[Elaine] Pagels contended that the gospel of Thomas was intended for those already familiar with a public account of Jesus\u2019 life. Paired with John\u2019s gospel, which the Princeton academic asserted was written in the same tradition, Thomas was written so that readers would have a \u201cnew, deeper meaning\u201d\u009d \u201cto be read complementarily\u201d\u009d with John\u2019s message of salvation.<\/p>\n
Pagels speculated that Jesus was \u201cprobably illiterate\u201d\u009d but memorized scripture the way Jewish boys memorize the Torah. It was \u201cvery likely\u201d\u009d he quoted them all the time….<\/p>\n
Pagels noted that Gnostics typically considered a \u201cgloomy view of the world\u201d\u009d and adhered to a \u201cbizarre mythology,\u201d\u009d but Thomas, in contrast, \u201cis a simple list.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoever put John and Thomas together shared the same teaching tradition,\u201d\u009d Pagels concluded.<\/p>\n