Apocryphal Books > Apocryphal and Pseudepigraphal Acts > Acts of Thomas
Acts of Thomas
Containing many hallmarks of gnostic and Encratite thought, the Acts of Thomas may nevertheless contain some very early traditions pertaining to the apostle, including his mission to India. It is among the very longest of the apocryphal Acts and was likely composed in the 3rd century. It is divided into thirteen “acts,” followed by the apostle’s martyrdom. It also contains an independent work, the Hymn of the Soul (vv. 108–113). The authors (whose Acts were occasionally unconnected) had a strong ideological and sectarian determination that celibacy was to be universal among Christians, although this certainly fell outside of orthodoxy, reflecting the works’ heretical underpinnings.
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