Thomas: Seeking the Historical Context of the Gospel of Thomas (Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha Supplement)

199 Pages·2003·5.23 MB·English

by  Risto Uro

Thomas

Thomas
Seeking the Historical Context of
the Gospel of Thomas
Risto Uro
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 0 567 08329 2 (Hardback)
Typeset by Fakenham Photosetting Ltd, Fakenham. Norfolk NR21 8NN
Printed and bound in Great Britain by MPG Books Ltd, Bodmin, Cornwall
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Abbreviations ix
Prologue: The blind encountering an elephant 1
1. The secret of Judas Thomas 8
The writings ascribed to Judas Thomas// The twin brother of
Jesus// Intertextuality in the Thomasine literature//
The school of St Thomas?// A Thomasine community?//
Thomas and early Syrian Christianity
2. Gnosticism without demiurge? 31
The issue of'Gnosticism'// A point of comparison: the
Dialogue of the Saviour! I Cosmological myths// Demiurgical
beliefs in Thomas'ill Cultural intertextuality// Date and
provenance// Redefining Thomas
3. Body and community 54
Thomas dualism// Depended bodies and souls// Great
wealth in poverty// Being naked// Reading from the
Stoic point of view// Undressing and baptism//
Thomasand Paul// Body and community
4. Authority and autonomy 80
'Who will be our leader?'// Apostles as symbols// James'
leadership// Thomas and Peter!I Thomas and James//
Thomas and Matthew on leadership// Thomas and emerging
church hierarchy
v
THOMAS
5. Orality and textuality 106
The old debate and new approaches// From the 'Grear
Divide' to interaction// Writing in a rhetorical culture//
Thomas and oral culture// Doublets as rhetorical
elaborations// Different layers in Thomas?// A catena of
excerpts?// Towards more complex theories
Epilogue: Does Thomas make a difference? 134
Bibliography 139
Index of ancient references 167
Index of names 178
Index of subjects 184
vi
Acknowledgements
Early versions of the essays included in Chapters 1, 3, 4, and 5 have
been delivered as papers in the SBL Thomas Traditions Group during
the years 1996-7 and 2000—1.1 am grateful to everyone who attended
the sessions and participated in the discussions helping me to develop
my ideas about Thomas. In particular, I would like to thank the
members of the steering committee of the group, Jon Ma. Asgeirsson,
Tjitze Baarda, Ron Cameron, April De Conick, and Elaine Pagels, for
their continuous encouragement and interest in my work.
Several other colleagues have commented on different parts of my
manuscript on various occasions. I have enjoyed and greatly benefited
from the discussions with Troels Engberg-Pedersen, Dale B. Marrin,
Christopher Tuckett and Richard Valantasis. The Finnish research
team working on the Nag Hammadi documents, Ismo Dunderberg,
Anne-Marit Enroth-Voitila, Minna Laine, Antti Marjanen, Tuomas
Rasimus and Ulla Tervahauta, has offered a unique forum in which
almost every part of the manuscript has been discussed and criticized in
a supportive and open manner. I had also a valuable opportunity to
present an early version of Chapter 3 to the members of a more recent
project, 'Body and Society in the Biblical Wotld', Talvikki Mattila,
Pertti Merenlahri, Martti Nissinen, Kristel Nyberg and Kari Syteeni.
Conversations with Niko Huttunen on Epictetus helped me to see
ideological affinities between Thomas and Stoicism. Minna Laine,
Perttu Nikander and Kristel Nyberg have assisted me in technical
editing. For several years, Margot Stout Whiting has revised the English
of my texts with patience and care. Father David White served as the
publisher's copy-editor. His minute reading of the MS saved me from
many inconsistencies and mistakes.
Chapter 4 has been published previously in a slightly different form
in Ismo Dunderberg, Christopher Tuckett and Kari Syreeni (eds), Fair
Play: Diversity and Conflicts in Early Christianity: Essays in Honour of
Heikki Rdisanen (Leiden: Brill, 2002) 457-85.1 am grateful to Brill for
allowing the use of the essay in this book.
Vll
THOMAS
The subdivision of the sayings in the Gospel of Thomas follows the
style established by the Westar Institute, which has been adopted, for
example, in J. S. Kloppenborg et al., Q-Thomas Reader (Sonoma:
Polebridge Press, 1990). I have frequently modified the existing English
translations of Thomas and notified which translation has been the basis
of my modification. If no such information about translation is given,
the quotation is from Thomas O. Lambdin's translation in Bentley
Layton, ed. Nag Hammadi Codex II, 2—7 together with XIII2*, Brit.
Lib. Or.4926(l), and P.Oxy. 1, 654, 655. Vol. I. NHS 20 (Leiden:
Brill, 1989).
Vlll
Abbreviations
AASF DHL Annales Academiae scientiarum fennicae.
Dissertationes humanarum litterarum
ABD Anchor Bible Dictionary
AGJU Arbeiten zur Geschichte des antiken Judentums und
des Urchristentums
AJT American Journal of Theology
ANRW Auf tieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt: Geschichte
und Kultur Roms im Spiegel der neueren Forschung.
Edited by H. Temporini and W. Haase. Berlin,
1972-
BASF Bulletin of the American Society ofPapyrologists
BETL Bibliotheca ephemeridum theologicarum
lovaniensium
BG Berlin Gnostic Papyrus 8502
Bib Biblica
Biblnt Biblical Interpretation
BR Biblical Research
BTB Biblical Theology Bulletin
BZNW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche
Wissenschaft
CBQMS Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series
CG Cairensis Gnosticus
CSCO Corpus scriptorum christianorum orientalium
EKKNT Evangelisch-katholischer Kommentar zum Neuen
Testament
EPRO Emdes preli minaires aux religions orientales dans
l'empire romain
EvT Evangelische Theologie
FB Forschung zur Bibel
FRLANT Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten
und Neuen Testaments
FzB Forschung zur Bibel
ix