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Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ (c.4 BC- c.29 AD) Philosopher , teacher , martyr ; believed to be the Messiah of ultimate salvation by followers of Christian traditions
This collection of statements attributed to the man widely known as Jesus Christ or "Jesus of Nazareth" has been gathered from various sources including the canonical Gospels of the New Testament. The Gospel of Thomas has been used as a primary base to begin building upon, because it provides a simple format, is a very important preservation of ancient testimony, and is a source that has remained unfamiliar to many who are otherwise well acquainted with the legacies of the great spiritual teacher and martyr who, most likely, was originally known two millennia ago in the realms around Galilee, as Yeshua. It should be noted that the majority of followers of Jesus do not consider the Gospel of Thomas to be fact, as opposed to the four cannonical Gospels.
Major Statements
A few major statements attributed to Yeshua that are very familiar to many people, even if they do not always know the source.
- "10“You are Israel's teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven–the Son of Man. 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
- "Whoever blasphemes against the Father will be forgiven, and whoever blasphemes against the Son will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven either on earth or in heaven.
- Gospel of Thomas Saying 44
- The terms Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost as used in English translations of Christian scripture are replacements for the Greek word Pnuema meaning "Spirit" or "Breath", which has been interpreted in many ways, The Spirit or Essence of Life, Love, Truth, or Wisdom among them.
- Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. (Matthew 12:31-32)
- Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation. (Mark 3:28-29)
- Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
- Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
- Gospel according to St. John 8:32
- A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
- Gospel according to St. John 13:34-35
- “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
- Gospel according to St. John 14:6
Statements in Aramaic or Hebrew
If someone could provide these in either an Aramaic or Hebrew transcription, it would be a very welcome addition.
- "Talitha cumi."
- Translation:"Little girl, arise."
- Words said when reviving the daughter of a Jewish leader that had been declared dead. Jesus declared "Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth." and then declared one of the few statements that he made which has been reliably preserved as a transliteration of the Aramaic which he spoke. (Mark 5:38 - 5:42)
- Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani! (Mark 15:34)
- or: "Eli, Eli lama sabbachthani!" (Matthew 27:46)
- Translation: "Lord, Lord, Why have you forsaken me?" or "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (KJV)
- Words spoken at a point of doubt and agony during his crucifixion.
- This is a quote from King David in Psalms 22:1 "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [why art thou so] far from helping me, [and from] the words of my roaring?" (KJV)
- Quoting the first verse was a standard Jewish way of referring to a whole psalm. This psalm is regarded by many to be a prophecy of the Messiah's suffering. It ends with a declaration of victory, "They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done [this]." (Psalm 22:31 KJV)
- It should be noted that "sabachthani" is not actually an Aramaic word. It was most likely originally "azavtani", which means "forsaken me".
Statements from The Gospel of Matthew
include only statements by Jesus here that are not already included above, otherwise go to Gospel of Matthew
- (1) Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, (2) and he began to teach them saying:
(3) "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(4) Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
(5) Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
(6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
(7) Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
(8) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
(9) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
(10) Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(11) Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
(12) Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
- 5:1-12 Often referred to as "The Beautitudes"
- (38) You have heard that it was said, "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth." (39) But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. (40) And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. (41) If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
- (33) But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
(34) Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
(35) For I came to "SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW;"
(36) and "A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD."
(37) He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
(38) And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
(39) He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.
- 10:33-39 speaking of Discipleship quoting Micah 7:6
Statements from The Gospel of Mark
include only statements by Jesus here that are not already included above, otherwise go to Gospel of Mark
Statements from The Gospel of Luke
include only statements by Jesus here that are not already included above, otherwise go to Gospel of Luke
- "and why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?"
Statements from The Gospel of John
- For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. Chapter 3, verse 17
- I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
- He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
Statements from The Gospel of Thomas
The number at the end of any quotation from The Gospel of Thomas in this section refers to the generally accepted number of the saying. The Gospel of Thomas or Evangelion Thomas (Good Message of Thomas), unlike the four canonical gospels, contains very little narrative, and is mostly a list of statements that Yeshua is said to have made. Again, it should be noted that the majority of Jesus's followers do not accept the Gospel of Thomas as fact, and indeed some consider it blasphemous.
- " Whoever shall find the interpretation of these words shall not taste of death." (1)
- I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. (John 8:49-51)
- "Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All." (2)
- "If those who lead you say, 'See, the Kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the Kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living Father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty." (3)
- And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:21)
- "The man old in days will not hesitate to ask a small child seven days old about the place of life, and he will live. For many who are first will become last, and they will become one and the same." (4)
- "Recognize what is in your sight, and that which is hidden from you will become plain to you. For there is nothing hidden which will not become manifest." (5)
- "Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate, for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain without being uncovered." (6)
- "Blessed is the lion which becomes man when consumed by man; and cursed is the man whom the lion consumes, and the lion becomes man." (7)
- This saying has been interpreted by some as refering to such anger as consumes a man…(rather than is consumed by him, through his reason and love), 'til that man is the lion of Anger. Other more mystical interpretations might also be found or devised that have merit.
- "The Kingdom is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of small fish. Among them the wise fisherman found a fine large fish. He threw all the small fish back into the sea and chose the large fish without difficulty. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear." (8)
- "Now the sower went out, took a handful (of seeds), and scattered them. Some fell on the road; the birds came and gathered them up. Others fell on the rock, did not take root in the soil, and did not produce ears. And others fell on thorns; they choked the seed and worms ate them. And others fell on the good soil and produced good fruit: it bore sixty per measure and a hundred and twenty per measure." (9)
- He spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:3-9)
- see also: Mk4:3-8, Lk8:5-8
- "I have cast fire upon the world, and see, I am guarding it until it blazes." (10)
- This statement has no precise parallel in any of the "official" canonical gospels, but is a very striking metaphor of one who knows that any flame, whether physical, spiritual or mental and metaphoric often needs protection from the wind and other dangers to its survival and growth, before it can become a great and self mantaining source of light to see by, and a source of comfort and warmth. In the metaphors of the mystics and poets there are fires that torment and destroy, and there are also fires that purify and enlighten.
- "This heaven will pass away, and the one above it will pass away. The dead are not alive, and the living will not die. In the days when you consumed what is dead, you made it what is alive. When you come to dwell in the light, what will you do? On the day when you were one you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?" (11)
- The start of this statement is remarkable as perhaps referring to the Earth as a heaven, and has has parallels in other sources, but it extends into further statements, about which interpretation can be inclined to vary more widely. "The Dead" is a term that has often been used by mystics and poets of many traditions, to refer to those who are not awake to their spiritual being. The close of the statement offers a query about choice… and one valuable interpretation may well be that it refers to the situation of individual mortal beings, seperated from the eternal unity, having to confront whether they will love one another and the truth, to the good and honor of all, or hate one another, and all truth that does not please their mortal minds, to the detriment and dishonor of all.
- Jesus said to His disciples, "Compare me to someone and tell Me whom I am like." Simon Peter said to Him, "You are like a righteous angel." Matthew said to Him, "You are like a wise philosopher." Thomas said to Him, "Master, my mouth is wholly incapable of saying whom You are like."
Jesus said, "I am not your master. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated by the bubbling spring which I have measured out." And He took him and withdrew and told him three things. When Thomas returned to his companions, they asked him, "What did Jesus say to you?" Thomas said to them, "If I tell you one of the things which he told me, you will pick up stones and throw them at me; a fire will come out of the stones and burn you up."(13)
- This account diverges from a somewhat similar incident contained in the canonical gospels, that plainly lauds Peter rather than Thomas as the one who best understands Yeshua. It also has the distinction of perhaps refering to the Jewish traditions that declare that mortal tongues cannot utter the ultimate name of G-d, or YHWH, and of the conventions which are used to remind the faithful of how far beyond all mortal comprehension or naming is the Reality of the Ultimate One.
- "If you fast, you will give rise to sin for yourselves; and if you pray, you will be condemned; and if you give alms, you will do harm to your spirits. When you go into any land and walk about in the districts, if they receive you, eat what they will set before you, and heal the sick among them. For what goes into your mouth will not defile you, but that which issues from your mouth - it is that which will defile you." (14)
- This saying seems to counsel a policy that says it is not wise to be too hard upon oneself, nor too generous to those who might not be percieved to merit assistance, and closes with a statement also included in other gospels that warns against letting one's mouth be used to produce lies, derisions, insults and other things of foulness, for it is these that truly corrupt a person.
- "If the flesh came into being because of spirit, it is a wonder. But if spirit came into being because of the body, it is a wonder of wonders. Indeed, I am amazed at how this great wealth has made its home in this poverty." (29)
- "Whoever blasphemes against the Father will be forgiven, and whoever blasphemes against the Son will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven either on earth or in heaven. (44)
- His disciples said to Him, "When will the Kingdom come?"
Jesus said, "It will not come by waiting for it. It will not be a matter of saying 'Here it is' or 'There it is.' Rather, the Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it." (113)
- Simon Peter said to Him, "Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of Life." Jesus said, "I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the Kingdom of Heaven." (114)
- This statement is often ridiculed by many, but there are many who do not appreciate the degree to which sexist labels and stereotypes pervade many cultures and much language. Most women might object to being called "manly", and easily feel insulted by such a declaration, even if that were not the intention of the statement, yet few would object to being called "virtuous" though it is derived from vir, the Latin word for man, and is also rooted in similar conventions of identifying the positive with the male, and often the negative traits with the female.
In many past and present human cultures there has been a heavy use of sexual stereotyping as a means of insult or praise. In many of them, to insultingly call a man a "woman" is to imply that they are weak or coward… though many a strong and courageous woman might make any idiot of a man inclined to declare that quail from doing so, or forever regret it if he did.
Though it might not please many people to believe that Yeshua would consent to use such sexist terminology, even in deference or response to common conventions, here the terms male and female can plainly be construed as being used in such a way, to represent, courage, strength, and perhaps honesty and such virtues, as contrasted with fearfulness, weakness, and perhaps deceitfulness. Thus, Yeshua seems to be depicted here as affirming that he will guide Mary into being as courageous and as assertive as any of the men in the ways of ( the spiritual) Life that Peter declares she is not worthy to receive.
Other Sources of Statements attributed to Yeshua
Epistles of Paul
Book of the Apocolypse (Revelations)
A note on possible additions:
Further refinements of this article might include providing statements from all ancient sources in all the original languages of the earliest existing copies, —which in most cases would be Greek, Coptic, or sometimes transliterations of Aramaic. It would be useful if within this article the various renditions of statements in the various gospels could be brought together for comparison. It is expected that this work will be taken up by some who are zealous to see it progress, until it is completed to the satisfaction of most. It is to be hoped that sectarian and secular hostilities, and disputes about relative merit of the sources, translations and statements that are used can be kept to a minimum, and remain within the bounds of proper civility and charity. Until civility and charity rule the hearts, minds, and actions of all who would be considered wise, there is certainly a great deal left to be done in the clarification of virtue.
External Links
A Brief List of further sources of the statements of Yeshua (Jesus Christ; Issa), and information on various Christian Scriptures and Doctrines.
'Canonical Scripture:
Gospel of Thomas:
Other Christian and Spiritual Writings:
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