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| Acts of Thomas | |
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 Eastern icon ofThomas the Apostle | |
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| Religion | Christianity |
| Author | Unknown, sometimes ascribed toLeucius Charinus |
| Language | Syriac,Greek |
| Period | Early Christianity |
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Acts of Thomas is an early 3rd-century text, one of theNew Testament apocrypha within theActs of the Apostles subgenre. The complete versions that survive areSyriac andGreek. There are many surviving fragments of the text. Scholars detect from the Greek that its original was written inSyriac, which places theActs of Thomas inEdessa, likely authored before 240 AD.[1] The surviving Syriac manuscripts, however, have been edited to purge them of the most unorthodox overtlyEncratite passages, so that the Greek versions reflect the earlier tradition. The earliest external reference to theActs of Thomas dates to c.225 inOrigen'sExegesis on Genesis,[2] although this text is now lost and its citation survives via later texts, e.g.Eusebius of Caesarea'sEcclesiastical History (3.1.1–3).
Fragments of four other cycles of romances around the figure of theapostle Thomas survive, but this is the only complete one. It should not be confused with the early "sayings"Gospel of Thomas. "Like other apocryphal acts combining popular legend and religious propaganda, the work attempts to entertain and instruct. In addition to narratives of Thomas' adventures, its poetic and liturgical elements provide important evidence for early Syrian Christian traditions," according to theAnchor Bible Dictionary.
Acts of Thomas is a series of episodic Acts (Latinpassio) that occurred during theevangelistic mission ofJudas Thomas ("Judas the Twin") to NorthwestIndia, specifically the Persian Kingdom and theIndo-Parthian Kingdom. It ends with hismartyrdom: he dies pierced with spears, having earned the ire of the monarch Misdaeus, thought to beAbdagases I, a viceroy of theGondophares inSistan, modern day southern Afghanistan,[3] because of his conversion of Misdaeus' wives and a relative, Charisius. He was imprisoned while converting Indian followers won through the performing of miracles.
Embedded in theActs of Thomas at different places according to differing manuscript traditions is a Syriac hymn,The Hymn of the Pearl, (orHymn of the Soul), a poem that gained a great deal of popularity in mainstream Christian circles. TheHymn is older than theActs into which it has been inserted, and is worth appreciating on its own. The text is interrupted with the poetry of another hymn, the one that begins "Come, thou holy name of the Christ that is above every name" (2.27), a theme that was taken up in Catholic Christianity in the 13th century as theHoly Name.[citation needed]
Mainstream Christian tradition rejects the Acts of Thomas aspseudepigraphical andapocryphal,[citation needed] and for its part, theRoman Catholic Church declaredActs[clarification needed] asheretical at theCouncil of Trent.[citation needed] See alsoLeucius Charinus.
Thomas is often referred to by his name Judas (his full name isThomas Judas Didymus), since bothThomas andDidymus just meantwin, and several scholars believe thattwin is just a description, and not intended as a name.[citation needed] The manuscripts end "The acts of Judas Thomas the apostle are completed, which he did in India, fulfilling the commandment of him that sent him. Unto whom be glory, world without end. Amen."
TheActs of Thomas connects Thomas the apostle's Indian ministry with two kings.[4] According to one of the legends in theActs, Thomas was at first reluctant to accept this mission, but the Lord appeared to him in a night vision and said, “Fear not, Thomas. Go away to India and proclaim the Word, for my grace shall be with you.” But the Apostle still demurred, so the Lord overruled the stubborn disciple by ordering circumstances so compelling that he was forced to accompany an Indian merchant, Abbanes, to his native place in north-west India, where he found himself in the service of theIndo-Parthian kingGondophares. The apostle's ministry resulted in many conversions throughout the kingdom, including the king and his brother.[5]
The claim made by the acts of Thomas that he traveled to the land of theParthians and the border of India is supported by other recordings of the time, from writers such asEphrem the Syrian,Eusebius andOrigen[6] The Acts of Thomas states that this is where he died, impaled by spears after earning the ire of the monarch Misdaeus, thought to be Abdagases I, a viceroy of the Gondophares in Sistan, modern day southern Afghanistan. According to the legend, Thomas was a skilled carpenter and was bidden to build a palace for the king. However, the Apostle decided to teach the king a lesson by devoting the royal grant to acts of charity and thereby laying up treasure for the heavenly abode.
The text is broken by headings:
The view of Jesus in the book could be inferred to bedocetic. Thomas is not just Jesus' twin, he is Jesus' identical twin.[dubious –discuss] Hence, it is possible that Thomas signifies the earthly, human side of Jesus, while Jesus is entirely spiritual in his being.[citation needed] In this way, Jesus directs Thomas' quest from heaven, while Thomas does the work on earth.[citation needed]
Also in line with Gnostic thinking is the text's description of Jesus' stance on sex. For example, in one scene, Jesus appears to a young woman who has just gotten married in her bridal chamber. He advises against copulation even for reproductive purposes.[citation needed]
The identity of Misdaeus' (Mazdai), the second king visited, under whom St. Thomas suffered martyrdom, is less certain; he may possibly have been Abdagases, viceroy of Gondopharnes in Seistan. See E. J. Rapson, The Cambridge History of India, vol. i, 1922, pp. 576-80.
St. Ephraem the Syrian (born about A.D. 300, died about 378), who spent most of his life at Edessa, in Mesopotamia, states that the Apostle was martyred in ' India,' and that his relics were taken thence to Edessa. That St. Thomas evangelized the Parthians, is stated by Origen (born A.D. 185 or 186, died about 251-254). Eusebius (bishop of Caesarea Palaestinae from A.D. 315 to about 340) says the same
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