The Book of Thomas the Contender or The Book of Thomas is a Gnostic revelation dialogue. It is the seventh tractate in Codex II of the Nag Hammadi library. and Thomas is Aramaic for 'twin.' Jesus warns against being attracted to visible things that will decay and change and says that these things will imprison people with fragrant pleasure, leading them according to the fire's desire. He says it is good to rest forever with the truth, since things visible among men will dissolve, and those who do not love truth first will perish in the concern for this life and the scorching of the fire.
Thomas asks what to say to those who claim they came to do good but still know iniquity because they were begotten in flesh. Jesus describes them as beasts who love the sweetness of fire and are deprived of the kingdom. They will be thrown down to the abyss and afflicted with the torment of their evil nature. Thomas asks what will happen to those who fight against them, and Jesus says they will dissolve in fire and water, hide in tombs of darkness, and be punished by beasts and men. Thomas accepts what Jesus says but worries that the preachers of his words will be ridiculed. Jesus warns that those who turn away from his words will be cast down to the abyss and imprisoned in a narrow dark place, pursued by fiery scourges.
At the end of the text, Jesus speaks a series of woes to those who rely on things that will not happen; hope in the flesh and in the prison that will perish, hope on the world, and hope that this life is God, is corrupting their soul. He speaks of the fire that burns within them, the wheel that turns in their minds, and the grip of the burning that will devour their flesh and rend their souls, preparing them for their companions. Jesus also speaks of the captivity of those who are bound in caverns and dwell in darkness and death while being drunk with the fire and full of bitterness. He goes on to speak of the blessed, who have prior knowledge of the stumbling blocks, who flee alien things, and who are reviled and not esteemed on account of the love their lord has for them. He urges them to watch and pray, to come forth from the bondage of the bitterness of this life and find rest, for they have left behind the suffering and the disgrace, and will reign with the king forever.
The colophon appended to the text is The Book of Thomas The Contender Writing To the Perfect.