The Gospel of Thomas: who's who, timeline and places

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JesusThe teacher whose sayings connect understanding, persistent seeking, self-knowledge, and life.First seen in chapter 1
ThomasNamed Didymos Judas Thomas, he is identified as the recorder of Jesus’ secret teachings.First seen in chapter 1
The disciplesJesus’ followers ask about religious practices and receive direction about leadership.First seen in chapter 1
the FatherJesus connects self-knowledge with recognizing a relationship to the Father.First seen in chapter 1
James the RighteousThe person Jesus directs his disciples to for leadership.First seen in chapter 1
John the BaptistJesus praises him but places childlike knowledge of the Kingdom above him.First seen in chapter 4
SalomeA woman who questions Jesus about who he is.First seen in chapter 5
Simon PeterHe demands that Mary be excluded from the group.First seen in chapter 9
MaryA woman whom Simon Peter wants to exclude from the group.First seen in chapter 9

Chapter 1
The opening identifies Didymos Judas Thomas as the recorder of Jesus’ secret teachings.
Chapter 1
Jesus urges seeking and self-knowledge, directs the disciples to James the Righteous, and asks whom they think he resembles.
Chapter 2
Jesus gives Thomas three private teachings, which Thomas refuses to repeat because he predicts violence and fire.
Chapter 2
Jesus challenges fasting, prayer, and almsgiving while directing followers to accept food and heal sick people.
Chapter 3
The disciples ask where to seek Jesus, and he answers with an image of inward light illuminating the world.
Chapter 3
Jesus urges brotherly care and self-correction, then condemns religious teachers who conceal knowledge and prevent others from entering.
Chapter 4
Jesus uses plants, wine, and light to teach about conduct, loyalty, and belonging to the Kingdom.
Chapter 4
The disciples question Jesus’ identity and the coming world, while his replies emphasize what remains unrecognized in the present.
Chapter 5
Jesus favors spiritual circumcision, declares that the poor possess Heaven’s Kingdom, and demands rejection of family and bearing a cross.
Chapter 5
After teachings contrasting living with dying, Salome questions who Jesus is.
Chapter 6
Jesus tells Salome that wholeness brings light and division brings darkness.
Chapter 6
Jesus tells stories about a rich man’s death, guests refusing dinner invitations, and vineyard tenants killing the owner’s son.
Chapter 7
Jesus describes solitary entry into the bridal chamber and compares the Father’s kingdom to a merchant buying one pearl.
Chapter 7
Jesus identifies himself with light and the All, then questions seeking truth among finely dressed rulers.
Chapter 8
Listeners ask Jesus’ identity, and he challenges their failure to recognize him or understand the present.
Chapter 8
Jesus urges seeking and giving without expecting repayment, while placing obedience to his Father above ordinary kinship.
Chapter 9
Jesus condemns the Pharisees as obstructive and uses lost sheep and buried treasure to describe the Kingdom and hidden knowledge.
Chapter 9
Jesus says the Kingdom lies unseen across the earth and answers Simon Peter’s demand to exclude Mary by promising to make her male.
Chapter 10
An opening statement again identifies Judas, called Thomas, as the recorder of Jesus’ secret teachings.
Chapter 10
The disciples ask about religious practices and seeing Jesus; his answers stress honesty, revealed truth, and becoming unashamed like children.
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