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Some scholars say Gnosticism may contain historical information about Jesus from the Gnostic viewpoint, [7] though the majority predominantly conclude that apocryphal sources, Gnostic or not, are later than the canonical ones and many, such as the Gospel of Thomas, depend upon or use the Synoptic Gospels.
Works preserved by the Church: Acts of Thomas (Especially Hymn of the Pearl or The Hymn of the Robe of Glory) The Acts of John (Especially The Hymn of Jesus) The Bruce Codex (purchased in 1769 by James Bruce): Books of Jeu, also known as The Gnosis of the Invisible God; The Untitled Text; The Askew Codex (British Museum, bought in 1784):
Considering the generally accepted dates of authorship for all of the canonical New Testament works (c. 100 CE), as well as the various witnesses to canonicity extant among the writings of Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus, etc., the four gospels and letters of Paul were held by the gentile Christian community as scriptural, and 200 years were ...
The historical reliability of the Gospels is evaluated by experts who have not reached complete consensus. While all four canonical gospels contain some sayings and events that may meet at least one of the five criteria for historical reliability used in biblical studies, [note 1] the assessment and evaluation of these elements is a matter of ongoing debate.
[185] [186] The presentation in the fourth canonical gospel, i.e. John, differs from these three in that it has more of a thematic nature rather than a narrative format. [187] Scholars generally agree that it is impossible to find any direct literary relationship between the synoptic gospels and the Gospel of John. [187]
The Gospel of John, according to Stephen L Harris, both includes Gnostic elements and refutes Gnostic beliefs, presenting a dualistic universe of light and dark, spirit and matter, good and evil, much like the Gnostic accounts, but instead of escaping the material world, Jesus bridges the spiritual and physical worlds. [28]
The Gospel of Thomas, it is often claimed, has some gnostic elements but lacks the full gnostic cosmology. However, even the description of these elements as "gnostic" is based mainly upon the presupposition that the text as a whole is a "gnostic" gospel, and this idea itself is based upon little other than the fact that it was found along with ...
In contrast, the Gospel of John presents Jesus Christ as the "light of the world," centralizing the revelation of God through Christ. Pagels suggests that Gospel of Thomas, along with other non-canonical texts, portrays Jesus not as God, but as a human teacher uncovering the divine light within individuals.