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From Society of Biblical Literature 1998 Seminar Papers, pp. 343-366
Enthymemic Texture in the Gospel of Thomas
Vernon K. Robbins
Emory University
In many sections of early Christian writings, assertions do not simply stand alongside other assertions, but they are supported by rationales. The presence of rationales indicates that the speaker/author is engaged in some kind of reasoning about the world and the things and processes in it. In some instances, assertions and rationales are "explanations" rather than "arguments." An instance of this is present in GTh 57:1-4:
57 1Jesus said, "The kingdom of the Father is like a person who had [good] seed. 2His enemy came at night and sowed weeds among the good seed. 3The person did not let the workers pull up the weeds, but said to them, 'No, lest you go to pull up the weeds and pull up the wheat along with them.' 4For on the day of the harvest the weeds will be conspicuous, and will be pulled up and burned."
The rationale in v. 4 of this logion explains "why" the person did not let the workers pull up the weeds; therefore, this assertion and rationale are an "explanation" rather than an "argument." An assertion and a rationale present an "argument" only if the rationale attempts to prove "that" something is the case (Hurley 1985: 17). The rationale in this logion does not attempt to prove that the person did not let the workers pull up the weeds; it only explains why. When an assertion and a rationale constitute an explanation,1 they regularly present conventional wisdom and provide excellent grounds for arguments that attempt to prove that something is the case.
In contrast to GTh 57, the parable in GTh 20:2-4 is a "description," not an explanation:
20 1The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us what the kingdom of heaven is like." 2He said to them, "It is like a mustard seed. 3<It> is the tiniest of all seeds, 4but when it falls on prepared soil, it produces a large plant and becomes a shelter for birds of heaven."
"A description consists of one or more statements that, taken together, cause a certain picture to appear in the mind of a reader or listener" (Hurley 1985: 12). While a description is neither an explanation nor an argument, it may also present well-known information that can function as grounds (a case/minor premise) for drawing a particular conclusion.
Much early Christian discourse moves beyond a presentation of explanations and descriptions into a presentation of arguments. GTh 54 is an instance of an assertion with a rationale that presents an argument:
54 Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven."
1 An explanation contains two distinct components: the explanation and the explanas. "The explanandum is the statement that describes the event or phenomenon to be explained, and the explanans is the statement or group of statements that purport to do the explaining" (Hurley 1985: 17). Back
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