I have already written about the Gospel of Thomas and referenced the writings of the Quaker computer scientist and theologian, Hugh McGregor Ross, who made his own study of this gospel and produced a translation from the Coptic of the Sayings of Jesus discovered in an earthenware jar in 1945 - see these earlier blogposts:
https://robdonovan.blogspot.com/2024/08/fruits-of-marazion-quaker-library-10.html
https://robdonovan.blogspot.com/2024/09/fruits-of-marazion-quaker-library-11.html
https://robdonovan.blogspot.com/2024/01/fruits-of-marazion-quaker-library-hugh.html
In this blogpost, I explore the insights in 'Spirituality in the Gospel of Thomas' by Hugh McGregor Ross (1998/2010). I believe that these sayings of Jesus examined by McGregor Ross are profoundly important for all of us. George Fox never knew the gospel of Thomas but our Quaker founder was tuned in to the wavelength of these sayings of Jesus, memorized by Thomas his disciple and then most likely written down by a scribe as Thomas dictated. We as Quakers, following the inspired teaching of George Fox, believe that the Light is in all of us; we do not need priests and churches to guide and shelter us. We find the Spirit inside us. We listen in silence together and our souls are awakened to the deep Truth that is the heart of our humanity.
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| Front cover, showing a 6th century icon of Jesus in the monastery church of St Catherine, Mount Sinai |
Read the sayings of Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas and you will find that such Quaker spirituality is wonderfully akin to the spirituality revealed by Jesus according to Thomas. But be prepared to reassess the orthodox understanding of the teachings of Jesus that we have grown up with. To varying degrees, we have all been shaped by the teachings of the church and the accepted canon of Christian revelation in the New Testament - and not all of this orthodoxy is necessarily as true and certain as it may once have seemed. I am reminded that George Bernard Shaw, the atheist playwright, remarked that Paul's teachings were 'a monstrous imposition upon Jesus' and fundamentally distorted the original message and purpose of Jesus. Hugh McGregor Ross, more kindly, remarks that 'Paul never met Jesus in person to have his abundant ahamkara burnt up' - but Thomas had had that advantage.
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| The connection between Thomas and India is referenced in this AI piece below: Evidence for St. Thomas's arrival in India comes from ancient Christian traditions, including texts like the Acts of Thomas and writings of early church fathers like Ephrem the Syrian, and local folklore in India such as the Thomma Parvam and Ramban Pattu. While direct archaeological proof is lacking, supporting factors include the presence of well-established Christian communities by the 6th century in India and the potential historical connection through the Indo-Parthian Kingdom. |
Few of us will be familiar with the concept of ahamkara. I certainly was not. Yet it is vital in understanding the spiritual significance of the teachings of Jesus which point to the necessity of quenching ahamkara. No European language has a word for this concept so McGregor Ross has borrowed this Eastern word - ahamkara, meaning the dominance of the body, and of the mind and
