Acts of Apostle Thomas
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II AD 30 - 40 PARTHIAN MISSION APOSTLE THOMAS IN INDIA : M. M. NINAN<br />
It is said that after the assumption <strong>of</strong> Jesus, <strong>Apostle</strong> <strong>Thomas</strong> sent Addai (Thaddaeus) one <strong>of</strong> the<br />
seventy-two, to the king who healed the King and the King himself became a Christian.. In this<br />
mission he was accompanied by a disciple, Mari, and the two are regarded as c<strong>of</strong>ounders <strong>of</strong> the<br />
church. The Liturgy <strong>of</strong> Addai and Mari (c. AD 200), is still used by the Assyrian Churches <strong>of</strong> the<br />
East.<br />
Hannan, the messenger, was archivist at Edessa, He was also the Royal painter to King Abgar. Part <strong>of</strong> the<br />
mission <strong>of</strong> Hannan was to paint a portrait <strong>of</strong> Jesus, which he did and brought with him to Abgar, The<br />
legend is also found found in the Acta Thaddaei, the "<strong>Acts</strong> <strong>of</strong> Thaddaeus".<br />
Even though we don’t have the details <strong>of</strong> the missionary activities or even the physical presence <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Thomas</strong> in Edessa, the personality <strong>of</strong> <strong>Thomas</strong> is impressed heavily on the Edessan Church. .<br />
Edessa was unquestionably the most important locus for the faith in the Syriac-speaking world.<br />
Most <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Thomas</strong> literature originated from Edessa during the time <strong>of</strong> second century AD.<br />
Among them are:<br />
<strong>Acts</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Thomas</strong> is a dramatical poetic work describing the ministry <strong>of</strong> <strong>Thomas</strong> in India. <strong>Acts</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Thomas</strong>, survived over the centuries in monastic collections. <strong>Acts</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Thomas</strong>, was composed ca.<br />
A.D. 225.<br />
Gospel <strong>of</strong> <strong>Thomas</strong> discovered during archeological excavations <strong>of</strong> an ancient library in Oxyrhynchus,<br />
Egypt. The three papyrus fragments <strong>of</strong> <strong>Thomas</strong> – known as the Oxyrhynchus fragments – date to between<br />
130 - 250 CE. The Gospel <strong>of</strong> <strong>Thomas</strong> is a collection <strong>of</strong> sayings attributed to Jesus <strong>of</strong> Nazareth. It starts as<br />
“These are the secret words that the Living Jesus spoke, which Didymus Judas <strong>Thomas</strong> wrote down. And<br />
he said, "Whoever finds the interpretation <strong>of</strong> these sayings will not experience death."”<br />
The Book <strong>of</strong> <strong>Thomas</strong> the Contender, from the Nag Hammadi Library Collection The content <strong>of</strong><br />
this work is quite hyperbolic and gnostic in style and content. “The secret sayings that the savior<br />
spoke to 2 Judas <strong>Thomas</strong> which I, even I, Mathaias, 3 wrote down, while I was walking, listening to<br />
them speak with 4 one another.” It was likely composed in the first half <strong>of</strong> the 3d century A.D.<br />
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