In Gospel of Thomas (Syria, 40-140 AD), Jesus' words matter, not the Crucifixion - Charles Hedrick

Overview & Key Concepts

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Who is Charles Hedrick?

Charles Hedrick (born 1934) is a distinguished Professor Emeritus at Missouri State University. Hedrick's research interests include Christian ... more

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What is Crucifixion?

Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden beam. The victim is left to hang for several ... more

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What is Gospel?

Gospel is the Old English translation of Greek evangelion, meaning "good news". It originally meant the Christian message itself, but in the 2nd ... more

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What is Syria?

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon to the southwest, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey ... more

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Frequently Asked Questions

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1.How important was Jesus' crucifixion to Apostle Paul?

In his surviving epistles, the Apostle Paul demonstrates almost no interest in the day-to-day earthly life, chronological career, or specific moral parables of Jesus of Nazareth. Instead, his extensive theology is completely fixated on the cosmic, atoning meaning of the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection of the figure he addresses as 'the Lord'. Secular historians analyze this focus to illustrate how early Christian theology transformed from an inward-looking Jewish prophetic movement into a universal savior faith.

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2.Who replaced Jesus after his crucifixion?

Following the crucifixion, leadership of the primary community of believers in Jerusalem fell to Jesus' biological brother, James the Just. Mainstream historical and biblical scholarship confirms that James directed the mother church as an observant Jew, maintaining that followers must continue upholding traditional Mosaic customs and temple practices.

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3.Who instigated the crucifixion of Jesus?

There is no doubt the Jewish religious leaders of Israel were responsible for Jesus' death. The Romans carried out the actuall crucifixion under the authority of Pontius Pilate.

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4.What did James do after Jesus' crucifixion?

In Jerusalem, the disciple James, who acted as the primary leader of Jesus' immediate followers, strongly believed that their movement's future lay as a distinct religious group operating firmly within the confines of the traditional Judaism religion.

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5.What do Synoptic Gospels say about Jesus?

The Synoptic Gospels strictly portray Jesus through a human lens as an honorable prophet, a moral hero, and a devoted martyr. They do not present him as a literal God who assumed human flesh, nor do they frame his life as a cosmic sacrifice intended to die and rise again for the spiritual salvation of mankind.

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6.What did Apostle Paul think of his fellow Gospel writers?

Paul was deeply unyielding toward alternative views of the faith, explicitly writing in Galatians 1:9 that if any person preached a gospel different from the one his followers had received, that individual should be completely accursed. This indicates he aggressively dismissed the legalistic, Jewish-Christian perspectives held by original disciples like James and Peter.

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7.How did Matthew (Gospel) support Apostle Pauline Christian doctrine?

The Gospel of Matthew, aimed at law-abiding Jewish-Christians, did not support Pauline doctrine and actually stood in direct opposition to it.

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8.When were the Gospels written?

The canonical gospels were composed during the second half of the 1st century, with Mark widely dated around 65-70 CE, followed by Matthew and Luke between 80-90 CE, and John close to 90-100 CE. These dates mean the texts were compiled decades after Jesus' earthly ministry, drawing on reliable oral traditions and early eyewitness testimonies.

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9.What did Apostle Paul say about the other gospels?

In Galatians 1:6-9, Paul strongly condemned anyone preaching a different gospel, reflecting a significant conflict in the early church between his Gentile-inclusive mission and strict adherence to the Law.

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10.Who wrote John's gospel?

The author of the fourth gospel is believed to be a Greek convert with limited knowledge of traditional Judaism, who frequently uses 'the Jews' as an antagonistic term over 60 times in the Gospel of John alone.

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11.What were the Apocryphal Gospels?

Apocrypha are works, usually written works, that are of unknown authorship, or of doubtful authenticity, or spurious, or not considered to be within a particular canon.

The Apocrypha (Greek for 'hidden away') are revered Biblical text which were excluded from the canon Bible. They were literally hidden away from the early Christians, and tell a very different story of Jesus.

Gospel of Nazoreans
Gospel of Ebionites
Gospel of Egyptians
Gospel of Peter
Gospel of Thomas
Gospel of Hebrews

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12.What is the significance of the Gospel of Thomas?

Thomas is the most important non-canonical Gospel recently discovered in the last century. It positively features in current studies of Christian origins and the historical Jesus.

Gospel of Thomas with sayings of Jesus is thought to be earliest written record of his life produced within ten years of his death.

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13.How was the Gospel of John viewed?

In the 2nd century, some Christians felt John gospel was so different in tone and approach in comparison to the other three synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke); it should have been excluded from the cannon.

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14.In 325 AD, did Emperor Constantine burn gospels, writings and religious text?

The books of Arius and his followers, after the first Council of Nicaea (325 C.E.), were burned for heresy by the Roman emperors Constantine, Honorius, and Theodosius I, who published a decree commanding that, 'the doctrine of the Trinity should be embraced by those who would be called catholics; that all others should bear the infamous name of heretics'.

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