The Gospel of Thomas...

These are the hidden words of the Living Jesus of which Didymos Judas Thomas wrote.

1. And he said, "Whosoever discovers the meaning of the these words shall not know death."

2. Jesus sad, "Let the seeker, seek until he finds. That which he finds, shall cause him grief. That he grieves, shall puzzle him, and he who is puzzled shall rule over all."

3. Jesus said, "If your leaders say, 'Look, the Kingdom is in the Heavens,' then the birds will be before you. If they say, 'It is in the ocean,' then the fish will be before you. But the Kingdom is inside of you and the Kingdom is outside of you. When you know yourself, then you will know that you are of the flesh of the living Father. But if you know yourself not, then you live in poverty and that poverty is you."

4. Jesus said, "The old one hesitates not to ask a baby the meaning of life, and he will live. For many who are first, shall become last, and they shall be one and the same."

5. Jesus said, "Come to know that which is seen plainly by you, and that which is hidden to you shall be made plain. Nothing is hidden which will not be known."

6. His disciples asked, " Should we fast? How should we pray? Should we give to the poor? What shall we eat?

Jesus said, "Do not tell lies, and do not do that which you despise, for all things are known in heaven. Nothing is hidden which will not be known and nothing buried will remain so without being dug up."

7. Jesus said, Blessed be the Lion, which eaten by man, becomes man. Cursed is the man, whom eaten by the Lion, becomes a Lion."

8. And He said, "A wise fisherman cast his net into the sea and caught many small fish. The fisherman found among them a fine big fish. He threw all the small fish back into the sea and chose to keep the big fish. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."

9. Jesus said, "Now a planter went out and scattered a handful of seeds. Some fell onto the road where the birds came and got them. Others fell upon rocks and did not bear fruit. And others fell in with weeds and were choked and some were eaten by worms. And others fell on good soil and bore fine fruit. It bore sixty to one hundred and twenty bushels per parcel."

10. Jesus said, "I have set fire to this world, and I intend to tend it, until it is done."

11. Jesus said,"This Paradise shall pass and the Paradise beyond it shall pass as well. The dead are not alive and those who live shall not die. When you eat what is dead, you made it into that which is living. When you become in the light, what will you do? On the day that you were one and became two, when you become two, what will you do?"

12. The disciples said to Jesus. " We know that you will leave us. Who shall lead us then?" Jesus said to them, "Wherever you are, you are to go to James the Righteous for whose sake heaven and earth were made."

13. Jesus said to his disciples, "Compare me to someone and tell Me whom I am like."

Simon Peter said, "You are like a righteous angel."

Matthew said to Him, "You are like a wise philosopher."

Thomas said to Him, "Master, my mouth is totally incapable of saying what you are like."

Jesus said, "I am not your master. Because you have drunk from the bubbling spring which I have measured out for you, you have become intoxicated." And He took Thomas aside and told him three things. When he returned to his friends, they asked, "What did Jesus say?"

Thomas said, "If I reveal to you one thing he said, you would stone me. From those stones you would pick up, would a fire spring forth and burn you to a crisp."

14. Jesus said unto them, "I you fast, evil will befall you; if you pray, you shall be damned; and if you give charity, you will be saddened. When you travel to other countries, walk the land, if you are invited to eat, eat what they set before you, and heal the sick among them. For that which goes into your mouth will not defile you, but it is that which comes from your mouth which will defile you."

15. Jesus said, "When you see the One who was not born of woman, then bow down your faces and worship him. That One is your Father"

16. Jesus said, "It is thought that peace is what I have come to give unto the world. They do not know - for it is revolution which I sow upon the earth: fire sword, and war. For there will be a house with five inside and the three will fight against the two, and the two against the three, the father against son and the son against the father. And they will stand as a house divided."

17. Jesus said, "What no eye has seen and what no ear as heard and what no hand has touched and what has never been thought, this is what I give to you."

18. "The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us how we will end." Jesus said,"If you find the beginning, do you then look for the end. For where the beginning is, the end is as well. Blessed is he who begins the beginning; he will know the end but not know death."

19. Jesus said, "Blessed is he who became before he was. If you follow Me, and listen to My Words, these Stones will teach and console you. There are five trees in Paradise which are unchanged by the seasons and their leaves do not fall. Whoever will know them shall not die."

20. The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us about the Kingdom of Heaven." He said to them, "It is like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds. But when it falls upon fertile soil, it grows into a great plant and becomes a shelter for (or a means of living for) the birds of the sky."

21. Mary said to Jesus, "Whom are your disciples like?" Jesus said,"They are like children who are in a place which is not theirs. When the owners of that place return they shall say 'Give us back our land.' They will take off their clothes in their presence in order to give back to them their land. Therefore I say to you, if the owner of a house knows that a thief is coming, he will wait before he comes and will not let him break into his house and steal his things. You must then be alert against the world. defend yourselves by being strong, lest the thieves come for you, for what you expect will surely come to pass. Have among you, one who knows. When the harvest is ready, he comes quickly, sickle in hand, and he reaps the harvest. Whoever has ears, let him hear."

22. Jesus saw babies at their mothers breasts. He said to His followers, "These babies being suckled are like those who enter the Kingdom."

They said to Him, "Shall we enter the Kingdom as children?"

Jesus said to them, "When you make the two into one, and when you make the outside to be as the inside, and that which is above as that which is below, and when you make the male and the female into one and the same, so that the man is not man, and the woman is not woman; and when you make eyes to replace eyes, and a hand to replace a hand, and a foot to replace a foot, and a face to replace a face; then you will enter the Kingdom."

23. Jesus said,"I will choose you, one out of a thousand, and two out of ten thousand, and they will be as one."

24. His disciples said unto Him, "Reveal to us the place where you shall be, for we must be able to find you."

He said to them, "Whoever has ears, let him hear. Light is within a man enlightened, and he enlightens the whole world. If he does not enlighten, he is of darkness."

25. Jesus said. "Love your brother as your own spirit, keep him as the pupil of your own eye."

26. Jesus said, "You see the grain of dust in your brothers eye. When you can see to remove the timber from your own eye, then you shall be able to remove the dust mote from your brothers eye."

27. "If you do not refrain from partaking of the world, you will not find the Kingdom. If you do not observe the Sabbath as the Sabbath, you will not see the Father."

28. Jesus said. "I took my place in the midst of the World, and I appeared to them in the flesh. I found all to be in a drunken stupor, and I found not one of them to be thirsty. My soul felt pain for the sons of Man, for they are blind in their hearts and cannot see, for they were born into the world ignorant and in ignorance they wish to leave the world. But for now they are drunk. When they shake off their stupor, then they may repent."

29. Jesus said, "If the flesh came into being because of the spirit, it is a wonder. But if the spirit came into being because of the flesh, it is a wonder of wonders. Indeed, I am amazed how such a treasure could be in such a poverty."

30. Jesus said, "Where there are three gods, they are gods. Where there are two or one, I am with him."

31. Jesus said, "No prophet is believed in his own village; no physician heals those who know him."

32. Jesus said "A city built on a high mountain and built with strong walls cannot fall, but it also cannot be concealed."

33. Jesus said, "Preach from the rooftops what you will. Listen with both ears. For no one lights a lamp to place it under a basket or to be put into a hidden place, but rather they set it up so that all who come and go may see by its light."

34. Jesus said, "If a blind man leads another blind man, they both will fall into a sewer ditch."

35. Jesus said, "You cannot enter the house of the powerful and seize it unless you can tie up their hands; then you may take what you wish." ( You cannot infiltrate the establishment unless you can set them out against someone else or otherwise focus their attention on something else and then you may seize what you wish.)

36. Jesus said, "Do not worry from morning to night, and from night until morning about what clothes you will wear."

37. His disciples said, ""When will you become known to us and when shall we see you?"

Jesus said,"When you can stand naked without shame, and take up your clothes, place them under your feet, and walk over them, like little children, then you will know the Son of the Living One, and you will have no fear."

38. Jesus said," Many times you have wished to hear these words which I say unto you, but you had no one to speak them. There will be times that you will look for Me and you will find Me not."

39. Jesus said,"The Pharisees and learned have taken the Keys of Knowledge and concealed them. They have not opened that door and entered into Knowledge, and those who wish to enter they will not allow the Keys. So you must be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves."

40. Jesus said, "A grapevine has been planted outside the house of the Father, but it is not good enough, and so it will be uprooted and broken apart."

41. Jesus said, "Those who have, shall become richer, those who have not, shall become even poorer." (the rich get richer and the poor get poorer)

42. Jesus said, "Become passers-by." (don't get involved)

43. His disciples said unto him, "Who are You, that You should say such things to us?"

Jesus said,"You do not know who I am after what I have said to you, for you, have become like the Jews, who either love the tree and hate its fruit, or love the fruit and hate the tree."

44. Jesus said, "Whosever blasphemes against the Father will be forgiven, and whosoever blasphemes against the Son will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven on earth and in heaven."

45. Jesus said, "Grapes do not come from thorns, nor are figs plucked from thistles, for those do not produce fruit. A good man brings forth goodness from his past deeds and experiences; and a bad man brings forth evil from his past deeds and experiences, which are in his heart, and speaks evil. For out of the heaviness of his heart he brings forth evil things."

46. Jesus said, "Of all born of women, from Adam until John the Baptist, there is none higher than John the Baptist, and none who should not bow their heads before him. And yet,as I have said, Whosoever shall become as a child will know the Kingdom and then they will be higher than even John."

47. Jesus said, "A man cannot ride upon two horses or stretch two bows. And a servant cannot serve two masters; for one will be honored and the others will be slighted. No man who drinks the old wine will have an immediate desire to drink the new wine. And the new wine is not to be put into the old wines containers, lest they break; neither is the old wine to be placed in the containers of the new wine, lest it be wasted and spoiled. An old patch is not to be used on a new garment made with new fabric, for it will not hold."

48. Jesus said, "If those at odds make peace with each other, and there house is united, they can say to any obstacle, 'Move away,' and it will move away."

49. Jesus said, "Blessed are you chosen few, for you will enter the Kingdom, for you are of it, and to it you shall return."

50. Jesus said, "If they ask you, "Where do you come from?', tell them, 'We came from the light, and the place where the light came into being of its own will and was made manifest through their thought.; If they ask, 'Is it You?', say, 'We are its children, and we are the chosen of the Living Father.' If they ask you, 'What is the mark of the Father upon you?', say unto them, 'It is action and it is stillness.'" (time and space?)

51. His disciples said unto Him, "When will there be peace and tranquillity (the rest of the dead) and when will the new world come to pass?"

He said unto them, "What you desire has already come to pass, but you are not aware of it."

52. His disciples said unto Him, "Twenty-four prophets of Israel have spoken, and all of them have spoken in You."

He said, "You have left out the one whom lives within your presence and have mentioned only the dead."

53. His disciples asked Him, "Is circumcision good or not?"

He said, "If it were good, then the father would have made them born from their mother already circumcised. But the honest circumcision of the spirit is of great benefit."

54. Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."

55. Jesus said, "Whosoever does not hate their father and mother cannot follow Me does not hate their brothers and sisters and fix themselves upon My Way will not be worthy of Me."

56. Jesus said, "Whosoever has come to know the world has found only death, and whosoever has found death is above the world."

57. Jesus said, "The Kingdom of the Father is like a man who has planted seed. In the night his enemy came and sowed weeds among the good seed. The man would not have the weeds pulled up, saying, 'I am afraid that despite the best of intentions, not only will the weeds be pulled up , but the wheat will be pulled up as well.' For when it is time to harvest the crop, the weeds will be easy to see, and they can be yanked out and burned."

58. Jesus said, "Blessed is the man who has suffered and found life."

59. Jesus said, "Listen and pay attention to the Living One while you are alive, for once you have died you will not be able to seek to seem Him."

60. A Samaritan was carrying a lamb on the road to Judea. Jesus asked his disciples. "Why does he carry that lamb around?"

They said, "So that he may slaughter it and then eat it."

He said, "While it lives, he will not eat it, for only when he has slain it will it then become dead meat."

They said to Him, "There is no other way."

He said, "You as well, seek a place within the quiet and the stillness for yourselves lest you become dead meat and be consumed."

61. Jesus said. "Two will be laid down to rest: one will die, and one will live."

Salome said, "Who are You, Man, that You , as if from the One, you have sat yourself upon my sofa and have partaken of my table?"

Jesus said, "I am He, who is United. I have inherited some of the qualities of My Father."

Salome said,"I am your disciple."

Jesus said,"Therefore I say, if he is United, he will be illuminated, but if he is divided, he will be filled with darkness."

62. Jesus said, "It is to those who can understand the secret truths that I choose to reveal my secrets to. Do not let your left hand, know what your right hand is doing." (Do not let the hand you use to wipe your ass with, know what the hand you use to eat with is doing.)

63. Jesus said, "There was a rich man who was very wealthy. He said, 'I shall use my wealth so that I may sow, reap, and plant, so that I may fill my storehouse with grains and produce, so that I will have enough to live well. ' This is what he intended to do, but that very night he died. Let those who have ears hear."

64. Jesus said, " A man had several visitors. He had prepared supper for them and sent his servant to invite them to eat. The servant went to the first of them and said, 'My master invites you to come and eat.' He said, 'I have some business with some merchants. They are meeting with me tonight. I must leave and make some deals with them. I ask to be excused from attending supper.' He went to another and said, 'My master invites you to come and eat supper.' He said to him, 'My friend is getting married and I have to prepare the banquet for him. I will not be able to make it tonight. I asked to be excused from attending supper.' He went to another and said, 'My master invites you to come and eat supper.' He said to him, 'I have just bought a farm and I was just leaving in order to go and collect the rent. I will not be able to come. I ask to be excused from attending supper.' The servant returned to his master and said, ' Those whom you have invited to supper have asked to be excused.' The master told his servant, 'Go outside into the streets and bring back anyone you happen to meet, so that they may eat with us.' Businessmen and merchants will not enter the Place of My Father."

65. He said, " There was a good man who had a vineyard. He rented it to tenant farmers who would work it and then give him the crop. He sent a servant to collect from the tenants. They grabbed him and nearly beat him to death. The servant returned and told his master. The master said, 'Maybe they didn't know who he was.' He sent another servant. The tenants beat him also. The master sent his son and said, 'Maybe now they will show respect to my son.' The tenants knew that he was the heir to the land, so they caught him and then killed him. Let those who have ears hear."

66. Jesus said, "Show me a stone which has been rejected by the builders. That one is the cornerstone."

67. Jesus said, "Whosoever believes that the Everything is lacking, are themselves lacking in everything."

68. Jesus said, "Blessed are those that are hated and persecuted. Whosever has persecuted you, shall have no Place in the Kingdom."

69. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have been persecuted by themselves. For verily, they have come to know the Father. Blessed are the hungry, the belly that wants will be filled."

70. Jesus said, "That which you possess within yourself will save you. If you use it. That which is lacking from within yourself, will destroy you. If you cannot find it within yourself."

71. Jesus said, "I shall destroy this house, and no one will be able to rebuild it."

72. A man said to Him, "Tell my brothers to divide my father's property and share it with me."

He said to him, "O man, who has mad me out to be a divider?"

He turned to his disciples and said, "I am not a divider, am I?"

73. Jesus said , "The harvest is good but the pickers are few. Ask the Lord, because of that, to send more pickers."

74. Jesus said, "There are many at the water trough, but there is nothing in the well." (but there are none at the well)

75. Jesus said, "There are many at the door, but one alone will enter the bridal chamber."

76. Jesus said, "The Kingdom of the Father is like a merchant who discovers a pearl amongst a shipment of goods which he has. That merchant was shrewd, he sold the goods and kept the pearl for himself alone. You too, look for his everlasting and neverfailing treasure where the moth cannot come near to eat of it and no worm may corrupt it."

77. Jesus said, "It is I who am the light which transcends all others. It is I who am from the All. Out from Me the All flows outward, and into Me does All extend. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up a stone, and there you will find Me.

78. Jesus said, "Why have you come out into the desert? To see the wind bend and shake a reed. And to see a man clothed in finery as your kings and wealthy are? They wear the finery, and they cannot see the truth."

79. A woman in the crowd said, "Blessed is the womb which bore You and the breasts which nourished You."

He said to her, "Blessed are those who have heard the word of the Father and have honored it truly. For there will be days that you will say, 'Blessed is the womb which has not conceived and the breasts which have never given milk.'"

80. Jesus said, "He who has recognized the world has found just the body, but he who has found the body is lord over the world."

81. Jesus said, "Let those who have grown wealthy, kings, and those who possess power, renounce it."

82. Jesus said, "He who is close to Me is close to the fire, and he who is far from Me is also far from the Kingdom."

83. Jesus said, "The forms are obvious to man, but the light within remains unseen in the form of the light of the Father. He will become known, but his form will remain hidden by his light."

84. Jesus said, "When you see your face, you are pleased. But when you see the forms which came into being before you and which cannot die nor become known to you, how will you bear that?"

85. Jesus said, "Adam was made from a great power and a great wealth, but he was not worthy of you. For if he had been worthy, he would not have died."

86. Jesus said, "The wolves have their dens, and the birds have their nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head and sleep."

87. Jesus said, "Wretched is the body which needs the body, and wretched is the spirit which needs the two."

88. Jesus said, "The angels and the prophets will come unto you and give unto you that which is already yours. And you will give unto them that which you have, and wonder, "When will they come and take what is theirs?"

89. Jesus said, "Why do you wash the outside of the vessel? Do you not know that he who made the inside is also the same one who made the outside?"

90. Jesus said, "Come unto me, for My yoke is easy and my rule is light, and you will find peace for yourselves."

91. They said, "Tell us who You are so that we may believe in you."

He said to them, "You may see and know the face of the sky and that of the earth, but you do not know that which is before you now, and you do not know what this moment is."

92. Jesus said, "Seek and you shall find. Yet that which you had asked me before and I did not tell you then, I wish to tell you now, but you do not ask."

93. Jesus said, "Do not give that which is holy to dogs (sons of bitches), lest they cast it into a pile of shit. Do not cast pearls before swine, lest they trample them into dust."

94. Jesus said, "He who seeks, shall find, and he who asks to be let in, will be let in."

95. Jesus said, "If you have money, do not lend it with interest, but give it to someone who will not pay you back."

96. Jesus said, "The Kingdom of the Father is like a certain woman. She took a little leaven and put it in some dough and then made it into bread loaves. Let those with ears hear."

97. Jesus said, "The Kingdom of the father is like a certain women who was carrying a bag full of flour. While she was walking down the road, some way from her home, the handle of the bag broke and the flour began spilling out upon the road. She was unaware of what had happened; for she had not noticed the break. When she arrived home, she sat the bag down and saw that it was empty."

98. Jesus said, "The Kingdom of the Father is like a certain man who wanted to kill a man of power. In his house he took out a sword and thrust it into the wall to see if his hand was strong enough. Then he killed the man of power."

99. The disciples said to Him, "Your brothers and Your mother are waiting outside."

He said to them, "Those who do the will of my Father are My brothers and My mother. It is they who shall enter the Kingdom of my Father."

100. They showed Jesus a gold coin and said to him, "Caesar's men demand that we pay taxes."

He said to them, "Give Caesar that which belongs to Caesar, give God that which belongs to God, and give Me that which is mine."

101. Jesus said, "Whosoever does not hate his mother and father as I do cannot become a follower of mine. And whosoever does not love his father and mother as I do cannot become a follower of mine. For my mother gave me flesh, but my true Mother gave me life (eternal)."

102. Jesus said, "Woe to the Pharisees for they are like a dog sleeping in a barn with the oxen, for they do not eat of the hay, nor do the allow the oxen to eat."

103. Jesus said, "Lucky is he who knows when a gang of thugs will come, for he may get up, get his people together, and arm himself before they come."

104. They said to Jesus, "Come today and let us pray and fast." Jesus said, "What sin have I done or in what am I lacking or failing? Only when the bridegroom has quit the bridal chamber, should he then fast and pray."

105. Jesus said, "He who knows the Father and the Mother will be called the son of a whore." (son of a bitch)

106. Jesus said, "When you make the two one , you will become sons of man, and when you say, Mountain move away, it will move away.'"

107. Jesus said, "The Kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. one of them, the biggest, became lost. He left the ninety-nine and went looking for the one until he found it. Why had he gone to such trouble? He said to the sheep, I care more for you than the ninety-nine.'"

108. Jesus said, "Whosoever drinks from my mouth will become one as Me. I myself shall become he, and my secrets shall be known to him."

109. Jesus said, "The Kingdom is like a man who had a buried treasure in his field but did not know it. He died and left the field to his son. The son didn't know either. After inheriting the field, he sold it. And the one who bought it plowed the field and found the treasure. He began to lend money at interest to anyone he wished."

110. Jesus said, "Whosoever knows the world and becomes rich, let him reject the world."

111. Jesus said, "The heavens and the earth shall be rolled up in your presence. And the one who lives from the Living One shall not die." Does not Jesus say, "Whosoever knows himself, is higher than the world."

112. Jesus said, "Woe to the flesh that depends upon the spirit: woe to the spirit that depends on the flesh."

113. His disciples asked, "When will the Kingdom come?"

Jesus said, "It will not come for your waiting. It will not come because you say 'Here it is' or There it is.' But rather, the Kingdom of the father is everywhere upon the earth, and men do not see it."

114. Simon Peter said to them, "Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of Life (eternal)."

Jesus said, "I myself shall lead her, so that I shall make her male, so that she may become a living spirit such as you males. For every woman who will make herself a male will enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

the Gospel according to Thomas


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


adapted to english by Rupert R. Chappelle