Foreword by Jacob Needleman
Abbreviations
Introduction
The Text of the Gospel of Thomas
Commentary
Resources
Bibliography
Jean-Yves Leloup is the founder of the Institute of Other Civilization Studies and the International College of Therapists. His other books include the bestselling The Gospel of Mary Magdalene and The Gospel of Philip. He lives in France.
"Among all the astonishing documents unearthed in 1945 near the
desert village of Nag Hammadi, the Gospel of Thomas has made the
greatest impact on our understanding of Christianity. . . . The
words in this text have the power to touch an unknown part of
ourselves that brings with it an undeniable recognition of truth
and hope."
*Jacob Needleman, author of Lost Christianity and The American
Soul*
"In this remarkable book, scholar-mystic Jean-Yves Leloup invites
us to meditate on the ‘eternal jewel,’ the revelation of Jesus, and
on the reign of God spread all around us, within and without. May
these logia of Jesus translated from the Gospel of Thomas fall on
good soil and yield a bountiful harvest of peace, justice, and
enlightenment."
*Margaret Starbird, author of The Woman with the Alabaster Jar:
Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail*
"Leloup (The Gospel of Mary Magdalene; The Gospel of Philip),
founder of the Institute of Other Civilization Studies and the
International College of Therapists, reminds readers early in his
introduction that 'whether we like it or not, Yeshua of Nazareth
was not a writer. It is therefore impossible to speak of 'the
authentic words of Jesus'.' Because spoken words, later recorded,
bear the indelible imprint of the listener, Leloup emphasizes that
they represent only part of the truth; he invites us to consider
the Gospels as a whole as '[d]ifferent points of view that exist
both within us and outside of us, in historical and meta-historical
dimensions.' Thus he humbly offers his translation as one among
many. Following the complete text of the Gospel of Thomas,
presented in both Coptic and an elegantly translated English (by
Joseph Rowe, from the French) Leloup delicately unfolds its petals
of meaning, logion (saying) by logion. Simultaneously inspiring and
enlightening, his interpretation far surpasses mere exegesis,
instead intricately melding the now with the then, the self with
the Christ. Paraphrases from Meister Eckhart intermingle with
quotations from Kafka and Dostoyevski, which coincide with
wide-ranging religious references--from Judaism and Greek Orthodoxy
to Krishnamurti and Shankara. If ever a translation of Thomas's
gospel merited a place in a reader's back pocket, this is it."
*Publisher's Weekly, March 14, 2005*
"I'm very impressed with this new book on the Gospel of Thomas, and
even the Forward offers much insight and depth. In his Forward,
Jacob Needleman suggests that the proper work of the mind is to
function at two levels: the level of silence and the level of
expression, with the former being superior to the latter, and that
the wisdom borne out of the depths of contemplative silence is
what's dangerously lacking in the world today, what he calls 'the
tragedy of our modern era.' 'What our modern world has suffered
from most of all is runaway ideology, the agitated attachment to
ideas that thereby become the playthings of infrahuman energies.
This is the great danger of all ideologies, whether political,
religious, or academic.' He observes that the energy that must
guide us can only come from another, higher level within the human
psyche, 'a level that is experienced as silence.'
"The Format: The first section of Jean-Yves Leloup's latest book
presents the text of the Gospel of Thomas in the Coptic language on
the left-hand pages, and the English translations on the pages to
the right. Even if you have other versions of Thomas, it would be
quite useful to also have this one, as there are some important
differences. The rest of the book consists of the commentary on
each of the one hundred fourteen proverbs and parables of 'Yeshua
the Living One,' many of which seem as terse and enigmatic as Zen
koans, the mystic-wisdom of an Eastern Sage. The collection begins
with this mysterious statement: 'Whoever lives the interpretation
of these words will no longer taste death.'
"At last! someone who is a contemplative soul has published some
valuable reflections on this Gnostic Gospel found at Nag Hammadi in
Egypt. In The Gospel of Thomas, Jean-Yves Leloup presents not so
much a commentary on these ancient sayings of Yeshua, but a
meditation 'that arises from the tilled earth of our silence.' He
says that 'it is from this ground of inner silence, rather than
from mental agitation, that these words of Yeshua can bear their
fruit of Light.' He writes, 'Pope Gregory I said that only a
prophet could understand the prophets. And it is said that only a
poet can understand a poet. Who, then, must we be in order to
understand Yeshua?' Perhaps only a lover of Gnosis can truly
appreciate the wisdom of a Gnostic Gospel. Leloup is the founder of
the Institute of Other Civilization Studies and the International
College of Therapists. His other books include the bestselling, The
Gospel of Mary Magdalene and The Gospel of Philip."
*James Bean, Spiritual Awakening Radio Productions*
"If you're looking for a coherent translation and commentary of The
Gospel of Thomas I think this is it."
*Blue Flame Magick Blog at Word Press, October 2010*
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