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Metalogos The Gospels of Thomas & Philip & Truth

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Protestant, thruout Latin America; and also<br />

<strong>of</strong> the faculties <strong>of</strong> philosophy, <strong>of</strong> orthodox<br />

theology and <strong>of</strong> informatics at the University<br />

<strong>of</strong> Athens— for their fraternal hospitality I<br />

am pr<strong>of</strong>oundly grateful. Internet technical<br />

advice has been kindly provided by Ioannis<br />

Georgiadis <strong>of</strong> the Athens University<br />

Computer Center.<br />

<strong>The</strong> canonical <strong>Gospels</strong> must be the<br />

paradigm in assessing any newly-discovered<br />

‘Gospel’. That is to say, our criteria for<br />

evaluating such a text must be both its<br />

internal consistency with, and its external<br />

provenance relative to, the four texts which<br />

provide the ostensive definition 1 <strong>of</strong> the very<br />

term ‘Gospel’ to begin with. So: are<br />

<strong>Thomas</strong>, <strong>Philip</strong> and Valentine theologically<br />

harmonious with the Synoptics and John?<br />

Do they all come from the same general<br />

historic context and archeological ambiance<br />

in antiquity? Are the new texts, upon<br />

1 ‘Ostensive definition’: defining a term by indicating an exemplary or<br />

paradigmatic referent.<br />

17

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