Aging Project XCV

 

Copyright © 2024 by Donald C. Traxler.

Gospel of Thomas 81, 82 in English and Udugi ꭴꮪꭹ

 

Saying 81: Riches and Renunciation (1)

Jesus said, "Whoever has become rich should become a ruler, and whoever has power should renounce it."

 tsisa hinegise, "nasgiquo-yigi didolagise uwenai aseuse didolagi asdawadvsdosgi, ale nasgiquo-yigi uhase ulanigvgvne, aseuse diyohisdi nasgine.

ᏥᏌ ᎯᏁᎩᏎ, "ᎾᏍᎩᏉ-ᏱᎩ ᏗᏙᎳᎩᏎ ᎤᏪᎾᎢ ᎠᏎᎤᏎ ᏗᏙᎳᎩ ᎠᏍᏓᏩᏛᏍᏙᏍᎩ, ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩᏉ-ᏱᎩ ᎤᎭᏎ ᎤᎳᏂᎬᎬᏁ, ᎠᏎᎤᏎ ᏗᏲᎯᏍᏗ ᎾᏍᎩᏁ.

Saying 82: Jesus and Fire (2)

Jesus said, "Whoever is near me is near the fire, and whoever is far from me is far from the kingdom."

tsisa hinegise, "nasgiquo-yigi gesvase navnige ayv gesvase navnige atsilv, ale nasgiquo-yigi gwsvase inv ayv nidvblenvda gesvase inv ugvwiyuhiyi nidvlenvda."

ᏥᏌ ᎯᏁᎩᏎ, "ᎾᏍᎩᏉ-ᏱᎩ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎾᎥᏂᎨ ᎠᏴ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎾᎥᏂᎨ ᎠᏥᎸ, ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩᏉ-ᏱᎩ gwᏒᎠᏎ ᎢᏅ ᎠᏴ ᏂᏛbᎴᏅᏓ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎢᏅ ᎤᎬᏫᏳᎯᏱ ᏂᏛᎴᏅᏓ."

Walking on the Beach without You

 Today I walked on the beach without you,

for the first time in the four months since you passed,

and I found it very hard.

So many beaches, so many memories,

beaches on four continents,

beaches all over the world,

for forty-five years.

It's not that I have no one to walk with,

that isn't true.

In fact, you may have sent me someone,

but that someone

isn't you.

June 7, 2024

A Few Words about the Gospel of Thomas

At the risk of over-simplifying, I would like to pass along some things I have learned about the Gospel of Thomas (GTh) mainly from April D. DeConick in THE ORIGINAL GOSPEL OF THOMAS IN TRANSLATION (op. cit). She is a brilliant scholar and is, in my opinion, the leader when it comes to this subject.

On pages 19-21 of the above-mentioned book, De Conick does more to clarify what GTh is and where it came from than anyone else has. There is, first of all, the all-important distinction between the Kernel of GTh (which she dates to the mid-first century), and it's accretions. Then, there is the clear evidence for an Aramaic substratum. Most striking of all, to me at least, is the close relationship that she points to between GTh and the Pseudo-Clementine literature. 

On Page 20 we read the following:

"This evidence leads me to wonder how sceptical as scholars we should remain regarding Clement's claim found in the Pseudo-Clementines that he was hired by James to follow Peter, listen to his speeched about Jesus' teachings, and record them in books for the Jerusalem mission."

The import of this is that GTh represents pre-Synoptic material that was in Aramaic in its oral stage, and was then translated into Greek and from Greek into Coptic. As DeConick points out, different translation choices were often made, with many of the translation variants being well explainable by the Aramaic substratum. 

Clearly, the Gospel of Thomas is an extremely important document.

Gospel of Thomas 79, 80 in English and Udugi

 

Saying 79: Listening to the Message

A woman in the crowd said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that nourished you."

He said to [her], "Blessed are those who have listened to the message of the Father and kept it, because there will be days when you'll say, 'Blessed is the womb that didn't conceive and the breasts that haven't given milk.'"

ageya unadatlisahv hawina kanohedise atsvyv didla, "vdadilvquotanv gesvase ayelv na udenvise nihine, ale ganetsidi na adadelasdise nihine." atsvyai kanohedise nasgi didla, "vdadilvquotanv gasvase nasgi na hadvdasdise kanetsvne edoda vhnai ale asquanigododise nasgine, igvnisisgi gesvose igadi hilayvi nihi hinegose 'vdadilvquotanv ayelv na tla udevise, ale ganetsidi na tla adanedise unvdine."

ᎠᎨᏯ ᎤᎾᏓᏟᏌᎲ ᎭᏫᎾ ᎧᏃᎮᏗᏎ ᎠᏨᏴ ᏗᏜ, "ᎥᏓᏗᎸᏉᏔᏅ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎠᏰᎸ Ꮎ ᎤᏕᏅᎢᏎ ᏂᎯᏁ, ᎠᎴ ᎦᏁᏥᏗ Ꮎ ᎠᏓᏕᎳᏍᏗᏎ ᏂᎯᏁ." ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎧᏃᎮᏗᏎ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏗᏜ, "ᎥᏓᏗᎸᏉᏔᏅ ᎦᏒᎠᏎ ᎾᏍᎩ Ꮎ ᎭᏛᏓᏍᏗᏎ ᎧᏁᏨᏁ ᎡᏙᏓ ᎥᎿᎢ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏍᏆᏂᎪᏙᏗᏎ ᎾᏍᎩᏁ, ᎢᎬᏂᏏᏍᎩ ᎨᏒᎣᏎ ᎢᎦᏗ ᎯᎳᏴᎢ ᏂᎯ ᎯᏁᎪᏎ 'ᎥᏓᏗᎸᏉᏔᏅ ᎠᏰᎸ Ꮎ Ꮭ ᎤᏕᎥᎢᏎ, ᎠᎴ ᎦᏁᏥᏗ Ꮎ Ꮭ ᎠᏓᏁᏗᏎ ᎤᏅᏗᏁ."

Saying 80: The World is a Body

Jesus said, "Whoever has known the world has found the body; but whoever has found the body, of them the world isn't worthy."

tsisa hinegise, "nasgiquo-yigi onadvise equa-elohine awadvdise ayelvne; aseno nasgiquo-yigi awadvdise ayelvne, atsvyv vhnai equa-elohi tla gesvase tsugvwalodiya."

ᏥᏌ ᎯᏁᎩᏎ, "ᎾᏍᎩᏉ-ᏱᎩ ᎣᎾᏛᎢᏎ ᎡᏆ-ᎡᎶᎯᏁ ᎠᏩᏛᏗᏎ ᎠᏰᎸᏁ; ᎠᏎᏃ ᎾᏍᎩᏉ-ᏱᎩ ᎠᏩᏛᏗᏎ ᎠᏰᎸᏁ, ᎠᏨᏴ ᎥᎿᎢ ᎡᏆ-ᎡᎶᎯ Ꮭ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏧᎬᏩᎶᏗᏯ."

This Saying, along with its doublet, Saying 56, is extremely problematic. April D. DeConick has an excellent discussion of these Sayings on pp. 192-3 and 244-5 of THE ORIGINAL GOSPEL OF THOMAS IN TRANSLATION (op. cit.). In her opinion, the Coptic form of these two Sayings is pretty much nonsense, and they reflect a Semitic substratum which can explain several mistranslations. Finally, she offers an alternative interpretation: 'Whoever has come to know the world <<has mastered the body>>. The world does not deserve the person who <<has mastered the body>>. DeConick considers these two sayings to be accretions reflecting both encratism and hermetism, and dating to the latter half of the first century. Her references concerning the Semitic substratum are themselves worthy of study. 

Aging Project XCIV

 

© 2024 by Donald C. Traxler.

Gospel of Thomas 78 in English and Udugi ꭴꮪꭹ

 

Saying 78: Into the Desert

Jesus said, "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed shaken by the wind? A [person] wearing fancy clothes, [like your] rulers and powerful people? They (wear) fancy [clothes], but can't know the truth."

tsisa hinegise, "gadousdi nihi anagisdise inage didla gowati? wesigagogi adelvdiyita unole gvdodi? siyvwi dunuwao galvquodisgv dinuwone tsilv nihi ugvwiyuhidi ale ulanigidvdi? nasgidv anuwosdase galvqudisgv dinuwone, aseno nasgidv tla yeliquase unvti duyugodvne."

ᏥᏌ ᎯᏁᎩᏎ, "ᎦᏙᎤᏍᏗ ᏂᎯ ᎠᎾᎩᏍᏗᏎ ᎢᎾᎨ ᏗᏜ ᎪᏩᏘ? ᏪᏏᎦᎪᎩ ᎠᏕᎸᏗᏱᏔ ᎤᏃᎴ ᎬᏙᏗ? ᏏᏴᏫ ᏚᏄᏩᎣ ᎦᎸᏉᏗᏍᎬ ᏗᏄᏬᏁ ᏥᎸ ᏂᎯ ᎤᎬᏫᏳᎯᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎤᎳᏂᎩᏛᏗ? ᎾᏍᎩᏛ ᎠᏄᏬᏍᏓᏎ ᎦᎸqᎤᏗᏍᎬ ᏗᏄᏬᏁ, ᎠᏎᏃ ᎾᏍᎩᏛ Ꮭ ᏰᎵᏆᏎ ᎤᏅᏘ ᏚᏳᎪᏛᏁ."