The Gospel of Thomas and Q

The speaker introduces the topic of the Gospel of Thomas and Q, explaining that these are non-canonical texts that have been the subject of scholarly interest. The Gospel of Thomas is a collection of sayings of Jesus, while Q represents a hypothesized source document that scholars believe was used by the authors of the canonical gospels of Matthew and Luke. The speaker also discusses the importance of these texts in understanding early Christianity and the historical Jesus, and mentions the challenges of studying these texts, such as the need to bring many books for thorough analysis.

This paragraph delves into the symbolism associated with the four canonical gospels of the Christian New Testament: Mark, John, Luke, and Matthew. Each evangelist is represented by a unique living creature with wings, as depicted in Christian art. Mark is represented by a winged lion, John by an eagle, Luke by an ox, and Matthew by a human, often likened to an angel. These symbols originate from the Book of Revelation, where they are described as living creatures around God's throne. The speaker also explains that these symbols are not original to the texts themselves but were assigned later in Christian tradition.

The speaker addresses the issue of authorship of the canonical gospels, clarifying that they are anonymous texts not written by eyewitnesses to Jesus's life. The texts are in Greek, not Aramaic, which was the language spoken by Jesus and his disciples. The paragraph also discusses anachronisms present in the gospels, which are the insertions of details, ideas, or events from a later time into the narrative. The speaker uses the Gospel of John as an example, where the divide between Christianity and Judaism is reflected anachronistically, as Jesus and his followers were originally Jews and part of a sect within Judaism.

The speaker discusses how early Christianity spread through the preaching of apostles who had visionary experiences of Jesus after his death. These apostles, including Paul (originally known as Saul), shared their testimonies and visions of the Risen Christ, which became a significant part of the Christian message. The speaker contrasts this with the teachings of Paul, who focused more on the imminent apocalypse rather than the historical life of Jesus. The paragraph also touches on the process of retrojection, where visionary experiences of the Risen Christ were incorporated into the narrative of Jesus's life by the author of the Gospel of Mark.

This paragraph explores the transmission of Jesus' teachings through oral tradition, which involved the memorization and repetition of sayings, maxims, and parables. The speaker explains that despite the potential for variation and change in oral transmission, there is reason to believe that many of Jesus' teachings have been preserved. The speaker also discusses the challenges of reconstructing the historical deeds of Jesus due to the influence of the authors' perspectives and the retrojection of visionary experiences into the gospel narratives.

The speaker delves into the synoptic problem, which is the scholarly debate surrounding the literary relationship between the three synoptic gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The paragraph introduces the two-source hypothesis, which posits that Mark is the earliest gospel and that Matthew and Luke used Mark, along with a now-lost source called Q, to create their gospels. The speaker also addresses objections to the two-source hypothesis, such as minor agreements between Matthew and Luke that are not found in Mark, and the hypothetical nature of the Q source itself.

The speaker introduces the Gospel of Thomas, an important non-canonical text that was discovered at Nag Hammadi in Egypt. While initially hoped to be the lost Q source, it is now understood that Thomas is a separate text with its own unique sayings of Jesus. The paragraph discusses the significance of the discovery of Thomas for understanding the existence of independent sayings gospels and the potential implications for the study of the historical Jesus and early Christian teachings.

The speaker provides a detailed comparison of sayings found in both the reconstructed Q source and the Gospel of Thomas. Through this analysis, the speaker highlights how different versions of the same sayings have been preserved and modified by different authors and communities. The paragraph emphasizes the editorial choices made by the authors of Matthew, Luke, and Thomas, and how these choices reflect their theological perspectives and themes.

This paragraph discusses the presence of doublets and triplets within the Gospel of Thomas, which suggests a complex editorial development before the text reached its current form. The speaker uses specific examples of sayings to illustrate how Thomas contains multiple versions of the same teachings, indicating that there may have been an earlier version of Thomas that is now lost, similar to the hypothetical lost Q source.

The speaker concludes by emphasizing the free circulation and reinterpretation of Jesus' sayings across different gospels, including canonical and non-canonical texts. The paragraph highlights how various editors and communities have created different narrative contexts for the same sayings, based on their own themes and theological perspectives. The speaker also notes that while the narrative stories in the gospels lack historicity, the sayings themselves have more potential to be traced back to the historical Jesus through the oral tradition.