Home » The Bible and Beyond Presentations » Gospel of Thomas Course (of special interest to Christian Scientists) Live Online Hybrid Class I

Gospel of Thomas Course

of special interest to Christian Scientists
The Gospel of Thomas Goes Public

Welcome to the course! I’m delighted that you have found your way to the treasure chest that we are about to open together. Here is a little road map to help you navigate all the way through the class.

This in-depth live online hybrid class will take place partly on your own and partly with the group.

The live-online course discussions begin on Thursday, February 23, meeting seven times, every other week. The last meeting will be Thursday, May 18.

The course videos and other files are hosted on Udemy.com. After enrollment, the course it will remain available in your Udemy account indefinitely. You simply click on each lecture to watch it, and at times you will find some materials available as PDF files.

If you need information or have questions about the course – such as finding materials or what is meant by a certain assignment — contact Shirley Paulson at shirley@earlychristiantexts.com.

The online portion of the course is hosted on Udemy. Sign up instructions are above.

Udemy Logo

Clicking here, or clicking the image above will take you to the Udemy page where you access course materials.

According to their website, Udemy is an online learning and teaching marketplace with over 213,000 courses and 57 million students.

We will meet at 7:30 pm Eastern (6:30 Central, 5:30 Mountain, 4:30 Pacific) on the following days: February 23, March 9, March 23, April 6, April 20, May 4, May 18.

Zoom Logo

Clicking here, or clicking the logo above will begin the Zoom meeting. The link is active 10 minutes before the meeting time. Phone connection option is: (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 863 1132 3974, passcode 341596.

Course Overview and Schedule

The course is divided into six sections. You will watch one section of lectures before we meet on Zoom to discuss that section. The final Zoom session is a summary and recap of the entire presentation.

Section 1 (February 23)

Introduction to the Nag Hammadi text, the Gospel of Thomas

This section covers the content of the course, and you will experience the search for meaning through a couple of the Sayings.

Section 2 (March 9)

The Nag Hammadi Library and Its Relationship to the Gospel of Thomas
What is the Nag Hammadi Library and why it is significant for understanding one of its major books, the Gospel of Thomas.

Section 3 (March 23)

How the Gospel of Thomas Fits with Wisdom Literature

Understanding modern and ancient Wisdom literature brings depth and meaning to your own reading of the Gospel of Thomas.

Section 4 (April 6)

Why is the Gospel of Thomas Not in the Bible?

Answering the question as to why the Gospel of Thomas is not in the Bible involves a rather complicated history of the making of the canon. You will learn some  reasons why it is excluded.

Section 5 (April 20)

Is the Gospel of Thomas a Heresy? Why or Why Not?

In this section, you will find that the term ‘heresy’ has no real meaning in the context of the Gospel of Thomas. You will be able to respond to public confusion about both heresy and gnostic accusations.

Section 6 (May 4)

How to Make Sense of Saying 114

When people read the last Saying in the Gospel of Thomas, they often give up trying to figure it out. But it’s a valuable text, and we’ll offer several interpretations for you to try for yourself.

Conclusion and Recap (May 18)

Why Is and Was the Gospel of Thomas so Important to You, Us, and the Public?

There is evidence of widespread interest in the Gospel of Thomas in antiquity, and it’s gaining interest today. You will learn what makes it so valuable then and now.