The Forbidden Sayings of

Jesus
MARCH 1, 2012 BY TOM RAPSAS
42 COMMENTS

1313

image:
http://theinnerway.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/christ_ori
ental.jpg?w=110

Have you ever heard of the Gnostic Gospels? They’re a

collection of 60 or so texts written from the first to third century,
based on the wisdom teachings of several prophets and spiritual
leaders—including Jesus. In fact, they’ve been referred to as “the
secret sayings of the savior”.
Many of the gospels were written in the first through third centuries,
about the same time as their more famous brethren, Mark, Matthew,
Luke and John. Once in wide circulation, these gospels were passed
around fledgling churches throughout the Mideast and beyond and
show the rich diversity of early Christian beliefs.
There’s just one problem: in the fourth century, the early Roman
church declared the books heretical in an attempt to centralize
authority and get all Christians literally on the same page. The edict
came down not just to stop reading these books, but to destroy every
last one of them.

In spite of the best efforts of the book burners, many of these texts
survive today. A treasure trove of them were discovered in 1945 in
Egypt. But they are largely ignored or even considered taboo by
mainstream religions. (Two examples: the reverend at my local church
acted as if he had never heard of them, while a mild-mannered former
priest I know agitatedly called the texts “pure garbage” when I asked
about them.)

So what are these Gnostic books all about and why do they strike fear
and loathing in some people? I’ve read 30 to 40 of the texts and can
report the themes are as varied as those found in the Bible, with topics
ranging from creation mythology to wild tales of a coming apocalypse.
Most interesting though, and perhaps most controversial, are the
many passages about the sayings of Jesus.

Like the Bible, some of the passages will leave you scratching your
head. Yet, there are common themes that come up again and again
threading their way through several of the texts. The Web site The
Gnosis Archive sums it up this way:

Gnosticism asserts that…direct, personal and absolute knowledge of

the authentic truths of existence is accessible to human beings…and
the attainment of such knowledge is the supreme achievement of
human life.
The key words here are direct and personal. There are several Gnostic
passages that state that you and I have the power to tap directly into
the higher source of knowledge. Consider the two sayings that follow,
both attributed to Jesus (followed by the name of the Gnostic text):
What you seek after (is) within you. ~The Dialogue of the
Savior

Beware that no one lead you astray, saying ‘Lo here!’ or ‘Lo
there!’ For the Son of Man is within you. Follow after him!
Those who seek him will find him. ~The Gospel of Mary
Note the common words “within you”. They may sound innocent
enough but they’re really quite radical. After all, if what we seek after
is inside us, it cuts out the need for a middleman to reach God. Which
may explain why in the early church and even today the Gnostic
Gospels are considered religious texts non grata.

Other Gnostic books continue this theme by pointing out the rich
rewards and wisdom that can be found by looking within. Again, all of
these passages are said to be the actual words of Jesus:

Read more at
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wakeupcall/2012/03/the-forbidden-
sayings-of-jesus/#aduZ8Xc3TahpmEgi.99

He who has known himself has…already achieved

knowledge about the depth of all. ~The Book of Thomas The
Contender
Those who have come to know themselves will enjoy their
possessions. ~Gospel of Phillip
That which you have will save you if you bring it forth from
yourselves. ~Gospel of Thomas
image: http://theinnerway.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/gospel_of_thomas.png?w=150

There are also several additional interesting passages from the Gospel of
Thomas, which many scholars think was written before the four traditional Gospels of the Bible.
A common theme is that God and the Kingdom of Heaven are right in front of us, here on this
Earth, if we can only learn to see them:
The Kingdom is inside of you and it is outside of you.
~Gospel of Thomas
Recognize what is in your sight, and that which is hidden
from you will become plain to you. For there is nothing
hidden that will not become manifest. ~Gospel of Thomas
His disciples said, “When will the Kingdom come?” It will
not come by waiting for it. It will not be a matter of saying
here it is or there it is. Rather, the kingdom of the father is
spread out upon the earth and men do not see it. ~Gospel of
Thomas
As you can see, many of the ideas in the Gnostic Gospels run counter
to mainstream Christian beliefs. Yet, they give me a greater
appreciation for Christianity and Jesus than I can find in any church
or read in any traditional version of the Bible. For me at least, they
teach in a way that resonates like few Bible passages do, with universal
lessons echoed by the Bhagavad Gita and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Want to learn more? A great place to start is a conversation between
Bill Moyers and Elaine Pagels here. Then, continue on to two
authoritative and fascinating books about the early gospels; I highly
recommend Pagels’ The Gnostic Gospels, followed by Bart
Ehrman’s Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make
 It into the
New Testament. For slightly more subversive reading, see Jesus and
the Lost Goddess: The Secret Teachings of the Original
Christians by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy.
Read more at
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wakeupcall/2012/03/the-forbidden-
sayings-of-jesus/#aduZ8Xc3TahpmEgi.99