There is an idea out there that the gospels are not true to the teachings of Jesus himself, and Christs actual teachings were more in line with the gospel of Thomas, supposedly. I am not sure what the idea of this concept is called
Carefully orchestrated heretical apostate nonsense! The Nag Hamadi find is a collection of discarded gnostic texts. The key here is twofold:
a) Discarded
b) Gnostic (not Christian)
c)
But because it is important for the Anti-Christ spirit of the allegedly Christian “Critical School” (who are hardly Christians) to discredit the Gospels, the Authors of all Biblical Texts, and the Jesus presented to us by His apostles (who’s minds were opened to the scriptures by Him).
The alleged Christian “Critical School” is a movement by scholars who try to create alternative explanations of history for the cause, ignoring what we have as actual historical evidence. This group (chief of whom at this time are the members and sad but willing victims of the Jesus Seminar opinions…who in the end roll colored stones to determine whether Jesus sis or sis not actually say many things…most of whom do not believe in many of the essential Christian doctrines passed on by the Apostles themselves to their earliest followers appointed to lead the next generation).
In the
History of the Church written about a decade before the Council of Nicea, the church Historian Eusibius (whose collection of works still included an original Hebrew/Aramaic Matthew which still existed for Jerome to see) after reporting about the books always accepted as Legitimate Apostolic works by ALL, has this to say:
Among the disputed writings must be reckoned also the Acts of Paul, and the so-called Shepherd, and the Apocalypse of Peter, and in addition to these the extant epistle of Barnabas, and the so-called Teachings of the Apostles; and besides, as I said, the Apocalypse of John, if it seem proper, which some, as I said, reject, but which others class with the accepted books. And among these some have placed also the Gospel according to the Hebrews, with which those of the Hebrews that have accepted Christ are especially delighted. And all these may be reckoned among the disputed books.
But we have nevertheless felt compelled to give a catalogue of these also, distinguishing those works which according to ecclesiastical tradition are true and genuine and commonly accepted, from those others which, although not canonical but disputed, are yet at the same time known to most ecclesiastical writers-we have felt compelled to give this catalogue in order that we might be able to know both these works and those that are cited by the heretics under the name of the apostles, including, for instance, such books as the Gospels of Peter, of Thomas, of Matthias, or of any others besides them, and the Acts of Andrew and John and the other apostles, which no one belonging to the succession of ecclesiastical writers has deemed worthy of mention in his writings. And further, the character of the style is at variance with apostolic usage, and both the thoughts and the purpose of the things that are related in them are so completely out of accord with true orthodoxy that they clearly show themselves to be the fictions of heretics. Wherefore they are not to be placed even among the rejected writings, but are all of them to be cast aside as absurd and impious.
(Eusebius,
the Church History 3:25)
So we see here that not only are these final works disputed but to be cast away as fictional lies even though some of them contain some of the words and passages found in legitimate New Testament works. The gospel of Thomas was first rejected as a gnostic heresy as soon as it was written in the 2nd century (a century after Thomas was killed) by Irenaeus and NO CHURCH founded by the Apostles EVER accepted the gospel of Thomas OR GNOSTICISM in any way. Gnostic sayings like “The male shall become the female and the female the male” slipped in among actual words they took from the four always legitimate always accepted by all gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
In the writings of the early church fathers we see stories passed down about the ever ongoing fight to prove the gnostics were NEVER considered a wing of Christianity. One tells us that John wrote his gospel partly to speak to the unbelieving Jews is exhile and as a response to Gnosticism and their false teachers and prophets. One tells of John commanding his disciples to flee from a bath house as now defiled because Cerinthus (his gnostic opponent) has entered in.
Hippolytus wrote in his
Refutation of All Heresies 5.7.20:
“…
of a nature which is both hidden and revealed at the same time and which they call the thought-for kingdom of heaven which is in a human being. They transmit a tradition concerning this in the Gospel entitled "According to Thomas," which states expressly, "The one who seeks me will find me in children of seven years and older, for there, hidden in the fourteenth aeon, I am revealed."
Origen lists the "Gospel according to Thomas" as being among the
heterodox apocryphal gospels known to him (
Hom. in Luc. 1), and In the 4th century Church fathers it Is revealed that the Gospel of Thomas was highly valued by
Mani and his followers.
Cyril of Jerusalem mentioned a "Gospel of Thomas" twice in his
Catechesis: "
The Manichæans also wrote a Gospel according to Thomas, which being tinctured with the fragrance of the evangelic title corrupts the souls of the simple sort." and "
Let none read the Gospel according to Thomas: for it is the work not of one of the twelve Apostles, but of one of the three wicked disciples of Manes”
Now truly truly I say unto you….as the earliest writings of the earliest fathers unfold (who were either taught by the Apostles or by those the Apostles taught) there are ONLY four legitimate gospels which come to us IN THE ORDER in which they were written and these are Matthew (originally in Hebrew/Aramaic), Mark (which are the non-chronological memoirs of Peter), Luke-Acts (a later 1st century history which interviewed witnesses and used extant records undoubtedly Matthew and Mark being among them), and John’s (as I said a work to complete, educate diaspora Jews, and a refutation of gnostic heresy)….
Now the only way one should dismiss the credibility of such a witness is if one can impeach their credibility by an equal and adequate compilation of evidence (which no one ever has and never will). We only can ASSUME they lied if we first ASSUME Matthew was not Matthew, that he did not write first, and that John was not John and did not write last and try to Greekify (by misapplying usage of terms) the texts.
These apostates in our time have worked hard for over a century to lie and twist and misrepresent the ONLY history we actually have for their purpose which begins with the premise…”Did God REALLY say…” and ends with one who swallows there poison settling for picking and choosing what they will accept or reject and finally as gods unto themselves (genesis 3:5) deciding good and evil as is right in their own eyes.
The Shofar has been blown….but be not easily persuaded beloved because of the logic fallacies of “Appeal to authority” and “Argumentum ad Populum”….The Spirit of God is much greater than either of these….
In His love
Paul