“The single most important thing Christianity could do to completely renew itself would be to reclaim the Gospel of Thomas on an equal footing with the present canonical gospels for liturgical use, study and sacred proclamation. It would completely revolutionize our understanding of the religion we think we know so well”.
Cynthia Bourgeault
Please join us for an in-depth exploration of the ‘hidden’ Gospel of St Thomas online with three scholars including Neil Douglas-Klotz, author of The Hidden Gospel: Decoding the Message of the Aramaic Jesus.
What lies hidden within these scriptures may surprise many: a visionary Christ who transcends the narrow and the dogmatic to offer us a grand cosmology based on the earthy wisdom of an ancient desert people.
The event will include the following :
AGENDA
| 02.30 – 03.00pm | Welcome and Meditation led by Fr Laurence Freeman |
| 03.00 – 03.50 pm | Talk 1 Michal Balcar PhD Background and origin of the text of the Gospel of Thomas, historical context + Q&A |
| 03.50 – 04:00 pm | Break |
| 04.00 – 04:50 pm | Talk 2 Neil Douglas-Klotz PhD Understanding the Gospel of Thomas in Light of the Aramaic Jesus + Q&A |
| 04:50 – 05.00 pm | Break |
| 05.00 – 05:50 pm | Talk 3 Laurence Freeman OSB The Text of the Gospel of Thomas as a Resource for Contemplative Practice + Q&A |
| 05:50 – 06:50 pm | Supper break |
| 06:50 – 07:00 pm | 10 minutes meditation |
| 07:00 – 07:45 pm | Lectio divina in small groups |
| 07:45 – 08:30 pm | Panel of speakers – discussion |
Languages available:
The talks will be in English and we will have simultaneous translation into Portuguese and Spanish.
Leader
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Neil Douglas-Klotz PhD
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Neil Douglas-Klotz, PhD (Ancient Semitic language cosmology and hermeneutics). Neil is a meditator of 50 years, a teacher, scholar, author and musician. He is former chair of the Mysticism Group of the American Academy of Religion. https://abwoon.org.
Other Leaders
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Laurence Freeman
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Director of WCCM. Benedictine Monk. Author of a number of books on Christian Meditation.Oxford University. Laurence Freeman OSB is an English Benedictine monk and Catholic priest. He is the director of the World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM), prior of its Benedictine Oblate community and director of Bonnevaux, the international centre of the WCCM in France. Freeman’s work also involves encouraging the teaching of meditation to children and university students. In 2005 he founded the John Main Centre for Meditation and Inter-Religious Dialogue at Georgetown University
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Michal Balcar PhD
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Michal Balcar, Ph.D. (Protestant Faculty, Charles University), is a church historian focused on the topic of free churches in 20th-century Europe, especially under totalitarian regimes. He is also an alumnus of the University of Wales Lampeter in systematic theology. He works as a Seventh-day Adventist pastor in Prague and attends WCCM retreats in the Czech Republic regularly.
Q&A with the Speakers
In each talk, you will have the opportunity to ask questions to the speaker
Access to Recordings
By registering, you'll be given access to the talks' recordings
Meet Fellow Meditators
Whatever the stage of your journey meet fellow meditators with whom to reflect and share your thoughts about this series in a safe environment
Meditate Together
We offer the opportunity to meditate together at the start of each session