I recently read of books called "Q" and the Gospel of Thomas. Interesting reading! I was wondering what you thought of them and their authenticity. Why are they not included in the Bible? -- Maggie
Actually, much of "Q" -- the hypothetical source of material common to Matthew and Luke -- is in the New Testament. Let me recommend you read an introduction to the New Testament (e.g. Merrill Tenney's New Testament Survey), and you will be able to answer the first part of your question. As for the Gospel of Thomas, this is a gnostic work dating from long after the time of the New Testament. That is one reason it is not "included." And, as you will have realized from reading it, there are a number of contradictions with the New Testament. (For example, Thomas teaches that women are not worthy of eternal life, and that esoteric knowledge is how we become spiritual.) This spurious Gospel of Thomas has no connection with the true apostle Thomas, who faithfully followed the teachings of his Master, establishing the church in India and dying there for the faith.
Indeed, tradition is strong that the apostle Thomas established the church in India sometime in the 50s. Although I started out skeptical about the various accounts, I have read enough now to be fairly convinced. I have even seen Thomas' tomb in south India. There seems little reason to doubt the veracity of the tradition. The "gospel" attributed to him is another matter.
Thomas was considered by some Gnostics to be the twin brother of Jesus. "Judas Thomas the Twin" is the key phrase. The Egyptian Gnostics who created this "gospel" in fact identified Thomas with the Jude we know from the New Testament as one of Jesus' four brothers.
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