Apocrypha
Acts of Thomas
Deeds of the Apostle
3 chapters · read and listen
Reading note
An apocryphal or pseudepigraphal text — outside the canon of the Western churches, yet widely circulated among ancient Jews and Christians. Published here from a public-domain translation, edited for continuous reading.
Chapters
Dossier
Thomas's mission to India, sold as a slave by Jesus to a merchant — and, in the middle of the narrative, the Hymn of the Pearl, the most admired poem in all early Christian literature.
Where this text comes from
Written in Syriac in the 3rd century AD, probably at Edessa, and soon translated into Greek. It is the only one of the great apocryphal acts to survive complete.
Why it is not in the Bible
Outside every canon, with encratite content — radical preaching against marriage — that set it apart early.
What you will find
- The passage published here is the dialogue between the Saviour and Judas Thomas, written down by Matthias as the two walked together.
- The line that holds it all: since they call you my twin, examine yourself and learn who you are, how you live and what you will become.
- It is not a travel narrative but direct teaching — question and answer, with no scenery.
- The Saint Thomas Christian tradition of southern India traces its origin to Thomas's mission, and reads these texts as memory rather than fiction.
Frequently asked questions
- Did Thomas really go to India?
- The tradition of the Saint Thomas Christians in southern India says he did, and it is very old. This book is the earliest literary source for that tradition, though it is devotional narrative rather than chronicle.
- What is the Hymn of the Pearl?
- A poem inserted into the Acts of Thomas, about a prince who goes down to Egypt to fetch a pearl, forgets his origin, and is awakened by a letter from home. It is read as an allegory of the soul.