To know what is before one’s face : group-specific metaphors and the composition of the Gospel of Thomas

Abstract

This article uses the insights of second-generation cognitive linguistics to interpret some of the metaphoric sayings in the Gospel of Thomas. It is an attempt to show how the identification and use of conventional metaphors influence the understanding of poetic language. Group-specific metaphors, as a manifestation of basic conventional metaphors, are identified, providing a conceptual framework against which some Thomas sayings are interpreted. These basic metaphors then provide cohesion for the interpretation of some apparently disparate sayings in the Gospel of Thomas.