Females Are Not Worthy of Life: Commentary on Saying 114 in the Gospel of Thomas

Simon Peter said to them, “Mary should leave us for females are not worthy of life.”

Jesus said, “Look, I shall guide her to make her male, so that she too may becoming a living spirit. For every female who makes herself male will enter the Kingdom of God.”

---Saying 114, The Gospel of Thomas

First, I will summarize some key points made about this passage by Uwe-Karsten Plisch in the Gospel of Thomas: Original Text With Commentary (Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2008) on pages 243-247:

 * The dialogue is Post-Easter (Page 244).

This is a fundamental point that the truth seeker will need: The Gospel of Thomas was written by Jesus’ brother, Judas Thomas, by recording the living Jesus’ words (see prologue and saying 1). In other words, saying 114 was a dialogue which was occurred and was recorded after Jesus’ Resurrection. 



* Note that Saying 114 is the last saying in the Gospel of Thomas and it connects to the first saying in several ways. One clear example is the use of the term “living,” which is recorded in the prologue and in Saying 114; Living Spirit (114) and Living Jesus (Pages 244-245).

The concept of “living being” is encountered in Genesis 2:7: “God formed man of dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (emphasis mine). Later we are told the female was formed: “and the rib which God has taken from the man he made into a woman” (Genesis 2:22). 


* The unity of male and female occurs by the female being turned into a male (Pages 246-247).

The point here is the unity of opposites in male-female example is achieved by eliminating the female. This would follow since as Peter noted “females are not worthy of life.” So when there is only male energy there will be one self. Thus, as in Saying 22, “When you make the male and female into a single one,” all is left is the male spirit.

 

Questions:


1. Is it possible to become an Immortal while interacting with females?

No. Females are not a living spirit as Jesus stated. Instead females have a demonic energy about them which represents darkness. Thus, if a male wishes to enter the light he will need to rid himself of darkness—females.

2. Can a female become Immortal?

Yes. In Saying 114, Mary who probably is either Mary Magdalene or the mother of Jesus, will be guided by Jesus and turned into a male. So a female by herself cannot become an Immortal; however, if she submits her will to an Immortal she may become a living spirit.