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The Gospel of Thomas is a unique apocryphal gospel that contains numerous sayings attributed to [[Jesus]], most -- but not all -- with parallels in the four canonical or "synoptic" [[Gospels]].  Unlike them, it does not give a narrative of the life of [[Jesus]], but is what is called a "sayings gospel",  a collection of the statements of Christ, and a possible witness of the hypothetical text known as the [[Q Document]], a source for the gospels of [[Matthew]] and [[Luke]].

The Gospel of Thomas is a unique apocryphal gospel that contains numerous sayings attributed to [[Jesus]], most -- but not all -- with parallels in the four canonical or "synoptic" [[Gospels]].  Unlike them, it does not give a narrative of the life of [[Jesus]], but is what is called a "sayings gospel",  a collection of the statements of Christ, and a possible witness of the hypothetical text known as the [[Q Document]], a source for the gospels of [[Matthew]] and [[Luke]].

The Gospel of Thomas survives in full in a [[Coptic]] text which was among those found in 1945 at Nag Hammadi in [[Egypt]].  While, like all other non-canonical gospels, it is not part of the Bible and is not recognized as an authoritative text by most Christian denominations, many Biblical scholars, and many Christians today, have been fascinated by the picture it paints of early Christian belief.

The Gospel of Thomas was rejected by [[Cyril of Jerusalem]], an early theologian and [[Doctor of the Church]].

 

For many centuries, no surviving text was known. A complete [[Coptic]] text The Gospel of Thomas was among those discovered in 1945 at Nag Hammadi in [[Egypt]].  While, like all other non-canonical gospels, it is not part of the Bible and is not recognized as an authoritative text by most Christian denominations, many Biblical scholars, and many Christians today, have been fascinated by the picture it paints of early Christian beliefs.