discussion

SAMPLE CLOSE-READING PARAGRAPH HISTORY 102H: INTERPRETING THE EUROPEAN PAST

Primary Source Passage (Gospel of Thomas 1-5, 16, 39, 49-51, 55) These are the secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas recorded. And he said,

“Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death.” 2 Jesus said, “Those who seek should

not stop seeking until they find… 3 Jesus said, “If your leaders say to you, ‘Look, the (Father’s) kingdom is in the

sky,’ then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, ‘It is in the sea,’ then the fish will precede you.

Rather, the kingdom is within you and it is outside you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and

you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in

poverty, and you are the poverty.”… 5 Jesus said, “Know what is in front of your face, and what is hidden from you

will be disclosed to you. For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. [And there is nothing buried that will

not be raised.”] 16 Jesus said, “Perhaps people think that I have come to cast peace upon the world. They do not

know that I have come to cast conflicts upon the earth: fire, sword, war. For there will be five in a house: there will

be three against two and two against three, father against son and son against father, and they will stand alone. 39

Jesus said, “The Pharisees and the scholars have taken the keys of knowledge and have hidden them. They have not

entered nor have they allowed those who want to enter to do so. As for you, be as sly as snakes and as simple as

doves.”… 49 Jesus said, “Congratulations to those who are alone and chosen, for you will find the kingdom. For you

have come from it, and you will return there again.” 50 Jesus said, “If they say to you, ‘Where have you come from?’

say to them, ‘We have come from the light, from the place where the light came into being by itself, established

[itself], and appeared in their image.’ If they say to you, ‘Is it you?’ say, ‘We are its children, and we are the chosen

of the living Father.’ If they ask you, ‘What is the evidence of your Father in you?’ say to them, ‘It is motion and

rest.’” 51 His disciples said to him, “When will the rest for the dead take place, and when will the new world come?”

He said to them, “What you are looking forward to has come, but you don’t know it.” … 55 Jesus said, “Whoever

does not hate father and mother cannot be my disciple, and whoever does not hate brothers and sisters, and carry the

cross as I do, will not be worthy of me.”

Body paragraph based on a close reading of the primary source

While many sayings attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas are similar to sayings found in the

New Testament, the Gospel of Thomas contains strong underlying themes of conflict and secrecy. The

idea of secrecy is present beginning in the very first line and is reinforced at numerous points in the text

(1). Allusions to secrecy can be found in the repeated admonitions to search for the heavenly kingdom

and the difficulty in locating this kingdom (2–3, 49). The mysterious comment about the kingdom being

located inside people does little to clarify where this kingdom can be found (5). These sayings give the

impression that additional knowledge is necessary in order to understand the secret message of Jesus, but

it is unclear why the reader does not have this knowledge. On the one hand, the author indicates that only

those who are specially selected will be able to be successful in their search for the kingdom (49). This

implies that some readers might be incapable of finding the kingdom. On the other hand, references to

conflict offer an alternative explanation for certain readers’ failure to find the kingdom. The author

reveals that there is a key to unlock the mysteries of the kingdom, but that this key has been deliberately

hidden away by opponents who do not want to enter the kingdom and who want to keep others out too

(39). The underlying theme of conflict is also revealed in Jesus’s saying about disagreements within

families. Traditional religion in the ancient Mediterranean world focused on one’s city and ethnic identity.

Since all members of an immediately family shared this identity, it would be very strange for religion to

bring division into a family. Nevertheless, this is precisely what the author of the Gospel of Thomas

suggests in his prediction that fathers and sons will become enemies (16). These interwoven themes of

secrecy and conflict appear repeatedly in the Gospel of Thomas and reflect a subtle difference from

themes found in the New Testament gospels.