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Early Christian Writings Gospel of Thomas Saying 70 Previous - Gospel of Thomas Home - Next

You can view this web page along with Grondin's Coptic/English Interlinear in frames.
Nag Hammadi Coptic Text Funk's Parallels
GThom 41.

BLATZ LAYTON DORESSE


(70) Jesus said: If you have (70) Jesus said, "If you 74 [70]. Jesus says: "When
gained this within you, what (plur.) produce what is in you have something left to
you have will save you. If you, what you have will share among you, what you
you do not have this in save you. If you do not have possess will save you. But if
[you], what you do not have what is in you, what you do you cannot share [among
in you [will] kill you. not have [will] kill you." you], that which you have
not among you, that [ ... ? ...
will ...] you.

Visitor Comments Scholarly Quotes


We were all created to bring F. F. Bruce writes: "This Gnosticizing variant of Saying 41 may refer to the heavenly
a gift - a light of our own light, which is the salvation of those who possess it but the destruction of those who
uniqueness - to this world. If lack it." (Jesus and Christian Origins Outside the New Testament, p. 140)
we refuse to share this gift, it Robert M. Grant and David Noel Freedman write: "This is a Gnostic version of the
will be our undoing. I see synoptic saying already reproduced in Saying 42 [41]. The Gnostic 'begets' within
this as proof that there is a himself the kingdom or Jesus or light and will be saved by what he begets; the non-
reason to our being here and Gnostic has nothing and will be killed by this nothing(ness)." (The Secret Sayings of
it isn't to destroy but to Jesus, p. 174)
make.
- Sharianne Funk and Hoover write: "This saying reminded the Fellows of the gnostic idea that
one's salvation depends on possessing - and recognizing in oneself - a piece of the
Is this a veiled reference to divine, sacred spark, a fragment of the 'light,' which signals one's true origin in the
the paracletos...the guidance one high God, the ultimate source of other divinities, including the creator God. If
we gain from the indwelling one possesses it and recognizes it, salvation is assured (note Thom 24:3, where this
of the Holy Spirit? same idea is explicit). If one does not possess the divine spark, there is nothing one
- anonymous can do about it. Such a deficiency is alsu alluded to in Thomas 67. Because of the
In becoming aware of one's affinities of these ideas with gnostic views and their remoteness from what is
self the self repair process otherwise known of Jesus, the Fellows designated the saying black by common
"saves" one. If one does not consent." (The Five Gospels, p. 513)
become aware of one's self, Gerd Ludemann writes: "Thomas's formulation is dualistic. It is a matter of life (=
then the self-destructive salvation) and death. Salvation is manifestly connected with knowledge of one's own
learnt attitudes keep one in self, one's heavenly origin, which is light. Otherwise, if the knowledge is not
stasis (death). attained, the result is death." (Jesus After 2000 Years, p. 626)
- Rodney
This says to me: that God is
within; the light that
illumines the higher
pathway, the sense, the
voice, the vision, the
knowledge of what is life
affirmative - what our higher
self knows is of God, the
light within - that element
that is of God - it is that
which gives peace and
wisdom and sustains us and
those with whom we share
such wisdom through action
and attitude. When we
repress that, we create
alienation and entropy.
- maccus
The value of Higher
Knowledge. Acquire it and
be immortal --- lack it and
succumb
- Thief37
This seems like "die to your
self that your self might
live". If you produce the
light/true self/divine/pure
heart that is within you, you
are/become life. If you do
not produce it, you are/stay
in death.
- wondering
From "Black Elk Speaks": I
had a dream and because I
did not live my dream, my
dream was making me sick.
- Diana Wright
I think that the meaning is
rather simple. The gnostics (I
think) felt that each one of us
has illumination (or the
divine light) within us. The
gnostics didn't need an
intermediary to go through in
order to commune with God.
They knew that the light was
innate in them from birth. To
bury that light within us and
not let it come forward is
spirtual death.
- tsankawi
The answer is faith. Faith
must come from within. So,
"If you bring forth what is
within you (faith), then what
you bring forth (your faith)
will save you. And if you do
not bring forth what is within
you, what you don't bring
forth will destroy you (your
lack of faith)."
- The Elf
Thanks Ron D. The stress is
on inherent wisdom. Great
learning and
intellectualization is,
apparently, an impediment.
The great easten masters
stress the importance of
simple meditation to tap into
this wealth beyond mind and
body. Jesus is in accord with
the zen patriarchs. Faith is
beneficial only in that it
would bolster us on the
arduous journey within.
After experiencing what is
beyond mind and body, one
can put human existence in
its proper perspective and
not succumb to that which
would trap the spirit.
- Zooie
The best translation I've read
(the one that makes the most
sense to me)is the one given
in Pagel's Gnostic Gospels:
"If you bring forth what is
within you, what you bring
forth will save you. If you do
not bring forth what is within
you, what you do not bring
forth will destroy you." I find
very disturbing any
interpretations that imply or
suggest that it's all about
being given knowledge from
without, or the idea that if
you don't accept some sort of
"approved" knowledge from
outside yourself, and take it
within, that THAT is what
will destroy you. No, the
whole point is that the
kingdom of god is within; if
you release it, allow it to
flow freely from you, it will
save you; if you keep it
bottled up, it will destroy
you.
- Ron Drummond
This is about the dangers of
birth, spiritual and real. Jesus
is referring to a mother dying
in childbirth if she does not
bring forth what is within
her, just as we could die if
we do not bring forth the
transformation of the Holy
Spirit. Socrates' analogy of
the teacher as midwife and
the pains of being born out
of the cave are also similar
teachings.
- Pietzsche
70

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