How does the Gospel of Thomas contradict the Bible?

Question

What are some specific differences?

Answer 1

It was part of a collection of Gnostic documents. Gnosticism was an ancient near–eastern philosophy which held that the physical world is evil and the spiritual realm is good. Salvation comes through secret knowledge of the spiritual realm, which liberates the soul from its imprisonment in the physical world. The Gospel of Thomas is shot through with this philosophy.

For a more specific example check out this last saying in the Gospel of Thomas: "Simon Peter said to them: Let Mary go forth from among us, for women are not worthy of the life. Jesus said: Behold, I shall lead her, that I may make her male, in order that she also may become a living spirit like you males. For every woman who makes herself male shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Thomas-114) This saying reflects the low view of women in the Gnostic philosophy and is certainly not what Jesus taught and lived in the Gospels!

Answer 2

The Thomas Gospel says the way to achieve salvation is by understanding these texts, so not by beliveing that Jesus died for mankinds sins.

Answer 3

It is gnostic, which means it implies that Jesus told Thomas some secrets and that they were best of friends... Not that Jesus didn't love Thomas, however Jesus told all the disciples the same things... Thomas asked to see Jesus as the others had done and Jesus showed him.

It was also written 200-500years after the fact

Answer 4

It does not. It only adds to it. How can you say anything contradicts the bible when the bible constantly contradicts itself.

Answer 5

I will stick to reading the original books The Bible

Answer 6

Abba, no you don't know what you are talking about.

The thomas gospel is not from 3rd century A.D. There are two branch of scholars that study the thomas gospel. The thomas gospel from the Nag hamadi is written in coptic and dates to around the 3rd century. However the Greek version found in 1890' in fragments at Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, dates back to 200-130 A.D. The early camp of scholars dateswhen the actual gospel wouldve been created back to 60 A.D, because of it's simplier sayings with little interpolerations or additions, they are much shorter. The way it is writen and kept is how they kept sayings in those days, it in it's design is much like the DIACHE. All of this, even that it doesn't contain anything about ressurections or anything remotely gnostic in terms gives this composition a date of nothing less then 1st century, many say it is from 50 A.D given the evidence. Your words would go more in regards to the earlier camps, because you say that it is gnostic yet it doesn't have any of the gnostic traditional worlds and philosophy, I doubt you know anything about gnosticism nor have read any of the scriptures in depth. The later date says sometime in the 1st century-to mid 1st. So in any case it is a purer source of the sayings considering the bible we have has been corrupted for centuries! So Abba you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, none of the things in the Nag Hammadi library date back further than the 3rd century, and the thomas gospel dates back to 1st century and pre-1st century, even a Church father mentions it in one of his writings in the 1st century.

To answer the question, well there really isnt ANY difference! It's just a manner of prospective.

In the bible in Luke 17:20-21, And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

which is really no different than this in the thomas gospel, Jesus said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the (Father's) kingdom is within you and it is outside you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty."

And this in the thomas gospel, His disciples said to him, "When will the kingdom come?"

"It will not come by watching for it. It will not be said, 'Look, here!' or 'Look, there!' Rather, the Father's kingdom is spread out upon the earth, and people don't see it."

The problem that exist is that the thomas gospel focus on the need of entering the inner kingdom, defined in knowing thy self so you can know God. It teaches self salvation, not belief in some other person. From thomas gospel, "Jesus said, "If you bring forth what is within you, what you have will save you. If you do not have that within you, what you do not have within you [will] kill you."

Very much you have to prove and attain things on your own merits, its about self knowledge and self development. What is interesting though is that pre concil of Nicea many of the church fathers, bishops, and early writers basically taught the same thing as seen in thomas gospel.

From "Wherefore I counsel thee to know thyself, and to know God. For understand how that there is within thee that which is called the soul — by it the eye seeth, by it the ear heareth... But why this world was made, and why it passes away, and why the body exists, and why it falls to decay, and why it continues, thou canst not know until thou hast raised thy head from this sleep in which thou art sunk..." (Melito, Bishop of Sardis, Bishop of Ittica, and Bishop of Ittica [AD 160-177]).

The second-century Church Father Clement of Alexandria said that it is “…the greatest of all lessons to know one's self. For if one knows himself, he will know God; and knowing God, he will be made like God…

St. Nazianzen “us like God; so that when we have thus become like Himself, God may, to use a bold expression, hold converse with us as Gods, being united to us, and that perhaps to the same extent as He already knows those who are known to Him”.

And also,

“The soul,” writes St. Teresa, is as “a castle made of a single diamond… in which there are many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions”

So it's not so much that it contradicts anything, but that it shows what things USED to be like in Christian theology, pre-4th century. Now it's nonsense.

Bleow poster, that last saying by all scholar account is an late addition. Go research for yourself and the gnostic community would never put down women, in fact their mythology is much about Pistis Sophia and Mary Mag is seen as being greater than the apostles. So again, another misinformed person about gnosticism. I have been studying text of gnosticism and early Christianity and the theology of these movements for 5-6 years.

Answer 7

the hole book is one big contradiction its the worlds bigest fairy tale the bigest con on the plannet