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Gospel of Thomas · 28 of 114 · tr. Thomas O. Lambdin

Logion 28

Jesus said, "I took my place in the midst of the world, and I appeared to them in flesh. I found all of them intoxicated; I found none of them thirsty. And my soul became afflicted for the sons of men, because they are blind in their hearts and do not have sight; for empty they came into the world, and empty too they seek to leave the world. But for the moment they are intoxicated. When they shake off their wine, then they will repent."
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Themes
Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

[auto] Jesus describes his own soul becoming afflicted, attributing human emotion and suffering to the divine figure.

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Body As Obstacleanthropology

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

[auto] The flesh and the world are associated with intoxication and blindness, hindering true spiritual sight.

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Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

[auto] A distinction is drawn between the intoxicated state of the world and the awakened state implied by Jesus' presence.

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Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

[auto] The passage contrasts spiritual blindness and intoxication with the awakening of sight and repentance, which is central to the Gnostic path of salvation.

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Inner Lightanthropology

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

[auto] The metaphor of blindness in the heart and lack of sight implies an inner spiritual illumination that is currently obscured.

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Kenomacosmology

The void or emptiness outside the pleroma; the realm of matter, ignorance, and deficiency.

[auto] Humans are described as coming into and leaving the world empty, reflecting the deficiency of the material realm outside divine fullness.

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Love Of Neighbourethics

Active compassionate care for others as a central spiritual obligation or expression of divine love.

Jesus expresses affliction for the sons of men, indicating compassion for humanity.

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Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

[auto] The saying presents the paradoxical condition of being intoxicated yet needing to shake off wine to repent.

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