O evangelho segundo S. Tomé

O evangelho segundo S. Tomé é apócrifo (não faz parte dos 4 evangelhos canónicos, ou seja, aceites pela Igreja). No entanto alguns consideram-no (e não vejo porque não) tão válido como os evangelhos aceites. É vulgarmente chamado de “o quinto evangelho”. De resto, é provavelmente o mais antigo (terá sido escrito entre 50 a 140 d.C., enquanto que o evangelho segundo S. Marcos – o mais antigo dos canónicos – está datado entre 65 e 80 d.C.) e isso pode fazer dele o mais fiel aos ensinamentos de Jesus, o menos corrompido pela erosão do tempo.
Pessoalmente não faço a mais pequena ideia e estou-me nas tintas. Estas discussões eruditas sobre o evangelho mais antigo, o mais verdadeiro, as nuances entre eles, os apócrifos e o raio que o parta não me dão nem deixam de dar cócegas nos tomates, e por isso passam-me ao lado.
Podia ter sido escrito ontem por qualquer pobre diabo esquizofrénico ou à 10000 anos por um macacão do neolítico que tanto me faz: o evangelho apócrifo segundo S. Tomé é lindíssimo. Toca-me profundamente e fala-me de um Jesus outro, que me apaixona.

Podem encontrar aquiaqui uma tradução para inglês (de resto nada de português, só brasileiro e se as quiserem façam o favor de procurar no Google).

Repare-se que Tomé não faz uma narração. Limita-se a registar aquilo que seriam os ditos de Jesus sem os contextualizar.

Aquilo que mais me atrai neste evangelho é a evidência de uma visão muito mais larga, universal, natural e muito menos restritiva ou repressora de um Jesus distinto do dos evangelhos canónicos.
Por vezes tenho a sensação que se aproxima quase assustadoramente da tão em voga sabedoria budista. Quase tão assustadoramente como se afasta desta Igreja Católica Apostólica Romana que temos hoje, e pior ainda, daquela que houve poucos séculos atrás.
Jesus recomenda que ninguém faça aquilo que não deseja, Jesus não enfatiza a fé mas sim a auto-descoberta, Jesus transmite aquilo que eu interpreto como uma mensagem de amor. Amor pelos outros, por nós próprios, pela natureza, pela vida.
Pelo menos é assim que leio este evangelho.

Para aqueles reticentes em ler o pequeníssimo texto integral, deixo aqui uma selecção pessoal quick and easy:

3 Jesus said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) 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 within you and it is outside you.”

6 His disciples asked him and said to him, "Do you want us to fast? How should we pray? Should we give to charity? What diet should we observe?"
Jesus said, "Don't lie, and don't do what you hate, because all things are disclosed before heaven. After all, there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is nothing covered up that will remain undisclosed."

14 Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will bring sin upon yourselves, and if you pray, you will be condemned, and if you give to charity, you will harm your spirits.
When you go into any region and walk about in the countryside, when people take you in, eat what they serve you and heal the sick among them.
After all, what goes into your mouth will not defile you; rather, it's what comes out of your mouth that will defile you."

18 The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us, how will our end come?"
Jesus said, "Have you found the beginning, then, that you are looking for the end? You see, the end will be where the beginning is.
Congratulations to the one who stands at the beginning: that one will know the end and will not taste death."

22 Jesus saw some babies nursing. He said to his disciples, "These nursing babies are like those who enter the kingdom."
They said to him, "Then shall we enter the kingdom as babies?"
Jesus said to them, "When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the male will not be male nor the female be female, when you make eyes in place of an eye, a hand in place of a hand, a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image, then you will enter [the kingdom]."

29 Jesus said, "If the flesh came into being because of spirit, that is a marvel, but if spirit came into being because of the body, that is a marvel of marvels.
Yet I marvel at how this great wealth has come to dwell in this poverty."

37 His disciples said, "When will you appear to us, and when will we see you?"
Jesus said, "When you strip without being ashamed, and you take your clothes and put them under your feet like little children and trample then, then [you] will see the son of the living one and you will not be afraid."

42 Jesus said, "Be passersby."

43 His disciples said to him, "Who are you to say these things to us?"
"You don't understand who I am from what I say to you.
Rather, you have become like the Judeans, for they love the tree but hate its fruit, or they love the fruit but hate the tree."

44 Jesus said, "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."

48 Jesus said, "If two make peace with each other in a single house, they will say to the mountain, 'Move from here!' and it will move."

50 Jesus said,
"If they say to you, 'Where have you come from?' say to them, 'We have come from the light, from the place where the light came into being by itself, established [itself], and appeared in their image.'
If they say to you, 'Is it you?' say, 'We are its children, and we are the chosen of the living Father.'
If they ask you, 'What is the evidence of your Father in you?' say to them, 'It is motion and rest.'"

53 His disciples said to him, "is circumcision useful or not?"
He said to them, "If it were useful, their father would produce children already circumcised from their mother. Rather, the true circumcision in spirit has become profitable in every respect."

59 Jesus said, "Look to the living one as long as you live, otherwise you might die and then try to see the living one, and you will be unable to see."

62 Jesus said, "I disclose my mysteries to those [who are worthy] of [my] mysteries.
Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."

67 Jesus said, "Those who know all, but are lacking in themselves, are utterly lacking."

70 Jesus said, "If you bring forth what is within you, what you have will save you. If you do not have that within you, what you do not have within you [will] kill you."

77 Jesus said, "I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attained.
Split a piece of wood; I am there.
Lift up the stone, and you will find me there."

83 Jesus said, "Images are visible to people, but the light within them is hidden in the image of the Father's light. He will be disclosed, but his image is hidden by his light."

87 Jesus said, "How miserable is the body that depends on a body, and how miserable is the soul that depends on these two."

89 Jesus said, "Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Don't you understand that the one who made the inside is also the one who made the outside?"

91 They said to him, "Tell us who you are so that we may believe in you."
He said to them, "You examine the face of heaven and earth, but you have not come to know the one who is in your presence, and you do not know how to examine the present moment.

94 Jesus [said], "One who seeks will find, and for [one who knocks] it will be opened."

106 Jesus said, "When you make the two into one, you will become children of Adam, and when you say, 'Mountain, move from here!' it will move."

108 Jesus said, "Whoever drinks from my mouth will become like me; I myself shall become that person, and the hidden things will be revealed to him."

112 Jesus said, "Damn the flesh that depends on the soul. Damn the soul that depends on the flesh."

113 His disciples said to him, "When will the kingdom come?"
"It will not come by watching for it. It will not be said, 'Look, here!' or 'Look, there!' Rather, the Father's kingdom is spread out upon the earth, and people don't see it."