Visitor Comments
Each one of us is an energy/sense/probe by God into the Universe of Being, a part of the Perception of the Infinite Field of God's Will.
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is in fact already a literal, absolute and inescapable truth. Whatever you do to anyone, you have done to yourself and to God!
We are all clones, mirrors of each other. Each different but each the same. There is only One of us.
- active-mystic
Love your brother like the soul of the image in the mirror before you. For the brother whom you meet in the real world is another image of your own soul.
The reader who isn't staggered by the implications of this interpretation hasn't thought about them enough. But I see that active-mystic above has thought about them.
- Simon Magus
Without friends one cannot know onesself.
- Rodney
The human is not born as a complete being. This is to hopefully be achieved during one's life. The many parts of you, manifest so prominently in the nafs of the Commanding Self --- nurture them, do NOT try [vainly] to kill them off. One's "bad" characteristics have a role to play. When transcended one has started to manufacture the tool to rise higher. The blindfolded handcuffed rider on a runaway horse needs to release himself, not kill the horse. The horse is a means of transport and thus useful
- Thief37
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Scholarly Quotes
Gerd Ludemann writes: "This verse [2] does not occur in the New Testament. However, the mode of expression does have parallels in the Old Testament: Deut. 32.10; Ps. 17.8; Prov. 7.2." (Jesus After 2000 Years, p. 603)
Marvin Meyer writes: "Gospel of the Hebrews 5 has the savior say, 'And never rejoice except when you look upon your brother with love,' and Didache 2:7 commands that 'some you shall love more than your soul.'" (The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus, p. 81)
R. McL. Wilson writes: "As Grant and Freedman say, this is 'purely jewish,' and Leipoldt and Guillaumont had already drawn attention to the Semitism involved in the use of 'as thy soul' for 'as thyself.' Quispel finds a parallel in the Person Diatessaron. All the biblical passages have 'they neighbor,' but 'brother' occurs in Leviticus xix. 17; the one ground for hesitation over ascribing this saying to early and good tradition is that for Thomas 'thy brother,' in the words of Grand and Freedman, 'means not an Israelite or another human being, but another Gnostic.' It is difficult to avoid the suspicion that the scope of the saying has been deliberately narrowed. By an orthodox Christian it would, of course, be understood in the New Testament sense, but if Jesus were known to have quoted Leviticus it is difficult to account for the change. This may serve to remind us that the same words might be very differently interpreted in orthodox and in Gnostic circles." (Studies in the Gospel of Thomas, pp. 113-114)
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