Why is the Gospel of St. Thomas considered heresy by the church?

Question

Under what circumstances did it come about / get translated?

What made it so offensive a gospel?

Answer 1

The Gospel of St. Thomas was written 140-170 AD, at a minimum (perhaps as late as AD 390). Thomas was a contemporary of Jesus, so he did not write this gospel.

This is NOT one of the Dead Sea scrolls. This is one of a number of "gospels" that were written hundreds of years after Jesus lived and the names of famous people were given to them. They're called the Nag Hammadi scrolls and were found in Egypt in 1945. The Dead Sea scrolls were kept by the Jewish sect called the Essenes at Qumran, near Jerusalem.

The fact that the author put the name Thomas on it alone discredits it. That is was written so late and contradicts what was written by Jesus' contemporaries discredits it.

Answer 2

Gospel Of St Thomas

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why is the Gospel of St. Thomas considered heresy by the church?
Under what circumstances did it come about / get translated?

What made it so offensive a gospel?

Answer 4

The Dead Sea Scrolls only contain Old Testament documents. Advait's statement was incorrect. However, copies of the Gospel of Thomas dating to around 200AD have been found

The biggest thing about the gospel is the authenticity of the text and that it is is mystical, emphasizes a direct and unmediated experience of the Divine through becoming a Christ.

There is a great article about this on Wikipedia that answers your questions more fully than I can. I list that and the text of the Gospel below.

Answer 5

It's a problem for churches because it highlights the Original Kingdom Gospel. So many churches these days are promoting the Pauline Gospel of sacrifice for sin... so any documents recording the things Jesus actually preached makes them feel uncomfortable.

Check out the difference between these two gospels.... the difference is enormous.

Answer 6

It isn't considered heresy. The so-called "Gospel of Thomas", and about a dozen other gospels, simply did not get accepted into the Canon of Scripture because the Holy Spirit did not identify them as divinely inspired. But no-one has labeled them "heretical".

Answer 7

The four gospels found in the Bible were written not long after Jesus' ascension into heaven and include eyewitness testimonies. Other writings may be rejected because they were written far too long after the events would have occurred or are written by an author who is not considered one of the apostles. New Testament books must be written by an apostle or one of their close associates in order to be considered part of the New testament canon.

Answer 8

Such known works as the Shepherd of Hermas, the Epistle of Barnabas, the Didache (Teaching) of the Twelve Apostles, and the Apostolic Canons and Constitutions, though formerly apocryphal, really belong to patristic literature, and are considered independently.

Gospel of St. Thomas

There are two Greek and two Latin redactions of it, differing much from one another. A Syriac translation is also found. A Gospel of Thomas was known to many Fathers. The earliest to mention it is St. Hippolytus (155-235), who informs us that it was in use among the Naasenes, a sect of Syrian Gnostics, and cites a sentence which does not appear in our extant text. Origen relegates it to the heretical writings. St. Cyril of Jerusalem says it was employed by the Manichæans; Eusebius rejects it as heretical and spurious. It is clear that the original Pseudo-Thomas was of heterodox origin, and that it dates from the second century; the citations of Hippolytus establish that it was palpably Gnostic in tenor. But in the extant Thomas Gospel there is no formal or manifest Gnosticism. The prototype was evidently expurgated by a Catholic hand, who, however, did not succeed in eradicating all traces of its original taint. The apocryphon in all its present forms extravagantly magnifies the Divine aspect of the boy Jesus. In bold contrast to the Infancy narrative of St. Luke, where the Divinity is almost effaced, the author makes the Child a miracle-worker and intellectual prodigy, and in harmony with Docetism, leaves scarcely more than the appearance of humanity in Him. This pseudo-Gospel is unique among the apocrypha, inasmuch as it describes a part of the hidden life of Our Lord between the ages of five and twelve. But there is much that is fantastic and offensive in the pictures of the exploits of the boy Jesus. His youthful miracles are worked at times out of mere childish fancy, as when He formed clay pigeons, and at a clap of His hands they flew away as living birds; sometimes, from beneficence; but again from a kind of harsh retribution.



It is enough to note the existence of other pseudo-Gospels, of which very little is known beside the names. There was a Gospel of St. Andrew, probably identical with the Gnostic "Acts of Andrew" , a Gospel of Barnabas, a Gospel of Thaddeus, a Gospel of Eve, and even one of Judas Iscariot, the last in use among the Gnostic sect of Cainites, and which glorified the traitor.

Answer 9

Because it conveys spirituality more than the priesthood. It elevates Mary Magdalene from whore to disciple. It exalts man above the church.
Because the churches hate anything that does not put power in their hands.

Mathew, you seem to know very little with regards to your NT bible and the dates and authors of those books. None of them were written by whom you assume to have been the author. All were written at least 2 generations removed from those you assume to be the authors. No eye witness accounts, only second third or more accounts are written and the authors are unknown.

Answer 10

It was written 200 years after the gospels.Tons of "fake " writers wrote "fake Gospels" .That what Satan does.He takes the "Skin of the truth" and stuffs it with a lie.If he can get enough knuckleheads to wite fake gospels and confuse the church,the more the better. That's why Martin Luther said 'Solas Scrituras" Scriptures only.That's why both Mose in the Old Testament and John in the New say not to add or take away from the scriptures.