The Hidden Gospel

[Benjamin P N]

The hidden gospel

P N BENJAMIN delves deep into the Gospel of Thomas and
discovers it to be an articulation of universal truths

APOSTLE Thomas is not referred to as ‘doubting Thomas’
in the Bible, but is sometimes referred to as ‘the
twin’ of Jesus. Few think of Thomas in the world,
except those of the Indian subcontinent where along
with Jesus himself and St Francis Xavier, Thomas has
remained a great presence. The legends of his visit in
52 AD and of his preaching in Kerala and throughout
southern India abound; but despite this, his words
themselves have remained a mystery. Unlike many of the
other Apostles of Jesus, his statement has not found a
place in the New Testament of the Bible. However, in
recent times, two separate discoveries have been made
that are considered to be of incomparable importance
to both the history and theology of Christianity.

“The Dead Sea Scrolls” and the “Nag Hammadi” texts,
buried for almost two thousand years, shed light on
the thoughts and teachings of Thomas. In 1945 some
farmers who lived near the town of Nag Hammadi in
Egypt once unearthed a large storage jar with a sealed
lid. And, hidden away in it were thirteen papyrus
codices, which came to be known as the Nag Hammadi
library. Among the precious documents that were
brought to light was the Gospel of Thomas. The Nag
Hammadi texts, including the Gospel of Thomas have
been under the most exhaustive scrutiny of eminent
linguists, archeologists and theologians, and it is
their considered opinion that the documents are
indeed, absolutely authentic.

This finding presents somewhat of a conundrum for
those who have long presumed Thomas to be the founder
of Christianity on Indian subcontinent. However, it
cannot be said that he did not found Christianity in
India, but on considerable reflection, and in
possession now of the Gospel of Thomas, many scholars
are of the opinion that the doctrine of the original
Syrian Christians of Kerala exhibits more of a
similarity to that of Valentinians, who, like many
other powerful forces in early Christianity, were
pushed onto the periphery of evolving Christian
doctrine after theological differences of opinion in
the synods and councils that strove to define what was
‘orthodox’ to the thinking of the early Church.

The Gospel of Thomas is a guiding light and an
articulation of deep universal truths that are often
lost sight of beneath the habits and interpretations
of familiar texts. The more telling fact is that the
Thomas, as revealed in the Nag Hammadi codices,
professes a far more esoteric line of Christian
theology, which focuses on the knowledge of God in
one’s self as worship; resembling Hindu advaita
philosophy far more than it resembles what is
considered ‘orthodox’ by any branch of the Christian
faith since the time of the Apostle Thomas.

Where does this line of teaching spring from? Does it
have a Biblical basis? Is it supported in any way by
authorised Biblical gospels and epistles of the New
Testament?

On many occasions, Jesus spoke in the Supreme First
person, declaring the identity of His humanity with
that of the Lord: “I and the Father are one”. And
again: “I am the way, the truth, and the light; no man
cometh unto the Father but me”.
Was He referring to His human self when He used the
term “I am”? Was he speaking as Jesus the man or as
“Christ”, which, when translated from the original
Coptic - Christos - means literally ‘anointed in
spirit’ and implying a title of one who has reached
the highest spiritual state - the ‘at-one-ment’ with
God? In this case the answer is ‘both’, but in a true
sense, there is no ‘both’.

Although the form of the wave remains, its identity
with the ocean has been completely recognised. To
Thomas and his followers, Jesus, the man, spoke from
this knowledge as the way-shower, and they loved him
and worshipped him as they attempted to realise the
goal that the example of his atonement has set for
them and all humankind.

Although Thomas has not found a place in the New
Testament, much does exist there to support his line
of teaching. The Gospel of Thomas does not give us a
picture that contradicts the image of Christ that many
of us have. It provides another perspective from which
we may relate to him. Though called a “Gospel”, Jesus
performs no miracle in Thomas’s text, nor does he
reveal the fulfillment of prophecy or die for anyone’s
sins.

A collection of sayings of Jesus Christ in the Gospel
of Thomas is closer in genre to other ancient
collections of sayings such as the “Wisdom Literature”
of Egypt and the ancient Middle East. It has a flavour
and tonality of the East, especially Hindu and
Buddhist, and like all sacred texts, it reveals
different layers of meaning at different readings.
Apostle Thomas by his own account was Christ’s brother
and disciple. His Gospel includes these words from
Jesus: “If you bring forth what is within you, what
you do bring forth will save you. If you do not bring
forth what is within you, what you do bring forth will
destroy you”.

The startling and eerie thing about these words, a
paradoxical statement on human nature, is that it
foreshadows the heart of every major protest and
rebellion and reform movements that arose subsequently
within Christianity.
The other stunning quality of that single message from
the Gospel of Thomas is that Jesus’ paradox is an
extraordinarily acute summary of modern psychiatry;
the message enunciated 1900 years later by Sigmund
Freud. Would it not be staggering to learn that Jesus
formulated the dynamics of individual analysis?

One cannot attest whether any of these possibilities
are true or not. But I do find it exciting to consider
the mystery.
Perhaps, the last miracle of Christ is that he has
survived Christianity!

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jun30/at9.htm

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