299 Why the Gospel of Thomas Didn’t Make the Cut

Why isn’t the Gospel of Thomas in the Bible? The Gospel of Thomas includes sayings attributed to Jesus, but it wasn’t included alongside Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. What criteria did the early church fathers use when recognizing the closed canon, and why didn’t this text meet those standards? In this episode, Tiffany Coker and Pastor Jeff Cranston examine the Gospel of Thomas through the questions the early church used to evaluate Christian writings. They discuss theological consistency, early origins, and widespread acceptance among churches. **Chapters:** **01:19 Why Isn’t the Gospel of Thomas in the Bible?** The Gospel of Thomas contains sayings attributed to Jesus, some of which resemble passages in the New Testament. However, it doesn’t present the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus in the same way as the four canonical Gospels. **03:21 How Did the Early Church Recognize Scripture?** The early church considered whether a writing had an apostolic connection, agreed with the faith passed down by the apostles, was widely accepted among churches, and belonged to the earliest Christian testimony. **04:26 When Was the Gospel of Thomas Discovered?** The complete text was discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945. Although some sayings may preserve earlier traditions, most scholars date the document’s original composition to the second century, long after the time of the Apostle Thomas. **07:09 How Does the Gospel of Thomas Differ from the Biblical Gospel?** The Gospel of Thomas emphasizes hidden knowledge and secret truth as the path to salvation. The New Testament presents the gospel as the public announcement that Jesus died for sin, was buried, rose again, and appeared to witnesses. **12:19 Did the Church Choose Which Books Belonged in the Bible?** The church didn’t create the authority of the New Testament books. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were already being read, taught, copied, and recognized as authoritative across Christian communities before later canon lists documented them together. **15:57 Was the Gospel of Thomas Suppressed by the Church?** There is no strong historical evidence that the Gospel of Thomas was an apostolic text deliberately hidden by church leaders. It wasn’t recognized as Scripture because it lacked apostolic authority, widespread early acceptance, and theological consistency with the New Testament. “The church was recognizing which writings carried apostolic authority and which writings faithfully communicated the apostolic gospel.” *—* Pastor Jeff Cranston 👉 Visit Pastor Jeff Cranston on Amazon or his website to explore his books and booklets written to support believers in their walk with Christ. We love your feedback! If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review. If you have any questions or comments on today's episode, email me at pastorjeff@lowcountrycc.org Visit my website https://www.jeffcranston.com and subscribe to my newsletter.  Join me on Sunday mornings at LowCountry Community Church.  Check in with us on Facebook or Instagram @pastorjeffcranston Remember, the real power of theology is not only knowing it but applying it. Thanks for listening!