Going places with bodies that can seek and find, eyes that can see, and ears that can hear : some remarks on the body and understanding in the Gospel of Thomas

Abstract

This article discusses the role which “the body” plays in the Gospel of Thomas. Despite the fact that Thomas has often been regarded as “Gnostic, it is interesting to note that significant sayings within the Gospel (referring to “revelation”) involve the body, while there are also a number of sayings which are distinctly anti-material – most notably GTh 17. The article uses the insights of second generation Cognitive Linguistics and the role of primary metaphors to explain this anomaly.