Early Christian Writings Gospel of Thomas Saying 103 Previous - Gospel of Thomas Home - Next

You can view this web page along with Grondin's Coptic/English Interlinear in frames.
Nag Hammadi Coptic Text Funk's Parallels
GThom 21:3, Luke
12:39-40, Matt 24:37-44,
1 Thess 5:2, 2 Pet 3:10,
Rev 3:3, Rev 16:15.

BLATZ LAYTON DORESSE

(103) Jesus said: Blessed is
the man who knows [in
which] part (of the night)
the robbers are coming, that
he may rise and gather his
[ . . . ] and gird up his loins
before they come in.
(103) Jesus said, "Blessed is
the man who recognizes
[which] district the brigands
are going to enter, so as to
arise, gather (the forces of)
his domain, and arm himself
before they enter."
107 [103]. Jesus says:
"Blessed is the man who
knows [where] the robbers
are going to enter, so that he
watches, he gathers his [. . .]
and girds his loins before
they enter."

Visitor Comments Scholarly Quotes

The brigands are the learnt
self-destructive attitudes.
When one is aware of them
one can arm one's self with
one's learnt constructive
attitudes.
- Rodney
I think the key word in
understanding this saying is
"arise". According to Marvin
Meyer's interpretation of
Saying 17 in the Q Thomas
Reader, the last part of this
saying is "what has not
arisen in the human heart".
As someone notes there (re
saying 17), but modified to
be consistent with the Meyer
translation, Jesus is
promising to arise in our
hearts when we understand
the Gospel of Thomas well
enough. So I read Saying
103 here as follows:
"Servants and dupes of Satan
Gerd Ludemann writes: "The beatitude picks up the woe from the previous logion.
The logion is a free version of 21.5-7; Matt. 24.43-44/Luke 12.39-40 (=Q). It puts a
new emphasis on the Q parallel by indicating the place (and not the time) of the
attack. Perhaps Thomas could interpret this logion in a Gnostic way, starting from
'know'." (Jesus After 2000 Years, pp. 639-640)
J. D. Crossan writes: "There are five major differences betwewen this version [103]
and the preceding one [21]. (a) The form of 21c was metaphor succeeded by
application, that of 103 is beatitude, beginning with the Greek loan-word makarios.
(b) In 21c the protagonist is a householder, but in 103 he is simply a man, and there
is no mention at all of a house. (c) In 21c the metaphor mentions a singular thief, but
the application mentions the plural brigands or robbers. In 103 there is only mention
of brigands or robbers, using the same Greek loan-word as earlier in 21c. (d) In 21c it
is a question of knowing the time of attack, but in 103 it is the place of attack that is
in question. There is, however, a textual problem here. The Coptic reads literally:
'Blessed is the man who knows in what part the robbers are coming' (Wilson,
1973:521). The problem is whether 'part,' using the Greek loan-word meros, is to be
taken as 'part (of the property),' that is, 'where' (so Lambdin: 129), or 'part (of the
night),' that is, 'when' (so Guillaumont, 1959:52-53). I am accepting the Lambdin
interpretation because there are enough other differences between Thomas and Q on
this saying to render intrusions from Q into Thomas on this point at least doubtful. (e)
This is also an important point but it depends on an even greater textual problem, one
of restoration rather than interpretation. In 21c the phrase 'his house of his domain'
(tefmentero) appears, as was seen earlier. In 103 the protagonist sets out to 'muster his
menet [. . .].' That is, the object of that action is uncertain because of a bad tear in the
manuscripts outside top corner. Most translators attempt no reconstruction after 'his.'
(the 'Great Deceiver') will
soon try to break your faith.
The assault will be
formidable. Understand the
Gospel of Thomas well and
their lies will be met with
truth." It sounds scary. But
the big point seems to be that
Christians had better well
start understanding the
Gospel of Thomas if they are
going to save their faith.
- jayjay
Know Yourself! For there are
brigands within...
- Thief37
103
Alias:
They simply leave a gap. But Lambdin proposes reading 'muster his domain,'
presuming menter (domain, kingdom) as the missing word. If that reconstruction is
correct, it is an important connection between 21c and 103, and it would indicate that
103 has infiltrated the application not only by the plural 'robbers' or 'brigands,' but
also by the term 'domain' or 'kingdom.' I find this reconstruction very appealing, but
there is a major problem in that the manuscript's photographic copy evidences a
fourth letter after that opening triad (mnt), a fourth letter that is mostly lost in the
lacuna but which could not be e or r. Accordingly, although I accept Lambdin's
'muster his domain,' I do so with some doubts." (In Fragments, pp. 62-63)
J. D. Crossan continues: "But even apart from that reconstruction, it is now clear that
there are important content differences between Gos. Thom. 21c and 103. (a) That
latter text concerns a man knowing the place where brigands will invade his
property. Place, not time, is what is important. The former text concerns a
householder knowing that a thief is going to attack his house. One could presume
here that time (when) rather than place (where) is the significant point. But I would
emphasize that time is not explicitly mentioned within the metaphor itself and that
place would seem even more indicated in the application ('find a way to come to
you'). (b) That application in 21c links even more closely with the distant image in
103 than with the proximate and preceding one in 21c itself. One sees, in other
words, a slight movement from explicit place in 103 to implicit time in 21c's
metaphor, but with 21c's application still capable of moving in either direction." (In
Fragments, p. 63)

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Early Christian Writings Gospel of Thomas Saying 103 Previous - Gospel of Thomas Home - Next