The Gospel of Thomas: A Guidebook for Spiritual Practice [Paperback]

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.
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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 Introduction In 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 Adult • Sorting Out the Old and the New • Being a Healing Presence • Daring to Be a City on a Hill • God’s Reign Calls for Ready Hands • Spirituality Is Not Skygazing • And much more …"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 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 co-founder 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.