The Gospel of Thomas: a literary translation

This thesis has two parts. The first part, the translator’s note, makes an argument for the necessity of translating theological texts in a manner that preserves their ambiguities and facilitates further interpretation; describes translation strategies that align with that principle; and discusses existing translations of The Gospel of Thomas.

The second part is a translation of The Gospel of Thomas from the Coptic language into English, which aligns with the theoretical principles described in the first part: it requires reader’s active involvement in its interpretation, and aims to avoid putting into words what is infinite and ineffable—which some people would call blasphemy—by encouraging non-literalist reading. This is achieved by rendering the text in verse, using line breaks and enjambment; preserving and enhancing ambiguity; representing lacunae (gaps in the text) and scribal errors in the translation; borrowing features of the original’s orthography (the way it’s spelled and formatted on the page); and making interventions that call attention to the text being a translation.