Thomas
Subtitle: Seeking the Historical Context of the Gospel of Thomas (Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha Supplement)
Publisher: T. & T. Clark Publishers
Published: November 2003
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 240
ISBN-13: 9780567083296
Subjects: Biblical studies, criticism & exegesis; Books of the New Testament; Biblical Studies - Bible Study Guides; Biblical Studies - New Testament; Religion; Religion - Biblical Studies; Criticism, interpretation, etc; Gospel of Thomas (Coptic Gospel)
Description: "Many scholars believe that The Gospel of Thomas, the famous collection of Jesus' sayings found in Nag Hammadi in 1945, makes all the difference to our understanding of Christianity. The gospel has been studied closely for the new light it throws on pre-canonical traditions, and for the different world of wisdom it seems to represent." "Without denying the value of such studies, this book takes a different approach. It does not look backwards to the earlier sources of the gospel nor to the historical Jesus, but seeks to locate Thomas on the map of early Christian literature and history by comparing the gospel to other related writings and traditions. These include the writings ascribed to the mysterious apostle Judas Thomas, other documents from Nag Hammadi, Paul and Stoic teachers, and the Gospel of Matthew." "No single interpretive key for the understanding of the gospel is proposed. Rather, the book opens up several new readings and historical explanations which can usefully be explored. Uro also argues that the conventional methods scholars have been using in their studies are in need of rethinking and refinement." "Among many conclusions is the author's belief that Thomas is an early second-century work written by people who, like many other first- and second-century Christians, understood Jesus' message in terms of the Hellenistic belief in the divine origin of the self."--BOOK JACKET.