Publisher's Synopsis
This book is a collection of the deeper, Zen-like teachings of Jesus that the disciples themselves didn't always fully understand. Matthew Barnes has not only put together a collection of 116 sayings from the Gospel of Thomas, but he has done an excellent job of explaining those sayings. In a very clear and concise way, Barnes leads the reader to a better understanding of what Jesus was trying to teach people about the true, spiritual nature of life.
Early Christianity was far from the gentle and unified belief system that we have been led to believe it was. In fact, in the earliest stages of its development, interpretations of the meanings of Jesus' teachings varied widely, were hotly debated, and differing views were not tolerated well at all.