Texts in Conversation
Mark has Jesus say that many who are first will be last, and the last first. The Gospel of Thomas uses the same saying, but its Coptic text keeps only the first half and adds that they will all become one and the same.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Mark 10:31
New Testament
28 Peter began to speak to him, “Look, we have left everything to follow you!” 29 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, there is no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gospel 30 who will not receive in this age a hundred times as much—homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, fields, all with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Gospel of Thomas 1:4
Nag Hammadi
3 Jesus said, “If your leaders say to you, ‘Look, the kingdom is in the sky,’ then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say, ‘It is in the sea,’ then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is within you and it is outside you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you dwell in poverty, and you are that poverty.” 4 Jesus said, “The man old in days will not hesitate to ask a little child seven days old about the place of life, and he will live. For many who are first will become last, and they will become one and the same.” 5 Jesus said, “Know what is in front of your face, and what is hidden from you will be revealed to you. For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed.”
Search:
Notes and References
“... The Coptic also abbreviates the Greek’s ‘first last, last first’ saying by only including the first half (Coptic: ‘Many who are first will be last’). The Greek is probably earlier at this point, reflecting better than the Coptic the form of the saying in the canonical parallels (though of course a later harmonisation remains possible). [...] Although the image has a logic to it, it entails the reversal of the social norm according to which children consult their elders (e.g. Deut. 6); hence, the last shall be first, and the first shall be last (Mk 10.31/ Matt. 19.30; cf. Matt. 20.16/ Lk. 13.30). This saying, however, is not ultimately about reversal, but envisages a unification of the opposites (rather than their exchange of status). Having acquired knowledge from the baby, the old man gains life and becomes the baby’s equal. [...] This is reinforced by the inclusion of the familiar Synoptic aphorism, with the form in Thomas almost identical to some of the canonical instances (namely, Mk 10.31; Matt. 19.30; 20.16; Lk. 13.30). ...”
* 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.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.
User Comments
,