Endnote 13 – The Gospel of Thomas

The Syriac translation of John 14:22 refers to a disciple named Judas Thomas, that is, Judas the twin; in the standard Greek text it says “Judas (not Iscariot).” In the New Testament Epistle of Jude (= Judas), we are told that Jude is “the brother of James” (who is the brother of Jesus). In the Gospel of Thomas, there is a connection between James the righteous one (Jesus’ brother), who is designated as the leader of the Church (Gospel of Thomas, Saying 12), and (Judas) Thomas, as the apostle who knows the secret wisdom (Gospel of Thomas, Saying 13), but no family relationship between Jesus, James and Thomas is established.