Texts in conversation

Compare Barnabas 1:7 and Ignatius, Epistle to the Ephesians 3:1 and Gospel of Thomas 13

Early Christian · Nag Hammadi

Summary

Barnabas refuses to call himself a teacher, while Ignatius calls his readers fellow disciples. Jesus also refuses the title in the Gospel of Thomas, so all three put less distance between teacher and learner.

Passages

Barnabas 1:7

Early Christian · Epistle of Barnabas

7 For the Lord made known to us through His prophets things past and present, giving us likewise the firstfruits of the taste of things to come. And seeing each of these things separately occurring as He said, we should offer a richer and higher offering to Him in reverent fear. But I, not as though I were a teacher but as one of you, will show a few things by which you will be gladdened in these present circumstances.

70–135 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Barnabas

Ignatius, Epistle to the Ephesians 3:1

Early Christian

1 I am not giving you orders as if I were someone important. For even though I am in chains for the Name, I have not yet been made perfect in Jesus Christ. [For] now I am beginning to be a disciple, and I speak to you as my fellow learners. For I ought to be trained by you for the contest in faith, in encouragement, in endurance, and in patience.

107–117 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Ignatius, Epistle to the Ephesians

Gospel of Thomas 13

Nag Hammadi

12 The disciples said to Jesus, “We know that you will leave us. Who will be our leader?” Jesus said to them, “Wherever you are, you should go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being.” 13 Jesus said to his disciples, “Compare me and tell me whom I am like.” Simon Peter said to him, “You are like a righteous messenger.” Matthew said to him, “You are like a wise philosopher.” Thomas said to him, “Teacher, my mouth is utterly unable to say whom you are like.” Jesus said, “I am not your teacher. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring I have measured out.” And he took him and withdrew and spoke three sayings to him. When Thomas returned to his companions, they asked him, “What did Jesus say to you?” Thomas said to them, “If I tell you even one of the sayings he spoke to me, you will pick up stones and throw them at me, and fire will come out of the stones and burn you up.”

135–200 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Gospel of Thomas

References

“... 13.5 Jesus said, ‘I am not your master.’ Jesus’ rejection of the title ‘teacher’ or ‘master’ ([...]) might be influenced by either John 15.15, according to which the disciples are no longer servants but friends, or by 1 John 2.27 (‘you no longer need anyone to teach you’), but neither is very obviously referred to here. There is a sense of parity between Jesus and Thomas (cf. GTh 108), although this should not obscure other more transcendent images of Jesus (see ad GTh 23), and the fact that Thomas still needs further enlightenment from Jesus in the ‘three words’ in 13.6. [...] There are plenty of parallels to the device of a teacher disavowing the status of teacher to identify with his pupils: even an Ignatius can say προσλαλῶ ὑμῖν ὡς συνδιδασκαλίταις μου (Eph. 3.1), and the author of Barnabas introduces himself, ἐγὼ δέ, οὐχ ὡς διδάσκαλος ἀλλ’ ὡς εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν (Barn. 1.8; cf. 4.9). ...”

Simon Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas: Introduction and Commentary (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 263.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Ignatius Speaks as a Fellow Learner

Epistle to the Ephesians21 chapters

Compare Barnabas 1:7 and Ignatius, Epistle to the Ephesians 3:1 and Gospel of Thomas 13

Summary

Passages

Barnabas 1:7

Ignatius, Epistle to the Ephesians 3:1

Gospel of Thomas 13

References

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