The Gospel of Thomas
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Métanoïa

This is another Greek word used by Jesus that has come down to us without ever having been translated is Métanoïa. Nor, like the other two, can it be adequately translated into English. We just have to try to seek out the meaning Jesus intended.

In Thomas it is used only once, at the end—a culmination—of logion 28:

then they will transform their Knowing.

However Jesus uses it quite frequently in the N.T. Gospels, and it is also used in the O.T.

The problem in studying those examples is that when Jerome translated the early Greek texts of the N.T. into Latin he used the term poenitare = to feel sorry. He had some justification for doing this, for in several contexts, specially in the O.T. and as used by John the Baptist, it can carry the meaning of 'penitence, feeling sorry, feeling pain or regret' (Nicoll p.93). Thus it is used for repenting for misdeeds or evil ways, or repentance by sinners.

Maurice Nicoll is the foremost writer on the meaning of Métanoïa. He has a whole section in 'The Mark', with four chapters considering different aspects of its use in the N.T. Gospels. In the first he spells out that it is a compound word, the first half meaning a transformation—not merely a change. And that this transformation results in something fundamentally different from what went before.

The second half of the word derives from the Greek NOUS, which means mind. Hence the 'word Métanoïa therefore has to do with transformation of the mind in its essential meaning' (p.93). He goes on, with extensive discussion and examples, to develop the theme 'A new mind means an entirely new way of thinking, new ideas, new knowledge, and a new approach to everything in life'.

Now, because Nicoll was a scientist (a psychologist who had learnt much from Carl Yung) he sees this transformation to be a task of the mind, for thinking. In the end that is a matter for the intellect and hence for understanding. However, he did not of course have Thomas, and nor is there elsewhere the concept that in Thomas there are three levels of significance of the concept of knowing, and that the highest of these is a Knowing-for-certain that is the antithesis of believing.

This sort of Knowing is something that happens at a higher level than the mind, it is something that happens deep within oneself. It is not an understanding, it is an awareness and a conviction.

H.McG.R.

Essays

  • Hidden & Clues
    The Gospel of Thomas starts with 'These are the hidden logia'. Admittedly this not said by Jesus, nevertheless the key-word is one used frequently by him, therefore it behoves us to recognize the intended meaning and its implications. It turns out that it may be one of the words of the lost language of parables that carries a distinctive meaning.
  • Coherence
    In 'Jesus untouched by the Church' the description of an experiment of sorting cards to make groups of sayings with like-for-like meanings, it is written "it was discovered that a coherent set of spiritual Teachings were revealed"
  • Searching
    Gospel of Thomas is for people who are searching—searching for inner peace, tranquillity, timeless certainties, happiness and joyousness in this life, in the here and now. It is for those who at some time in their lives even if not now search for answers to mankind's most fundamental questions "From whence did I come? To where will I go?" It may even go some way to give solace to those who search for release from suffering—the greatest scourge of mankind.
  • Stone
    Maurice Nicoll, one of the great spiritual teachers of the West during our times, writes in his book 'The New Man' (1950) "All sacred writings contain an outer and an inner meaning. Behind the literal words lies another range of meaning, another form of knowledge. According to an old-age tradition, Man was once in touch with this inner knowledge and inner meaning"
  • Monakhos
    There are three significant words in Thomas that have come down to us in untranslated Greek. We cannot tell whether they were originally spoken in Aramaic, but by their very nature that seems unlikely. Therefore they were spoken by Jesus in Greek, and it means that when he used them he was speaking to the Hellenists. Thomas did not have to translate them, they were not translated into Coptic, and they cannot be translated into English. All we can do is to try to grasp the meanings that Jesus intended.
  • Metanoia
    This is another Greek word used by Jesus that has come down to us without ever having been translated is Métanoïa. Nor, like the other two, can it be adequately translated into English. We just have to try to seek out the meaning Jesus intended.
  • Makarios
    Another of our untranslated and untranslatable Greek words in Thomas is makarios. It is used in the beatitudes of the N.T. Gospels, where it is almost always rendered as 'blessed'. This rendering of the word can be very misleading, for it can be confused with 'blest', an entirely different word. The difference lies in the person concerned. A state of blessedness exists within a person; being blest involves another person outside oneself.
  • Empty Desert
    In our little island in a temperate climate we can have no real awareness of an empty, uninhabited desert. Wherever you are a person or house is likely to be seen. Whichever way you look there will be trees and beyond them some hills will arise. But even though the climate of Palestine was more temperate in Jesus' time, he and all his listeners must have been fully aware of the desert around them and deeply aware of its emptiness.
  • Knowing not Belief
    Here is a typical Teaching that was discovered in the Gospel. In 'Jesus untouched by the Church' the sayings that are relevant to this particular Teaching are grouped together, without being in any way altered. These are typeset to show they are our words, not those of Jesus. They are merely to prompt the reader's understanding, but it is for the reader to discern the real significance of the Teaching.
  • Happiness and Joyousness
    Happiness is one of the themes Jesus speaks of most often in the Gospel of Thomas. Only knowing and finding occur more often. The theme of happiness comes in ten of the sayings, which are scattered throughout the Gospel. What it must imply is that as Jesus and his disciples travelled around during his ministry, this must have been a frequently recurring theme. It may be unexpected that Jesus spoke of it so often—but there are many aspects of the Gospel of Thomas that come as a surprise to us.