| Acts Of Thomas |
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The early 3rd Century text called ''Acts of Thomas'' is arguably the most Gnostic of the New Testament Apocrypha , portraying Christ as the "Heavenly Redeemer", independent of and beyond creation, who can free souls from the darkness of the world. References to the work by Epiphanius show that it was in circulation in the 4th century. The complete versions that survive are Syriac and Greek. There are many surviving fragments of the text. Scholars detect from the Greek that its original was written in Syriac , which places the ''Acts of Thomas'' in Syria. The surviving Syriac manuscripts, however, have been edited to purge them of the most unorthodox overtly gnostic passages, so that the Greek versions reflect the earlier tradition. Fragments of four other cycles of romances round the figure of the Apostle 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 the '' Anchor Bible Dictionary ''. ''Acts of Thomas'' is a series of episodic Acts (Latin ''passio'' ) that occurred during the Evangelistic mission of Judas Thomas ("Judas the Twin") to India . It ends with his " Martyrdom " in which he dies pierced with spears because he'd earned the ire of the monarch Misdaeus 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 the ''Acts of Thomas'' at different places according to differing manuscript traditions is a Syriac hymn, '' The Hymn Of The Pearl ,'' (or ''Hymn of the Soul''), a poem that gained a great deal of popularity in mainstream Christian circles. The ''Hymn'' is older than the ''Acts'' in 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 the Holy Name . Though Gregory Of Tours made a version, mainstream Christian tradition rejects the Acts of Thomas as Pseudepigraphical and apocryphal, and the Roman Catholic Church finally confirmed the ''Acts'' as Heretical at the Council Of Trent . See also Leucius Charinus . Thomas is often referred to by his name Judas (his full name is ''Thomas Judas Didymus''), since both ''Thomas'' and ''Didymus'' just mean ''twin'', and several scholars believe that ''twin'' is just a description, and not intended as a name. 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.". CONTENT The text is broken by headings:
:The story clearly has the gnostic themes of death and resurrection, death not being a bad thing but a result of the pursuit of gnostic teaching, and the resurrection into greater life (''and they lived happily ever after'') once gnostic teaching is understood.
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