Early Christian Writings Gospel of Thomas Saying 91 Previous - Gospel of Thomas Home - Next

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Nag Hammadi Coptic Text Funk's Parallels
Luke 12:54-56, Matt
16:1-4.

BLATZ LAYTON DORESSE

(91) They said to him: Tell
us who you are, that we
may believe in you. He said
to them: You test the face of
the sky and of the earth, and
him who is before you you
have not known, and you do
not know (how) to test this
moment.
(91) They said to him, "Tell
us who you are, so that we
might believe in you." He
said to them, "You (plur.)
are testing the face of
heaven and earth, and you
have not recognized the one
who is in your presence!
And you do not recognize
how to test the present
time."
95 [91]. They said to him:
"Tell us who thou art that
we may believe in thee." He
said to them: "You examine
the appearance of heaven
and earth, but He who is in
front of you you do not
recognise, and this moment
you know not how to
examine!"

Visitor Comments Scholarly Quotes

This might be another point
of saying that what we seek
on earth is irrelavant because
God is right here with us.
- Seeking Truth
To misquote A.N.Other:-
Each aspirant has to learn
how to learn, to know how to
know. These are not in-born
nor even conventionally
acquired capabilities. They
have to be taught to those
who enter a school
- Thief37
We tend to look everywhere
for answers except our own
present experience. If we
learn to see into this
moment, we can answer the
questions ourselves.
- Anon
R. McL. Wilson writes: "The actual saying is most closely parallel to Luke xii. 56, a
passage omitted from some manuscripts of Matthew; but the opening suggests that
the author knew Matthew xvi. 1-4 with the 'Western interpolation.' If this be so, the
specific reference to Pharisees and Sadducees has been omitted, and this would
suggest an advanced stage of the tradition. Grant and Freedman, like Doresse before
them, interpret of the disciples, quoting John viii. 25 ff., which may be correct for
Thomas as it stands; but we may also recall such texts as John x. 24: 'If Thou be the
Christ, tell us plainly,' and the many challenges put to Jesus by His opponents, who
demanded a 'sign.' The words inserted into the Lucan saying recall logion 5 (Know
what is in thy sight . . .), in which Puech has suggested that we should read a
masculine rather than a neuter. The Greek of logion 5 is unfortunately fragmentary,
and Coptic has no distinct neuter form, but confirmation for Puech's suggestion may
perhaps be found in logia 52 (the Living One who is before you) and 59 (Look upon
the Living One as long as you live . . .). Altogether, such sayings as logion 91 seem
to present excellent specimens of the development of the early tradition: floating
sayings, detached from their original context, the specific references smoothed away,
so that they could later be employed for quite a different purpose. Sometimes the
shorter versions which appear in Thomas have an appearance of originality, and one
is tempted to suggest that it is the Synoptic version which has suffered elaboration;
but such cases as this give warning against hasty conclusions." (Studies in the Gospel
of Thomas, pp. 65-66)
Unlike his disciples, Jesus
did not perceive himself as
being separate from all that
is. He did not use words and
his body as reference points.
For Jesus, like speechless
children, and Thomas, who
would not use words to utter
what Jesus was like, heaven
and earth are all
manifestations of the One.
The disciples wanted to
believe in the separate Jesus.
Jesus wanted them to see
that they, like heaven and
earth, are all part of the
eternal process of coming
and going. They, like heaven
and earth are passersby...all
the separate manifestations
will all pass away, but the
name of the Lord (the eternal
process itself) lasts forever.
- nothing
91
Alias:
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F. F. Bruce writes: "The disciples' request is similar to that of the man cured of his
blindness in John 9.36 (cf. John 8.25-30); Jesus's answer is based on his words in
Luke 12.54-56, but in this context the original historical reference has been replaced
by an exhortation to self-knowledge." (Jesus and Christian Origins Outside the New
Testament, p. 146)
Helmut Koester writes: "There is no trace in Thomas of the first part of this saying
(Q/Luke 12:54-55). The secondary address 'hypocrites' of Luke 12:56 (no parallel in
Matt 16:3b) is missing in Thomas as is Matthew's expansion 'the signs of the time.'"
(Ancient Christian Gospels, pp. 94-95)
J. D. Crossan writes: "In terms of form the Thomas text is an aphoristic dialogue, as
in Matt. 16:1-3, rather than an aphoristic saying, as in Q/Luke 12:54-56." (In
Fragments, p. 249)
J. D. Crossan writes: "In terms of content, there are two important differences
between Gos. Thom. 91 and Q/Luke 12:54-56. Thomas gives no concrete examples
of weather indications, yet he does mention 'the face of the sky and of the earth,' and
this fits with the types of indicatiosn mentioned in Luke: cloud and wind. But the
more significant change is that, corresponding to the opening question - 'They said to
him, "Tell us who You are so that we may believe in You"' - the aphoristic dialogue
contains 'but you have not recognized the one who (or: that which) is before you.'
This is best seen as 'a gnosticized reqorking of the saying we have known from Luke
12:56' (Sieber: 220)." (In Fragments, pp. 249-250)
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