Thursday 1 November 2018

James the Just Gospel of Thomas Saying 12

On the day when you were one, you became two. But when you have become two, what will you do? (12) The disciples said to Jesus, "We are aware that you will depart from us. Who will be our leader?" Jesus said to him, "No matter where you come it is to James the Just that you shall go, for whose sake heaven and earth have come to exist."

When we are two what should we do? We should go to James the righteous here James is a symbol of all the holy and righteous ones who are a type for our own learning as an instructor for us in righteousness. James is also a type of Christ as the leader of the faith after God has called us we should go to Jesus the righteous as Jesus says he only has those whom his father has given him. 

The heavens and the earth are the new heavens and earth, that Jesus will create Rev 21:5 and they are created for the righteous ones Prov 10:25 the new heavens and earth take the place of the heavens in Saying 11 that are passing away. Now from the political expanse “the heavens will pour down righteousness (Zedek) and the earth opening and bring forth salvation (Yesha) and justification (Zedakah) growing up together (with them)” Talmud Tractate Taanith Israel will be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation (Yesha). The Talmud Taanith interprets this passage from Isaiah 45:8 to mean that rain will not fall unless the kingdom is restored to Israel and its sins are forgiven. 

The Taanith compares the day on which rainfalls to the day on which the new heavens and earth will be created which is the imagery of spring-rain. See James 5:7,8,17,18 1Kings 18:1 Dan 7:13 Lk 4:24,25 Dan 12:7 8:14

One connection between rain and a teacher of righteousness is supplied in the blessing of Deuteronomy: And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of Yahweh thy Elohim, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day…Yahweh shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season… Deut 28:1, 11 (KJV) cf. Deut 11:13-14 
A teacher of righteousness who leads the people back to Yahweh would be the instrumental cause of Yahweh blessing the people with rain 11:14), and so the giving of the former and latter rain in the first month of spring would be a sign that such a teacher had been given to the people. 

Another connection is the use of ―rain as a a figure of speech for teaching in such statements as ―My doctrine shall drop as the rain (Deut 32:2). In the same vein Isaiah declares, 
Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it. Isa 45:8 (KJV) 
And the verb ―drop is used of prophetic speech: Now therefore hear thou the word of the Lord: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac. Amos 7:16 (KJV) 

Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field… Ezek 20:46 (KJV) cf. Ezek 21:2 
The language of Joel is double-edged: not only had there been a recent gift of the early and latter rains in the same month, but there was a promise of righteousness raining upon the people. 

Hosea expresses a similar a figure of speech when he states, 
Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; his going forth is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth. Hos 6:3 (RSV) cf. Prov 16:15 

The people would experience the presence of the Lord as spring rain. 
So here in Saying 12 relates to rain-making or the fall of rain and the righteous (zaddik)-status.
In Hebrew rain and teacher are very similare words by changing just one letter rain becomes teacher 

Rain is yore, teacher is moreh, teacher of righteousness is moreh-zedek, 



James is a type of a spring-rain of righteousness (yoreh-zedek)= He pours down righteousness Joel 2:23 Jerome let the clouds pour down the just one. The Just One is Christ who is the sun of Righteousness that will rise only once to set no more and cause righteousness to spring forth from the earth in causing righteous ones forth from the grave. See also Isa 51:11 Eze 1:28 Ps 85:11 Rev 10:1 18:1 21:23 16:12

12) The disciples said to Jesus, "We know that You [the Word - the fountain of Life] will depart from us [this was evidenced by the letters to the seven ecclesias]. Who is to be our leader [who will help us get it back]?" Jesus said to them, "Wherever you are, you are to go to James the righteous, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being [i.e. even if you do not understand the Word in its higher/inward form you are to continue walking righteously]." 

No comments:

Post a Comment