Texts in Conversation
The Didache tells its readers to bear the whole burden of God's requirements and be perfect, but to do what they can if they cannot. The Gospel of Thomas leaves no such room: Jesus says one who knows all but still lacks is lacking everything.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Didache 6:2
Early Christian
1 Be careful that no one leads you astray from this Way of teaching, for those who do so are teaching you without God. 2 If you can bear the full burden of the Lord's requirements, you will be perfect; but if you cannot, do what you can. 3 Regarding food, eat what you can tolerate, but always avoid food that has been offered to idols, as it represents the worship of lifeless gods.
Gospel of Thomas 1:67
Nag Hammadi
66 Jesus said, “Show me the stone that the builders rejected; that is the cornerstone.” 67 Jesus said, “Whoever knows all but lacks within himself lacks everything.” 68 Jesus said, “Blessed are you when you are hated and persecuted. But wherever they have persecuted you, they will find no place.”
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Notes and References
“... The saying makes the point that only complete knowledge is valid for the true disciple; it is not possible to select some elements of Thomasine knowledge and reject others. Presumably this might be a temptation for those who want to belong both to the Thomas movement as well as to other religious groups, or the saying is a warning against the kind of provision for imperfection attested in the Didache: ‘for if you are able to bear the whole yoke of the Lord, you will be perfect; but if you cannot, do what you can’ (Did. 6.2). A polemic against a particular rival group laying claim to knowledge falsely so-called is also possible. ...”
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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