The Gospel of Thomas is Weird about Women

In this video, Dr. Michael Bird (@mbird12 on X) looks at the Gospel of Thomas saying 114, where Jesus says that "every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven." Bird explores what that means in light of ancient symbologies of gender and varied accounts of "salvation" among Jews, Christians, and Gnostics.
Introduction (00:01)
Saying 114 (01:00)
Ancient Biology (03:12)
Ancient Symbology of Gender (03:49)
Women and Salvation (06:15)
Summary (08:03)
Outtro (09:24)
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Further reading:
Uwe-Karsten Plisch, The Gospel of Thomas: Original Text with Commentary (Berlin: German Bible Society, 2008).
Marvin Meyer, The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1992).
Simon Gathercole, The Gospel of Thomas: Introduction and Commentary (Leiden: Brill, 2013).
Gospel of Thomas online
www.marquette....
Check out these texts as well.
“Souls are neither male nor female when they no longer marry nor are given in marriage [i.e. souls are genderless in the end-state]. And is not woman translated into man, when she has become equally unfeminine, and manly, and perfect?”
Clement of Alexandria, Stromata 6.12.
"As long, then, as the seed is still unformed [unsaved], they say, it is a child of the female, but when it was formed [saved], it was changed into a man and becomes a son of the bridegroom. No longer is it weak and subject to the cosmic (forces), visible and invisible, but, having become male, it becomes a male fruit."
Excerpts from Theodotus 79.
“Shall we, then, enter the kingdom like littles ones?” they asked.
“When you make the two one,” Jesus replied, “and when you make the inside like the outside, and the outside like the inside, and the above like the below, in order to make the male and the female one and the same, so the male is not male and the female is not female; when you make eyes in the place of an eye, a hand in place of a hand, a foot in place of a foot, and an image in the place of an image - it is then you will the kingdom.”
Gos. Thom. 22; Trans. S. Gathercole.
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Substack: michaelfbird.substack.com
#Gospelofthomas #apocryphalgospels #earlychristianity #churchhistory

[@SibleySteve]

Bird should charge tuition for the quality of this magnificent content. I have been a theological student for over 50 years in and out of Baptist institutions and now Episcopal ones, and this video is pure gold. Five stars (or emanations)

[@WickedFelina]

More than "wider Mediterranean cultures"- which is correct BTW, it also reflects Buddhist teachings in that it states: "for a woman to become enlightened, she MUST reincarnate as a man then, work towards enlightenment... " Weird that it seems to be echoing the same Buddhist teachings spoken 500 yrs before Christ.

[@ruthielouise]

Seems like a lot of the Christian commentators wouldn’t mind adding Gospel of Thomas to the canon!

[@rodrigocostamoura]

I've always wondered what was that all about, stuff about women in Thomas' gospel is weird indeed.. do we see echoes of this type of thinking about women in the Bible? Cheers

[@robmacintyre652]

I felt that this meant that Jesus would disguise Mary as a Man show that she could be present and experience the same knowledge or education that women were not permitted.

[@AndrewGonzalesArtistry]

I think this gospel reflects the spiritual characteristics of male / female. God is completely an essence of giving (male) with no need for reception as “He” has no lack. In an act of creation a piston drops and forms of vessel of reception (a void). If you think of how big soup pots are made, the male form produces a void in the sheet of metal. …but this shape is all in how the vessel chooses to view itself, because it has simultaneously produced a replica of the piston itself, which could theoretically be used to form more vessels. In other words, the vessel could view itself as one of reception (female) or one of bestowal (male). This idea is also present in the mainstream gospels in the phrase (it is better to give than to receive). It may have less to do with your current physical gender and more about how you operate in the world, as a giver (male), or receiver (female). Also, male is the right side. This is synonymous with conservatism. Feminism is synonymous with progressivism (the left side). The female leaves the garden in want of reception (to receive). This is how the current age is completely turned on its head with Good being called Evil, and Evil, Good… as without masculine governance (the male being the head of the household), feminism leads to insanity and lawlessness. This idea is also reflected in Ecclesiastes 10:2. Even paganism understands that the below is feminine (physical mother earth), and the above masculine. When you want a cookie, the male aspect of you says “no, unnecessary/ harmful”. The feminine side says “yes, receive”. Once again, this displays that the outer gender isn’t as relevant as the gender of the heart. We all know males who are completely reception driven, and females who are bestowal driven.

[@reginafordyce]

The last part about wonen becoming males is explained in this scripture from Jesus. Matthew 12:46-50 KJV While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

[@TravisArthurParishT.A.P]

Hows it connected?, this is interesting

[@endygonewild2899]

It's weird how many progressives love the Gospel of Thomas, completely incossistant.

[@WickedFelina]

Mr. Bart Ehrman, I ask you "Why are you validating the Gnostic Gospels over the canonical?" Seems like you are a bit of a misogynist. If you say you are Gnostic, you come across "educated, intellectual and NEW age." So, are the elements which are destroying humanity to the bone today. Good one Ehrman and that PhD feminist (regular EXPERT on the History Channel) pushing this Gnostic stuff who I cannot remember the name of right now?

[@DCCan]

Its not meant to be taken literally. It's referring to balancing our masculine traits and our feminine traits. Action and Emotion, yin and yang, etc etc

[@TheWidowsOil]

I can tell you as a woman when I used the scripture to renew my mind, as Paul calls it in the book of Romans, and applied myself to understand scripture and live by it, I do feel like I have become more "male" in my thinking in that I really do care less about the traditionally female pursuits that are quite frivolous such as make-up, clothes, cooking and female gossip etc (there are great female pursuits I still enjoy) and my emotions are a world better than they used to be. I used to be controlled by my emotions, but now I have a place to "go" when upset, in my head! I do find it really freeing and much better to be as I am.

[@rajuthomas7471]

In Catholic Church, I think, there are more female saints than male saints. God appreciating holiness of both men and women equally as He made human as man and woman and there is no sexual difference between men and women in heaven.

[@shannichristie8264]

I think you’ve actually become more female. If you look at the women in the Bible they also don’t care massively about make up etc and they worked really hard.

[@ShonMardani]

Gospel of Thomas was about building/financing construction of small attached rooms for SINGLE males and mainstream Christianity was based on marrying a Virgin girl, like Jesus's' mother Mary who married Jacob as a Virgin (Virgin Mary). Idea was to house the singles after marrying them first.

[@jobeyene3342]

I believe that interpretation is not related to gender. Jesus' response was not specifically directed at males or females in the mentioned text; the context is different.

[@Yan_Alkovic]

Might this sentiment also be reflected in the Hermetic and alchemical teachings of the union of opposites? Also the ancient view that you presented did seem very similar to Simon Baron Cohen calling autism the “prototypical male brain”, and hyperempathy the “prototypical female brain”. Some people get on his case for being misogynistic and perpetuating the myth that only males can be autistic, when in fact he was just using existing cultural concepts.

[@amyk6403]

The GOT seems to go completely against Jesus's ethic! Why would he heal so many women if they are "unworthy of life?" Peter put his foot in his mouth many times, but that assertion seems way over the top. 😂 Too bad they didn't know that all fetuses actually start out female. Unfortunately, some of these ideas still exist within the church. 😢

[@ryanparris1021]

Dr. Bird can pack a lot into a 10 min video. But yeah…Femaleness is Lower Spiritually? I am a complementarian but that sounds weird.

[@MultiKINGWAYNE]

(Church of the seven thunders) Thomas did not make that statement, it came from the enemy, to discredit the truth, don't you dare believe this lie.

[@Rosae33]

I agree! that gospel doesn´t come from the holy spirit . It´s clearly created by Satan, the master manipulator.

[@robmacintyre652]

I never thought that any of this meant any more than prejudice against women . Men had positions of power, men were educated women always seemed to hold nothing more than positions of servitude. Women have been held down and punished since the banishment from the garden of eden. It has always been a belief that women being too emotional have the inability of the logical thinking of men. Just the culture of the time.

[@shannarastevenson2338]

Sounds like Jesus's sarcasm maybe

[@1lthrnk]

This might fit in for todays LGBTQ community

[@JamieEsgate-el1qe]

Interpreting that scripture and if you read the rest of gospel of Thomas, it's never literally. it means male, don't get it twisted it will mean alpha you can have an alpha male or an alpha female. God is a male because he is an alpha this isn't talking about the body, because God doesn't have a body, yet he is still a male because he is an alpha. If you remember the alpha = he and the omega the first and the last

[@bessybessy8053]

He means who think like male who have honesty strenght , who do not think like women envy money material like women think a woman who fights for an other to understand look how woman think

[@cindycain3301]

I'm not sure i believe that jesus would have pit up with any hatred of women. She might have benn menstruating at the time. If a woman was mistrusting, she was considered unclean at the time.

[@cindycain3301]

Sll i know is that god himself asked Mary's permission.

[@margaretcantlon9960]

😂🎉 Bullshit!

[@aurelienyonrac]

Make female male and male female. And Peter started wearing a dress.

[@iammrpete]

Thomas was not Jesus. A half brother with familial issues

[@vincentloh96]

陰陽平衡

[@Joxxol]

Maturity seems to have something of a "maleness" about it. Mature and sober women seem to move beyond that insecure, "I am woman, hear me roar," mentality. Generally speaking, men don't view life through their maleness, they just get on with life, but women seem to view life explicitly through the lens of the female experience, always trying to reassure themselves about their value and competence.

[@ruthielouise]

Wow, misogynistic much? I feel sorry for any women and girls unlucky enough to be in your vicinity.