Early Christian Writings Gospel of Thomas Saying 50 Previous - Gospel of Thomas Home - Next

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Nag Hammadi Coptic Text Funk's Parallels
GThom 84, GThom 83.

BLATZ LAYTON DORESSE

(50) Jesus said: If they say
to you: Whence have you
come?, say to them: We
have come from the light,
the place where the light
came into being of itself. It
[established itself], and it
revealed itself in their
image. If they say to you:
Who are you?, say: We are
his sons, and we are the
elect of the living Father. If
they ask you: What is the
sign of your Father in you?,
say to them: It is movement
and rest.
(50) Jesus said, "If they say
to you (plur.), 'Where are
you from?' say to them, 'It is
from light that we have
come - from the place
where light, of its own
accord alone, came into
existence and [stood at rest].
And it has been shown forth
in their image.' If they say
to you, 'Is it you?' say 'We
are its offspring, and we are
the chosen of the living
father.' If they ask you,
'What is the sign of your
father within you?' say to
them, 'It is movement and
repose.'"
55 [50]. Jesus says: "If
people ask you: 'Where
have you come from?' tell
them: 'We have come from
the Light, from the place
where the Light is produced
[. . .] outside itself <or: of
itself?>. It [. . .] until they
show (?) [. . .] their image.'
If someone says to you:
'What are you?' say: 'We are
the sons and we are the
elect of the living Father.' If
<people> ask you: 'What
sign of your Father is in
you?' tell them: 'It is a
movement and a rest.'"

Visitor Comments Scholarly Quotes

Another NT reference is
James 1:17, which refers to
God as "Father of Heavenly
Lights".
- Steve Allison
Jesus is expressing here the
universal truth that
transcends labels like "God"
Robert M. Grant and David Noel Freedman write: "This saying continues the thought
of Saying 50. The disciples are the light of the world (Matthew 7:14) because Jesus is
th elight of the world (John 8:12). They are from above, from the place where the
light shines in the darkness (John 1:5). They are sons of the light (?), and the elect. If
men ask for a sign, as they asked Jesus (Mark 8:11-12; Matthew 16:1-4; Luke 11:16,
29-30), no startling miracle can be shown them, but only 'a movement and a rest.'
The 'rest' must be the rest characteristic of the kingdom (Sayings 1 [Greek], 52, 90);
the 'movement' is ultimately that of the unmoved mover, according to the Naassenes
(Hippolytus, Ref., 5, 7, 25)." (The Secret Sayings of Jesus, pp. 160-161)
and "Father." Compare "rest
and motion" with this
description of the Tao by
Chuang-tse: "It stands alone
and it does not change. It
moves around and around
and does not on this account
suffer. All life comes from
it."
- iver
The light is one's innate self,
connecting one to the
universe. Each disciple is the
child of the innate parent
self. When one is united in
both thought and feeling
(fielnking) one is in the
moving stillness of the
eternal now.
- Rodney
We have come from the light
of perception/ self
perception/ consciousness
which has self generated
from the primordial potential
into the Source, our "father".
We are the sons and
daughters of that Source of
Consciousness, in the image
of that Consciousness. We
are here to act/move and to
contemplate (on our actions)/
rest and thereby learn of our
true nature and right way of
being.
- active mystic
In Thomas 50, "movement
and rest" is talking about the
truth: 1. It is breath that
moves in all, it is the lifeline
the living and non living, and
the Universe, it is the
lifeline. 2. It is it that carries
the truth, knowledge and
wisdom, a true light. 3. It is
it that is just one,
omnipresent in all. 4.
F. F. Bruce writes: "The subject-matter of this saying is much the same as that of
Saying 49; for the place of light cf. Sayings 24, 77. The relationship to the living
Father has been mentioned in Saying 3 (cf. Saying 37). For the 'image' see Saying 83.
The 'movement' may be the re-ascent to the realm of light; the 'rest' is probably that
which is the goal of the true Gnostic (Sayings 1 [Greek], 51, 90)." (Jesus and
Christian Origens Outside the New Testament, p. 133)
Stevan Davies writes: "In Gos. Thom. 50 'they' are perhaps people to whom
Thomasine Christians may chance to speak, possible converts to a missionary
movement. But more likely, since questioning 'disciples' are specified in sayings 51,
52, 53, the questioning 'they' of saying 50 are probably intended to be leaders who
appeal to the tradition of the disciples. That Thomas is engaged in dispute with 'those
who lead you' is evident from saying 3."
(http://www.misericordia.edu/users/davies/thomas/jblprot.htm)
Stevan Davies writes of 50a: "As all things came from the light (saying 77), so those
who came from the light are distinguished not by their manner of origin but by their
realization of the fact. the place in which the light came into being is the place of Gen
1:3. Because the light persists in the world as the kingdom of God, there is no idea
here of a fall of the light. A person who is the restored unmanifest image of God will
manifest to himself the primordial light which is upon the world (sayings 22, 24, 83,
84)." (http://www.misericordia.edu/users/davies/thomas/jblprot.htm)
Stevan Davies writes of 50b: "Light is the creative force in Thomas (Gos. Thom. 77;
Gen 1:3). As people are created through the light of the Father, they are children of
the light or sons of the living Father (saying 3) or, equivalently, the elect of the living
Father. Whereas all people are potentially children of the light, only those aware of
this fact are in actuality children, elect, sons, etc."
(http://www.misericordia.edu/users/davies/thomas/jblprot.htm)
Stevan Davies writes of 50c: "The seven days of Genesis begin with the Spirit
moving upon the waters, continue through six days of the movement of creation, and
conclude with a day of repose. If the state of actualized humanity is that of the
beginning--insofar as the beginning is movement and repose--then the sign of the
Father in actualized humanity is the same."
(http://www.misericordia.edu/users/davies/thomas/jblprot.htm)
Stevan Davies writes: "The colloquy found in saying 50 between people who know
their origins and people who interrogate them, asking 'Where do you come from?' 'Is
it you?' and asking for 'the sign of your father within you,' is not unlike colloquies
found in the Gospel of John. In John 8:12-59, for example we find such statements as
'I am the light of the world,' 'I know where I came from and where I am going. But
you do not know where I came from or where I am going,' as well as such questions
as 'they said to him, "Where is your father?"'; 'they said to him, "Who are you?"'; and
'how can you say, "You will become free?"' The rather well-established similarities
between Thomas and John should lead one to look to John for clues to the
understanding of Thomas's enigmas."
(http://www.misericordia.edu/users/davies/thomas/jblprot.htm)
Funk and Hoover write: "The miniature catechism of Thomas 49 is continued in this
complex of sayings. The antecedent of the pronoun 'they' in v. 1 is unspecified, but
the pattern of hypothetical questions followed by appropriate responses is often
Ignorance of the knowing of
breath can be bliss at times
but leads one into an endless
loop of unskillful thoughts.
But when we know it, the
calmness lies within, which
is rest and the path to light
and ultimate rest. The more
we dip(inquire) (move) into
the breath, the more we
achieve calmness or rest.
- Robert
50
Alias:
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repeated in gnostic instructional materials, such as many of the tractates found in the
Nag Hammadi library. In these materials, the 'they' often refers to the various rulers
(or powers) who guard the way heavenward - the way back to the region of light -
through which those who are saved must pass. The responses are passwords designed
to placate these heavenly guardians. Both the language and the ideas in this miniature
catechism are far removed from the language and ideas of Jesus." (The Five Gospels,
p. 502)
Marvin Meyer writes: "This saying is one of the most overtly mythological sayings
in the Gospel of Thomas. Much of what is recounted here is familiar from ancient
descriptions of the life of the soul, particularly gnostic descriptions (for example, the
Hymn of the Pearl in Acts of Thomas 108-13). Many of the specific features of this
saying resemble the myth that is presented in more detail in the Secret Book of John.
The question asked and the answers given in the saying also recall accounts of the
heavenly powers interrogating the soul as it passes through the spheres of heaven.
According to Irenaeus, Against Heresies 1.21.5, the soul is to respond, 'I am a child
of the father, the father who is preexistent, a child, moreover, is the one who is
preexistent. . . . I trace my origin from the one who is preexistent and back to what is
my own, from where I have come.' Then, Irenaeus observes, it is thought that the soul
can escape from the powers." (The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus,
p. 89)
John S. Kloppenborg, Marvin W. Meyer, Stephen J. Patterson, and Michael G.
Steinhauser state: "In this sequence of sayings the Gospel of Thomas has moved
beyond the realm of conventional wisdom and into a perspective more akin to
Gnosticism. Gnostics believed that they were ultimately not of the present, evil world
at all, but rather were descended from the one high God who lieves aloft in heavenly
remove from the cosmos. Their presence in the world is due to a great tragic mistake
whereby the demiurge, a rebellious angel, sought to create something of its own
volition apart from God. The result was the creation of the earth, and at the same
time a rupture in the primeval perfection of the divine realm. In this rupture, parts of
the divine realm became trapped in the evil creation of the demiurge, spirits
(PNEUMATA) embodied in persons, who someday must win their release from the
evil world, and return to the divine realm from whence they have come. This, or a
similar mythological framework, is presupposed in Sayings 49-50. The Thomas
Christian is told of his/her origin and ultimate destiny, and finally, is given the secret
passwords to be used in the re-ascent past the many heavenly guardians who would
block their path." (Q-Thomas Reader, pp. 96-97)
Helmut Koester writes: "The religious perspective represented in such Thomas
sayings as these [49 and 50] has often been associated with Gnosticism. Gnostics
believed that both their origin and their destiny lay in the supreme deity who dwells
in a heavenly place removed from the evil world, the creation of a rebellious angel or
demiurge. Though this demiurge seeks to hold humans in ignorance of their true
identity, in sleepiness and intoxication, a divine messenger will come and awake
them and relieve them from the bonds of ignorance by bringing true knowledge about
themselves. In saying #28 of the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus speaks with the voice of
this heavenly messenger . . . However, this moment of return to which the Thomas
Christians aspire requires preparation beyond the simple memorization of passwords,
about which Gos. Thom. 50 speaks. One must also cultivate the proper understanding
 of the world in order to be ready to leave its confines when the time comes: [56 and
80]." (Ancient Christian Gospels, pp. 125-126)
Stevan Davies writes: "Koester and Patterson's often-published perspective on
sayings 49 and 50 is plain wrong. They believe that one may justly infer that these
sayings especially, but others as well, derive from the thought world of those
Gnostics who 'believed that both their origin and their destiny lay in the supreme
deity who dwells in a heavenly place removed from the evil world, the creation of a
rebellious angel or demiurge...' and that saying 50 speaks of 'the simple
memorization of passwords' to be delivered to archons so as to enable Thomasine
Christians to ascend from the confines of this world when the time comes . . . These
ideas apply to the Apocryphon of John but not to the Gospel of Thomas in whole or
in part. Thomas urges individuals to seek and find the kingdom of God spread upon
the earth now (sayings 3, 113). Those who come from the light come from light here
now (sayings 24, 77). The light of the beginning is here now (saying 18) and
Thomas's references to the beginning are consistent with first-century exegesis of
Genesis 1 and 2. Thomas nowhere refers to any demiurge or to any rebellious angel
or any place for the kingdom apart from this world). Thomas knows nothing of
archons to whom passwords are to be delivered, nor does Thomas mention any
ascent by anyone to anywhere."
(http://www.misericordia.edu/users/davies/thomas/jblprot.htm)
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