Apocryphal Thomas

ACTS OF THOMAS : M. M. NINAN
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Valentinus, the Gnostics of the day. In Edessa Bardaisan established a choir, which consisted of two
categories of people: the rich and the higher educated. In order to make the prayers more attractive
Bardaisan wrote and composed 150 psalms like the psalms of King David in the Old Testament.
Furthermore, he took the melodies of the popular folksongs at that time and wrote spiritual lyrics to
them. As an example of the folksongs that he used their melodies "Bar´roubto Brishit" and "Men
foulouti dashmayo". (St. Ephraim and others have changed Lyrics later). These two hymns are still sung
until today in the "Sh´himo" (the book of the daily prayers).
Syrian Christian tradition of Kerala indicates a visit of Bardesanes to Kerala and defeated Mar Mani the
Gnostic in open debate in Ranni. The Christian Church in Kerala therefore survived the Gnostic
invasion and hijacking of Thomas Christianity into emerging Gnostic Christianity which later came to
be claimed as Hinduism.
Doctrine of Bardaisan
Like the Early Christians, he believed in an Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth, whose will is
absolute, and to whom all things are subject. God endowed man with freedom of will to work out his
salvation and allowed the world to be a mixture of good and evil, light and darkness. All things, even
those which we now consider inanimate, have a measure of liberty. In all of them the light has to
overcome the darkness. After six thousand years this earth shall have an end, and a world without evil
shall take its place.
The Cosmology of Bardaisan
Drijvers (1966:978) gives three traditions of sources for the cosmology of Bardaisan. First there is
Barhadbeshabba ‘Arbaïa (late 6 th century), who was in agreement with Îwannîs of Dàrâ (early 9 th
century) and Moses bar Kepha (d.903 at 90). Second, there is Theodore bar Khonai (late 8 th century)
who seems to be a separate tradition. Finally there is Agapius of Mabbug who was also in agreement
with Michael Syrus and Bar Hebraeus.
Barhadbeshabba uses the Syriac word ithya : Greek
ou0si/a or stoixei/a for the Bardaisan’s four “Stoic” elements
that make up the world.
"The four ithya were :
Fire
and Wind
and Water
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