From: Tom Simms <tsimms@quartz.nbnet.nb.ca>
Reply-To: tsimms@nbnet.nb.ca
Subject: Re: Christology of Thomas?
Date: Mon, 01 Dec 1997 20:33:23 AST

On Mon, 01 Dec 1997 13:33:50 +0000, Robert.Schacht@NAU.EDU writes:
>At 11:02 PM 11/30/97 +0000, Thomas Kopecek wrote:
>>Stevan Davies wrote:

   [... snip ... already seen ...]

>Tom,
>While I agree that GThomas looks like a branch of Christianity, I think
>you're both missing the point. I did a little numbers thing on the use of
>"Christ" in the NT:
>
>Thomas:   0
>Mark:     6
>Matthew: 13
>Luke:   12
>John:   18
>-------------
>Total:   49
>
>Acts:   15
>
>Romans:   39
>1 Cor.   46
>2 Cor.   38
>Galat.   27
>Ephes.   33
>Philip.    25
>1&2 Thess. 7
>---------------

PTotal:    215

>Now, my point: Our EARLIEST source is Paul, and Paul is the most
>Christological of the lot!!! 1 Cor. alone has almost as many references to
>"Christ" as ALL of the Gospels put together! And the earliest letters of
>Paul, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, have 7 references to "Christ" even though they
>are short letters.
>
>It has been proposed (primarily by secular scholars, I think)  that high
>Christology in particular, and perhaps Christology in general, should be
>considered LATE, and a product of the early church, and represents an
>unhistorical view of Jesus which can therefore be dismissed from
>consideration. I think this reasoning has been used to date John's Gospel
>late. On the other hand, because Thomas lacks any references to "Christ",
>the folks who have convinced themselves of the lateness of Christology have
>seized upon the Christ-less GThomas as "primitive," i.e., early, precisely
>because it LACKS references to "Christ". 

Bob, there's another letter offering a reason for this difference that
has nothing to do with Early/Late, the details of which I can't quote
(was it lifted from Burton Mack?).  However, that's a sidetrack.  It
doesn't address the source of Paul's High Christology.

The source?  Why was Paul persecuting both Jesus and the early Chris-
tians like Stephen?  What was the Jewish view that was Paul's founda-
tion?

Is this view hidden from us or do we know it even slightly?  Tell me
what it was and I may be able to give you the rest of the puzzle.

   [... snip ... already seen - put it off to one side ...]

Answer the question.  You too, TK and Steve...  (3, maybe 4 lines?)  
I need a brief concensus.

Tom Simms
SAINT JOHN, N. B.