The Gospel of Thomas

In brief

A collection of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus, with no narrative of his birth, death or resurrection. Greek fragments were found at Oxyrhynchus in Egypt in 1897–1903; the complete Coptic text came to light in the Nag Hammadi library in 1945. Many sayings parallel the canonical Gospels; others are mysterious calls to inner knowledge and self-discovery.

Key ideas

• ✦The kingdom is within you and outside you
• ✦Self-knowledge is the path to understanding
• ✦Hidden sayings must be interpreted to be understood
• ✦Bring forth what is within you

Why it matters

Thomas offers a picture of Jesus as a teacher of wisdom and inner awakening, and it is central to modern debates about early Christian diversity. Its sayings are some of the most quoted in contemplative spirituality.

“Raise the stone and there thou shalt find me, cleave the wood and there am I.”