Saying 34: The Parable of Those Who Can't See
Jesus said, "If someone who's blind leads someone else who's blind, both of them fall into a pit."
tsisa hinegise, "iyuno gilo-asiyvwi na gesvase digewi datinase giloine na gesvase nasquv digewi, igvla ulosvgase atalesv nahnai."
ᏥᏌ ᎯᏁᎩᏎ, "ᎢᏳᏃ ᎩᎶ-ᎠᏏᏴᏫ Ꮎ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏗᎨᏫ ᏓᏘᎾᏎ ᎩᎶᎢᏁ Ꮎ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎾᏍᏋ ᏗᎨᏫ, ᎢᎬᎳ ᎤᎶᏒᎦᏎ ᎠᏔᎴᏒ ᎾᎿᎢ."
Saying 35: The Parable of Binding the Strong
Jesus said, "No one can break into the house of the strong and take it by force without tying the hands of the strong. Then they can loot the house."
tsisa hinegise, "tlagiloi yeliquase ayogi galitsode nahnai nulinigvgvhi yvwi ale agisdi nasgine gasadoyasdi gvdodi nutloyasdvna igvyi dakanete uwoyenidine nulinigvgvhi yvwi vhnai. gila nasgidv yeliquase usiwasgisdi galitsodine.
ᏥᏌ ᎯᏁᎩᏎ, "ᏝᎩᎶᎢ ᏰᎵᏆᏎ ᎠᏲᎩ ᎦᎵᏦᏕ ᎾᎿᎢ ᏄᎵᏂᎬᎬᎯ ᏴᏫ ᎠᎴ ᎠᎩᏍᏗ ᎾᏍᎩᏁ ᎦᏌᏙᏯᏍᏗ ᎬᏙᏗ ᏄᏠᏯᏍᏛᎾ ᎢᎬᏱ ᏓᎧᏁᏖ ᎤᏬᏰᏂᏗᏁ ᏄᎵᏂᎬᎬᎯ ᏴᏫ ᎥᎿᎢ. ᎩᎳ ᎾᏍᎩᏛ ᏰᎵᏆᏎ ᎤᏏᏩᏍᎩᏍᏗ ᎦᎵᏦᏗᏁ.
Saying 36: Anxiety
Jesus said, "Don't be anxious from morning to evening or from evening to morning about what you'll wear."
tsisa hinegise, "tla gesvu owanvgv sunalei nidvlenvda svhiyeyi didla ale svhiyeyi nidvlenvda sunalei didla gado aniyelvsgv nihi dunuwose."
ᏥᏌ ᎯᏁᎩᏎ, "Ꮭ ᎨᏒᎤ ᎣᏩᏅᎬ ᏑᎾᎴᎢ ᏂᏛᎴᏅᏓ ᏒᎯᏰᏱ ᏗᏜ ᎠᎴ ᏒᎯᏰᏱ ᏂᏛᎴᏅᏓ ᏑᎾᎴᎢ ᏗᏜ ᎦᏙ ᎠᏂᏰᎸᏍᎬ ᏂᎯ ᏚᏄᏬᏎ."
Translator's Note: Saying 36 is extant in two versions: the one I've given above, which is the shorter and is the one found in the Coptic text; and a longer. older, fragmentary Greek version, known as P. Oxy. 655 (which depends upon modern reconstructions to make it complete). April D. DeConick, whom I consider to be the world's foremost GTh scholar at present, has shown how the longer, Greek version of Logion 36 came to be replaced by the short version after the accretion of Logion 37 (which also has to do with clothing), in order to avoid the appearance of a contradiction between the two Logia. I have stayed with the version in the Coptic text, since it is in excellent condition and requires no modern, hypothetical reconstructions. An interesting point though, brought out by DeConick and by Guillaumont before her, is that the phrase "from morning until evening and from evening until morning" is a Semitic idiom, meaning "continuously." DeConick points to examples at Ex. 18:13 and 27:21. All of this goes to show that, while the Greek version predated the Coptic one, there was, in all probability, an even older text in Aramaic or Hebrew. I wish we had that older text, but perhaps one day we can do the next best thing by translating GTh back into one of those Semitic languages. I'm sure that it would be quite illuminating.
