Part I Introduction I. BASIC INFORMATION 1. Discovery 2. Description 3. Attestation 4. Text 5. Impact in Antiquity II. THE MEANING OF THE LITERARY SHAPE 1. The Literary Shape - Wisdom, Prophecy? 2. The Gospel as Oral Message and as a Book 3. Problems with Transmission of Jesus´ sayings 4. The Gospels as Feedback of Christian Proclamation and Prophecy 5. The Title of the Gospel of Thomas III. A SOURCE FOR JESUS RESEARCH? 1. The Problem of Methodology 2. Gospel of Thomas - A Possible Source of Information about Jesus? 3. John and Thomas 4. The Gospel of Thomas and the Synoptics 5. The Two Streams of Christian Tradition - the Two Ways of Christian Reflection 6. The Layers of the Gospel of Tomas 7. The Name of Thomas and the Thomasian Writings IV. THE SPIRITUAL WORLD OF THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS 1. Between Gnosticism and Mainstream Christianity (Characteristics of the Gospel of Thomas) 2. Theological Ideas of the Gospel of Thomas 3. Bibliography Part II I. A Successive Commentary on the Individual Sayings II. Conclusion: The Meaning and Significance of the Gospel of Thomas