Gospel of Thomas Saying 68
BLATZ
(68) Jesus said: Blessed are you when you are hated and persecuted, and they will find no place where you have been persecuted.
LAYTON
(68) Jesus said, “Blessed are you (plur.) whenever they hate you and persecute you. And wherever they have persecuted you, they will find no place.”
DORESSE
72 [68]. Jesus says: “Blessed are you when you are hated and persecuted; but they will not find a position in that place to which they shall pursue you!”
Scholarly Quotes |
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Comparing Thomas to Matthew and Luke, Koester finds that the Thomas form is more original: “The phrase ‘and cast out your name as evil on account of the Son of man’ is certainly Lukan; it is missing in the parallel passage Matt 5:11. Moreover, the reference to persecution has disappeared in the Lukan redaction of this saying, but is preserved in Matt 5:11.” (Ancient Christian Gospels, p. 89) Gerd Ludemann writes: “The meaning [of v. 2] is unclear. Is this talk of the lack of success of the ones who are acting? But in what sense? Perhaps it helps to note that ‘place’ also appears in other passages of the Gospel of Thomas (4.1; 24.1; 60.6; 64.12) and each time denotes the place of salvation. In that case v. 2 says that the persecutors have forfeited salvation.” (Jesus After 2000 Years, p. 625) |
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