The Gospel of Thomas: Discovering the Lost Words of Jesus Book

So obviously pseudoepigraphical and so distinctly Gnostic in contrast to the canonical gospels that it perplexes me why so many modern scholars can continue to assert with any degree of integrity that this piece of literature is a more reliable description of the historical Jesus than the gospel according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

To demonstrate how greatly it differs from the canonical gospels, I'll compare two infamous verses from the Gospel of Thomas with corresponding verses from the Bible:

Gospel of Thomas on the nature of the Kingdom:

(113) His disciples said to him, "When will the kingdom come?" Jesus said, "It will not come by waiting for it. It will not be a matter of saying 'here it is' or 'there it is.' Rather, the kingdom of the father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it."

Bible on the nature of the Kingdom - Gospel of Matthew and Mark:

"Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10

"And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power." Mark 9:1

Gospel of Thomas on Jesus' attitude towards women:

(114) Simon Peter said to him, "Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of life." Jesus said, "I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven."

Bible on Jesus' attitude towards women - Gospel of Matthew and Luke

"Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly." Matthew 15:28

"But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her." Mat 26:10-13

And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Luke 7:50

Jesus' compassion and respect for women demonstrated in the canonical gospels and his teaching regarding the imminency and dynamic personal nature of the Kingdom of God are radically alternative to both Jewish and Greek ways of thinking on these subjects. It is absolutely pathetic that the measurement of the authenticity of Jesus' statements among modern scholars (such as those who participated in the Jesus Seminar) is based on how much a statement differs with the rest of Jesus teachings throughout the canonical gospels, so that if a statement is unusual within the canonical gospels it is considered authentic but if it is consistent with the rest it is dubious. Such scholars are predisposed to doubt any theologically motivated statement or any description of the miraculous, as a result, the same scholars are keen to embrace a piece of trash like the Gospel of Thomas because it is such a stark contrast to the canonical gospels, this kind of analysis and textual criticism is just ridiculously self-gratifying pseudo-intellectualism.

The Gospel of Thomas may be read properly if it is understood to be a piece of apocryphal Gnostic heresy distinct from the textually reliable, manuscript rich, and internally consistent Biblical accounts of Jesus. It really is a shame that so many people today have bought the myth that the Gnostic gospels (also including the Gospel of Judas and Mary Magdelene, ect.) are giving us a sneak peek into mind of the "real Jesus" as if the Jesus in the canonical gospels is very easy to dismiss as fictional, even though the statements made there are clear, consistent, and largely unambiguous unlike the Gnostic gospels which obscure, spiritualize, and equivocate at every point.