Peter Ferraro

Rabbi, Tell Me... Peter Ferraro

Has Christianity Taken a 2,000-year-old Detour? The Gospel of "Belief" vs. The Gospel of "Knowledge" - You Decide! This work is a dialog between Jesus and his disciples. But herein lies' the twist. First the Jesus of the Gospel of John answers, then the Jesus of the Gospel of Thomas. In the Gospel of John Jesus is proclaimed to be the only begotten Son of God, the Savior, and more than that, God Himself. And if you "believe" Jesus is who he says he is, the Son of God who has come to judge the living and the dead; and you love and obey him, then you will be granted eternal life. If not, the wrath of God will remain on you. In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus does not proclaim to be the only son of God, nor does he claim to be the savior of Mankind. In fact he teaches that when we come to "know" ourselves, we will understand we are all children of God and saviors from the tyranny of our self-will. In this gospel, Jesus is depicted as a spiritual master whose wisdom sayings delineate a path to peace in one's life and ultimately, to eternal life itself. In Thomas, eternal life is achieved through "knowledge" and "wisdom," and not through "obeying" and "believing" in Jesus. "Jesus said, 'Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death.'" (Thomas Logion 1) Moreover in Thomas, unlike in John, it is not a question of if you will obtain eternal life, but only a matter of when.