Gnostica

UPDATE: Mix-up corrected thanks to commenter.

Leaving aside for a moment discussions as to whether the Gospel of Thomas was used by historical Gnostics, have a look at the two most common translations of the end part of the first Saying in the Gospel (emphasis mine):

Lambdin: “Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death.”

Patterson/Meyer: “Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death.”

The phrase used in Coptic translates literally to “take taste of,” and is used multiple times in the GoT. Its appearance in the very first Saying, and its repetition in the text, clue us in that not “tasting death” is pretty much the prevalent theme in the Gospel.

The Lambdin interpretation is troubling, and here’s why: to a modern reader, it’s very easy to interpret this Saying as literally meaning “Whoever finds out what these sayings mean won’t die.” Surely this may mesh with the resurrectionist point of view, and may indeed have been what the original authors intended, but I don’t think this is the case. I think the phrase “will not taste death” carries a far different implication, one more practical and useful to the day-to-day existence of anyone currently residing in the World of Forms.

Let’s really take a look at the idea of “tasting death.” Just because one doesn’t taste something doesn’t mean it isn’t experienced. We’ve all eaten sweet cake, in which one of the ingredients is baking soda, which is terribly salty by itself. When, however, it’s properly baked into a confection, we no longer taste the saltiness– we’re so overwhelmed by the wonderful treat that the salty ingredient can’t be perceived.

In this World, the experience of death cannot be avoided. Even those of us in affluent nations in which health care can keep us alive for decades, our friends and family members and loved ones will die, and eventually our bodies will give out. This idea terrifies most people, when it’s mentioned at all, especially in Western cultures, where death is usually relegated with sex and politics to the “do not discuss” list. Nonetheless, as of this writing, it still can’t be escaped. It’s something we’ll all have to face in some capacity or another, all have to deal with at the very least at the end of our own lives. For most of us, it’s a bitter ingredient, too much baking soda in the cake, that taints our experience and causes anxiety and sadness. Or, we swim in death, choosing violence or war as a way of life, maybe to try to get used to the flavor, with varying results.

However, whomever uncovers the meanings of the Sayings in the Gospel of Thomas– whoever achieves gnosis– will still very well “experience death.” We live in the World of Death, the place in which everything eventually dies. However, the person who experiences gnosis will not taste death. He or she will not be dominated by death, and will come to understand death as a necessary ingredient in the confection of life.

As someone once said, “Life is a terminal disease.” Indeed, we die a little death every second of every day, and in the end– an illusion, as there is no difference between past, present and future, but that’s a topic for a different discussion– in the end, what’s one more moment of finality that precedes the resurrection?