The Hymn of the Pearl (also The Hymn of the Soul or The 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 antedates the Acts, as it only appears in one Greek translation. In Judeo-Christian theologies, apocrypha refers to religious Sacred text that have questionable authenticity or are otherwise disputed. ... 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. ... Syriac ( Suryāyā) is an Eastern Aramaic language that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. ... Thomas was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. ...

The hymn tells the story of a boy, "the son of the king of kings", who is sent to Egypt to retrieve a pearl from a serpent. During the quest, he is seduced by Egyptians and forgets his origin and his family. However, a letter is sent from the king of kings to remind him of his past. When the boy receives the letter, he remembers his mission, snatches the pearl, and returns. Nuclei from Toba Pearl Island, Japan A pearl is a hard, rounded object produced by certain animals, primarily mollusks such as oysters. ...

The hymn is commonly interpreted as a Gnostic view of the human condition, that we are lost in a world of matter and do not remember our true origin, but God sends a message, by way of Jesus, to make us remember through gnosis. Gnosticism is a blanket term for various religions and sects most prominent in the first few centuries A.D. General characteristics The word gnosticism comes from the Greek word for knowledge, gnosis (γνῶσις), referring to the idea that there is special, hidden mysticism (esoteric knowledge) that only a few possess. ... Jesus (8-2 BC/BCE– 29-36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity. ... Wiktionary has related dictionary definitions, such as: gnosis The word gnosis (from the Greek word for knowledge, γνώσις) has several uses. ...

Although the Acts of Thomas is a non-canonical text, the Hymn of the Pearl has long been admired by Orthodox Christian thinkers. Canonical is an adjective derived from canon. ... The term Orthodox Christian refers to two Christian traditions: Oriental Orthodoxy, which separated from the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church in the 5th century; Eastern Orthodoxy, which the Roman Catholic church separated from in 1054 was the church that was started by the apostles. ...

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The Hymn of the Pearl

• The Hymn of the Pearl with Biblical annotations at the Religious Texts Index
• The Hymn of the Pearl
• Hymn of the Pearl PDF
• Thomasine Church