Apocryphal Thomas

ACTS OF THOMAS : M. M. NINAN
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1. Shamayim: The first Heaven, governed by Archangel Gabriel, is the closest of heavenly realms
to the Earth; it is also considered the abode of Adam and Eve.
2. Raquie: The second Heaven is dually controlled by Zachariel and Raphael.
3. Shehaqim: The third Heaven, under the leadership of Anahel, serves as the home of the Garden
of Eden and the Tree of Life; it is also the realm where manna, the holy food of angels, is
produced.
4. Machen: The fourth Heaven is ruled by the Archangel Michael , and according to Talmud
Hagiga 12, it contains the heavenly Jerusalem, the Temple, and the Altar.
5. Machon: The fifth Heaven is under the administration of Samael, a dark servant of God.
6. Zebul: The sixth Heaven falls under the jurisdiction of Sachiel.
7. Araboth: The seventh Heaven, under the leadership of Cassiel, is the holiest of the seven
Heavens and houses the Throne of Glory along with the Seraphim, the Cherubim, and the
Hayyoth.
The abode of the Holy Mother Spirit is beyond the seven houses – the eighth house
Come, elder of the five members, mind, thought, reflection, consideration, and reason; communicate
with these young men.
Note by. Professor F. C. Burliitt, D.D has this reference:
”What is the essential distinction of these five words for 'mind', and what is meant by the 'elder'
(presbuteros, Greek)?
“We turn to the Syriac, as the original language in which our tale was composed though our present text,
which rests here on two manuscripts, has now and then been bowdlerized in the direction of more
conventional phraseology, a process that the Greek has often escaped. Here in the Syriac we find
(Wright, p.193, l.13; E.Tr., p.166, last line but one):
“'Come, Messenger of reconciliation, and communicate with the minds of these youths.'
“The word for 'Come' is fem., while 'Messenger' (Izgadda) is masc. This is because the whole prayer is
an invocation of the Holy Spirit, which in old Syriac is invariably treated as feminine. The word for
Messenger is that used in the Manichaean cosmogony for a heavenly Spirit sent from the Divine Light:
this Spirit appeared as androgynous, so that the use of the word here with the feminine verb is not
inappropriate. It further leads us to look out for other indications of Manichaean phraseology in the
passage. But first it suggests to us that [presbyters] in our passage is a corruption of, or is used for,
[presbeutes], 'an ambassador'.
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