New Sayings of Jesus and Fragment of a Lost Gospel from Oxyrhynchus

SECOND SAYING. ll. 9-21.

Jesus saith . . . who are those
10 that draw us original: "ἕλκοντες ἡμᾶς" [to the kingdom, if
the kingdom is in Heaven? . . . . . . . .
the fowls of the air and of the beasts that
are under the earth is original: "ὑπὸ τὴν γῆν ἐστ[ιν" or upon the earth, and
the fishes of the sea, these are they that draw
15 you, and the kingdom of Heaven
is within you, and whoever shall know himself shall find
it. . . . . . . . . . . . .
you shall know yourselves [and ye shall be aware that ye are sons
of the Father, the...
20 you shall know yourselves in...
and you are...

"Jesus saith, (Ye ask? who are those) that draw us (to the kingdom, if) the kingdom is in Heaven? . . . the fowls of the air, and all beasts that are under the earth or upon the earth, and the fishes of the sea, (these are they which draw) you, and the kingdom of Heaven is within you; and who-ever shall know himself shall find it. (Strive therefore?) to know yourselves, and ye shall be aware that ye are the sons of the (almighty?) Father; (and?) ye shall know that ye are in (the city of God?), and ye are (the city?)."

The reconstruction of this, the longest and most important of the Sayings, is extremely difficult. Beyond the supplements in line 15, which are based on the parallel in Luke 17:21 with the substitution of "kingdom of Heaven," St. Matthew’s phrase, for St. Luke’s "kingdom of God" which is too short for the lacuna gap in the manuscript, and those in lines 12-13, 16, and 18, the general accuracy of which is guaranteed by the context, it is impossible to proceed without venturing into the region of pure conjecture. There seems to be no direct parallel to or trace of this Saying among the other non-canonical Sayings ascribed to our Lord, and the materials provided by lines 10-12—"they that draw," the kingdom of Heaven, and the fowls of the air—are at first sight so disparate that the recovery of the connection between them may seem a hopeless task.