Dilley’s Coptic edition identifies the Thomas text and editorial unit. Its metadata says translation: none; notes describe an English translation as future work.
Hebrew & Eastern Christian texts · Coptic
Gospel of Thomas, Saying 3: knowing oneself and the living Father
Saying 3 can be read through a scholarly Coptic edition and a separately credited English translation, with inward and outward language kept together.
Coptic edition and English saying checked
- Physical witness
- Nag Hammadi Codex II, tractate 2 · NH 10544 in the scholarly metadata
- Selected unit
- Gospel of Thomas, Saying 3 · codex pages 32–33; image line concordance pending
- Edition or research reference
- Paul C. Dilley, Coptic Scriptorium Gospel of Thomas, version 6.2.0 (25 November 2025), urn:cts:copticLit:nh.thomas.NHAM02:0-114. English translation: Mark M. Mattison, Gospels.net, n.d., accessed 5 November 2026.
- Review boundary
- The Coptic edition record and Mattison’s English saying were consulted. A fresh manuscript-photograph-to-line concordance was not completed.
Follow the reading
The consulted English text is Mark M. Mattison’s separately authored translation on Gospels.net, which the translator commits to the public domain. It is not an English translation by Coptic Scriptorium.
The selected saying, Coptic edition version and separately credited English reading are identified. Their distinct translation responsibilities are explicit.
Read the selected passage
Saying 3 challenges attempts to locate the kingdom only in distant places. Its movement from heaven and sea includes what is within and outside the hearer, then connects self-knowledge with recognition as children of the living Father.
Dilley’s Coptic edition and Mattison’s English translation have different editorial responsibilities. Keeping them identifiable gives a transparent comparison route. The saying’s attribution to Jesus is part of the text’s presentation; it is not an independent verification of original spoken words.
What remains to check
Collate the codex photographs and resolve exact line numbering. A familiar citation range is not substituted for that image check, and no complete codex-wide audit is claimed.
Bring the learning forward
Attend to your own choices while remaining open to what you can learn in relationship. Babylon’s inward practice keeps the Father and Yeshua at the centre and offers a constructive next step. It does not insert this reflection into the manuscript wording.
The Father and Yeshua remain Babylon’s devotional centre. This reflection offers perspective and a freely chosen next step; it makes no judgement about a reader’s worth.
Sources you can retrace
These source links identify the consulted catalogue, transcription, edition or scholarly quotation. Source images and complete modern translations remain at their original hosts.
- Coptic Scriptorium · Gospel of Thomas ↗
Paul C. Dilley; annotation contributions Caroline T. Schroeder, Lydia Bremer-McCollum and Amir Zeldes. Version 6.2.0, 25 November 2025, CC BY 4.0. No English translation in this edition.
Consulted Coptic edition and metadata - Mark M. Mattison · Thomas translation ↗
Mark M. Mattison, n.d.; accessed 5 November 2026. Translator commits this English translation to the public domain.
Consulted English translation, Saying 3
Cite this Babylon study
Babylon Learning Centre. “Gospel of Thomas, Saying 3: knowing oneself and the living Father.” Passage Research Studio, revision 1, 5 November 2026. https://learn.babylonencyclopedia.com/research/passages/thomas-saying-three/
The ancient edition is credited separately above. These downloads cite Babylon’s study, not a new edition or translation of the manuscript.
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Learning in the Light
In Babylon, the Father’s light opens perspective, learning and a chosen next step. Your worth remains intact. Every person is sovereign, with dignity, freedom and room to grow.
Read the learning principle ↗