Hymn of the Pearl

This article is about the hymn in the apocryphal Acts of Thomas. For other uses, see Hymn of the Pearl (disambiguation).

The Hymn of the Pearl (also Hymn of the Soul, Hymn of the Robe of Glory or Hymn of Judas Thomas the Apostle) is a passage of the apocryphal Acts of Thomas. In that work, originally written in Syriac, the Apostle Thomas sings the hymn while praying for himself and fellow prisoners. Some scholars believe the hymn predates the Acts, as it only appears in one Syriac manuscript and one Greek manuscript of the Acts of Thomas. The author of the Hymn is unknown, though there is a belief that it was composed by the Syriac gnostic Bardaisan from Edessa due to some parallels between his life and that of the hymn.[1] It is believed to have been written in the 2nd century[2] or even possibly the 1st century,[3] and shows influences from heroic folk epics from the region.[1]

  1. ^ a b Russell, J.R. (2012). "Hymn of the Pearl". Encyclopædia Iranica.
  2. ^ Vander Stichele, C.; Scholz, S. (2014). Hidden Truths from Eden: Esoteric Readings of Genesis 1–3. Semeia Studies. SBL Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-62837-013-3. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  3. ^ Corrigan, K.; Rasimus, T. (2013). Gnosticism, Platonism and the Late Ancient World: Essays in Honour of John D. Turner. Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies. Brill. p. 261. ISBN 978-90-04-25476-3. Retrieved 5 July 2018.