Literary Analysis of the Parallels between Gospels of John and Thomas

The Gospel of Thomas in the incipit declares the correct path of salvation:

GTh 1 auw pejaf je petaxe ecermhneia Nneei`!`�aje fnaji +pe an Mpmou

GJn 8:51 avmh.n avmh.n le,gw u`mi/n( eva,n tij to.n evmo.n lo,gon thrh,sh|( qa,naton ouv mh. qewrh,sh| eivj to.n aivw/na)

GTh 1 ...Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death (qanatou ou mh geushtai)

Jn 8:51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps my word (logon), he will never see death." (qanaton ou mh qewrhsh) 8:52 The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, `If any one keeps my word, he will never taste death.'

The Sitz im Leben for both sayings is the oral tradition of wandering holy men and women and their disciples. The followers are supposed to preserve, or interpret the saying of the master. The audience is not limited only to the immediate disciples, but also to �anyone - whoever� which, in this case, means local sympathizers.

The parallel is here obvious since the same words are used in the Greek fragments and in the Gospel of John. The sayings which attributes the salvific power to the word(s) of Jesus occur in both gospels. The difference, however, is stressed to much by Koester. In John a believer has to �keep� (thrh,sh ) the word. In Thomas a believer is the seeker, the interpreter (ecermhneia). This is clarified immediately in the saying # 2: �Let the one who seeks not stop seeking until one finds...� Thus, from the very beginning (GTh 1 & the Prologue of John) we know clearly what is required of a believer to achieve salvation. The requirements are not that different, since the words of Jesus guarantee eternal life.

Both gospels use the term Father for God. The saying #3 offers a parallel in the usage of the phrase �Living Father� which occurs only in John among the canonical gospels. This might be an indication of a connection between the two communities, although the expression �Living Father� more probably testifies about the common environment in which both gospels were written.

GTh 3 xotan etetN�ansouwn thutN tote senasouwn thne auw tetnaeime je NtwtN pe N�hre Mpeiwt etox

GJn 6:57 kaqw.j avpe,steile,n me o` zw/n path.r kavgw. zw/ dia. to.n pate,ra( kai. o` trw,gwn me kavkei/noj zh,sei diV evme,)

GJn 4:42 th/| te gunaiki. e;legon o[ti VOuke,ti dia. th.n sh.n lalia.n pisteu,omen\ auvtoi. ga.r avkhko,amen( kai. oi;damen o[ti ou-to,j evstin avlhqw/j o` swth.r tou/ ko,smou)

GJn 8:13 ei=pon ou=n auvtw/| oi` Farisai/oi( Su. peri. seautou/ marturei/j\ h` marturi,a sou ouvk e;stin avlhqh,j)

GTh 3 ...When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father.

GJn 6:57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. (o zwn pathr)

GJn 4:42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."

GJn 8:13 The Pharisees then said to him, "You are bearing witness to yourself; your testimony is not true."

In the parallels we see the importance of knowledge. In Thomas one has to know oneself to recognize the living Father. In John the knowledge of the Father come with the recognition of Jesus as the Redeemer. Only the sayings will not be enough, according to what the Samaritan women says. The polemic in GJn 4:42 might have been against Thomas Christians who relied more on the sayings than the Johannine group.

John 8:13 shows that there was a counter-charge against claims to superior knowledge of wandering ascetics. The Pharisees argue that self-knowledge is not a valid criterion. The evangelist agrees with the GTh and rejects the argument of the Pharisees. In John, however, this self-awareness is, by and large, limited to Jesus, although the Paraclete open the way for the wandering ascetics in Johannine community to speak in the name of Jesus. The believers are saved by acknowledging the self-consciousness of the Savior, not by developing their own self-understanding like in Thomas. Both sayings parallel a notion of cataleptic impressions (fantasiai katalhptikai) in Stoic epistemology which indicates that the phenomenon of a divine human was the pattern of religious expression accross the Mediterranean. What distinguishes a sage from an ordinary person is that a sage is aware which impression is true and which false. For a sage all knowledge is self-knowledge because it relies on rational power to recognize true (cataleptic) impressions. John knows the counter-charge, a sage is bearing witness to himself. GTh adds to this notion the traditional sayings know thyself!

GTh 4 fnajau an Nqi prome NxLlo xN nefxoou ejne oukouei N�hre �hm efxN sa�F Nxoou etbe ptopos Mpwnx auw fnawnx

GJn 3:4 le,gei pro.j auvto.n @o`# Niko,dhmoj( Pw/j du,natai a;nqrwpoj gennhqh/nai ge,rwn w;n* mh. du,natai eivj th.n koili,an th/j mhtro.j auvtou/ deu,teron eivselqei/n kai. gennhqh/nai*

GTh 4 ...The person in old days will not hesitate to ask a little child seven days old about the place of life and that person will live...

[GMt 18:3 Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.]

GJn 3:4 ...Nicodemus said to him, �How can anyone be born after grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother�s womb and be born?

The terms ge,rwn and xLlo signify, not only an old man, but an old man of wisdom, a teacher, a divine human, later in the monastic tradition, the leader of the community. John and Thomas make a pun out of the combination of terms, old man, wise man, children. The setting of both sayings is the contrast between institutional authority and the wisdom of wandering ascetics. One usually connects ge,rwn and xLlo with Syrian and Egyptian monks of the third and fourth century, but this is far from the truth. Divine human was an religious phenomenon, since the late Hellenistic period.

Both sayings call for comparison with Matthew�s saying: Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? In Thomas there is an absence of the Johannine idea of rebirth. Thomas is closer to the Matthean idea of being humble like children. It should be noted that the Matthew passage belongs to M (Matthew special material) which point again in the direction of Syria.

GTh 8 je eprwme tNtwn auouwxe RrmNxht paei Ntaxnouje Ntefabw ecalassa afswk Mmos exrai xN calassa esmex Ntbt Nkouei

GJn 21:1 Meta. tau/ta evfane,rwsen e`auto.n pa,lin o` VIhsou/j toi/j maqhtai/j evpi. th/j qala,sshj th/j Tiberia,doj\ evfane,rwsen de. ou[twj) 2 h=san o`mou/ Si,mwn Pe,troj kai. Qwma/j o` lego,menoj Di,dumoj kai. Naqanah.l o` avpo. Kana. th/j Galilai,aj kai. oi` tou/ Zebedai,ou kai. a;lloi evk tw/n maqhtw/n auvtou/ du,o) 3 le,gei auvtoi/j Si,mwn Pe,troj( ~Upa,gw a`lieu,ein) le,gousin auvtw/|( VErco,meqa kai. h`mei/j su.n soi,) evxh/lqon kai. evne,bhsan eivj to. ploi/on( kai. evn evkei,nh| th/| nukti. evpi,asan ouvde,n) 4 prwi< aj de. h;dh genome,nhj e;sth VIhsou/j eivj to.n aivgialo,n\ ouv me,ntoi h;|deisan oi` maqhtai. o[ti VIhsou/j evstin) 5 le,gei ou=n auvtoi/j @o`# VIhsou/j( Paidi,a( mh, ti prosfa,gion e;cete* avpekri,qhsan auvtw/|( :Ou) 6 o` de. ei=pen auvtoi/j( Ba,lete eivj ta. dexia. me,rh tou/ ploi,ou to. di,ktuon( kai. eu`rh,sete) e;balon ou=n( kai. ouvke,ti auvto. e`lku,sai i;scuon avpo. tou/ plh,qouj tw/n ivcqu,wn) 7 le,gei ou=n o` maqhth.j evkei/noj o]n hvga,pa o` VIhsou/j tw/| Pe,trw|( ~O ku,rio,j evstin) Si,mwn ou=n Pe,troj( avkou,saj o[ti o` ku,rio,j evstin( to.n evpendu,thn diezw,sato( h=n ga.r gumno,j( kai. e;balen e`auto.n eivj th.n qa,lassan\ 8 oi` de. a;lloi maqhtai. tw/| ploiari,w| h=lqon( ouv ga.r h=san makra.n avpo. th/j gh/j avlla. w`j avpo. phcw/n diakosi,wn( su,rontej to. di,ktuon tw/n ivcqu,wn) 9 w`j ou=n avpe,bhsan eivj th.n gh/n ble,pousin avnqrakia.n keime,nhn kai. ovya,rion evpikei,menon kai. a;rton) 10 le,gei auvtoi/j o` VIhsou/j( VEne,gkate avpo. tw/n ovyari,wn w-n evpia,sate nu/n) 11 avne,bh ou=n Si,mwn Pe,troj kai. ei[lkusen to. di,ktuon eivj th.n gh/n mesto.n ivcqu,wn mega,lwn e`kato.n penth,konta triw/n\ kai. tosou,twn o;ntwn ouvk evsci,sqh to. di,ktuon)

GTh 8 The human one is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea full of little fish. Among them the wise fisherman discovered a fine large fish.

GMt 13:47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad.

GJn 21:1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing. 4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any fish?" They answered him, "No." 6 He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. 9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

Here we have a parallel between John, Thomas and (M) Matthean special material. The origin of the saying is a common lore about fishing on which each evangelist adds his own theological twist. In John, the �fishing� is futile without Jesus and leads to the recognition of Jesus. In Thomas, a fisherman is a seeker for the �large fish.� Jesus is not mentioned, except for the fact that this is a saying of Jesus who thus becomes an instructor. Matthew uses the same lore, but introduces the notion of the kingdom of heaven. The fisherman is the Son of Man who will separate good from bad fish. John uses the image of fishermen to construct the resurrection appearance. If we assume the composition of GMt in Antioch and the origin of Matthew special material from the same city, we can conclude that the origin of the lore was from areas around the Sea of Galilee.

GTh 13 je anok peksax an epei aksw ak+xe ebol xN tphgh etbRbre taei anok Ntaei�itS

Gn 4:13 avpekri,qh VIhsou/j kai. ei=pen auvth/|( Pa/j o` pi,nwn evk tou/ u[datoj tou,tou diyh,sei pa,lin\ 14 o]j dV a'n pi,h| evk tou/ u[datoj ou- evgw. dw,sw auvtw/|( ouv mh. diyh,sei eivj to.n aivw/na( avlla. to. u[dwr o] dw,sw auvtw/| genh,setai evn auvtw/| phgh. u[datoj a`llome,nou eivj zwh.n aivw,nion)

GTh 13 ...I am not your teacher. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring that I have tended

GJn 4:13 Jesus said to her, "Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

GJn 15:15 No longer do I call you servants

This is the final punch-line of Jesus, after Peter, Matthew, and Thomas have failed to recognize who Jesus really is.

Again, as in the previous parallel, John and Thomas use the common lore to construct an event in the life of Jesus. The saying #13 is typical of Thomean theology of the knowledge of the salvific words (water) of Jesus. In John, Jesus in the dialogue with the Samaritan women speaks completely in line with Thomean theology. The semblance is not just on the level of imagery of water, but also on the level of theology. However, John later defines that �water� (�living water� in Jn 4:10) is a recognition that Jesus is the Word of God (Jn 4:42).

GTh 15 je xotan etetN�annau epete Mpoujpof ebol xN tsxime pext thutN ejM petNxo NtetNouw�t naf petMmau pe petNeiwt

GJn 4:21 le,gei auvth/| o` VIhsou/j( Pi,steue, moi( gu,nai( o[ti e;rcetai w[ra o[te ou;te evn tw/| o;rei tou,tw| ou;te evn ~Ierosolu,moij proskunh,sete tw/| patri,)

GJn 4:23 avlla. e;rcetai w[ra( kai. nu/n evstin( o[te oi` avlhqinoi. proskunhtai. proskunh,sousin tw/| patri. evn pneu,mati kai. avlhqei,a|\ kai. ga.r o` path.r toiou,touj zhtei/ tou.j proskunou/ntaj auvto,n)

GTh 15 When you see one who was not born of women, fall on your faces and worship him. This is your Father.

GJn 4:21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.

GJn 4:23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him.

Johannine Jesus, in the dialogue with the Samaritan women speeks again in Thomean dictum. Raymond Brown sees the saying #15 as Gnostic, because it denies that Jesus is born of an earthly mother. This is inaccurate for two reasons, first Jesus does not speak here of himself, but rather about the absolute transcendence of the Father. Second, like in Job 15:14 the expression �not born of woman� simply means nobody.

GTh 18 peje Mmachths NIS je joos eron je tNxah esna�wpe Na� Nxe

peje IS atetNqwlp gar ebol Ntaryh jekaas etetna�ine Nsa caxh na�wpe je xMpa ete taryh Mmau ecaxh Mmay oumakarios petnawxe eratf xN taryh auw fnasouwn cxah auw fnaji +pe an Mmou

GJn 8:44 u`mei/j evk tou/ patro.j tou/ diabo,lou evste. kai. ta.j evpiqumi,aj tou/ patro.j u`mw/n qe,lete poiei/n) evkei/noj avnqrwpokto,noj h=n avpV avrch/j( kai. evn th/| avlhqei,a| ouvk e;sthken( o[ti ouvk e;stin avlh,qeia evn auvtw/|) o[tan lalh/| to. yeu/doj( evk tw/n ivdi,wn lalei/( o[ti yeu,sthj evsti.n kai. o` path.r auvtou/)

GTh 18 The disciples said to Jesus, �Tell us how our end will be. Jesus said �Have you discovered the beginning, then, that you are seeking after the end? For where the beginning is, the end will be. Blessed is one who stands at the beginning: that one will know the end and will not taste death

GJn 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

The parallel is here that both gospels use the setting of a dialogue to say something about the beginning. What they have to say is quite similar, namely that the �beginning� (the creation of the world?) is a work of an evil principle. Both statements are equally harsh to interlocutors, who are in Thomas the disciples and in John, the Jews (Judaeans). Since in the beginning was the devil and there was not truth before Jesus, the creation comes from an evil principle. The following parallel deals with a similar issue:

GTh 19 oumakarios pe Nax�wpe xa texh empatef�wpe etetN�an�wpe naei Mmachths NtetNswtM ana�aje neeiwne naRdiakonei nhtN ouNthtN gar Mmau N+ou N�hn xM paradisos esekim an N�wm Mprw auw marenouqwbe xe ebol petnasouwnou fnaji +pe an Mmou

GJn 8:58 ei=pen auvtoi/j VIhsou/j( VAmh.n avmh.n le,gw u`mi/n( pri.n VAbraa.m gene,sqai evgw. eivmi,)

GJn 17:5 kai. nu/n do,xaso,n me su,( pa,ter( para. seautw/| th/| do,xh| h-| ei=con pro. tou/ to.n ko,smon ei=nai para. soi,)

GJn 15:5 evgw, eivmi h` a;mpeloj( u`mei/j ta. klh,mata) o` me,nwn evn evmoi. kavgw. evn auvtw/| ou-toj fe,rei karpo.n polu,n( o[ti cwri.j evmou/ ouv du,nasqe poiei/n ouvde,n) 6 eva.n mh, tij me,nh| evn evmoi,( evblh,qh e;xw w`j to. klh/ma kai. evxhra,nqh( kai. suna,gousin auvta. kai. eivj to. pu/r ba,llousin kai. kai,etai) 7 eva.n mei,nhte evn evmoi. kai. ta. r`h,mata, mou evn u`mi/n mei,nh|( o] eva.n qe,lhte aivth,sasqe kai. genh,setai u`mi/n) 8 evn tou,tw| evdoxa,sqh o` path,r mou( i[na karpo.n polu.n fe,rhte kai. ge,nhsqe evmoi. maqhtai,)

GTh 19 Blessed is one who came into being before coming into being. If you become my disciples and hearken to my sayings, these stones will serve you. For there are five trees in Paradise for you; they do not change, summer or winter, and their leaves do not fall. Whoever knows them will not taste death.

GJn 8:58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."

GJn 17:5 and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made.

GJn 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.

The first two parallels were proposed by Raymond Brown who believes that the one �who came into being before coming into being� is a Gnostic disciple. In Thomas the language of �coming into being� symbolizes gathering of knowledge of the words of Jesus and their subsequent interpretation. In John, it is Jesus who is before Abraham. Further, the comparison between the discourse about vine and the branches and the trees in paradise in Thomas shows how both use the common imagery of the tree to develop their theology. Koester suggests that both dwell on the synoptic tradition: (Q 3:9) �Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.� I see in the usage of a common image, a common Sitz im Leben, namely, a wandering sage is looking at a tree and wonders about knowledge. In Thomas, earthly trees is contrasted with heavenly trees. In John the tree is a symbol of the bond between the sage and the disciples. In Q the tree that does not bear good fruit is a symbol of this world. We can also notice characteristic redactional tendencies of Thomas and John. While Thomas adds the expression �to heark Jesus� sayings� and to know, John uses his favorite term �to abide in Jesus.� It is much simpler to look for a common Sitz im Leben then to reconstruct paths of literary dependance.

The following parallel belongs to the same cluster of sayings as GTh 4 which deals with babies and the Kingdom:

GTh 22 aIS nau axNkouei euji erwte pejaf Nnefmachths je neeikousi etji erwte eutNtwn anetbhk exoun atmNtero

GJn 3:4 le,gei pro.j auvto.n @o`# Niko,dhmoj( Pw/j du,natai a;nqrwpoj gennhqh/nai ge,rwn w;n* mh. du,natai eivj th.n koili,an th/j mhtro.j auvtou/ deu,teron eivselqei/n kai. gennhqh/nai*

GTh 22 Jesus saw some babies nursing. He said to his disciples, �These nursing babies are like those who enter the kingdom...

GJn 3:4 ...Nicodemus said to him, �How can anyone be born after grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother�s womb and be born?

Above we have dealt with this group of sayings which appears also in Mt 18:3. Johannine procedure was to take the saying and develop it in a coherent imagery. Thus the saying about babies and the Kingdom becomes a discourse about rebirth. Again, the common imagery from everday life is used to express a life giving wisdom.

GT 24 peje nefmachths je matsebon eptopos etkMmau epei tanagkh eron te etrN�ine Nswf pejef je peteuN maaje Mmof marefcettM ouN ouoein �oop Mvoun NnourMouoein auw fR ouoein epkosmos thrf eftMRouoein oukake pe

GJn 14:8 le,gei auvtw/| Fi,lippoj( Ku,rie( dei/xon h`mi/n to.n pate,ra( kai. avrkei/ h`mi/n)

GJn 1:9 Hn to. fw/j to. avlhqino,n( o] fwti,zei pa,nta a;nqrwpon( evrco,menon eivj to.n ko,smon)

GJn 12:46 evgw. fw/j eivj to.n ko,smon evlh,luqa( i[na pa/j o` pisteu,wn eivj evme. evn th/| skoti,a| mh. mei,nh|)

GTh 24 His disciples said, �Show us the place where you are, for we must seek it.� He said to them, �Whoever has ears should hear. There is light within person of light, and it shines on the whole world. If it does not shine, it is dark.

GJn 14:8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied."

GJn 1:9 The true light that enlightens every man coming into the world.

GJn 12:46 I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

The Thomean saying parallels John in two ways. The first is the ignorance of the disciples. In Thomas they ask Jesus to show them �the place� where he is. In John they ask Jesus to show them the Father. The second parallel is the usage of the imagery of light. It is so prominent in the GJn that it becomes a �corner stone� of Johannine dualism. John identifies the light with Jesus, while the Thomean Jesus speaks about the inner light, the �light within person of light.�

GTh 28 peje IS je aeiwxe erat xN tmhte Mpkosmos auw aeiouwnx ebol nau xN sar3 aeixe eroou throu eutaxe Mpixe elaau Nxhtou efobe auw ata2uyh + tkas ejN N�hre NRrwme jexN bLleeue ne xM pouxht auw senau ebol an je Ntauei epkosmos eu�oueit etrouei ebol xM pkosmos eu�oueit

plhn tenou setoxe eu�annex pouhrp tote senaRmetanoei

GJn 1:10 evn tw/| ko,smw| h=n( kai. o` ko,smoj diV auvtou/ evge,neto( kai. o` ko,smoj auvto.n ouvk e;gnw) 11 eivj ta. i;dia h=lqen( kai. oi` i;dioi auvto.n ouv pare,labon) 12 o[soi de. e;labon auvto,n( e;dwken auvtoi/j evxousi,an te,kna qeou/ gene,sqai( toi/j pisteu,ousin eivj to. o;noma auvtou/( 13 oi] ouvk evx ai`ma,twn ouvde. evk qelh,matoj sarko.j ouvde. evk qelh,matoj avndro.j avllV evk qeou/ evgennh,qhsan)

GTh 28 Jesus said, �I took my stand in the midst of the world, and in flesh I appeared to them. I found them all drunk, and I did not find any of them thirsty. My soul ached for the children of humanity, because they are blind in their hearts and do not see, for they came into the world empty, and they also seek to depart from the world empty. But now they are drunk. When they shake off their wine, they will repent.

GJn 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. 11 He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

There are many parallels in these two sections and they are best explained by presupposing the Sitz im Leben of a wandering divine human. Johannine expression, �not born of blood nor of the will of the flesh� reminds us of the Thomean expression, �not born of woman.� GTh 28 parallels the large section of the Johannine prologue. We do not have the notion of double predestination in Thomas like in the Johannine prologue. Thomas starts the tradition which will finally develop into the notion of restoration of all things (apokatastasij twn pantwn), the idea featured so prominently in Origen. In this passage Thomas comes close to the notion that eventually everybody will be saved �when they shake off their wine,� that is, when they reject their ignorance. In contrast John develops the idea of double predestination; saved are just those who had received Jesus and damned are those who had not (Jn 8:24 ...you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he). For Thomas the sinners are just drunk; When they sober up �they will repent.�

GTh 29 peje IS e�ej Nta tsar3 �wpe etbe pneuma ou�phre te e�je pneuma de etbe pswma ou�phre N�phre pe alla anok +R �phre Mpaei je pws ateeinoq MMNTrMmao acouwx xN teeiMNtnxhke

GJn 3:6 to. gegennhme,non evk th/j sarko.j sa,rx evstin( kai. to. gegennhme,non evk tou/ pneu,matoj pneu/ma, evstin)

GJn 6:63 to. pneu/ma, evstin to. zw|opoiou/n( h` sa.rx ouvk wvfelei/ ouvde,n\ ta. r`h,mata a] evgw. lela,lhka u`mi/n pneu/ma, evstin kai. zwh, evstin)

GJn 1:16 o[ti evk tou/ plhrw,matoj auvtou/ h`mei/j pa,ntej evla,bomen( kai. ca,rin avnti. ca,ritoj\

GTh 29 If the flesh came into being because of spirit it is a marvel, but if spirit came into being because of the body, it is a marvel of marvels. Yet I marvel at how great wealth has come to dwell in this poverty.

GJn 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

GJn 6:63 It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

GJn 1:16 And from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace.

Thomas and John use many dualistic expressions like, wealth-poverty, spirit-body, light-darkness, truth-lie, but while Thomas sees every person as a compound between positive and negative essences, John has a tendency to move away from this Thomean anthropological dualism towards a cosmological dualism. Johannine Jesus (Lo,goj) is the single positive principle in the whole world (ko,smoj). The believers in John (those who abide in Jesus) do not posses �great wealth� in the �poverty� of this world, flesh is flesh and spirit is spirit. Jesus is the only one who possesses the �fullness.� On the other hand, in Thomas every person possesses �wealth in this poverty.� For that reason, I believe that John is farther on the trajectory towards Gnosticism than the Gospel of Thomas. The dating of the GTh between the gathering of Q collection in the 50s AD and the composition of the GJn in the 90s AD seems well grounded.

The sayings 30-37 constitute a cluster which parallels many of the synoptic sayings. The saying 38 offers the next interesting parallel to the GJn.

GTh 38 peje IS je xax Nsop atetNR epicumei eswtM aneei�je e+je Mmoou nhtN auw mNthtN keoua esotmou Ntootf

ouN xNxoou na�wpe NtetN�ine Nswei tetnaxe an eroei

GJn 7:34 zhth,sete, me kai. ouvc eu`rh,sete, @me#( kai. o[pou eivmi. evgw. u`mei/j ouv du,nasqe evlqei/n)

GTh 38 Jesus said, �Often you have desired to hear these sayings that I am speaking to you, and you have no one else from whom t hear them.

There will be days when you will seek me and you will not find me.�

GJn 7:34 you will seek me and you will not find me; where I am you cannot come."

The above parallel preserves the most comprehensive agreement between the two gospels. Q 11:9 has also preserved this saying but in an earlier form without Christological additions �seek me� and �find me:� �And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.� We should note a similar Christological tendency in John and Thomas. Both have reshaped the saying in the similar direction. In John and Thomas, Jesus has become a redeemer who descends to earth and ascends to heaven. The similar hermeneutical principle in interpretation of the traditional material indicate that both gospels were written in approximately the same area and about the same time.

The following parallel might be a polemical innuendo against Johannine Christians, because of its usage of Johannine vocabulary and typical imagery of vine in derogatory terms:

GTh 40 peje IS oubeneloole autoqs Mpsa nbol Mpeiwt auw estrajrhu an senaporkS xa tesnoune Nstako

GJn 15:1 Egw, eivmi h` a;mpeloj h` avlhqinh,( kai. o` path,r mou o` gewrgo,j evstin)

GTh 40 Jesus said, �A grapevine has been planted apart from the Father. Since it is not strong, it will be pulled up by its root and will perish.�

GJn 15:1 "I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the vinedresser.

GTh claims that the �vine� will be uprooted and perish. This might reflect a historical circumstances of Johannine community being moved from Syro-Palestine to Asia Minor. However, because of the lack of traces of Johannine community in Syria the thesis is difficult to prove. The polemical innuendo against a typically Johannine concept seems a probable explanation for the saying.

GTh 43 pejau nax Nqi nexmachths je Ntak nim ekjw Nnai nan

xN ne+jw Mmoou nhtN NtetNeime an je ankok nim

all NtwtN atetN�wpe Nce Nniioudaios je seme Mp�hn semoste Mpefkarpos auw seme Mpkarpos semoste Mp�hn

GJn 10:38 eiv de. poiw/( ka'n evmoi. mh. pisteu,hte( toi/j e;rgoij pisteu,ete( i[na gnw/te kai. ginw,skhte o[ti evn evmoi. o` path.r kavgw. evn tw/| patri,)

GJn 13:7 avpekri,qh VIhsou/j kai. ei=pen auvtw/|( }O evgw. poiw/ su. ouvk oi=daj a;rti( gnw,sh| de. meta. tau/ta)

GTh 43 His disciples said to him, �Who are you to say these things to us?� �You do not understand who I am from what I say to you. Rather, you have become like the Jews, for they love the tree but hate its fruit, or they love the fruit but hate the tree.

GJn 10:38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."

GJn 13:7 Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will understand."

The Gospel of Thomas suddenly speaks in a Johannine voice, the disciple does not understand who Jesus is and the Jews are harshly criticized. Thomas and John could agree that the message of Jesus was not understood by his disciples, because both represent peripheral streams in Early Christianity which later, either merged with the Great Church, or defected to Gnosticism. Thomas is the only one among the disciples in the Gospel of Thomas who has the full understanding of Jesus He is the figure not unlike the Beloved Disciple in John. GTh 13 specifically give this privilege to Thomas over against Peter and Matthew. The passage also parallels Johannine polemic against the Jews (Judaeans), although the tone of the gospel as a whole is not anti-Jewish (Judaean).

GTh 44 peje IS je petaje oua apeiwt senakw ebol nax

auw petaje oua eph�hre senakw ebol nax

GJn 5:23 o` mh. timw/n to.n ui`o.n ouv tima/| to.n pate,ra to.n pe,myanta auvto,n)

GTh 44 Jesus said, �Whoever blasphemes against the Father will be forgiven, and whoever blasphemes against the son will be forgiven...

GJn 5:23 He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

The passage parallels the synoptic saying in Mt 12:31-32. Thomas, however, adds that the blasphemy both against the Father and the Son will be forgiven where the Synoptic have just against the Son of Man. Except for this little detail, the two passages are not connected. Raymond Brown sees in the addition �a Johannine ring.� We should note that both gospels omit the title �the Son of Man� which appears in Mt 12:32. The omission could indicate closeness in the place and time of composition.

GTh 45 peje IS mayjele eloole ebol xN �onte oute maykwtf kNte ebol xN sRqamoul...

Jam 3:12 mh. du,natai( avdelfoi, mou( sukh/ evlai,aj poih/sai h' a;mpeloj su/ka* ou;te a`luko.n gluku. poih/sai u[dwr)

GTh 45 ...Grapes are not harvested from thorn trees, nor are figs gathered from thistles...

Jam 3:12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.

Agricultural imagery (figs, olives, grapes thistles) indicates origins from an agricultural region. The parallel here is also with the Epistle of James. I have included it here, because it indicates the existence of oral transmission of the saying tradition and might point to James� circle as one of the sources from which Thomas Christianity received the sayings tradition. James mentioning salt and fresh water bespeaks Palestinian envirolment.

GTh 49 peje IS je xenmakarios ne nmonayos auw etsotp

je tetnaxe atmNtero je NtwtN xNebol NxhtS palin etetnabwk emau

GJn 13:18 ouv peri. pa,ntwn u`mw/n le,gw\ evgw. oi=da ti,naj evxelexa,mhn\ avllV i[na h` grafh. plhrwqh/|( ~O trw,gwn mou to.n a;rton evph/ren evpV evme. th.n pte,rnan auvtou/)

GTh 49 Jesus said, �Blessed are those who are alone and chosen, for you will find the kingdom. For you have come from it, and you will return there again.�

GJn 13:18 I am not speaking of you all; I know whom I have chosen; it is that the scripture may be fulfilled, `He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.'

Both passages speak about the election of the believers. John expresses the election in both positive and negative terms. Some are chosen, but others are rejected (�I am not speaking of you all�). On the other hand, Thomas does not adopt the double predestination as the saying 28 shows. [sotp to choose, select, etsotp follows the Greek compound ex elegcw to choose from] Furthermore, the election does not offer a direct guarantee for salvation, rather the believers will have to find the kingdom.

GTh 50 peje IS je eu�anjoos nhtN je NtatetN�wpe ebol xMjoos nau je Ntanei ebol xM pouoein pma enta pouoein �wpe Mmau ebol xitootf ouaatf afwxe eratf auw afouwnx ebol xN touxikwn

eu�ajoos nhtN je NtwtN pe joos je anon nef�hre auw anon Nswtp Mpeiwt etonx

eu�ajoos thutN je oupe pmaein MpetNeiwt etxN thutN Joos eroou je oukim pe mN ouanapausis

GJn 3:19 au[th de, evstin h` kri,sij( o[ti to. fw/j evlh,luqen eivj to.n ko,smon kai. hvga,phsan oi` a;nqrwpoi ma/llon to. sko,toj h' to. fw/j( h=n ga.r auvtw/n ponhra. ta. e;rga) 20 pa/j ga.r o` fau/la pra,sswn misei/ to. fw/j kai. ouvk e;rcetai pro.j to. fw/j( i[na mh. evlegcqh/| ta. e;rga auvtou/\

GJn 12:46 evgw. fw/j eivj to.n ko,smon evlh,luqa( i[na pa/j o` pisteu,wn eivj evme. evn th/| skoti,a| mh. mei,nh|)

GTh 50 Jesus said, �If they say to you, �where have you come from?� say to them, �We have come from the light, from the place where the light came into being by itself, established itself, and appeared in their image.� If they say to you, �Is it you?� say, �We are its children, and we are the chosen of the living Father.� If they ask you, �What is the evidence of your Father in you? say to them, �It is in motion and rest.��

GJn 3:19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

GJn 12:46 I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

This is one of the sayings where Thomas uses �typically� Johannine words like �light� and �living Father.� Because John and Thomas use the same language and imagery, the differences between their theology are here even more obvious than it is usually the case. All Thomean disciples are �the children of light,� while in John the only �light� in the world is Jesus. In Thomas, Jesus awakens the disciples and tells them that they are �the children of light.� In John, Jesus rebukes those who have rejected him because they hate the light. Such a pessimistic view of the world has been set up from the beginning of the GJn 1:5: The light shines in the darkness. There is no light in the world before the incarnation of the Logoj. Yet, the statement in Jn 12:46 comes close to Thomean understanding of human nature. This is the passage where John is not consistent with the notion of double predestination otherwise common in his gospel. GJn 12:46 sounds like as if it was taken from the GTh. The usage of common vocabulary (�light�) in addition to the borrowed Thomean theology of divine spark indicate that, either John has borrowed GJn 12:46 from the Thomean tradition, or they use a common source. One of the candidates for this hypothetical common source might be the circle around John the Baptist, the other the circle around James. In either case the question requires further research.

GTh 53 pejau naf Nqi nefmachths je psBbe Rwvelei h Mmon

pejaf nau je nefRwvelei ne poueiwt najpoou ebol xN toumaau eusBbhu

alla psBbe Mme xM pNA afqN xhu thrf

GJn 7:22 dia. tou/to Mwu?sh/j de,dwken u`mi/n th.n peritomh,n& & ouvc o[ti evk tou/ Mwu?se,wj evsti.n avllV evk tw/n pate,rwn& & kai. evn sabba,tw| perite,mnete a;nqrwpon) 23 eiv peritomh.n lamba,nei a;nqrwpoj evn sabba,tw| i[na mh. luqh/| o` no,moj Mwu?se,wj( evmoi. cola/te o[ti o[lon a;nqrwpon u`gih/ evpoi,hsa evn sabba,tw|* 24 mh. kri,nete katV o;yin( avlla. th.n dikai,an kri,sin kri,nete)

GTh 53 His disciples said to him, �Is circumcision useful or not?� He said to them, �If it were useful, their father would produce children already circumcised from their mother. Rather, the true circumcision in spirit has become profitable in every respect.�

GJn 7:22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man upon the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."

The Johannine passage is a discourse on the Healing on the Sabbath episode in the Synoptics (Mk 3:1-6 and par.). John has appropriated the miracle story and transforms this early tradition into a discourse. However, the final comment in GJn 7:24 parallels GTh 53. It is typically Johannine to characterize something as true and the Thomean expression �true circumcision� has a Johannine ring. I believe that the Thomean tradition has influenced the later phase in the development of the Johannine passage when the traditional material (Semeia source in this case) was reshaped into Johannine discourses. The Thomean comment �the true circumcision is spirit� is earlier, not later, than John�s, �do not judge by appearances,� because a similar expression is already present in Paul�s epistle to the Philippians 3:3 �For we are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit.�

GT 56 peje IS je petaxsouwn pkosmos afxe euptwma

auw pentaxxee aptwma pkosmos Mp�a mmof an

GJn 15:19 eiv evk tou/ ko,smou h=te( o` ko,smoj a'n to. i;dion evfi,lei\ o[ti de. evk tou/ ko,smou ouvk evste,( avllV evgw. evxelexa,mhn u`ma/j evk tou/ ko,smou( dia. tou/to misei/ u`ma/j o` ko,smoj)

GJn 17:14 evgw. de,dwka auvtoi/j to.n lo,gon sou( kai. o` ko,smoj evmi,shsen auvtou,j( o[ti ouvk eivsi.n evk tou/ ko,smou kaqw.j evgw. ouvk eivmi. evk tou/ ko,smou)

GTh 56 Jesus said, �Whoever has come to know the world has discovered a carcass, and whoever has discovered a carcass, of that person the world is not worthy.�

GJn 15:19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

GJn 17:14 I have given them thy word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Here again we have a contrast between Thomean self-discovery and Johannine election. In Thomas, the disciples should �discover� that the world is a carcass; In John, the disciples are not �of the world.� John does not speak about knowing the world, but about the world which does not know Jesus. In the second part of GTh 56, however, we notice a sentiment of rejection (�of that person the world is not worthy�) similar to the one we often find in John (�the world hates you�).

GTh 61 ...je anok pe pet�oop ebol xM pet�h� au+ naei ebol xN na paeiwt

GJn 3:35 o` path.r avgapa/| to.n ui`o,n( kai. pa,nta de,dwken evn th/| ceiri. auvtou/)

GJn 13:3 eivdw.j o[ti pa,nta e;dwken auvtw/| o` path.r eivj ta.j cei/raj kai. o[ti avpo. qeou/ evxh/lqen kai. pro.j to.n qeo.n u`pa,gei(

GTh 61 ...I am the one who derives from what is whole, I was granted from the things of my Father...

GJn 3:35 the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand.

GJn 13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God

In contrast to the Johannine concept of Father �s giving all things into the hands of Jesus, Thomas speaks about the Son who was given �from the things� of the Father. Such a low Christology is consistently spread throughout the GTh. We should also note Johannine �I am� in Thomas.

GTh 69 peje IS xMmakarios ne naei Ntaudiwke Mmoou xrai xM pouxht netMmau

nentaxsouwn peiwt xN oume

GJn 17:25 pa,ter di,kaie( kai. o` ko,smoj se ouvk e;gnw( evgw. de, se e;gnwn( kai. ou-toi e;gnwsan o[ti su, me avpe,steilaj(

GTh 69 Jesus said, �Blessed are those who have been persecuted in their hearts; they are the ones who have truly come to know the Father...�

GJn 17:25 O righteous Father, the world has not known thee, but I have known thee; and these know that thou hast sent me.

To know the Father is a Johannine expression (GJn 8:19, 10:15, 14:7, 16:3). Here in Thomas appears to have been added to the beatitude which parallels Mt 5:10. To be persecuted in the heart is a Thomean addition and reflects the notion of inner struggle for the divine spark. While Thomas allows the direct knowledge of the Father, John limits this knowledge to Jesus. The believers can only know that the Father has sent Jesus. In John Father is a unknown entity.

GTh 74 pejaf je pjoeis ouN xax Mpkwte Ntjwte mN laau de xN t�wte

GJn 4:11 le,gei auvtw/| @h` gunh,#( Ku,rie( ou;te a;ntlhma e;ceij kai. to. fre,ar evsti.n baqu,\ po,qen ou=n e;ceij to. u[dwr to. zw/n*

GTh 74 He said, �Lord, there are many around the drinking trough, but there is nothing in the well.

GJn 4:11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water?

I have already pointed out (GTh 13) that Jesus in his dialogue with the Samaritan women speaks in a diction very close to the Thomean diction. Here the question is posed by a disciple and this reminds me of the Samaritan�s woman question to Jesus. Both gospels use the image of a well to bring across a theological point. Above (GTh 13) Thomas uses water as a symbol for the words of Jesus and their salvific power. The saying # 74, therefore, could be polemical. Jesus� answer in GTh 74 confirms that: �There are many standing at the door, but those who are alone will enter the wedding chamber.� Who is that group that lookd for water in a dry well is hard to tell.

GTh 77 peje IS je anok pe pouoein paei etxijwouthrou anok pe pthrf Nta pthrf ei ebol Nxht auw Nta pthrf pwx �aroei

pwx Nnou�e anok +Mmau

fi Mpwne exrai auw tetnaxe eroei Mmau

GJn 8:12 Pa,lin ou=n auvtoi/j evla,lhsen o` VIhsou/j le,gwn( VEgw, eivmi to. fw/j tou/ ko,smou\ o` avkolouqw/n evmoi. ouv mh. peripath,sh| evn th/| skoti,a|( avllV e[xei to. fw/j th/j zwh/j)

GTh 77 Jesus said, �I am the light that is over all things. I am all; from me all came forth, and to me all attained. Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there.�

GJn 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." 13 The Pharisees then said to him, "You are bearing witness to yourself; your testimony is not true."

This is, by far, the closest parallel between John and Thomas. In this passage Thomas comes very close to the Stoic natural theology which saw the revelation of the divine in every natural phenomenon. The image of �light� found in a �split peace of wood,� or under �a stone� reminds me of Stoic hymns in which they praise nature as a visible part of God�s universal reason (Logoj). Cleanthes (331-232 BC), Zeno�s successor at the head of Stoa in his Hymn to Zeus writes:

�All this cosmos, as it spins around the earth obeys you...with it [Zeus�s thunderbolt] you direct the universal reason which runs through all things and intermingles with the lights of heaven both great and small... No deed is done on earth, god, without your offices, nor in the divine ethereal vault of heaven, nor at sea, save what bad men do in their folly.�

Jesus in Thomas and John possesses a remarkable self-consciousness which is often contrasted with the naive notion of messianic secrecy in Mark. This self consciousness parallels the Stoic notion of cataleptic understanding which only a true Stoic sage can posses. A sage by using his ability of cataleptic understanding easily discerns truth from falsehood without any need of an external logical proof. The question of the Pharisees in John 8:13 is taken from the standard critique of the Stoic notion of cataleptic understanding. Cataleptic impressions, according to the Stoics are those which have a peculiar power of revealing their object. Similarly, Jesus reveals his own �impression� that he is the �light.� Because this is a �cataleptic impression,� it is discerned just by itself. The Pharisees do not accept the notion of �cataleptic impressions and demand an external logical argument verification, because Jesus is bearing witness to himself. In other words, for the Pharisees Jesus� argument is circular, but not for John, Thomas and the Stoics who believe that truth of a statement depends only on the self-consciousness of a speaker. A similar critique of the Stoic criterion of truth was exersized by the skeptics of New Academy.

The influence of Stoicism can be explained only if we accept that both Thomas and John use popular Stoic tradition from the area in which the gospels were composed. In particular, both John and Thomas might have been influenced by popular Syrian stoicism. The most famous representatives of Syrian stoicism were, Menippus of Gadara (third century BC) and Posidonius of Apamea (135-50 BC). Lucian (AD 115-180), also from Syria, satirizes Mennipus in his �Dialogue of the Dead� because of his Cynic tendencies. Unfortunately, virtually nothing is preserved of the writings of the Syrian stoics, but Bar Daisan (AD 155- 222), a native of Edessa, provides in his work DeFato a vivid picture of popular Syrian stoicism in the early third century.

GTh 78 ..naei ene�thn etqhn xiwou auw sena�Ssoun tme an

GTh 79 ...je neeiatou NnentaxswtM aplotos Mpeiwt auarex erof xN oume

GJn 8:32 kai. gnw,sesqe th.n avlh,qeian( kai. h` avlh,qeia evleuqerw,sei u`ma/j)

GTh 78 ...They are dressed in soft clothing, and cannot understand truth

GTh 79 ...Blessed are those who have heard the word of the Father and have truly kept it...

GJn 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

Both sayings in Thomas echo Johannine expression �to know the truth.� The notion that truth makes one free is not necessarily Gnostic. It has appeared already in Stoicism. A similar idea that truth brings freedom we find in Epictetus (ca. AD 100).

GTh 91 pejeu naf je joos eron je Ntk nim �ina enaRpisteue erok

GJn 9:35 Hkousen VIhsou/j o[ti evxe,balon auvto.n e;xw( kai. eu`rw.n auvto.n ei=pen( Su. pisteu,eij eivj to.n ui`o.n tou/ avnqrw,pou* 36 avpekri,qh evkei/noj kai. ei=pen( Kai. ti,j evstin( ku,rie( i[na pisteu,sw eivj auvto,n*

GTh 91 They said to him, �Tell us who you are so that we may believe in you.�

GJn 9:35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, "Do you believe in the Son of man?" 36 He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?"

Although Thomas, for the most part, does not use a typically Johannine word �to believe� here we have one of the cases where he does. In Thomas the dialogue is between the disciples and Jesus. In John, Jesus speaks with the Blind man.

GTh 92 peje IS je �ine auw tenaqine

alla netatetNjnouei eroou Nnixoou eMpijoou nhtN Mvoou etMmay tenou exnai ejoou auw tetN�ine an Nswou

GJn 16:4 avlla. tau/ta lela,lhka u`mi/n i[na o[tan e;lqh| h` w[ra auvtw/n mnhmoneu,hte auvtw/n o[ti evgw. ei=pon u`mi/n) Tau/ta de. u`mi/n evx avrch/j ouvk ei=pon( o[ti meqV u`mw/n h;mhn) 5 nu/n de. u`pa,gw pro.j to.n pe,myanta, me( kai. ouvdei.j evx u`mw/n evrwta/| me( Pou/ u`pa,geij*

GTh 92 Jesus said, �Seek and you will find. In the past, however, I did not tell you the things about which you asked me then. Now I am willing to tell them, but you are not seeking them

GJn 16:4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you of them. "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, `Where are you going?'

Thomas combines a synoptic saying, �seek and you will find� (Q 11:9) with a revelatory discourse (Offenbarungsrede) in Johannine style which parallels GJn 16:4-5. Both John and Thomas divide the time into �then� (when Jesus was present) and �now� (when Jesus is gone). Here we have a glimpse into Thomean Messianic secret (�in the past, however...�). The commandment �to seek� does not end with the departure (ascent) of Jesus, rather the search should intensify.

GTh 104 pejeau NIS je amou NtN�lhl Mpoou auw NtNRnhsteue

peje IS je ou gar pnobe Ntaeiaaf h Ntaujro eroei xN ou

GJn 8:46 ti,j evx u`mw/n evle,gcei me peri. a`marti,aj* eiv avlh,qeian le,gw( dia. ti, u`mei/j ouv pisteu,ete, moi*

GTh 104 They said to Jesus, �Come, let us pray today, and let us fast.�

Jesus said, �What sin have I committed, or how have I been undone?...

GJn 8:46 Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?

The saying 104 as a whole has a parallel among the Synoptics (Mk 2:18-22 and par.). The parallel with John lies in their emphasis on the sinlessness of Jesus. The emphasis on the sinlessness of Jesus is much stronger in Thomas than in John.

GTh 107 peje IS je tmNtero estNtwn eurwme N�ws euNtaf Mmau N�e Nesoou

aoua Nxhtou swrm epnoq pe afkw Mpste2it af�ine Nsa pioua �antefxe erof

Ntarefxise pejaf Mpesoou je +ouo�k para pste2it

GJn 10:11 Egw, eivmi o` poimh.n o` kalo,j\ o` poimh.n o` kalo.j th.n yuch.n auvtou/ ti,qhsin u`pe.r tw/n proba,twn\ 12 o` misqwto.j kai. ouvk w'n poimh,n( ou- ouvk e;stin ta. pro,bata i;dia( qewrei/ to.n lu,kon evrco,menon kai. avfi,hsin ta. pro,bata kai. feu,gei& & kai. o` lu,koj a`rpa,zei auvta. kai. skorpi,zei& & 13 o[ti misqwto,j evstin kai. ouv me,lei auvtw/| peri. tw/n proba,twn) 14 VEgw, eivmi o` poimh.n o` kalo,j( kai. ginw,skw ta. evma. kai. ginw,skousi, me ta. evma,( 15 kaqw.j ginw,skei me o` path.r kavgw. ginw,skw to.n pate,ra\ kai. th.n yuch,n mou ti,qhmi u`pe.r tw/n proba,twn) 16 kai. a;lla pro,bata e;cw a] ouvk e;stin evk th/j auvlh/j tau,thj\ kavkei/na dei/ me avgagei/n( kai. th/j fwnh/j mou avkou,sousin( kai. genh,sontai mi,a poi,mnh( ei-j poimh,n)

GTh 107 Jesus said, �The Kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety-nine and sought the one until he found it. After he had toiled, he said to the sheep, �I love you more than the ninety-nine

GJn 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, 15 as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd.

This saying parallels Q 15:4-7 (A Lost sheep) but has a specific Thomean ring attached to it. The imagery is taken from an agricultural setting. The saying is interpreted along the lines of Thomean theology. The sheep symbolizes a believer in search for salvation. It would not be a big exaggeration if we say that Thomas makes the sheep look for the shepherd. John, throughout his gospel uses the image of sheep for Jesus. Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Further, Jesus is the Good Shepherd. John takes this saying of Thomas and Q and transforms it into a typical Johannine discourse. The original saying of Jesus which first appears in Q cannot be reconstructed with certainty, because the redactional hand of both Matthew and Luke is so strong. What we have in the Synoptics is just two interpretations without their original context. Thomas does the same and his redaction is not heavier than the one found in the canonical gospels. Although we can not reconstruct the original saying of Jesus because of the heavy redaction by Matthew, Luke and Thomas it was probably a simple moralizing story and we can fairly well follow its development. John goes much further in his transformation of this saying than Matthew, Luke and Thomas. Thus, in John�s case, we cannot speak about redaction, but about transformation of the saying.

GTh 108 peje IS je petasw ebol xN tatapro fna�wpe Ntaxe

anok xw +na�wpe entof pe

auw nechp naouwnx erof

GJn 7:38 o` pisteu,wn eivj evme,( kaqw.j ei=pen h` grafh,( potamoi. evk th/j koili,aj auvtou/ r`eu,sousin u[datoj zw/ntoj) 39 tou/to de. ei=pen peri. tou/ pneu,matoj o] e;mellon lamba,nein oi` pisteu,santej eivj auvto,n\ ou;pw ga.r h=n pneu/ma( o[ti VIhsou/j ouvde,pw evdoxa,sqh)

GTh 108 Jesus said, �Whoever drinks from my mouth will become like me; I myself shall become that person, and the hidden things will be revealed to that one.

GJn 7:38 He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water. 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

The image of the living water coming out of a human body indicates the setting of a teacher with the followers. Both gospel use the symbolism of water. Thomas identifies water with the words of Jesus in accordance with his programmatic statement in GTh 1: �Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death.� In this saying Thomas adds that �the hidden things will be revealed to that one.� John knows the similar saying and quotes it in a form of a proof from scripture. The Hebrew Bible reference here might be to any of the several prophetic passages which use the image of flowing water (Isa 43:19, Ez. 47:1-12, Joel 4:18, Zch 14:8). Quotation of the sayings of Jesus as a proof from scripture is a Johannine redaction to explain the outpouring of the Spirit and the coming of Paracletos. A typically Johannine word �to believe� is introduced and the outpouring of water is equated with the outpouring of Spirit. Finally, John gives an explanation for the absence of the Spirit during Jesus� ministry in the style of the Messianic Secret.

In this parallel John and Thomas use a very similar saying of Jesus absent from the synoptic gospels. The same phenomenon has occurred in GTh 77 where both use the symbolism of �light.� Thomas preserves an earlier form of the saying 110, but a characteristically Thomean theology of inner light is visible even under Johannine redaction in GJn 7:38 which puts the saying as a quotation from the scripture.

GTh 110 peje IS je pentaxqine Mpkosmos NfR rMmao marefrna Mpkosmos

GJn 7:36 ti,j evstin o` lo,goj ou-toj o]n ei=pen( Zhth,sete, me kai. ouvc eu`rh,sete, @me#( kai. o[pou eivmi. evgw. u`mei/j ouv du,nasqe evlqei/n*

GTh 110 Jesus said, �Let one who has found the world, and has become wealthy, renounce the world.

GJn 7:36 What does he mean by saying, `You will seek me and you will not find me,' and, `Where I am you cannot come'?"

Thomas and John both use the same opposition between finding the world and finding Jesus. Both gospels reject the world, but as we have seen Thomean view of human nature is much more optimistic than Johannine. The rejection of the world fits into the tradition of Syrian holy men, both earlier pagan and later Christian, who were traveling around towns and villages preaching �apaqeia� ascetic life and, in case of the Christians, imitatio Christi.

GTh 111 peje IS je Mphue Naqwl auw pkax MpetNMto ebol

auw petonx ebol xN petonx fnanau an emou

ouy xoti eIS jw Mmos je petaxe erof ouaaf pkosmos Mp�a Mmof an

GJn 8:51 avmh.n avmh.n le,gw u`mi/n( eva,n tij to.n evmo.n lo,gon thrh,sh|( qa,naton ouv mh. qewrh,sh| eivj to.n aivw/na)

GTh 111 Jesus said, �The heavens and the earth will roll up in your presence, and whoever is living from the living one will not see death. Does not Jesus say, �Whoever has found oneself, of that person the world is not worthy?�

GJn 8:51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps my word, he will never see death."

In one of the final sayings of the gospel Thomas repeats the phrase from the beginning (Cf. GTh 1 �Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not see death.� Thus, Thomas puts an editorial frame to the gospel. The main goal of a Thomean believer is also stated here: �to find oneself.� John uses Thomean expression �not to see death� in the same manner. GJn 8:51 sounds as if it was taken from Thomas, since the accent in not on believing but on the words of Jesus.