Saying 55: Hating Father and Mother
Whoever does not hate father and mother cannot be my disciple; whoever does not hate brothers and sisters and carry the cross as I do is not worthy of me.
Commentary
The Semitic idiom behind “hate” means to prefer less rather than to loathe, but Thomas presses it hard: the family is the first thing the solitary leaves. See saying 101, where the demand is doubled and complicated.
Parallels
Luke 14:26–27; Matthew 10:37–38
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