What Shall We Do? The Community Rules 401 community, in that the disciples (including the Thomas members) cannot be accepted by God on the basis of outward obedience, unless their internal attitude is right (45). The view of the bridegroom leaving “p•numƒvn (the bridal chamber)” (46) in which the meaningful practices of fasting and praying are advised, confirms that the faithful fasting and prayer are still effective and useful in the community of Thomas. Keeping the “sab´baton (Sabbath)” (47), seems to have a positive perspective in the policy, if one reads the Logion 27b as demanding the celebration of the Jewish Sabbath in recollecting the traditional custom. But since the Sabbath observation is related to the apodosis clause of “seeing p•eivt (the Father)”, the futuristic saying of the Sabbath should be understood as either “the seventh day” or “the entire period of seven days” (48). Further, if the previous part, “If you do not fast as regards the world” means a continuity, the Sabbath rule should be treated as “all week long”. In this case it is plausible to accept that “sabbativzein to; savbbaton/ eire mæ•p•sambaton næ•sab´baton (sabbatising the Sabbath)” “symbolises abstinence from the formal world and from the worldly values” (49). Baarda, a gnostic reader of Thomas, who assumed the Demiurge and the world as Sabbath (50), (45) The reverse concept of “If you do not fast as regards the world, you will not find the kingdom”, means that if you indeed fast for what the world needs, the practioner will find the kingdom or will experience what he/she was fasting for. Attridge’s Greek word of ‘fasting as regards the world’, according to Valantasis, can be reinterpreted as ‘fasting with respect to the world’. VALANTASIS, The Gospel of Thomas, 40-41. MARJANEN, “Thomas and Jewish Religious Practices”, 169. (46) “But when the bridegroom leaves the bridal chamber, then let them fast and pray” (Logion 104b). Marjanen interprets ‘p•numƒvn (the bridal chamber)’ as ‘the state a Thomasine Christian attains after having been chosen for salvation’. Ibid., 172. (47) “If you keep not the Sabbath as Sabbath, you will not see the Father” (Logion 27b). (48) Brown’s one page article is quite clear on the meaning of the Thomasine Sabbath. P. BROWN, “The Sabbath and the Week in Thomas 27” NT 34 (1992) 193. (49) Ptolemy’s Letter to Flora has a similar vein: “to keep the Sabbath (means) that we desist from evil works” (Epiphanius, Panarian 33.5.12), quoted from MARJANEN, “Thomas and Jewish Religious Practices”, 177-178. (50) See details at T. BAARDA, “‘If You not Sabbatize the Sabbath …’ The Sabbath as God or World in Gnostic Understanding (EV. THOM., LOG. 27)”, Knowledge of God in the Graeco-Roman World (ed. R. VAN DEN BROEK – T. BAARDA – J. MANSFELD (Leiden – New York – København – Köln 1988) 180-192.