Jesus Outside of the New Testament

1.  The Gospel of Thomas
2.  Other Gnostic Gospels
3.  The Gospel of Peter
4.  Infancy Gospels
5.  Non-Christian Sources

Copyright 2001 by Caroline T. Schroeder
Please read important bibliography, copyright, and intellectual property information

1.  The Gospel of Thomas

Gnostic Elements of the GTh
1.  And he said, "He who finds the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death."

3.  Jesus said, "If those who lead you say to you, 'Lo, the kingdom is in heaven,'....Rather, the kingdom is within you and outside you.  When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will know that you are sons of the living Father.  But if you do not know yourselves, then you are in poverty and you yourselves are the poverty."

39.  Jesus said, "The Pharisees and the Scribes have received the keys of knowledge and they have hidden them.  They did not enter and they did not allow those who wanted to enter to do so.  But you be wise as serpents and as innocent as doves."  (Compare to Mt 23:13:  "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven...."; Lk 11:52:  "Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge...."; and Mt 10:16:  "See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." )

See also sayings 5 & 83
 

Ascetic Elements of the GTh?
6.  His disciples asked him, "Do you want us to fast?  How shall we pray, and shall we give alms, and what diet shall we keep?"  Jesus said, "Do not lie and do not do what you hate, because all things are revealed in the sight of Heaven.  For nothing is hidden that shall not be revealed, and nothing is covered that shall remain without being uncovered."

14.  Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will bring sinupon yourselves and, if you pray, you will condemn yourselves, and, if you give alms, you will do evil to your spirits.  And when you enter any land and travel through the regions, if they receive you, eat whatever they set before you.  Heal the sick among them.  For that which enters your mouth will not defile you but that which comes out of your mouth is what will defile you."

27.  [Jesus said], "If you do not fast with respect to the world, you will not find the Kingdom; if you do not keep the sabbath as Sabbath, you will not see the Father."

104.  They said [to him], "Come, let us pray today and let us fast."  Jesus said, "Why?  What sin have I committed or how have I been conquered?  But after the bridegroom has left the bridechamber then let people fast and pray."

29.  Jesus said, "If the flesh exists because of spirit, it is a miracle, but if spirit exists because of the body, it is a miracle of miracles.  But I marvel at how this great wealth established itself in this poverty."

87.  Jesus said, "Wretched is the body which is dependent on a body and wretched is the soul which is dependent on them both."

See also sayings 54, 63, 69, & 110 about poverty & wealth.
 
 

2.  Other Gnostic Gospels

Many other Gnostic Gospels, such as the Gospel of Mary or the Gospel of Philip, also portray Jesus primarily as a teacher of gnosis.  They often have narrative elements either about Jesus or about the disciples and apostlesthat the Gospel of Thomas does not have.

Gos. Mary 8:  Peter said to Mary, "Sister, we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of women.  Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember ó which you know (but) we do not, nor have we heard them."
 
 

3.  The Gospel of Peter

The Gospel of Peter is part of the New Testament Apocrypha.  Most scholars date it to the second century.  Although it shares many stories with the canonical Gospels, the GPeter has almost no word-for-word agreements with them.  GPeter thus seems dependent on some of the same oral, and possibly written, traditions on which the NT Gospels are based, but GPeter does not demonstrate an awareness of the written canonical Gospels themselves.
 
 

4.  Infancy Gospels


5.  Non-Christian Sources

  1. Letter of Pliny, governor of Bithynia-Pontus, to the emperor Trajan (112 CE) asking advice about prosecuting Christians in his province.
  2. Roman historian Suetonius (~115-120 CE) writes that the Jews in Rome rioted in 41-54 CE at the instigation of a Jew named "Chrestus."
  3. Roman historian Tacitus (115 CE) mentions that when Nero burned the city of Rome, he blamed the Christians.  Tacitus also reports that "Christus" was executed by "procurator" Ponitus Pilate during the reign of emperor Tiberius.
  4. Josephus (~69-80) reports that the Jewish high priest unlawfully executed James "the brother of Jesus who is called the messiah" (Antiquities 20.9.1) and that the Christians were followers of Jesus who was executed by Pilate (Antiquities 18.3.3)

Bibliography, Copyright, and Intellectual Property Information

This study guide is the intellectual property of Caroline T. Schroeder (adjunct instructor in Religious Studies at Elon University), produced solely for the use of students in Rel 112-C3, Fall 2001.

For permission to otherwise use, reproduce, or distribute this study guide, contact Caroline T. Schroeder

The sale of this study guide is prohibited.

Bibliography
Ehrman, Bart D.  The New Testament:  A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 2d ed.  New York:  Oxford University Press, 2000.
Elliott, J. K.  The Apocryphal New Testament:  A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation.  Oxford:  Clarendon Press, 1993.
Malina, Bruce J.  The New Testament World:  Insights from Cultural Anthropology.  Rev. ed.  Louisville, Ky:  Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993.
Meeks, Wayne A., ed.  The HarperCollins Study Bible, New Revised Standard Version.  New York:  HarperCollins, 1993.

Copyright 2001 by Caroline T. Schroeder

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