Early Christian Writings Gospel of Thomas Saying 69 Previous - Gospel of Thomas Home - Next

You can view this web page along with Grondin's Coptic/English Interlinear in frames.
Nag Hammadi Coptic Text Funk's Parallels
Luke 6:22-23, Luke
6:21a, Matt 5:10-12, Matt
5:6.

BLATZ LAYTON DORESSE

(69) Jesus said: Blessed are
those who have been
persecuted in their heart;
these are they who have
known the Father in truth.
Blessed are the hungry, for
the belly of him who desires
will be filled.
(69) Jesus said, "Blessed are
those who have been
persecuted in their hearts. It
is they who have truly come
to be acquainted with the
father. Blessed are they who
hunger for the belly of the
needy to be satisfied."
73 [69]. Jesus says:
"Blessed are those who are
persecuted in their hearts.
They are those who have
known (?) the Father in
truth! Blessed are those who
are hungry, because they
will satisfy their bellies to
<their> content!"

Visitor Comments Scholarly Quotes

When you grow up knowing
your whole life that you
desparately need to find God
(the Father of the Universe)
because something is very
wrong with the world, then
you will know what the
persecution and torment in
the heart is all about. I have
spent a good part of 25 years
searching. I was very hungry.
But now I have found Him,
and my belly is getting more
full by the minute. Having
the faith "of" (key
preposition here) Jesus
(pbuh) is easy now
(including abstinence). Peace
be upon you.
- whacky
69
Alias:
Marvin Meyer writes: "In Who Is the Rich Man? 25, Clement of Alexandria asserts
that 'the most difficult persecution is from within,' from pleasures and passions: 'The
one being persecuted cannot escape it, for he carries the enemy around within
himself everywhere.'" (The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus, p. 96)
Robert M. Grant and David Noel Freedman write: "Like Saying 69 [68], this one is
based on gospel Beatitudes. From the blessing on those who are persecuted (Matthew
5:10), Thomas turns to add materials taken from Matthew 5:8: 'Blessed are the pure
in heart, for they shall see God'; for him the vision of God is equivalent to knwing
'the Father in truth' (knowing and worshiping the Father in truth, John 4:22-23). Then
he goes back to Matthew 5:6 (hungering for righteousness, being filled), though with
the parallel verse in Luke (6:21) he omits 'for righteousness.'" (The Secret Sayings of
Jesus, p. 174)
R. McL. Wilson writes: "In both cases [68 and 69] Grant and Freedman see only
development from our Gospels; if they are right it is interesting, in view of the
Naassene tendency to reversal of order, to note that we have in logion 69 elements
from Matthew v. 10, 8 and 6 in that sequence. Bartsch sees in logion 68 a type of
expansion which has already begun in Matthew, adn notes further development in 1
Peter iv. 14-16. Quispel, however, finds parallels in the Clementines and in Polycarp,
which may point to a common tradition, but these must be closely scrutinized."
(Studies in the Gospel of Thomas, p. 81)
Funk and Hoover write: "There were probably at least four beatitudes in Jesus'
repertoire (poor, hungry, weeping, persecuted: Luke 6:20-22). The formulation of the
fourth in Q, which has been preserved here in Thomas in slightly different forms
(Thom 68, 69:1), has been influenced by the persecution of the members of the
 Christian community after Jesus' death. In both its Thomean versions, the saying has
been modified to suit the perspectives of Thomas. Scholars have not determined whta
'and no place will be found, wherever you have been persecuted' means, and so
cannot determine whether it could have originated with Jesus. The term 'place,'
however, appears elsewhere in Thomas with special significance (for example, Thom
4:1; 24:1; 60:6; and 64:12, where Jesus is made to say, 'Buyers and merchants will
not enter the places of my Father'). The wording in 69:1 is clearly Thomean, since
knowing the Father is the goal of Christians for Thomas." (The Five Gospels, p. 512)
Post the Note Gerd Ludemann writes: "The statement about persecution in the heart is unclear;
perhaps the Coptic translator has mistranslated the text 'Blessed are the persecuted
who are of a pure heart' (cf. Matt 5.8). Thomas has here introduced the key word
Discuss it now at AMC
'persecute' from Logion 68. The second part of v. 1 certainly comes from him since to
forums!
attain the 'knowledge of the Father' is one of the goals of Thomas (cf. 50.2-3)."
(Jesus After 2000 Years, p. 625)
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Early Christian Writings Gospel of Thomas Saying 69 Previous - Gospel of Thomas Home - Next