I enjoyed this course so much. Having the opportunity to learn from and ask questions of an expert in this field, who not only has scholarly knowledge of the history and translations of this text, but who also deeply seeks out the meanings was extremely beneficial. Dr. Litwa's extensive knowledge of Christian history and the various players in the early days of these traditions brings a depth and cohesion to this text. I gained a much greater understanding and appreciation of how the Gospel of Thomas both stands apart from other orthodox and gnostic texts, as well as the ways in which it is similar. The distinctions he points out, and the reasons for those distinctions is interesting to ponder. Hearing from my many classmates about their interpretations and ideas about my favorite gospel provided wonderful insights and interpretations I hadn't considered before. Dr. Litwa's genuine desire to hear our ideas, and the way he would provide commentary on our own observations and questions was invaluable in gaining a deeper understanding of this wonderful ancient source of secret knowledge. The videos he provided to help us prepare for each class, as well as the additional reading and question prompts for study was very helpful in preparing for and getting the most out of each session. If you're interested in this text, I can't recommend enough the invaluable resource that this course will bring to you as you delve deeper than ever before into one of the most mysterious and enlightening esoteric texts of the world.

After studying Coptic with Dr. Litwa for over a year, I came to deeply understand how much is lost in translation. All the hype is usually around Greek — but the Nag Hammadi library came to us after all, in Coptic. We don’t even have the Gospel of Thomas in Greek…only fragments. Coptic opens up a totally different world. It’s like standing at the edge of Egypt and early Christianity at the same time. And with the Nag Hammadi texts, everything shifts once you get even a little window into the language. Dr. Litwa gave me that window. He is hands down one of the most patient, clear, and quietly brilliant teachers I’ve ever had!