The Gospel of Thomas

Online & In Print

Online

• Manuscript Information & Images
• Translations and Editions
• Links to Other Resources

 

In Print

• Accounts of Manuscript Discoveries
• Ancient Language Editions
• Commentaries

 

 

Online

Manuscript Information & Images

• Nag Hammadi II,2
  Coptic; 4th century
  Preserves essentially the complete gospel
• Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 654 (low resolution)
  Greek; middle/late 3rd century
  Preserves parts of sayings 1-7
• Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 1 (low resolution)
  Greek; late 2nd/early 3rd century
  Preserves most of sayings 26-30+77b, 31-33
• Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 655 (low resolution)
  Greek; 3rd century
  Preserves fragments of Sayings 24, 36-39
• Oxyrhynchus Funerary Strip
  Greek; 5th/6th century
  Preserves Saying 5.2

 

Translations and Editions

• The Gospel of Thomas (English translation of Coptic text)
  Thomas Lambdin
• The Gospel of Thomas (English translation of Coptic text)
  The Berlin Working Group for Coptic Gnostic Writings
  as modified by Stephen J. Patterson and James M. Robinson
• The Gospel of Thomas (English translation of Coptic text)
  Marvin Meyer and Stephen Patterson
• The Gospel of Thomas (English translation of the Greek Fragments)
  Joseph Fitzmyer
  as compiled by Sytze van der Laan
• An Interlinear Coptic-English Translation of the Gospel of Thomas
  Michael Grondin
• A Hypertext Interlinear of the Gospel according to Thomas
  Patterson Brown

 

Links to Other Resources

• The Gospel of Thomas Homepage
  Stevan Davies
• The Gospel of Thomas (with collected commentary)
  Peter Kirby
• Gospel of Thomas Bibliography
  Sytze van der Laan
• Interviews with Gospel of Thomas Scholars (at the Peje Iesous blog)
  Christopher Skinner
  • Interview with Nicholas Perrin: Part 1 / Part 2
  • Interview with Stevan Davies: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3
  • Interview with Stephen J. Patterson: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3
  • Interview with Ismo Dunderberg: Part 1 / Part 2
  • Interview with Risto Uro: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3
  • Interview with Marvin Meyer: Part 1 / Part 2
• The Gospel of Thomas (at The Forbidden Gospels blog)
  April DeConick
• Brief Essays on the Gospel of Thomas (PBS)
  Elaine Pagels & Helmut Koester
• Interview with Elaine Pagels (Audio)
  NPR
• NT Gateway: Gospel of Thomas
  Mark Goodacre
  • See also: NT Pod Episode 15: The Gospel of Thomas: First Glimpse
• The Five Gospel Parallels
  John W. Marshall
• Gospel of Thomas e-list
  Michael Grondin (list owner)

 

 

 

In Print

Accounts of Manuscript Discoveries

• Dart, John, and Ray Reigert. Unearthing the Lost Words of Jesus. 1998.

An especially readable account of the saga that brought the only known complete copy of the Gospel of Thomas to light; chronicles key events from the accidental discovery of the Nag Hammadi library in 1945 through to the publication of the first modern edition of the Coptic Gospel of Thomas in 1959.

• Grenfell, Bernard P. "The Oldest Record of Christ's Life." McClure's Magazine (1897): 1022-30.

A first-hand account of the initial discovery of papyri at Oxyrhynchus including P.Oxy. 1 (later identified as a part of the Gospel of Thomas).

• Turner, Eric. "The Graeco-Roman Branch" in Excavating in Egypt: The Egypt Exploration Society, 1882-1982 (1982): 161-78.

A thorough account of the Grenfell and Hunt's excavations at Oxyrhynchus that uncovered three different Greek fragments of the Gospel of Thomas (P.Oxy. 654, 1, 655) along with thousands of other ancient papyri.

 

Ancient Language Editions

• Grenfell, B. P., and A. S. Hunt. Logia Iesou: Sayings of Our Lord from an Early Greek Papyrus. 1897.

Contains the first modern edition of one of the Greek fragments of the Gospel of Thomas (P.Oxy. 1).

• Grenfell, B. P., and A. S. Hunt. Vol. 1 of The Oxyrhynchus Papyri. 1898.

Contains a transcription of P.Oxy. 1 and supplemental comments about the edition presented in Logia Iesou.

• Grenfell, B. P., and A. S. Hunt. New Sayings of Jesus and Fragment of a Lost Gospel from Oxyrhynchus. 1904.

Contains the first modern edition of two of the Greek fragments of the Gospel of Thomas (P.Oxy. 654 and 655) along with a revised edition of the Greek fragment presented in Logia Iesous (P.Oxy. 1).

• Grenfell, B. P., and A. S. Hunt. Vol. 4 of The Oxyrhynchus Papyri. 1904.

Contains an edition of two of the Greek fragments of the Gospel of Thomas (P.Oxy. 654 and 655).

• Evelyn-White, H. G. The Sayings of Jesus from Oxyrhynchus. 1920.

Contains the most important critical edition of two of the Greek fragments (P.Oxy. 1 and 654) as they were understood before a complete Coptic version of the text was discovered at Nag Hammadi.

• Guillaumont, A., H.-Ch. Puech, G. Quispel, W. Till, and Yassah 'Abd al Masih. The Gospel According to Thomas. 1959.

Contains the first modern edition of the complete Coptic translation of the Gospel of Thomas discovered at Nag Hammadi in 1945.

• Fitzmyer, J. A. "The Oxyrhynchus Logoi of Jesus and the Coptic Gospel According to Thomas." Theological Studies 20 (1959): 505-60.

Contains the first modern edition of the Greek fragments of the Gospel of Thomas (P.Oxy. 654, 1, 655) prepared after a complete Coptic version of the text was discovered at Nag Hammadi. Reprinted and slightly revised in Essays on the Semitic Background of the New Testament (1974) and The Semitic Background of the New Testament (1997).

• Kasser, R. L'Ėvangile selon Thomas: Présentation et commentaire théologique. 1961.

Contains the text of Greek fragments of the Gospel of Thomas (P.Oxy. 654, 1, 655) along with a Greek retranslation of the whole gospel based on the extant Coptic text.

• Leipoldt, J. Das Evangelium nach Thomas: Koptisch und Deutsch. 1967.

Contains an edition of the Coptic Gospel of Thomas (Nag Hammadi II, 2) that does not include (most) superlinear strokes.

• Robinson, J. The Facsimile Edition of the Nag Hammadi Codices: Codex II. 1974.

Contains high-quality images of every page of Nag Hammadi Codex 2: pages 32-51 preserve the only known complete copy of this text Gospel of Thomas in Coptic translation.

• Suarez, P. de. L'Ėvangile selon Thomas. 1974.

Contains an edition of the Coptic Gospel of Thomas (Nag Hammadi II, 2), oddly without spaces between words.

• Layton, B. Vol. 1 of Nag Hammadi Codex II, 2-7 Together with XIII, 2*, Brit. Lib. Or.4926(1), and P.Oxy. 1, 654, 655. 1989.

Contains a critical edition of the Coptic Gospel of Thomas (Nag Hammadi II, 2) and the Greek fragments (P.Oxy. 654, 1, 655) along with patristic references to the gospel in their original languages (Greek and Latin) and accompanying English translations.

• Kloppenborg, J. S., M. W. Meyer, S. J. Patterson, and M. G. Steinhauser. Q-Thomas Reader. 1990.

Contains an edition of the Coptic Gospel of Thomas (Nag Hammadi II, 2).

• Meyer, M. W. The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus. 1992.

Contains an edition of the Coptic Gospel of Thomas (Nag Hammadi II, 2).

• Aland, K. Synopsis Quattuor Evangeliorum. Rev. 15th ed. 1997.

Contains an edition of the Coptic Gospel of Thomas (Nag Hammadi II, 2) and the Greek fragments (P.Oxy. 654, 1, 655), as well as Greek retranslations of Coptic sayings "which have more-or-less close parallels within the text of the Canonical Gospels" (Sayings 3-6, 8-10, 12-14, 16, 20-22, 25-37, 39, 41, 44-48, 54-55, 57, 61-66, 68-69, 71-73, 76, 78-79, 86, 89, 90, 92-96, 99-104, 106-107, 109, 113).

• Lührmann, D., and E. Schlarb. Fragmente apokryph gewordener Evangelien in griechischer und lateinischer Sprache. 2000.

Contains an edition of the Greek Fragments of the Gospel of Thomas (P.Oxy. 654, 1, 655).

• Bernhard, A. E. Other Early Christian Gospels: A Critical Edition of the Surviving Greek Manuscripts. 2006.

Contains an edition of the Greek Fragments of the Gospel of Thomas (P.Oxy. 654, 1, 655).

• Ehrman, B. D., and Z. Pleše. The Apocryphal Gospels: Texts and Translations. 2011.

Contains an edition of the Coptic Gospel of Thomas (Nag Hammadi II, 2) and the Greek fragments (P.Oxy. 654, 1, 655).

 

Commentaries

• Davies, S. L. The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom. 1983 [1st ed.]; 2004 [2nd ed.].
• DeConick, A. D. The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation: With a Commentary and New English Translation of the Complete Gospel. 2006.
• DeConick, A. D. Recovering the Original Gospel of Thomas: A History of the Gospel and Its Growth. 2005.
• DeConick, A. D. Seek to See Him: Ascent and Vision Mysticism in the Gospel of Thomas. 1996.
• Dunderberg, I. The Beloved Disciple in Conflict? : Revisiting the Gospels of John and Thomas. 2006.
• Funk, R. W., R. W. Hoover, and T. J. Seminar. The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus. 1993.
• Gärtner, B. E. The Theology of the Gospel According to Thomas. 1961.
• Gathercole, S. The Composition of the Gospel of Thomas: Original Language and Influences. (Forthcoming).
• Goodacre, M. Thomas and the Gospels: The Case for Thomas's Familiarity with the Synoptics. 2012 (Forthcoming).
• Grant, R., and D. N. Freedman. The Secret Sayings of Jesus. 1960.
• Hedrick, C. W. Unlocking the Secrets of the Gospel According to Thomas : A Radical Faith for a New Age. 2010.
• Jón Ma, Á., A. D. De Conick, and R. Uro. Thomasine Traditions in Antiquity: The Social and Cultural World of the Gospel of Thomas. 2006.
• Pagels, E. H. Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas. 2003.
• Patterson, S. J. The Gospel of Thomas and Jesus. 1993.
• Patterson, S. J., J. M. Robinson, and H.-G. Bethge. The Fifth Gospel: The Gospel of Thomas Comes of Age. 1998.
• Perrin, N. Thomas and Tatian: The Relationship between the Gospel of Thomas and the Diatessaron. 2002.
• Perrin, N. Thomas: the Other Gospel. 2007.
• Plisch, U.-K. The Gospel of Thomas: Original Text with Commentary. 2008.
• Pokorný, P. A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas: From Interpretations to the Interpreted. 2009.
• Riley, G. J. Resurrection Reconsidered: Thomas and John in Controversy. 1995.
• Skinner, C. W. John and Thomas-Gospels in Conflict? 2009.
• Skinner, C. W. What Are They Saying About the Gospel of Thomas? 2012 (Forthcoming).
• Turner, H. E. W., and H. Montefiore. Thomas and the Evangelists. 1962.
• Uro, R. Thomas at the Crossroads. 1998.
• Uro, R. Thomas: Seeking the Historical Context of the Gospel of Thomas. 2003.
• Valantasis, R. The Gospel of Thomas. 1997.
• Wilson, R. M. Studies in the Gospel of Thomas. 1960.