Canonical Comparisons of Thomas Sayings
I have grouped the sayings in the Gospel of Thomas into 5 categories.
Sayings
that are variants of or close parallels to canonical passages (22 of
these),
sayings that appear more remotely parallel or similar in some way
(28), sayings
which contain parts parallel to several unconnected passages (13),
sayings
parallel to non-canonical traditions of Jesus (only 1 of these), and
those with
no apparent parallels (50!!).
All given text parallels were quoted from the electronic
King James bible. I haven't attempted to make any comparisons to the various Apocryphal or other Christian and Gnostic
texts.
14a: no parallels
14b: Lk10:8-9
14c: Mt15:11, Mk7:15
21a: no parallels
21b: Mt24:43, Lk12:39
21c: Mk4:26-29
22a: Mt18:3, Lk18:17
22b: Mt5:29-30, Mk9:43-48
24a: Jn13:36
24b: Mt6:22-23, Lk11:34-36
33a: Mt10:27
33b: Mt5:15, Mk4:21, Lk8:16, Lk11:33
39a: Lk11:52
39b: Mt10:16
43a: Jn8:25
43b: Mt7:16-20, Lk6:43-46(?)
55a: Lk14:26
55b: Mt10:37
62a: Mt13:11, Mk4:11, Lk8:10
62b: Mt6:3
69a: Mt5:8 (cf. Thomas saying 68)
69b: Mt5:6, Lk6:21
76a: Mt13:45-46
76b: Mt6:20, Lk12:33
79a: Lk11:27-28
79b: Lk23:29
91a: Jn9:36
91b: Lk12:54-56
42: Some stands of Islamic tradition attribute this saying to Jesus. Also, closely related, in the ruins of the city of Fatehpur Sikri in India, on the portal of a mosque built by Akbar the Great around 1601, there is an inscription saying:
So said Jesus on whom be peace! The world is a bridge; pass over it but build no house upon it.
All the following sayings have no parallels in the Bible or other
non-Gnostic
traditions:
2 23 51 77 98
4 25 52 80 102
6 27 53 81 104
7 28 56 82 105
11 29 60 84 106
12 37 61 85 108
13 38 67 87 110
15 47 70 88 111
18 49 73 92 112
19 50 74 97 114