The fragments and versions of this text were written in ancient Greek and Coptic (an Egyptian version of Greek) – and so I have selected a broad translation of verse “29” from what scholarly work is available online. I think the fragments were pieced together to reconstruct a single and complete text. Internal evidence within the text suggests this Gospel dates back to the 1st century CE – but this original (Greek) copy has not yet been found. What is interesting about this verse is that it corrects the “inversion” found within theistic religions.
29. Yeshua says: If the flesh has come to be because of spirit, it is a marvel—yet if spirit because of the body, it would be a marvel among marvels. But I myself marvel at this: how this great wealth has been placed in this poverty.
(29) Jesus said : “If the flesh came into being for the sake of the spirit, it is a wonder. But if the spirit came into being for the sake of the body, it is a wonder of wonders. Indeed, I marvel at how this great wealth has made its home in this poverty.”
(29)
1 Jesus said, ‘If the flesh existed for the sake of the Spirit, it would be a miracle.
2 If the Spirit (existed) for the sake of the body, it would be a miracle of miracles!
3 Nevertheless, I marvel at how this great wealth settled in this poverty.’
The inverted thinking found within theistic religion is that – Spirit gives birth to matter (a thought in the head is mistaken for a solid existing object operating within the environment).
The correction is – Matter gives birth to spirit (consciousness emerges from the physical brain and is an extension of matter).
Moreover, Jesus says that although the inversion is wonderous – what is even more wonderous (and therefore valuable) is the recognition that “spirit” emerges from the “body”. The spirit is a rarefied aspect of the body – but an aspect “freed” from the limitations of the flesh that created it.
References:
Click to access DeConick%20A.D.%20-%20The%20original%20Gospel%20of%20Thomas%20in%20translation.pdf
