Gospel of Thomas Saying 111

This Gospel of Thomas Commentary is part of the Gospel of Thomas page at Early Christian Writings.

Nag Hammadi Coptic Text

BLATZ

(111) Jesus said: The heavens will be rolled up and likewise the earth in your presence, and the living one, (come forth) from the Living One, will not see death or <fear>, because Jesus says: He who finds himself, of him the world is not worthy.

LAYTON

(111) Jesus said, "The heavens and the earth will roll up in your (plur.) presence. And the living from the living will not see death." - Doesn't Jesus mean that the world is not worthy of a person who has found the self?

DORESSE

115 [111]. Jesus says: "The heavens and the earth will open (?) before you, and he who lives by Him who is living will not see death", because (?) Jesus says this: "He who keeps to himself alone, the world is not worthy of him."

Funk's Parallels

GThom 11:1, Ps 102:25-27, Isa 34:4, Luke 16:16-17, Luke 21:32-33, Matt 5:18, Matt 24:34-35, Mark 13:30-31, DialSav 56, Heb 1:10-12, Rev 6:12-14.

Visitor Comments

When one realizes his true being of wisdom and peace (his true self), it is a greater existence than the heavans and the earth, one with the Universe.
- Henry

Scholarly Quotes

Bentley Layton writes of the last sentence here: "probably a comment added to the text by an ancient reader and later erroneously incorporated in the text." (The Gnostic Scriptures, p. 399)

Jean Doresse writes that the last part "introduces an explanation or conclusion of one of the editors of the Gospel of Thomas; cf. 65. He draws a comparison between the person who lives by 'Him who is living' (the Risen Jesus) and the person who has achieved solitude and unity." (The Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostics, p. 377)

Funk and Hoover write: "In vv. 1-2, Jesus speaks as the redeemer sent from God to reveal the secrets of the universe. Such an understanding of Jesus' identity belongs to the early Jesus movement, not to Jesus himself." (The Five Gospels, p. 530)

Gerd Theissen describes one theological motive of Thomas: "Dualistic anthropology: the world and with it the human body are devalued and become a synonym for death. The Father's kingdom of light, knowledge and eternal life are to be attained only by radical 'fasting from the world' (27): 'Whoever finds himself is superior to the world' (111)." (The Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide, p. 40)

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