to know the sayings of Jesus, then we should go to the one source... the Bible. New Age Ministry HOME Page <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soap-boxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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