There May Have Been a Fifth Gospel (Video)
The Gospel of Thomas, discovered in 1946, offers a unique perspective on Christianity. This text has ignited debates about its authenticity, giving rise to the possibility of a fifth gospel. It stands apart from the traditional four gospels found in the New Testament. The Gospel of Thomas presents a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus, challenging the established Christian narrative. While some view the Gospel of Thomas as a valuable source of early Christian teachings, its origins remain shrouded in mystery. Its discovery in Nag Hammadi, Egypt, raised questions about its legitimacy.
Its absence from the canonical New Testament scriptures suggests it was either overlooked or excluded for specific reasons. The existence of this text has sparked curiosity among theologians and scholars, offering a glimpse into a diverse and evolving early Christian landscape. Despite its ambiguous origins, the Gospel of Thomas invites us to explore a potential fifth gospel, one that sheds light on alternative beliefs and interpretations of Christian doctrine. Whether accepted or contested, it continues to be a subject of scholarly fascination, prompting us to reconsider the complex tapestry of early Christian history.
- Forgery or a Lost Account? Examining the Authenticity of the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife
- Everything You Need to Know but Have Never Been Told – Insights from the Ancient Nag Hammadi Library
Top image: A fragment from The Gospel of Thomas (Public Domain).
Comments
The gospel of Thomas was written far later than the original gospels and is nothing more than an attempt by mystics to insert their nonsense into something people would be more likely to read. Kinda pathetic really. Let your works stand on their own if they’re somehow divine knowledge.
Gnostics are pathetic.
Personally, no matter which of the four gospels I read, despite the different writing styles, the sense of who Jesus was comes across as essentially the same. Jesus in Mark is the same person as Jesus in John or Matthew or Luke. Each of them is describing the same vibrant, warm, individual.
In reading this book, it immediately felt off. For example, there will be a sentence or phrase closely resembling something from, say, the sermon on the mount, but the very next line sounds like a completely different personality produced it.
To me, this comes across as someone interspersing things that did come from Jesus to hook you and get you to accept the writer’s insertions as if they came from him, too.
This is an interesting proposition. However, the sayings of these texts do not ring true, on the whole.
Gnosticism is an agenda pushed ultimately by those wishing to discredit Christianity. Even the use of the word itself, 'Gnostic', can be a deception. All Christians are truly 'Gnostic' in that they believe it is possible to know God, as opposed to Agnostic. These sayings will only make it harder for one to truly know God.
Muddying the waters of Christianity is a favourite past-time of devotees of the Devil.