The Gospel of Thomas: A Guidebook for Spiritual Practice (SkyLight Illuminations) by Ron Miller (PDF)

Description

The Gospel of Thomas―a book of sayings and wisdom of Jesus compiled as early or earlier than the New Testament gospels―can transform your spiritual life.There are many academic commentaries on the Gospel of Thomas, but this book has a different aim. It is meant to be a guidebook, that is, a translation of the sayings into daily practice. The goal of such practice is to become Jesus’s twin. This does not, of course, mean becoming an olive-skinned, bearded Mediterranean peasant wearing sandals. It is more about manifesting in our lives the same Christ consciousness revealed in the person we know as Jesus of Nazareth.―from the IntroductionIn the decades since its discovery, the Gospel of Thomas has intrigued people of all faiths around the world. Shedding new light on the origins of Christianity, the Gospel of Thomas raises questions about whether the New Testament’s version of Jesus’s teachings is entirely accurate and complete. In the Gospel of Thomas we see Jesus as a wisdom-loving sage, sharing aphorisms about the value of the present and each person’s role in the creation of the Kingdom of God here on earth. But these inspiring sayings can leave you wondering, “What next?”Now you can learn how to start applying Jesus’s wisdom to your own life―and, in turn, to the world around you. This unique guidebook leads you through Thomas, offering practices that help you translate Jesus’s wisdom into a more fulfilling, enriching daily life, including:Becoming a Spiritual AdultSorting Out the Old and the NewBeing a Healing PresenceDaring to Be a City on a HillGod’s Reign Calls for Ready HandsSpirituality Is Not SkygazingAnd much more …

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: From Publishers Weekly To the many subcategories of Christianity, we can now add the “Thomas Believer.” That’s what Miller, chair of the Lake Forest College religion department, calls himself and devotees of the Gospel of Thomas, a collection of Jesus’ sayings that had been circulating since the 19th century in fragmentary form but were found as a complete Coptic text at Nag Hammadi in Egypt in 1945. This guidebook, using Stevan Davies’s translation, introduces the gospel and encourages readers to “become Jesus’ twin,” an image based on the name Thomas, which means “twin.” Each chapter includes commentary on five to six sayings, along with a section on practice and questions for reflection. The concept of practice is essential for Miller, who rather controversially writes that Jesus “did not want our praise but our practice.” Some of the practices are concrete spiritual exercises described in a “how to” fashion, while others feel more like additional commentary. The reflection questions at the end of each chapter would be more useful if they were more open-ended and less rhetorical (“Does it make sense to chain smoke while discussing consciousness expansion?”). The heart of this guidebook is the commentary; Miller is a captivating storyteller as well as a scholar. Anyone drawn to a universalistic spirituality will find much to savor and pass along here. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review “Like the Kingdom of God, the Gospel of Thomas is a mustard seed: if it falls on prepared soil it grows into a sheltering umbrella of grace. Ron Miller’s masterful guidebook to Thomas prepares the soil of the reader’s soul that Jesus’s words take root and create shelter. This is a book to read and, more importantly, to implement.”―Rabbi Rami Shapiro, author, Hasidic Tales: Annotated and Explained and The Hebrew Prophets: Annotated and Explained”Read this book. Savor its spirit. Let it shake you up and transform you as you encounter an ancient Jesus tradition promoting a higher consciousness and a universal love.”―Miriam Therese Winter, professor, Hartford Seminary, and a Medical Mission Sister From the Inside Flap From The Faith of a Thomas Believer I believe that I am called to be Jesus’s twin, allowing myself to be a vehicle of God’s love, a source of God’s wisdom and truth, and an instrument of God’s peace in the world. I believe that God’s reign is here and now, stretched out all around us for those with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it, and hands to make it happen. I believe in the community of God seekers in all the religions, as well as outside of them, the great prophets, mystics, and saints, and those just beginning their spiritual journey. I believe in a future on this earth when all will be God-centered and God-conscious, when we will learn to live in love and peace, in the fellowship of brothers and sisters. I believe that in death, life is changed, not taken away, and that we will go from step to step in God’s life, God’s love, and God’s glory for all eternity. Amen. Jesus’s wisdom in the Gospel of Thomas reminds us that the Divine can be found right here on earth, in every living person. This innovative guidebook helps you connect with yourself and your own divine potential through thought-provoking reflections and spiritual practices inspired by these recently discovered sayings of Jesus. No matter your religious background, you will find this unique approach to spiritual practice refreshing and enlightening. Ron Miller draws upon a host of religious teachers—from Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam—as guides in the process of finding spiritual fulfillment and manifesting God’s love in the world. About the Author Ron Miller is the chair of the Religion Department at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois, where he has taught for thirty years, and cofounder of Common Ground, an adult education group for interfaith religious study and dialogue since 1975. Miller is the author of many books and articles, including The Gospel of Thomas: A Guidebook for Spiritual Practice, named one of Spirituality & Health’s 50 Best Spiritual Books of the year; The Hidden Gospel of Matthew: Annotated & Explained and Healing the Jewish-Christian Rift: Growing Beyond Our Wounded History (all SkyLight Paths). His website is www.ronmillersworld.org.Stevan Davies is professor of religious studies at Misericordia University and has studied the non-canonical gospels and acts for over thirty years. Among his books are The Gospel of Thomas: Annotated and Explained, The Secret Book of John: The Gnostic Gospel―Annotated and Explained (both SkyLight Paths) and The Revolt of the Widows: The Social World of the Apocryphal Acts. He has also published books about the canonical Christian scriptures including New Testament Fundamentals and Jesus the Healer: Possession, Trance and the Origins of Christianity. His website (http://users.misericordia.edu/davies/thomas/Thomas.html) is a leading Internet resource on the Gospel of Thomas. Read more

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐This book consists of primarily two elements: 1. Text of The Gospel of Thomas, and 2. The commentary.The book is comprised of much more commentary than it is of the actual text of The Gospel of a Thomas, though it does contain the complete text.I will not say that the commentary of this book does not make any good points. It does make some good points. However, the very extremely liberal-biased statements in the commentary are serious flaws in my opinion in that they are contradictory to moral biblical principles, and there is no basis to be found anywhere in the actual text of The Gospel of Thomas upon which to base these liberally-biased statements. If the extreme liberal statements had been left out of the commentary I would have given it a higher rating because of the insightful points that it makes.Urging people to think outside the box of fundamentalism is a good thing, but going so far as to teach that certain things are acceptable, (though other Scripture specifically says these are sins that, if not repented of, will prevent one from entering His kingdom) goes far beyond urging believers to think outside the box. A commentary that appears to contradict other scriptural moral principles will be very problematic for all but extreme liberals.The actual text of The Gospel of Thomas doesn’t necessarily contradict the other New Testament Writings that are widely accepted as Holy Spirit-inspired if put in certain context, but it does contain some hard sayings, which if not taken to be of some sort of undisclosed metaphorical or cryptic meaning, would certainly be problematic for some. But I am not rating The Gospel of Thomas itself so much as this particular version of it with commentary.Another version of The Gospel of Thomas that I recently purchased here on Amazon actually compares passages of GoT with very similar passages in the other Gospels, and I found that type of annotation much more helpful in seriously studying The Gospel of Thomas.

⭐This book highlighted many specific examples of text in the Gospel of Thomas, as well as other Gospels of the Bible to support the author’s interpretation of what was meant by what was written many, many years ago. The author does a good job explaining what his reasoning is with clarity and provides simple yet effective exercises for the reader to try in order to allow contemplation of the ideas presented. I liked best of all that the author is an expert in his field and explains his background and experience with a nice personal introduction of himself and his path to coming to write the book. He explores different interpretations and openly discusses his reasons for agreement and disagreement of them. I also really enjoyed the author’s description of what it is to be an “adult.”Overall, it was a good and interesting read.

⭐The Gospel of Thomas offers a different, challenging and exciting perspective on the ministry and message of Jesus Christ, with an emphasis on a personal relationship with the divine, and no concern at all about a church structure. There is no overarching story, as in the traditional gospels — just a collection of teachings that seem less connected to Jewish tradition than to Eastern spirituality.

⭐So refreshing to hear that Jesus loved us all and that God loves us all. I have never been able to embrace organized religion because of the guilt and shame, the rigidity of the rules, the waiting for joy in heaven. I want to be happy and experience love right here on Earth. This guidebook will help you find the joy and comfort you deserve as a child of God.

⭐This gave me a much better insite to the bible and what Jesus is trying to teach us. This was truely helpful. The bible tells you what to do but not HOW to do it. This gives you the how.

⭐Not much exists from the time of Jesus. The four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were written at least 30 years after Jesus died. The Gospel of Thomas was written much earlier and gives us great insights into the person and message of Jesus. Ron Miller does an excellent job of allowing us to see Jesus even more clearly.

⭐Great guidebook! Dr. Miller provides keen spiritual insights.

⭐Much food for thought.

⭐Found this a bit heavy going and I hadn’t realised it wasn’t actually the Gospel of Thomas – just the guidebook.

⭐How can this fascinating document, the Gospel of Thomas, be applied to our everyday life? Ron Miller has given us here a very good place to start. Rather than simply going through every logion in turn, Miller has taken an appropriate selection relevant to each chapter, mulling over them before considering “Practice”, actions to take, and “Reflections”, questions to ask yourself.The translations used come from

⭐Gospel of Thomas Annotated & Explained

⭐by Stevan Davies. I highly recommend both books.

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