Gospel of Thomas - Chapter 018
Saying 16
- 16) Jesus said, "Men think, perhaps, that it is peace which I have come to cast upon the world. They do not know that it is dissension which I have come to cast upon the earth: fire, sword, and war. For there will be five in a house: three will be against two, and two against three, the father against the son, and the son against the father. And they will stand solitary."
As a riddle:
Dissention/betrayal is רמה remah which is identical to רמה cast down and רמה high place.
- dissension which I have come to cast upon the earth
This is a word play (using two of the three puns to highlight the third) which says that the high place will be brought to earth. The kingdom of God will be on earth.
The next part plays with the hieroglyphic metaphors of the letters. The metaphor of each letter can be expressed many ways, such as the shin ש can be fire, the Holy Spirit, the word not returning void, etc. The aleph א represents the separation of the waters, division, etc.. depending on its position it can also mean reconciliation.
The word שוא which is spelled out by the letters representing fire, sword, and war, means desolation. So when the kingdom of God comes to earth, the earth will be destroyed. Many take the Biblical verses that are similar to this as literal, but there is an aspect that when one is ruled by the spirit, the flesh no longer has control. It is made desolate.
Then there are only two houses that have five letters in them: בית~שן Bethshan or house of ease and בית־אל Bethel or House of God. The context makes it Bethel. Three (Beth) are against two (El), the house is against God, and God is against the house. It is said that we were at war with God, and then Christ took our sin upon himself and represented us as his 'house' or family. The time of the cross is when the Father left the Son and he cried out "Why have you forsaken me?"
Just a childish riddle..The same method is used by John is Joh 1.1: Ïn the beginning was the word". He shows us how the game is played with Ge 1.1: בראשית ברא אלהים In the beginning God.
Bara
ברא bara is 'the word which creates' it is normally just translated 'created' but since God created by his word, it becomes either 'created by his word' or 'the word which created'. Look and see that ברא is in בראשית as the first three letters. In the beginning was the bara, the word. Bara is next to Elohim so John says, "The word was with God". It describes God as the creator so John says, "The word was God". In fact bara has bar in it which is 'son'. The son was in the beginning, was the creator, was with God, was God. Elohim has some puns: Alo khoom, LChaim, Lechem, meaning not dark (Light), Life, Bread. And John uses these puns in his theology.
See The_Director's_Bible_-_008 and following for a more complete description of Ge 1:1.
John plays the same game in 1Jo 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
Heaven is שמים: The hieroglyphics of the three consonants are the Spirit (fire), Father (declared a covenant in heaven) and the Son (fulfilled the covenant on earth. The gematria = 3 as well.
The word earth is ארץ which is the water (aleph as the division of the waters), the word (rosh which is a revelation) and the tzadik which is the blood (The son who is Holy and Love descending to the grave).
Silly riddles? yep. But systemic to the nature of Biblical prophecy and sensus plenior. Thomas took notes so that he would remember how to do it.
Oh, and they stand as one... "The Father and I are one".
