Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA in English

Department

English

First Advisor

Steven Mentz

Second Advisor

Dohra Ahmad

Abstract

This thesis uses a comparative analysis between the allegedly “heretical” Gospel of Thomas and its canonical counterpart, the Gospel of John, to conduct a critique of the contemporary Catholic Church. This analysis and critique also utilize evaluations of medieval and modern definitions of heresy within a religious context, as well as a comparison between bishop dissent of these “secret” or “gnostic” gospels in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries and papal dissent in the 21st century. After conducting the comparative analysis between the two gospels, I posit that the Church’s charge of heresy toward the Gospel of Thomas is an attempt to mask its own heretical, hegemonic agendas in religious and political realms, which are exposed by this particular “secret” gospel. A prominent offense the Church has claimed and still claims the Gospel of Thomas commits pertains to promoting the idea of knowledge from God being acquired through personal or private means. I conclude, however, that this idea might not actually be heretical, since close readings of this gospel align with close readings of other canonical biblical texts, especially the Gospel of John which almost faced adjacent charges of dissent. The Gospel of Thomas in dialogue with the Gospel of John (and additional scriptures) unveil the Church’s own perversions from the Christian faith (including the humanitarian motives thereof) by exposing the Church’s overlooked hegemonic (political, socio-economic, and spiritual) manipulations that contribute to the injustices happening in (larger) global political affairs.

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