Nag Hammad[1]
is a small town on the river Nile, on the north of the Valley of the Kings[2],
where, in 1945, two farmers found a jar of clay containing a linen roll with
early Christian aged[3]
handwritings drawn in Coptic[4],
a language from the Egyptian branch of the Hamite-Semitic language[5].
The texts, which originals in Greek language
appear to belong to the 1st century AD, were copied during the 4th
century (as resulting by some writings) and constitute an important source of
information about the belief of a sect the Church of the origins considered
heretic. These texts are kept at the Coptic Museum of the Cairo. The texts
turned out to be authentic and represent the most ancient witness of Christ's
existence. The other four Gospels have in fact been written during the 2nd
century AD. The Church considers such writings apocryphal, that is
non-authentic, false, unsure, even if apocrypha (from the Greek apókryphos,
«unveiled») means «books kept hidden».
One of these writings, were attributed to different
Apostles, it's the Gospel of Thomas[6],
which collects all Jesus' sayings, most of them similar to the ones in the New
Testament. The text is made of sayings attributed to Jesus and it's called «The
Gospel according to Thomas», which starts with «And he said»
And he said, "Whoever
discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death."
Jesus said, "Those who
seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be
disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will reign over all.
[And after they have reigned they will rest.]"
Jesus said, "If your
leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) kingdom is in the sky,' then the
birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then
the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is within you and it is outside
you.
When you know yourselves,
then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the
living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and
you are the poverty."
Jesus said, "The
person old in days won't hesitate to ask a little child seven days old about
the place of life, and that person will live.
For many of the first will
be last, and will become a single one."
Jesus said, "Know what
is in front of your face, and what is hidden from you will be disclosed to you.
For there is nothing hidden
that will not be revealed. [And there is nothing buried that will not be
raised."]
His disciples asked him and
said to him, "Do you want us to fast? How should we pray? Should we give
to charity? What diet should we observe?"
Jesus said, "Don't
lie, and don't do what you hate, because all things are disclosed before
heaven. After all, there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there
is nothing covered up that will remain undisclosed."
Jesus said, "Lucky is
the lion that the human will eat, so that the lion becomes human. And foul is
the human that the lion will eat, and the lion still will become human."
And he said, The person is
like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea and drew it up from the sea
full of little fish. Among them the wise fisherman discovered a fine large
fish. He threw all the little fish back into the sea, and easily chose the
large fish. Anyone here with two good ears had better listen!
Jesus said, Look, the sower
went out, took a handful (of seeds), and scattered (them). Some fell on the
road, and the birds came and gathered them. Others fell on rock, and they
didn't take root in the soil and didn't produce heads of grain. Others fell on
thorns, and they choked the seeds and worms ate them. And others fell on good
soil, and it produced a good crop: it yielded sixty per measure and one hundred
twenty per measure.
Jesus said, "I have
cast fire upon the world, and look, I'm guarding it until it blazes."
Jesus said, "This
heaven will pass away, and the one above it will pass away.
The dead are not alive, and
the living will not die. During the days when you ate what is dead, you made it
come alive. When you are in the light, what will you do? On the day when you
were one, you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?"
The disciples said to
Jesus, "We know that you are going to leave us. Who will be our
leader?"
Jesus said to them,
"No matter where you are you are to go to James the Just, for whose sake
heaven and earth came into being."
Jesus said to his
disciples, "Compare me to something and tell me what I am like."
Simon Peter said to him,
"You are like a just messenger."
Matthew said to him,
"You are like a wise philosopher."
Thomas said to him,
"Teacher, my mouth is utterly unable to say what you are like."
Jesus said, "I am not
your teacher. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the
bubbling spring that I have tended."
And he took him, and
withdrew, and spoke three sayings to him. When Thomas came back to his friends
they asked him, "What did Jesus say to you?"
Thomas said to them,
"If I tell you one of the sayings he spoke to me, you will pick up rocks
and stone me, and fire will come from the rocks and devour you."
Jesus said to them,
"If you fast, you will bring sin upon yourselves, and if you pray, you
will be condemned, and if you give to charity, you will harm your spirits.
When you go into any region
and walk about in the countryside, when people take you in, eat what they serve
you and heal the sick among them.
After all, what goes into
your mouth will not defile you; rather, it's what comes out of your mouth that
will defile you."
Jesus said, "When you
see one who was not born of woman, fall on your faces and worship. That one is
your Father."
Jesus said, "Perhaps
people think that I have come to casy peace upon the world. They do not know
that I have come to cast conflicts upon the earth: fire, sword, war.
For there will be five in a
house: there'll be three against two and two against three, father against son
and son against father, and they will stand alone.
Jesus said, "I will
give you what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, what no hand has touched,
what has not arisen in the human heart."
The disciples said to
Jesus, "Tell us, how will our end come?"
Jesus said, "Have you
found the beginning, then, that you are looking for the end? You see, the end
will be where the beginning is.
Congratulations to the one
who stands at the beginning: that one will know the end and will not taste
death."
Jesus said,
"Congratulations to the one who came into being before coming into being.
If you become my disciples
and pay attention to my sayings, these stones will serve you.
For there are five trees in
Paradise for you; they do not change, summer or winter, and their leaves do not
fall. Whoever knows them will not taste death."
The disciples said to
Jesus, "Tell us what Heaven's kingdom is like."
He said to them, It's like
a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, but when it falls on prepared soil,
it produces a large plant and becomes a shelter for birds of the sky.
Mary said to Jesus,
"What are your disciples like?"
He said, They are like
little children living in a field that is not theirs. when the owners of the
field come, they will say, "Give us back our field." They take off
their clothes in front of them in order to give it back to them, and they
return their field to them.
For this reason I say, if
the owners of a house know that a thief is coming, they will be on guard before
the thief arrives and will not let the thief break into their house (their
domain) and steal their possessions.
As for you, then, be on
guard against the world. Prepare yourselves with great strength, so the robbers
can't find a way to get to you, for the trouble you expect will come.
Let there be among you a
person who understands.
When the crop ripened, he
came quickly carrying a sickle and harvested it. Anyone here with two good ears
had better listen!
Jesus saw some babies
nursing. He said to his disciples, "These nursing babies are like those
who enter the kingdom."
They said to him,
"Then shall we enter the kingdom as babies?"
Jesus said to them,
"When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the
outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, and when you
make male and female into a single one, so that the male will not be male nor
the female be female, when you make eyes in place of an eye, a hand in place of
a hand, a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image, then you will
enter [the kingdom]."
Jesus said, "I shall
choose you, one from a thousand and two from ten thousand, and they will stand
as a single one."
His disciples said,
"Show us the place where you are, for we must seek it."
He said to them,
"Anyone here with two ears had better listen! There is light within a
person of light, and it shines on the whole world. If it does not shine, it is
dark."
Jesus said, "Love your
friends like your own soul, protect them like the pupil of your eye."
Jesus said, "You see
the sliver in your friend's eye, but you don't see the timber in your own eye.
When you take the timber out of your own eye, then you will see well enough to
remove the sliver from your friend's eye."
"If you do not fast
from the world, you will not find the kingdom. If you do not observe the
sabbath as a sabbath you will not see the Father."
Jesus said, "I took my
stand in the midst of the world, and in flesh I appeared to them. I found them
all drunk, and I did not find any of them thirsty. My soul ached for the
children of humanity, because they are blind in their hearts and do not see,
for they came into the world empty, and they also seek to depart from the world
empty.
But meanwhile they are
drunk. When they shake off their wine, then they will change their ways."
Jesus said, "If the
flesh came into being because of spirit, that is a marvel, but if spirit came
into being because of the body, that is a marvel of marvels.
Yet I marvel at how this
great wealth has come to dwell in this poverty."
Jesus said, "Where
there are three deities, they are divine. Where there are two or one, I am with
that one."
Jesus said, "No
prophet is welcome on his home turf; doctors don't cure those who know
them."
Jesus said, "A city
built on a high hill and fortified cannot fall, nor can it be hidden."
Jesus said, "What you
will hear in your ear, in the other ear proclaim from your rooftops.
After all, no one lights a
lamp and puts it under a basket, nor does one put it in a hidden place. Rather,
one puts it on a lampstand so that all who come and go will see its
light."
Jesus said, "If a
blind person leads a bind person, both of them will fall into a hole."
Jesus said, "One can't
enter a strong person's house and take it by force without tying his hands.
Then one can loot his house."
Jesus said, "Do not
fret, from morning to evening and from evening to morning, [about your
food--what you're going to eat, or about your clothing--] what you are going to
wear. [You're much better than the lilies, which neither card nor spin.
As for you, when you have
no garment, what will you put on? Who might add to your stature? That very one
will give you your garment.]"
His disciples said,
"When will you appear to us, and when will we see you?"
Jesus said, "When you
strip without being ashamed, and you take your clothes and put them under your
feet like little children and trample then, then [you] will see the son of the
living one and you will not be afraid."
Jesus said, "Often you
have desired to hear these sayings that I am speaking to you, and you have no
one else from whom to hear them. There will be days when you will seek me and
you will not find me."
Jesus said, "The
Pharisees and the scholars have taken the keys of knowledge and have hidden
them. They have not entered nor have they allowed those who want to enter to do
so.
As for you, be as sly as
snakes and as simple as doves."
Jesus said, "A
grapevine has been planted apart from the Father. Since it is not strong, it
will be pulled up by its root and will perish."
Jesus said, "Whoever
has something in hand will be given more, and whoever has nothing will be
deprived of even the little they have."
Jesus said, "Be
passersby."
His disciples said to him,
"Who are you to say these things to us?"
"You don't understand
who I am from what I say to you.
Rather, you have become
like the Judeans, for they love the tree but hate its fruit, or they love the
fruit but hate the tree."
Jesus said, "Whoever
blasphemes against the Father will be forgiven, and whoever blasphemes against
the son will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the holy spirit will
not be forgiven, either on earth or in heaven."
Jesus said, "Grapes
are not harvested from thorn trees, nor are figs gathered from thistles, for
they yield no fruit.
Good persons produce good
from what they've stored up; bad persons produce evil from the wickedness
they've stored up in their hearts, and say evil things. For from the overflow
of the heart they produce evil."
Jesus said, "From Adam
to John the Baptist, among those born of women, no one is so much greater than
John the Baptist that his eyes should not be averted.
But I have said that
whoever among you becomes a child will recognize the kingdom and will become
greater than John."
Jesus said, "A person
cannot mount two horses or bend two bows.
And a slave cannot serve
two masters, otherwise that slave will honor the one and offend the other.
"Nobody drinks aged
wine and immediately wants to drink young wine. Young wine is not poured into
old wineskins, or they might break, and aged wine is not poured into a new
wineskin, or it might spoil.
An old patch is not sewn
onto a new garment, since it would create a tear."
Jesus said, "If two
make peace with each other in a single house, they will say to the mountain,
'Move from here!' and it will move."
Jesus said,
"Congratulations to those who are alone and chosen, for you will find the
kingdom. For you have come from it, and you will return there again."
Jesus said,
"If they say to you,
'Where have you come from?' say to them, 'We have come from the light, from the
place where the light came into being by itself, established [itself], and
appeared in their image.'
If they say to you, 'Is it
you?' say, 'We are its children, and we are the chosen of the living Father.'
If they ask you, 'What is
the evidence of your Father in you?' say to them, 'It is motion and
rest.'"
His disciples said to him,
"When will the rest for the dead take place, and when will the new world
come?"
He said to them, "What
you are looking forward to has come, but you don't know it."
His disciples said to him,
"Twenty-four prophets have spoken in Israel, and they all spoke of
you."
He said to them, "You
have disregarded the living one who is in your presence, and have spoken of the
dead."
His disciples said to him,
"is circumcision useful or not?"
He said to them, "If
it were useful, their father would produce children already circumcised from
their mother. Rather, the true circumcision in spirit has become profitable in
every respect."
Jesus said,
"Congratulations to the poor, for to you belongs Heaven's kingdom."
Jesus said, "Whoever
does not hate father and mother cannot be my disciple, and whoever does not
hate brothers and sisters, and carry the cross as I do, will not be worthy of
me."
Jesus said, "Whoever
has come to know the world has discovered a carcass, and whoever has discovered
a carcass, of that person the world is not worthy."
Jesus said, The Father's
kingdom is like a person who has [good] seed. His enemy came during the night
and sowed weeds among the good seed. The person did not let the workers pull up
the weeds, but said to them, "No, otherwise you might go to pull up the
weeds and pull up the wheat along with them." For on the day of the
harvest the weeds will be conspicuous, and will be pulled up and burned.
Jesus said,
"Congratulations to the person who has toiled and has found life."
Jesus said, "Look to
the living one as long as you live, otherwise you might die and then try to see
the living one, and you will be unable to see."
He saw a Samaritan carrying
a lamb and going to Judea. He said to his disciples, "that person ...
around the lamb." They said to him, "So that he may kill it and eat
it." He said to them, "He will not eat it while it is alive, but only
after he has killed it and it has become a carcass."
They said, "Otherwise
he can't do it."
He said to them, "So
also with you, seek for yourselves a place for rest, or you might become a
carcass and be eaten."
Jesus said, "Two will
recline on a couch; one will die, one will live."
Salome said, "Who are
you mister? You have climbed onto my couch and eaten from my table as if you
are from someone."
Jesus said to her, "I
am the one who comes from what is whole. I was granted from the things of my
Father."
"I am your
disciple."
"For this reason I
say, if one is whole, one will be filled with light, but if one is divided, one
will be filled with darkness."
Jesus said, "I
disclose my mysteries to those [who are worthy] of [my] mysteries.
Do not let your left hand
know what your right hand is doing."
Jesus said, There was a
rich person who had a great deal of money. He said, "I shall invest my
money so that I may sow, reap, plant, and fill my storehouses with produce,
that I may lack nothing." These were the things he was thinking in his
heart, but that very night he died. Anyone here with two ears had better
listen!
Jesus said, A person was
receiving guests. When he had prepared the dinner, he sent his slave to invite
the guests. The slave went to the first and said to that one, "My master
invites you." That one said, "Some merchants owe me money; they are
coming to me tonight. I have to go and give them instructions. Please excuse me
from dinner." The slave went to another and said to that one, "My
master has invited you." That one said to the slave, "I have bought a
house, and I have been called away for a day. I shall have no time." The
slave went to another and said to that one, "My master invites you."
That one said to the slave, "My friend is to be married, and I am to
arrange the banquet. I shall not be able to come. Please excuse me from
dinner." The slave went to another and said to that one, "My master
invites you." That one said to the slave, "I have bought an estate,
and I am going to collect the rent. I shall not be able to come. Please excuse
me." The slave returned and said to his master, "Those whom you
invited to dinner have asked to be excused." The master said to his slave,
"Go out on the streets and bring back whomever you find to have
dinner."
Buyers and merchants [will]
not enter the places of my Father.
He said, A [...] person
owned a vineyard and rented it to some farmers, so they could work it and he
could collect its crop from them. He sent his slave so the farmers would give
him the vineyard's crop. They grabbed him, beat him, and almost killed him, and
the slave returned and told his master. His master said, "Perhaps he
didn't know them." He sent another slave, and the farmers beat that one as
well. Then the master sent his son and said, "Perhaps they'll show my son
some respect." Because the farmers knew that he was the heir to the
vineyard, they grabbed him and killed him. Anyone here with two ears had better
listen!
Jesus said, "Show me
the stone that the builders rejected: that is the keystone."
Jesus said, "Those who
know all, but are lacking in themselves, are utterly lacking."
Jesus said,
"Congratulations to you when you are hated and persecuted;
and no place will be found,
wherever you have been persecuted."
Jesus said,
"Congratulations to those who have been persecuted in their hearts: they
are the ones who have truly come to know the Father.
Congratulations to those
who go hungry, so the stomach of the one in want may be filled."
Jesus said, "If you
bring forth what is within you, what you have will save you. If you do not have
that within you, what you do not have within you [will] kill you."
Jesus said, "I will
destroy [this] house, and no one will be able to build it [...]."
A [person said] to him,
"Tell my brothers to divide my father's possessions with me."
He said to the person,
"Mister, who made me a divider?"
He turned to his disciples
and said to them, "I'm not a divider, am I?"
Jesus said, "The crop
is huge but the workers are few, so beg the harvest boss to dispatch workers to
the fields."
He said, "Lord, there
are many around the drinking trough, but there is nothing in the well."
Jesus said, "There are
many standing at the door, but those who are alone will enter the bridal
suite."
Jesus said, The Father's
kingdom is like a merchant who had a supply of merchandise and found a peal.
That merchant was prudent; he sold the merchandise and bought the single pearl
for himself.
So also with you, seek his
treasure that is unfailing, that is enduring, where no moth comes to eat and no
worm destroys."
Jesus said, "I am the
light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all
attained.
Split a piece of wood; I am
there.
Lift up the stone, and you
will find me there."
Jesus said, "Why have
you come out to the countryside? To see a reed shaken by the wind? And to see a
person dressed in soft clothes, [like your] rulers and your powerful ones? They
are dressed in soft clothes, and they cannot understand truth."
A woman in the crowd said
to him, "Lucky are the womb that bore you and the breasts that fed
you."
He said to [her],
"Lucky are those who have heard the word of the Father and have truly kept
it. For there will be days when you will say, 'Lucky are the womb that has not
conceived and the breasts that have not given milk.'"
Jesus said, "Whoever
has come to know the world has discovered the body, and whoever has discovered
the body, of that one the world is not worthy."
Jesus said, "Let one
who has become wealthy reign, and let one who has power renounce."
Jesus said, "Whoever
is near me is near the fire, and whoever is far from me is far from the
kingdom."
Jesus said, "Images
are visible to people, but the light within them is hidden in the image of the
Father's light. He will be disclosed, but his image is hidden by his
light."
Jesus said, "When you
see your likeness, you are happy. But when you see your images that came into
being before you and that neither die nor become visible, how much you will
have to bear!"
Jesus said, "Adam came
from great power and great wealth, but he was not worthy of you. For had he
been worthy, [he would] not [have tasted] death."
Jesus said, "[Foxes
have] their dens and birds have their nests, but human beings have no place to
lay down and rest."
Jesus said, "How
miserable is the body that depends on a body, and how miserable is the soul
that depends on these two."
Jesus said, "The
messengers and the prophets will come to you and give you what belongs to you.
You, in turn, give them what you have, and say to yourselves, 'When will they
come and take what belongs to them?'"
Jesus said, "Why do
you wash the outside of the cup? Don't you understand that the one who made the
inside is also the one who made the outside?"
Jesus said, "Come to
me, for my yoke is comfortable and my lordship is gentle, and you will find
rest for yourselves."
They said to him,
"Tell us who you are so that we may believe in you."
He said to them, "You
examine the face of heaven and earth, but you have not come to know the one who
is in your presence, and you do not know how to examine the present moment.
Jesus said, "Seek and
you will find.
In the past, however, I did
not tell you the things about which you asked me then. Now I am willing to tell
them, but you are not seeking them."
"Don't give what is
holy to dogs, for they might throw them upon the manure pile. Don't throw
pearls [to] pigs, or they might ... it [...]."
Jesus [said], "One who
seeks will find, and for [one who knocks] it will be opened."
[Jesus said], "If you
have money, don't lend it at interest. Rather, give [it] to someone from whom
you won't get it back."
Jesus [said], The Father's
kingdom is like [a] woman. She took a little leaven, [hid] it in dough, and
made it into large loaves of bread. Anyone here with two ears had better
listen!
Jesus said, The [Father's]
kingdom is like a woman who was carrying a [jar] full of meal. While she was
walking along [a] distant road, the handle of the jar broke and the meal
spilled behind her [along] the road. She didn't know it; she hadn't noticed a
problem. When she reached her house, she put the jar down and discovered that
it was empty.
Jesus said, The Father's
kingdom is like a person who wanted to kill someone powerful. while still at
home he drew his sword and thrust it into the wall to find out whether his hand
would go in. Then he killed the powerful one.
The disciples said to him,
"Your brothers and your mother are standing outside."
He said to them,
"Those here who do what my Father wants are my brothers and my mother.
They are the ones who will enter my Father's kingdom."
They showed Jesus a gold
coin and said to him, "The Roman emperor's people demand taxes from
us."
He said to them, "Give
the emperor what belongs to the emperor, give God what belongs to God, and give
me what is mine."
"Whoever does not hate
[father] and mother as I do cannot be my [disciple], and whoever does [not]
love [father and] mother as I do cannot be my [disciple]. For my mother [...],
but my true [mother] gave me life."
Jesus said, "Damn the
Pharisees! They are like a dog sleeping in the cattle manger: the dog neither
eats nor [lets] the cattle eat."
Jesus said,
"Congratulations to those who know where the rebels are going to attack.
[They] can get going, collect their imperial resources, and be prepared before
the rebels arrive."
They said to Jesus,
"Come, let us pray today, and let us fast."
Jesus said, "What sin
have I committed, or how have I been undone? Rather, when the groom leaves the
bridal suite, then let people fast and pray."
Jesus said, "Whoever
knows the father and the mother will be called the child of a whore."
Jesus said, "When you
make the two into one, you will become children of Adam, and when you say,
'Mountain, move from here!' it will move."
Jesus said, The kingdom is
like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray.
He left the ninety- nine and looked for the one until he found it. After he had
toiled, he said to the sheep, 'I love you more than the ninety- nine.'
Jesus said, "Whoever
drinks from my mouth will become like me; I myself shall become that person,
and the hidden things will be revealed to him."
Jesus said, The (Father's)
kingdom is like a person who had a treasure hidden in his field but did not
know it. And [when] he died he left it to his [son]. The son [did] not know
about it either. He took over the field and sold it. The buyer went plowing,
[discovered] the treasure, and began to lend money at interest to whomever he
wished.
Jesus said, "Let one
who has found the world, and has become wealthy, renounce the world."
Jesus said, "The
heavens and the earth will roll up in your presence, and whoever is living from
the living one will not see death."
Does not Jesus say,
"Those who have found themselves, of them the world is not worthy"?
Jesus said, "Damn the
flesh that depends on the soul. Damn the soul that depends on the flesh."
His disciples said to him,
"When will the kingdom come?"
"It will not come by
watching for it. It will not be said, 'Look, here!' or 'Look, there!' Rather,
the Father's kingdom is spread out upon the earth, and people don't see
it."
[1] Nag Hammad is placed at a distance
of about 50 km from Quina and from Luxor, in east centre Egypt.
[2] Necropolis placed on the west side
of the river Nile facing Luxor, in Egypt, place where the Pharaohs of the New
Kingdom (1570-1070 BC) used to be buried. Although being close to the river,
the valley is hided by tall rocks and the way to get there is long, narrow and
tortuous.
[3] Thirst five centuries after Jesus'
birth.
[4] The name «Copt» comes from the
Greek word Aígyptos, i.e. «Egypt» through its Semitic adjustment. Coptic is the
evolution of the ancient Egyptian language and was highly influenced by Greek
and other Semitic languages. At first Coptic cohabited with Demotic Egyptian,
that is its literal version used from the 700 AC until about the 400 AD, but
later Coptic overcame Demotic.
[5] The Hamite-Semitic family divides
it self in five independent branches: Semitic, Berber, Cuscitic, Nilotic (also
called Omotic and considered by some people the western version of Cuscitic)
and Chasidic.
These six branches show as much affinity in
grammar, morphology, phonetic systems, and vocabulary to think of a common
origin, even if lots of scholars believe that Chasidic had origins in different
languages. Most probably Semitic languages are the most ancient and the ones
with more speakers. Many of the group's languages are now extinct, but they
were idioms full of historical and literal tradition, spread on significantly
wide areas. Accadic, the Assyro-Babilonian language, Moabite, Amorreic and
Phoenician languages, formed themselves around the 3rd millennium in
the Middle East area. Hebraic and Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus,
appeared during the following millennium. The family's main language is Arabic.
The Egyptian branch comprises the ancient Egyptian language, including its last
evolution, Coptic language, which survived until the 14th century.
The Berber branch comprises about twenty languages spoken by approximately
twelve million people living in very scattered areas in the wide and deserted
northeast North African regions. Tuaregs' language belongs to this branch. Lots
of Berber speakers are bilingual, because they also use Arabic and because they
adopt the Arab alphabet to write in their languages. The Cuscitic languages,
spoken in Ethiopia and Somalia, along the Red Sea by about 13 million people
comprise Oromic, Gallic's ethnic group language spoken in Kenya and south
Ethiopia and written with Ethiopian characters, and Somali, written in Latin
characters and spoken in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. Also the Omotic languages
(also called Nilotic) are spoken in west Kenya and Ethiopia by two million
people, there are about twenty of them, according to the number of speakers the
most important of them is Walamo. Among the Chasidic languages, spoken in
central and west Africa, the most important one is the Hausa, it's origin comes
from north Nigeria and neighbouring areas, but it is also used as free language
from mother tongue speakers from different countries of the region. Hausa used
to be written in Arabic characters until the 20th century, when they
started using the Latin ones.
[6] Didymus Judas Thomas, Jesus'
brother.