Unknown Sayings of Jesus, Part ONE

[Guest guest]

UNKNOWN SAYINGS OF JESUS

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

 

By James Bean

 

Copyright September 1998

 

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If one does not stand

in the darkness,

one will not see the Light.

 

-- Yeshua

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Marvin Meyer has done it again! His new book, " The Unknown Sayings of

Jesus, " published by Harper San Francisco, makes available to readers

more wisdom sayings attributed to Jesus that were not included in the

European Bible. He has brought together 200 axioms found in many ancient

middle eastern texts that he believes to be worthy of contemplation.

 

In the 1970's Meyer was the managing editor of, " The Nag Hammadi Library

In English, " a translation of 50 holy books used as scripture by various

Christian (Valentinian), Jewish (Sethian), Hermetic, and other Gnostic

religions of the ancient world. He came out with his own translation

of the Gospel of Thomas, a Nag Hammadi book that contains 114 proverbs

and parables of Christ, one of the most popular documents found near

Nag Hammadi, Egypt. Meyer also edited an unusual book called, " Ancient

Christian Magic -- Coptic Texts of Ritual Power. " Both are also published

by Harper.

 

His translations have given the curious public access to mind-blowing

and potentially revolutionary scriptures from the early years of Christianity.

For millennia, " history was written by the victors; " the history of the

faith was written by the state Church, which, during the fourth century

with a little help from the Roman Empire, ended up conquering the other

rival forms of Christianity and many other competing religious movements.

The later half of the twentieth century has been an exciting time of

major new discoveries in the middle east which are helping to redefine

the history of Christianity. Now we have access to some of the lost or

rejected scriptures and deliberately discarded traditions of faith --

other versions of Christianity -- other pieces of history -- fragments

of a faith long forgotten. A clearer view of the historic Christ is starting

to materialize. What's emerging (or shall I say reemerging) is not a

" new " Jesus, but a very old one -- a Jewish Master who lived in the enigmatic

world of Palestine during the first century AD.

 

In " The Unknown Sayings of Jesus, " Meyer culls what he considers to be

the most significant sayings of Jesus from many ancient documents: Greek

Gospel of Thomas (Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 654 & 655), Nag Hammadi books (except

Coptic Thomas, which is translated in his other book), many Jewish and

Islamic sources, and sayings attributed to Jesus quoted in many early

Christian writings.

 

His objective in " The Unknown Sayings " is to make use of a wide variety

of sources besides the New Testament and Coptic Thomas. He says, " Doubtless,

some of these unknown sayings of Jesus reflect what the historical Jesus

actually said, and this prospect is exciting indeed. "

 

PART ONE///

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The world is a bridge.

Pass over it,

but don't build your dwelling there.*

 

-- Yeshua

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*(Inscription found on a mosque at

Fatehpur Sikri, India that reminds me

of Coptic Thomas, Saying 42: " Be passersby. " )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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