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The Gospel of Thomas Goes Public
Second Edition
First course in the Nag Hammadi Series
Completely updated in 2025 with new lectures and visuals
Presented by Dr. Shirley Paulson
About the Course
This course—The Gospel of Thomas Goes Public, Second Edition—is one of the Nag Hammadi series. It offers a wide perspective on the most popular of the Nag Hammadi texts, the Gospel of Thomas.
Instructor Dr. Shirley Paulson explains the complex but extremely important relationship between the ancient Gospel of Thomas and the New Testament while helping you gain confidence in your own ability to interpret and make use of it.
The Gospel of Thomas is a source of inspiration and an essential resource for Bible students, Christians, and anyone interested in the history of the earliest centuries of the Christ movements. If you’re looking to understand the great depth of this remarkable ancient text and some of the most current scholarship, you’ll definitely want to get involved in this course.
What to Expect
The course is divided into six sections, each section containing several video lectures. You can watch the recordings at your convenience and enjoy continuing access to it. The full course includes over three hours of recorded instruction, plus some written materials for resources and further contemplation.
Enrollment in this self-study course is available now, and priced at $49.00.
Scroll down to enroll in the self-study course. You must be registered and logged in to enroll.
Exceeded My Expectations
I’ve read some books about the Nag Hammadi texts, and I took an online course on the Gospel of Thomas several years ago. I signed up for this class as a review, but it exceeded my expectations. I enjoyed its fresh format. I liked the interactive approach where we could take quizzes and share our thoughts if we wanted. I also appreciated learning about early church history. It was a perfect blend of lecture and independent thinking, and I look forward to more classes about Nag Hammadi. — Colleen M.
Register or Log In to Enroll
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You must register for a Bible and Beyond Courses account and be logged into that account to enroll in courses. After you are logged in, return to this page and enrollment options will be available.
Two Types of Courses
Bible and Beyond offers two different types of courses. One is a self-study course. This consists of recorded lectures which you can view at your own pace, 24/7. You can purchase the self-study version of any course and immediately start learning at any time. The other is a live online hybrid course. Live online hybrid courses consist of recorded lectures you can watch anytime, and six live Zoom discussions led by Dr. Shirley Paulson. A variety of live online hybrid courses are offered at different times throughout the year. Check the live online hybrid course page to learn more and check out the schedule.
Would you like to host a live online hybrid course group? If you and a group of friends are interested in taking a course together, we are interested in making that happen! All courses are available as live online hybrids, so just get in touch with us to work out the details.
“The Gospel of Thomas Goes Public” Selected Reviews
Live Online Hybrid Course Reviews
I love having to dig deeper into exploring where my thought needs to be pruned. I think these discussions get us thinking more out of the box. Why should that seem so difficult at times? — Sher
Very helpful lectures which combine study of the numbered sayings with very interesting and important information about the background and relationship to the other Gospels as well as the influential bishops and others involved in the development of the New Testament and issues about it. — Carol
This course is a good match for my style of learning. The lectures move at a good clip to keep me engaged. And I enjoy the pauses to allow for the student to look into his/her resources to do some comparative study. — Marie
My heart is filled with so much gratitude for you, your enthusiasm+ bringing this cohort of female theologians together. To me,
Thomas represents an interior search towards unification w/Universal Divinity….or perhaps the female Sophia….. — Beth
I’m experiencing your course as a rich resource for liturgies, Shirley. Your teachings are clear and well organized. I see how the Gospel of Thomas is a rich invitation to deepen and broaden what we Scripture lovers have already heard with endless reverberation. — Elaine
Self-Study Course Reviews
I loved this course. The teacher is easy to listen to. I have loved the material for some years and was glad to have some more ideas and better information to go with my own musings. I look forward to more courses and connecting via the web and Facebook. Thank you – I will be recommending the course to those who went through the Gospel of Thomas with me a few years ago (and others who did not!) as you have clarified some of our confusion and shown we were not so far off on others. — Janet
I’ve read some books about the Nag Hammadi series, and I took an online course on Thomas several years ago. I signed up for this class as a review, but it exceeded my expectations. I enjoyed its fresh format. I liked the interactive approach where we could take quizzes and share our thoughts if we wanted. I also appreciated learning about early church history. It was a perfect blend of lecture and independent thinking, and I look forward to more classes about Nag Hammadi. — Colleen
I really appreciate the bite-size modules of course material with their descriptive headings. Makes it easier to stop and start as needed. — Geri
Yes, it’s challenging me and giving me much inspiration. Thank you so much. — Wendy
It is such interesting content – the lectures are easy to understand and follow. It’s a great pace for me. — Rindy