T H E R E T R O B O R O | |
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RETRO EVOLUTION | |
A Gospel for Thomas | |
"The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth: Being Extracted from the | |
Account of His Life & Doctrines Given by Matthew, Mark, Luke & John; | |
Being an Abridgment of the New Testament for the Use of the Indians, | |
Unembarrassed [Uncomplicated] with Matters of Fact or Faith Beyond | |
the Level of Their Comprehensions" was the official title of Thomas | |
Jefferson's 'Gospel', a work of his while serving as the third | |
President of the United States. He finished this 'Gospel' in 1804 | |
and conferred with friends on the expediency of having it published | |
in the disparate Indian dialects as a 'Collection for the Indians'. | |
Rather than a complete gospel, it is his attempt to rationalise the | |
canonical Gospels with much of their content literally cut & pasted | |
into an order that he thought best. The most interesting aspect of | |
his 'Gospel' is that it contradicts his description of himself as a | |
materialist in contradistinction to Jahshua's spiritualism. While | |
excluding allusions to His divinity & resurrection, it nonetheless | |
includes many of the canonical Gospels' references to supernatural | |
things, such as angels, devils, heaven, hell, and an eternal | |
afterlife after a final judgment by the Father in heaven. | |
Jefferson believed that accounts of Jahshua's background & miracles | |
might distract from His philosophical & moral teachings. Therefore, | |
he took it upon himself to "uncomplicate" them by collating what | |
seemed to be authentic sayings. In this way his 'Gospel' ironically | |
resembles The Gospel of Thomas--attributed to the very Apostle best | |
known for doubting the Resurrection of the Messiah. What follows is | |
a translation of that Thomas' Gospel (based on that of Messrs Brill | |
of Leiden). Given that he also is known as the Apostle to India, it | |
so uses Indian English as to duly be a Collection for the Indians. | |
gopher________________Gospel of Thomas: | |
v forward |{Greek manuscript variations from the Coptic} | |
--> down | <translations implied in originals> | |
up <-- | [missing words guessed at] | |
back ^ | (remarks & numbering) | |