Acts
of the Holy Apostle Thomas and Instrumental Music
The Acts of Thomas is an ancient Gnostic
writing mentioned by very early church fathers. The history of the
document may be found here.
The total document is here
The First Act: When he went into India
with Abbanes the merchant.
At that season all we the apostles were at
Jerusalem, Simon which is called Peter and Andrew his brother, James
the son of Zebedee and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the publican, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon
the Canaanite, and Judas the brother of James: and we divided the
regions of the world, that every one of us should go unto the region
that fell to him and unto the nation whereunto the Lord sent
him.
According to the lot, therefore, India fell
unto Judas Thomas, which is also the twin: but he would not go,
saying that by reason of the weakness of the flesh he could not
travel, and 'I am an Hebrew man; how can I go amongst the Indians and
preach the truth?' And as he thus reasoned and spake, the Saviour
appeared unto him by night and saith to him: Fear not, Thomas, go
thou unto India and preach the word there, for my grace is with thee.
But he would not obey, saying: Whither thou wouldest send me, send
me, but elsewhere, for unto the Indians I will not go.
2 And while he thus spake and thought, it
chanced that there was there a certain merchant come from India whose
name was Abbanes, sent from the King Gundaphorus [Gundaphorus is a
historical personage who reigned over a part of India in the first
century after Christ. His coins bear his name in Greek, as
Hyndopheres], and having commandment from him to buy a carpenter and
bring him unto him.
Now the Lord seeing him walking in the
market-place at noon said unto him: Wouldest thou buy a carpenter?
And he said to him: Yea. And the Lord said to him: I have a slave
that is a carpenter and I desire to sell him. And so saying he showed
him Thomas afar off, and agreed with him for three litrae of silver
unstamped, and wrote a deed of sale, saying: I, Jesus, the son of
Joseph the carpenter, acknowledge that I have sold my slave, Judas by
name, unto thee Abbanes, a merchant of Gundaphorus, king of the
Indians. And when the deed was finished, the Saviour took Judas
Thomas and led him away to Abbanes the merchant, and when Abbanes saw
him he said unto him: Is this thy master? And the apostle said: Yea,
he is my Lord. And he said: I have bought thee of him. And thy
apostle held his peace.
3 And on the day following the apostle arose
early, and having prayed and besought the Lord he said: I will go
whither thou wilt, Lord Jesus: thy will be done. And he departed unto
Abbanes the merchant, taking with him nothing at all save only his
price. For the Lord had given it unto him, saying: Let thy price also
be with thee, together with my grace, wheresoever thou goest.
And the apostle found Abbanes carrying his
baggage on board the ship; so he also began to carry it aboard with
him. And when they were embarked in the ship and were set down
Abbanes questioned the apostle, saying: What craftsmanship knowest
thou? And he said: In wood I can make ploughs and yokes and augers
(ox-goads, Syr.), and boats and oars for boats and masts and pulleys;
and in stone, pillars and temples and court-houses for kings. And
Abbanes the merchant said to him: Yea, it is of such a workman that
we have need. They began then to sail homeward; and they had a
favourable wind, and sailed prosperously till they reached
Andrapolis, a royal city.
4 And they left the ship and entered into the
city, and lo, there were noises of
flutes and water-organs, and
trumpets
sounded about them; and the apostle inquired, saying: What is this
festival that is in this city? And they that were there said to him:
Thee also have the gods brought to make
merry in this city. For the king hath
an only daughter, and now he giveth her
in marriage unto an husband: this
rejoicing, therefore, and assembly of the wedding to-day is the
festival which thou hast seen. And the king hath sent heralds to
proclaim everywhere that all should come to the marriage, rich and
poor, bond and free, strangers and citizens: and if any refuse and
come not to the marriage he shall answer for it unto the king. And
Abbanes hearing that, said to the apostle: Let us also go, lest we
offend the king, especially seeing we are strangers. And he said: Let
us go.
And after they had put up in the inn and rested
a little space they went to the marriage; and the apostle seeing them
all set down (reclining), laid himself, he also, in the midst, and
all looked upon him, as upon a stranger and one come from a foreign
land: but Abbanes the merchant, being his master, laid himself in
another place.
5 And as they dined and drank, the apostle
tasted nothing; so they that were about him said unto him: Wherefore
art thou come here, neither eating nor drinking? but he answered
them, saying: I am come here for somewhat greater than the food or
the drink, and that I may fulfil the king's will. For the heralds
proclaim the king's message, and whoso hearkeneth not to the heralds
shall be subject to the king's judgement.
So when they had dined and drunken, and
garlands and unguents were brought to them, every man took of the
unguent, and one anointed his face and another his beard and another
other parts of his body; but the apostle anointed the top of his head
and smeared a little upon his nostrils, and dropped it into his ears
and touched his teeth with it, and carefully anointed the parts about
his heart: and the wreath that was brought to him, woven of myrtle
and other flowers, he took, and set it on his head, and took a branch
of calamus and held it in his hand.
Now the flute-girl, holding her
flute in her hand, went about to them all and played, but when she came
to the place where the apostle was, she
stood over him and played at his head
for a long space: now this flute-girl was by race an Hebrew.
6 And as the apostle continued looking on the ground, one
of the cup-bearers stretched forth his hand and gave him a buffet;
and the apostle lifted up his eyes and looked upon him that smote him
and said: My God will forgive thee in the life to come this iniquity,
but in this world thou shalt show forth his wonders and even now
shall I behold this hand that hath smitten me dragged by dogs. And
having so said, he began to sing and to say this song:
The damsel is the
daughter of light, in whom consisteth and dwelleth the
proud brightness of
kings, and the sight of her is
delightful, she shineth with beauty and cheer. Her garments are like
the flowers of spring, and from them a waft of fragrance is borne;
and in the crown of her head the king is established which with his
immortal food (ambrosia) nourisheth them that are founded upon him;
and in her head is set truth, and with her feet she showeth forth
joy. And her mouth is opened, and it becometh her well: thirty and
two are they that sing praises to
her. Her tongue is like the curtain of
the door, which waveth to and fro for them that enter in: her neck is
set in the fashion of steps which the first maker hath wrought, and
her two
hands
signify and show, proclaiming the dance of the happy ages,
and her fingers point out the gates of the city. Her chamber is bright with
light and breatheth forth the odour of balsam and all spices, and
giveth out a sweet smell of myrrh and Indian leaf, and within are
myrtles strown on the floor, and garlands of all manner of odorous
flowers, and the door-posts(?) are adorned with freedst. 7 And
surrounding her her groomsmen keep her, the number of whom is seven,
whom she herself hath chosen. And her bridesmaids are seven, and they
dance before her. And twelve in number are they that serve before her
and are subject unto her, which have their aim and their look toward
the bridegroom, that by the sight of him they may be enlightened; and
for ever shall they be with her in that eternal joy, and shall be at
that marriage whereto the princes are gathered together and shall
attend at that banquet whereof the eternal ones are accounted worthy,
and shall put on royal raiment and be clad in bright robes; and in
joy and exultation shall they both be and shall glorify the Father of
all, whose proud light they have received, and are enlightened by the
sight of their lord; whose immortal food they have received, that
hath no failing (excrementum, Syr.), and have drunk of the wine that
giveth then neither thirst nor desire. And they have glorified and
praised with the living spirit, the Father of truth and the mother of
wisdom.
8 And when he had sung and ended this song,
all that were there present gazed upon him; and he kept silence, and
they saw that his likeness was changed, but that which was spoken by
him they understood not, forasmuch as he was an Hebrew and that which
he spake was said in the Hebrew tongue. But the flute-girl alone heard all
of it, for she was by race an Hebrew and she went away from him and
played to the rest, but for the most part she gazed and looked upon him,
for she loved him well, as a man of her own nation; moreover he was
comely to look upon beyond all that were there. And when the
flute-girl had played to them all and ended, she sat down over
against him, gazing and looking earnestly upon him. But he looked
upon no man at all, neither took heed of any but only kept his eyes
looking toward the ground, waiting the time when he might depart
thence.
But the cup-bearer
that had buffeted him went down to the
well to draw water; and there chanced to be a lion there, and it slew
him and left him Lying in that place, having torn his limbs in
pieces, and forthwith dogs seized his members, and among them one
black dog holding his right hand in his mouth bare it into the place
of the banquet.
9 And all when they saw it were amazed and
inquired which of them it was that was missing. And when it became
manifest that it was the hand of the cup-bearer which had smitten the
apostle, the flute-girl brake her
flute and cast it away and went and
sat down at the apostle's feet, saying: This is either a god or an
apostle of God, for I heard him say in the Hebrew tongue: ' I shall
now see the hand that hath smitten me dragged by dogs', which thing
ye also have now beheld; for as he said, so hath it come about. And
some believed her, and some not.
But when the king heard of it, he came and said
to the apostle: Rise up and come with me, and pray for my daughter:
for she is mine only-begotten, and to-day I give her in marriage. But
the apostle was not willing to go with him, for the Lord was not yet
revealed unto him in that place. But the king led him away against
his will unto the bride-chamber that he might pray for them.
10 And the apostle stood, and began to pray and
to speak thus: My Lord and MY God, that travellest with thy servants,
that guidest and correctest them that believe in thee, the refuge and
rest of the oppressed, the hope of the poor and ransomer of captives,
the physician of the souls that lie sick and saviour of all creation,
that givest life unto the world and strengthenest souls; thou knowest
things to come, and by our means accomplishest them: thou Lord art he
that revealeth hidden mysteries and maketh manifest words that are
secret: thou Lord art the planter of the good tree, and of thine
hands are all good works engendered: thou Lord art he that art in all
things and passest through all, and art set in all thy works and
manifested in the working of them all. Jesus Christ, Son of
compassion and perfect saviour, Christ, Son of the living God, the
undaunted power that hast overthrown the enemy, and the voice that
was heard of the rulers, and made all their powers to quake, the
ambassador that wast sent from the height and camest down even unto
hell, who didst open the doors and bring up thence them that for many
ages were shut up in the treasury of darkness, and showedst them the
way that leadeth up unto the height: l beseech thee, Lord Jesu, and
offer unto thee supplication for these young persons, that thou
wouldest do for them the things that shall help them and be expedient
and profitable for them. And he laid his hands on them and said: The
Lord shall be with you, and left them in that place and
departed.
11 And the king desired the groomsmen to depart
out of the bride-chamber; and when all were gone out and the doors
were shut, the bridegrroom lifted up the curtain of the bride-chamber
to fetch the bride unto him. And he saw the Lord Jesus bearing the
likeness of Judas Thomas and speaking with the bride; even of him
that but now had blessed them and gone out from them, the apostle;
and he saith unto him: Wentest thou not out in the sight of all? how
then art thou found here? But the Lord said to him: I am not Judas
which is also called Thomas but I am his brother. And the Lord sat
down upon the bed and bade them also sit upon chairs, and began to
say unto them:
12 Remember, my children, what my brother spake
unto you and what he delivered before you: and know this, that if ye
abstain from this foul intercourse, ye become holy temples, pure,
being quit of impulses and pains, seen and unseen, and ye will
acquire no cares of life or of children, whose end is destruction:
and if indeed ye get many children, for their sakes ye become
grasping and covetous, stripping orphans and overreaching widows, and
by so doing subject yourselves to grievous punishments. For the more
part of children become useless oppressed of devils, some openly and
some invisibly, for they become either lunatic or half withered or
blind or deaf or dumb or paralytic or foolish; and if they be sound,
again they will be vain, doing useless or abominable acts, for they
will be caught either in adultery or murder or theft or fornication,
and by all these will ye be afflicted.
But if ye be persuaded and keep your souls
chaste before God, there will come unto you living children whom
these blemishes touch not, and ye shall be without care, leading a
tranquil life without grief or anxiety, looking to receive that
incorruptible and true marriage, and ye shall be therein groomsmen
entering into that bride-chamber which is full of immortality and
light.
13 And when the young people heard these
things, they believed the Lord and gave themselves up unto him, and
abstained from foul desire and continued so, passing the night in
that place. And the Lord departed from before them, saying thus: The
grace of the Lord shall be with you.
And when the morning was come the king came to
meet them and furnished a table and brought it in before the
bridegroom and the bride. And he found them sitting over against each
other and the face of the bride he found unveiled, and the bridegroom
was right joyful.
And the mother came unto the bride and said:
Why sittest thou so, child, and art not ashamed, but art as if thou
hadst lived with thine husband a long season? And her father said:
Because of thy great love toward thine husband dost thou not even
veil thyself?
14 And the bride answered and said: Verily,
father, I am in great love, and I pray my Lord that the love which I
have perceived this night may abide with me, and I will ask for that
husband of whom I have learned to-day: and therefore I will no more
veil myself, because the mirror (veil) of shame is removed from me;
and therefore am I no more ashamed or abashed, because the deed of
shame and confusion is departed far from me; and that I am not
confounded, it is because my astonishment hath not continued with me;
and that I am in cheerfulness and joy, it is because the day of my
joy hath not been troubled; and that I have set at nought this
husband and this marriage that passeth away from before mine eyes, it
is because I am joined in another marriage; and that I have had no
intercourse with a husband that is temporal, whereof the end is with
lasciviousness and bitterness of soul, it is because I am yoked unto
a true husband.
15 And while the bride was saying yet more than
this, the bridegroom answered and said: I give thee thanks, O Lord,
that hast been proclaimed by the stranger, and found in us; who hast
removed me far from corruption and sown life in me; who hast rid me
of this disease that is hard to be healed and cured and abideth for
ever, and hast implanted sober health in me; who hast shown me
thyself and revealed unto me all my state wherein I am; who hast
redeemed me from falling and led me to that which is better, and set
me free from temporal things and made me worthy of those that are
immortal and everlasting; that hast made thyself lowly even down to
me and my littleness, that thou mayest present me unto thy greatness
and unite me unto thyself; who hast not withheld thine own bowels
from me that was ready to perish, but hast shown me how to seek
myself and know who I was, and who and in what manner I now am, that
I may again become that which I was: whom I knew not, but thyself
didst seek me out: of whom I was not aware, but thyself hast taken me
to thee: whom I have perceived, and now am not able to be unmindful
of him: whose love burneth within me, and I cannot speak it as is
fit, but that which I am able to say of it is little and scanty, and
not fitly proportioned unto his glory: yet he blameth me not that
presume to say unto him even that which I know not: for it is because
of his love that I say even this much.
16 Now when the king heard these things from
the bridegroom and the bride, he rent his clothes and said unto them
that stood by him: Go forth quickly and go about the whole city, and
take and bring me that man that is a sorcerer who by ill fortune came
unto this city; for with mine own hands I brought him into this
house, and I told him to pray over this mine ill-starred daughter;
and whoso findeth and bringeth him to me, I will give him whatsoever
he asketh of me. They went, therefore and went about seeking him, and
found him not; for he had set sail. They went also unto the inn where
he had lodged and found there the flute-girl weeping and afflicted because he had not taken her with him. And when they
told her the matter that had befallen with the young people she was
exceeding glad at hearing it, and put away her grief and said: Now
have I also found rest here. And she rose up and went unto them, and
was with them a long time, until they had instructed the king also.
And many of the brethren also gathered there until they heard the
report of the apostle, that he was come unto the cities of India and
was teaching there: and they departed and joined themselves unto
him.
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