DeConick depicts the author's personal discovery of the Gospel of Thomas, journeying with her as she seeks its relevance to the life of Jesus, the early Church, and Christians today. The journey begins with the author's fascination with the gospel when she was a college student learning about the lost gospels found in 1945 in Nag Hammadi, Egypt. In several chapters, she discusses the discovery of this collection of old Christian books and initial interpretations of Thomas as a "Gnostic" gospel and a "wisdom" gospel. The author explains its roots as an Aramaic gospel of speeches of Jesus used by missionaries from the first Christian church in Jerusalem run by Jesus' brother James. As a product of oral tradition, the Gospel of Thomas in its current form includes all the accretions that were made as the earliest Christian preachers performed and performed the speeches of Jesus in front of various audiences. DeConick ends with a discussion on its exclusion from the NT canon, and suggestions for its continued relevance for the lives of contemporary Christians.
- ISBN10 0826492681
- ISBN13 9780826492685
- Publish Date 15 November 2012
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Continuum Publishing Corporation
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 256
- Language English