Deciphering the Echoes of Creation

Sayings 11 and 12 of the Gospel of Thomas

Introduction

In this article, we examine the mystical wisdom found in Sayings 11 and 12 of the Gospel of Thomas. Thomas, distinct from the canonical Gospels, offers a series of standalone sayings attributed to Jesus Christ. Unlike the narrative-driven Gospels of the New Testament, Thomas presents a more cryptic and thought-provoking approach, inviting readers to explore the deeper layers of the teachings.

The Transient Nature of Existence and Consciousness

Saying 11 of the Gospel of Thomas presents a juxtaposition of life, death, and the impermanence of the heavens:

Jesus said, ‘This heaven will disappear, and the one above it will disappear too. Those who are dead aren’t alive, and those who are living won’t die. In the days when you ate what was dead, you made it alive. When you’re in the light, what will you do? On the day when you were one, you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?’ (Gospel of Thomas Saying 11)

This saying is rich in metaphor and spiritual symbolism. It speaks to the impermanent nature of the physical world, including the heavens themselves, which are often perceived as eternal. The saying challenges us to reconsider our understanding of life and death, suggesting a non-dualistic perspective where these states are not opposites but part of a greater, unified reality.

The reference to eating what was dead and making it alive can be seen as an allegory for spiritual transformation. It suggests that by engaging with and understanding our material experiences (symbolized by ‘what was dead’), we can imbue them with spiritual life, leading to enlightenment or a higher state of consciousness.

Leadership and Divine Purpose

In Saying 12, the focus shifts to leadership and spiritual guidance:

The disciples said to Jesus, ‘We know you’re going to leave us. Who will lead us then?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Wherever you are, you’ll go to James the Just, for whom heaven and earth came into being.’ (Gospel of Thomas Saying 12)

This saying touches upon the anxiety of the disciples facing the departure of their teacher and guide, Jesus. It introduces James the Just as a pivotal figure, suggesting his preordained role in the divine plan. The phrase ‘for whom heaven and earth came into being’ is particularly intriguing. It elevates James to a cosmic level of importance, implying that his role in the spiritual journey of the disciples, and perhaps in the broader context of human salvation, is part of the very fabric of creation.

Navigating the Mystical Landscape

In the following sections, we will explore these sayings further, as we navigate through the mystical landscape of the Gospel of Thomas, uncovering the secrets hidden in its cryptic language.

Let’s look at the two sayings again, this time in reverse order.

The disciples said to Jesus, ‘We know you’re going to leave us. Who will lead us then?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Wherever you are, you’ll go to James the Just, for whom heaven and earth came into being.’ (Gospel of Thomas Saying 12)

And

Jesus said, ‘This heaven will disappear, and the one above it will disappear too. Those who are dead aren’t alive, and those who are living won’t die. In the days when you ate what was dead, you made it alive. When you’re in the light, what will you do? On the day when you were one, you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?’ (Gospel of Thomas Saying 11)

Reading them in this sequence, the shared keyword ‘heaven’ becomes obvious. We will revisit this matter shortly. First, let’s focus on James the Just.

James the Just and the Cosmic Narrative

James, traditionally considered Jesus’ brother, emerged as a crucial figure in the Jerusalem Christian community post-crucifixion, particularly among Jewish believers.

The theory of two factions forming after Jesus’ death — the Apostles and Jesus’ family — gains relevance here. The Apostles, Jesus’ original disciples, became the early movement’s primary leaders and missionaries, spreading Christianity to non-Jewish communities. Conversely, Jesus’ family, led by James the Just, is seen as a more traditional group, adhering closely to Jewish customs.

This distinction suggests that the authors of the Gospel of Thomas might have favored Jesus’ family, particularly James, over the Apostles. Another possibility is that this preference might be linked to the Apocryphon or Secret Book of James from the Nag Hammadi Library, where James lists seven parables crucial for understanding Jesus’ secret teachings.

The Riddle of Creation

Turning to Saying 11, we are presented with a prophetic vision, seemingly of the future or the end times. Yet, after noting the presence of the keyword ‘heaven’ in both sayings and in light of Saying 12’s reference to the origins of heaven and earth, my thoughts are directed not to the end, but rather back to the beginning. This interpretation aligns with Saying 18, where the disciples ask Jesus about their destiny, and he replies:

The disciples said to Jesus, “Tell us about our end. How will it come?” Jesus said, “Have you discovered the beginning so that you can look for the end? Because the end will be where the beginning is. Blessed is the one who will stand up in the beginning. They’ll know the end, and won’t taste death.” (Gospel of Thomas Saying 18)

So let’s look at Saying 11 again, only this time rather than a description of the end times, let’s see if it might instead be describing the beginning. I see Saying 11 as a riddle composed of six parts. Let’s examine the first part in isolation:

This heaven will disappear, and the one above it will disappear too.

I think a more literal interpretation of the sentence would serve us well here. I have based the translation below on the interlinear found here: Gospel of Thomas Interlinear.

This heaven will disappear, and that which is above it will disappear too.

If we go back to Genesis, is there a description of a heaven with something above it?

Let’s look at the events that took place during Day Two:

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. (Gen 1:6–8 KJV)

Traveling Backward through Time

Now, instead of playing the events forward, let’s look at them in reverse order, as though we are traveling backward through time.

At the end of this process, we have a three-layer system.

Waters Above Heaven (Firmament) Waters Below

At the beginning of this process, before God divided the waters, there was no firmament or water above, there was only the undifferentiated water.

So by traveling backward through the second day, we witness heaven, meaning the firmament between the waters above and below, cease to exist. When it ceases to exist, the water above the firmament merges back into the primal, undifferentiated waters, symbolizing a return to the original state of creation.

Meaning both heaven and that which is above heaven, disappear.

Let’s now check the other parts of the saying to see if they agree with such a reading.

Those who are dead aren’t alive, and those who are living won’t die.

‘Those who are dead aren’t alive’ is certainly true because they haven’t been born yet as we are back at the beginning of creation.

‘Those who are living won’t die’ is a bit more difficult. We will come back to this sentence once we have more details.

In the days when you ate what was dead, you made it alive.

This verse refers to the normal world. When we eat dead animals they become part of our organism.

When you’re in the light, what will you do?

This verse refers to the world before Day Two from Genesis, sometime after light was created.

These two verses compare the means of nutrition in two different environments by two different sorts of lifeforms. First, we have humans, who eat dead animals. We eat plants as well, but I don’t think the saying is referring to the consumption of plants as eating a plant's fruit does not necessarily involve killing the plant.

Then we have the form of life that existed after Day One of Genesis but before Day Two. What was the environment like at that time? According to the Bible, the earth was covered in water and there was a diurnal sequence of light and darkness. What did this lifeform do when it was in the light?

On the day when you were one, you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?

On the day this form of life was one, it became two. The organism was in the light and it divided into two. What early form of life does this describe?

Cyanobacteria are considered one of the earliest forms of life on Earth and are among the most primitive organisms in the tree of life. They are a type of bacteria, formerly called blue-green algae, known for their ability to perform photosynthesis.

Binary Fission is the most common method of reproduction in cyanobacteria. In binary fission, a cyanobacterium cell divides into two identical daughter cells.

To answer the question, ‘When you become two, what will you do?’ The answer is that it will become four, then eight, then sixteen, doubling each time in geometric progression.

Finally, let us go back to the second verse, the last half of which I left unanswered:

Those who are dead aren’t alive, and those who are living won’t die.

I answered the first half of the verse by noting that at the beginning of creation, the dead hadn’t been born yet. The second half of the verse refers to the photosynthetic lifeform that existed at the time and which reproduced by splitting into two genetically identical daughter cells.

Unlike complex organisms, these simple, single-celled organisms don’t exhibit aging in the traditional sense. Each division results in the creation of two new cells, and the parent cell doesn’t age in the process. Each division is generally an exact genetic copy of the parent cell.

Each cell is a clone of the original which came into existence around 3.5 billion years ago. This seems to be the point that the saying is making. Even though countless cyanobacterial cells die daily, as long as a single cell survives, that cell is identical to its parent cell just as that cell was identical to its parent cell and so on back to the beginning of the line.

This is not to suggest that genetic mutation and natural selection have not been at work modifying the organism over the eons. It seems that perhaps the authors were not aware of genetic mutation, while somehow being aware that photosynthetic bacteria were among the earliest forms of life on Earth.

A Journey of Endless Discovery

The Gospel of Thomas, with its enigmatic teachings, serves not only as a collection of spiritual insights but as a beacon guiding us on a path of self-discovery and cosmic exploration. Each saying, a world unto itself, invites us to question, reflect, and grow. This journey through the Gospel is not simply an intellectual endeavor; it is a spiritual odyssey that beckons us to engage with the mysteries of existence and embrace the endless pursuit of wisdom and understanding.

As we close this chapter of our exploration, we are reminded that the journey through the Gospel of Thomas is an ongoing pilgrimage — a journey without end, where each step leads to new horizons of understanding, and each insight opens the door to further mysteries, inviting us into an ever-deepening dialogue with the cosmos and our place within it.

In the next article in this series, we will examine Sayings Thirteen and Fourteen.

Jesus said to his disciples, “If you were to compare me to someone, who would you say I’m like?” Simon Peter said to him, “You’re like a just angel.” Matthew said to him, “You’re like a wise philosopher.” Thomas said to him, “Teacher, my mouth is unable to say what you resemble.” Jesus said, “I’m not your teacher. Because you’ve drunk, you’ve become intoxicated by the bubbling spring I’ve measured out.” He took him aside and told him three things. When Thomas returned to his companions, they asked, “What did Jesus say to you?” Thomas said to them, “If I tell you one of the things he said to me, you’ll pick up stones and cast them at me, and fire will come out of the stones and burn you up.” (Gospel of Thomas Saying 13)

And

Jesus said to them, “If you fast, you’ll bring guilt upon yourselves; and if you pray, you’ll be condemned; and if you make donations, you’ll harm your spirits. “If they welcome you when you enter any land and go around in the countryside, heal those who are sick among them and eat whatever they give you, because it’s not what goes into your mouth that will defile you. What comes out of your mouth is what will defile you.” (Gospel of Thomas Saying 14)

A Sincere Tribute to My Devoted Readers:

Graham Pemberton, ✅ Doc Samurai Sam 🍿, gab1930s, Martin Cabina, Dr Nick Stafford, Peter Sahota, ❤️ Never Give Up ❤️, 🌅🌅 Mindful Zen Garden 🌅🌅.