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Studies in the Gospel of Thomas (Book of the Sayings of Yeshua): Saying 90

“Come to me
for justice is my yoke,
and gentleness is my rule.
and you will discover the state of rest.” (Lynn Bauman translation)

“Come to me;
my yoke is good,
my command is gentle,
and you will find repose within you.” (Jean-Yves Leloup translation)

“Come to me, for my yoke is comfortable and my lordship is gentle, and you will find rest for yourselves.” (Scholar’s Version)

“Come to me, for my yoke is easy and my lordship is gentle, and you will find rest for yourselves.” (Blatz translation)

“Come to me, for my yoke is excellent and my authority is sweet, and you will find rest for yourselves!” (Doresse translation)

“Come (plur.) to me, for my yoke is easy (to use) and my lordship is mild, and you will find repose for yourselves.” (Layton translation)

J. D. Crossan writes: “Thomas’s version is not dependent on that of Matthew (Sieber:139, as against Schrage, 1964:173). Instead, ‘both go back to wisdom traditions which have been subjected to gnosticizing transformations’ (Betz, 1967:20). Koester has suggested that 'except for "lordship” instead of “burden” (Matt. 11:30) this shorter version could be more original than Matthew’s’ (1980b:246). Bauer would agree and even consider that 'lordship’ could be more original (1961:105). I prefer to follow Koester rather than Bauer primarily because 'burden’ reappears in Pist. Soph. 95 and Dial. Sav. 141:3-6. Indeed, the force of the aphorism seems intensified if there is some comparison made between heavy or difficult burdens (from elsewhere) and light or easy burdens (from Jesus). I propose, therefore, that, while Thomas’s version is more original than that of Matt. 11:28-30, it is not more original than Matt. 11:28 + 30 since Thomas lacks any equivalent to Q’s 'all who labor and are heavy laden (burdened).’“ (In Fragments, pp. 257-258)

Visitor Comment: "The right teacher for you — follow his instructions, which are carefully prescribed by him to be exactly right for you and no other, how can they not be an easy yoke. There is not a dervish who ever lived who testified that he found The Way to be hard. The term is inappropriate. Lengthy? Yes. Hard? Never.” (Thief37)

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/thomas/gospelthomas90.html

My Comments:

The view by most is originally there was an oral tradition of sayings of Jesus. Eventually these often-quoted sayings were written down. Scholars call this Sayings Gospel Q (from German: Quelle, meaning “source”). This first written gospel would have been a simple collection of sayings. In India there are collections of the sayings of various Sages known as Upanishads. Think of Sayings Gospel Q and the Gospel of Thomas as Christ Upanishads.

John Dominic Crossan above describes the process of how sayings were transmitted over time. From reading his commentary, and that of other scholars discussing variations in various sayings, one can get the impression there were perhaps many “Q’s” or collections of the Sayings of Christ in antiquity circulating. Matthew and Luke made use of one such collection. Thomas represents another tradition. To learn more about the Thomas tradition of the Sayings of Jesus, and what other ancient texts made use of these “Thomasonian” sayings – versions found in the Gospel of Thomas, see the book, The Extracanonical Sayings of Jesus, by William Stroker, Scholars Press.