The Way of Thomas: Nine Insights for Enlightened Living from the Secret Sayings of Jesus

by JohnR.Mabry (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2007

  $3.63

  Is there something we are missing from this whole Jesus thing? What were Jesus' original teachings, and how do they differ from the story told by the Christian church? Was Jesus really born of a virgin, or did he actually have a twin brother? What is the real story of early Christianity? Can we find a Jesus that is relevant as a spiritual guide for people today? These and many other questions are addressed in this popular presentation of the teachings of this mystical Christian text. Telling the story of this gospels loss and recent recovery, readers will learn how Jesus' original community was eclipsed by followers of Paul, and how Jesus' true teaching was subverted and buried under centuries of fabricated history. With the discovery of the Gospel of Thomas in 1945, scholars now believe we have a document closer to Jesus' actual words than we have ever possessed before. The differences between the teachings of Thomas' Jesus and Paul's are striking. For the Jesus of Thomas is not a savior come down from heaven, but simply a man who has awakened to the truth of the interconnectedness of all things. The parallels to Buddhism are so numerous one can even speak of the Gospel of Thomas as representing a native Jewish school of Buddhism! For it is in this lost Gospel that Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism meet as a single, coherent message. This book consolidates these forgotten teachings into nine inspiring, easy-to-grasp insights that make this ancient book a practical guide for contemporary spiritual seekers of any-or no-tradition. Ever since the publication of Elaine Pagel's best-seller Beyond Belief , people have been buzzing about the Gospel of Thomas . Runaway hit The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown has sparked much interest in what traditional Christianity might be covering up. The Way of Thomas relates the drama of his Jesus' first followers, and how the The Gospel of Thomas was lost and found. This is followed by a reader-friendly new version of the text. The balance of the book provides an enlightening introduction to Jesus' original teachings in the Gospel of Thomas , exploring them as a relevant guide to contemporary spirituality.