Thomas/Twin in the Fourth Gospel and the Gospel of Thomas
The Mesopotamian Background of an Early Christian Motif
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3568263 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Robin Baker (0000-0001-5633-3814, University of Winchester, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 151 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel16020151 |
| OpenAlex | W4406911271 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 82 |
This study examines the Thomas/twin motif in the Gospels of John and Thomas, which plays a significant role in each. By analyzing the motif's meaning, deployment, and development in the two Gospels against Mesopotamian models, this study brings a fresh perspective to the much-debated topic of the Gospel of Thomas's place of origin. This study demonstrates that Thomas betrays a knowledge of cuneiform polyvalence and argues that this corroborates the historical tradition that it originated in Mesopotamia. The findings also support the claim that the work is theologically sophisticated despite its disarming surface appearance. Similarly, Mesopotamian hermeneutics shed light on some enigmas of the Fourth Gospel's symbolism, esotericism, and theology conveyed in the rhetorical and symbolic role of Thomas called Didymos. This study concludes that, in both Gospels, the figure of Thomas/twin is paradigmatic for every adherent of Jesus, but the Gospels have drawn on Mesopotamian sources in different ways
Aesthetics · Ancient history · Art · Gospel · Literature · Theology · Ancient Near East History · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History · Philosophy · Religious studies
If a Man Builds a Joyful House
Magic and Rationality in Ancient Near Eastern and Graeco-Roman Medicine
Omens and Oracles
The Oxford Handbook of Cuneiform Culture
Nabopolassar's Restoration Work on the Wall "Imgur-Enlil" at Babylon
Tablets from the Sippar Library XIII Enūma Anu Ellil XX
Figuren als Handlungsmodelle
The Nag Hammadi Library after Fifty Years
The Cults of Uruk and Babylon
Myths, Martyrs, and Modernity
The Languages of the Jews
The Cambridge Companion to the Talmud and Rabbinic Literature
Der Prozess Jesu
Symbiosis, Symbolism, and the Power of the Past
Characterisation of Thomas in the Fourth Gospel
Thomas the (Un)Faithful
Thomas in Alexandria
The Last Wedge
Bīt mēseri at Aššur
The View from Across the Euphrates
Appendix
Jewish Babylonia between Persia and Roman Palestine
Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking
The Composition of the Gospel of Thomas
Ambiguous Signs, an Anonymous Character, Unanswerable Riddles
D’Édesse à Antioche en passant par Jérusalem et Alexandrie. Où situer l’ Évangile selon Thomas ? Quelques considérations critiques
Exile and Return
Babylonian Prophylactic Figures
The Harran Inscriptions of Nabonidus
The Author of De Dea Syria and his Cultural Heritage
A Babylonian Diviner's Manual
Astrological and Related Omen Texts in Jewish Palestinian Aramaic
The Assyrian Tree of Life
Gemini and the Sacred
Purity and Access
The Original Gospel of Thomas
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |