Gospel of Thomas

Jesus (Yeshua) is known worldwide as a spiritual leader, Messiah, divine teacher, prophet, Jewish preacher, religious reformer, the Son of Man, the Son of God—and to some, even God Himself. Yeshua is the original Hebrew/Aramaic name of the man we call Jesus.

Among early writings about Him, the Gospel of Thomas is a remarkable collection of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus. It was excluded from the New Testament at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE, not because it was unknown, but because early Church leaders judged its teachings misaligned with the emerging orthodox view of Jesus and salvation. Over the next century, through councils up to 451 CE, that orthodoxy became the foundation of Christian doctrine.

In this gospel, Jesus does not speak of the God of Israel, sin, or repentance. Instead, He reveals the divine spark within humanity—a fragment of the eternal Source separated from its origin and trapped in the material world. The message centers on self-knowledge and spiritual awakening: learning the truth about the world and discovering one’s divine nature as the path to transcendence. Salvation comes through inner realization rather than external belief.

Discovered in 1945 at Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in Coptic translation, the Gospel of Thomas is believed to have originated in Greek between 50 and 120 CE, possibly earlier than some canonical gospels. Unlike New Testament accounts, it has no narrative, miracles, crucifixion, or resurrection story. It reflects mystical or Gnostic spirituality, teaching that enlightenment and liberation come through direct, personal knowledge (gnosis) of the divine within, rather than faith in Jesus’ sacrificial death.

The gospel opens with: These are the hidden words that the living Jesus spoke, and that Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down. And He said: “Whoever finds the meaning of these words will not taste death.”  The Nag Hammadi Library .

Gregg Braden short video on the Gospel of Thomas

There is a general consensus among scholars that the Gospel of Thomas – discovered over a half century ago in the Egyptian desert-dates to the very beginnings of the Christian era and may well have taken first form before any of the four traditional canonical Gospels.  Join me in an esoteric journey to explore and discover the meaning of 114 secret saying of Jesus.