Gnostic Hymn of the Pearl or R

The Hymn of the Pearl (also known as the Hymn of the Soul, Hymn of the Robe of Glory, or Hymn of Judas Thomas the Apostle) is a passage from the Acts of Thomas, a book of New Testament apocrypha which tells the story of Apostle Thomas' Christian ministry and evangelistic mission to India.

In that work, the Apostle Thomas (of "Doubting Thomas" fame) sings the Hymn of the Pearl while praying for himself and fellow prisoners. However, some scholars believe that the hymn actually pre-dates the Acts of Thomas manuscripts. While the hymn's true author is unknown, it is postulated to have been composed by Bardaisan (154-222 CE), a Parthian Gnostic scholar, due to some parallels between his life and the contents of the hymn.

The Hymn of the Pearl is commonly interpreted as a Gnostic view of the human condition - that we are spirits lost in a world of matter and forgetful of our true origin. Jesus Christ and His revelatory teachings are regarded as the key to salvation and the way back to our original, heavenly state of being. The hymn's story is a poetic allegory of the Soul's treacherous journey from the heavenly world of eternal Light into (and through) the physical world of matter, which may cause a person to spiritually "fall asleep." By slaying the proverbial serpent (or dragon) and obtaining the precious pearl of Gnosis (divine Knowledge and Salvation), the Soul then ascends and makes its triumphant return to the world of eternal beatitude, once again receiving its incorruptible body of Light (or robe of divine Glory). Then the spiritual aspirant, having accomplished his earthly goal, can rule with Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven. "For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.'" - 1 Corinthians 15:53-54

The Hymn of the Pearl was preserved and especially treasured in Manichaeism: a version of it appears in a North African Manichaean Psalm book written in Coptic, called the Psalms of Thomas. The Hymn has also been admired by Orthodox Christian scholars and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). The pearl mentioned in the hymn is akin to the Pearl of Great Price spoken of by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking fine pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." - Matthew 13:45-46

In this app, the hymn is now made available in a convenient and easy format for study and meditation, translated into English from the original Syriac.


What is Gnosticism?
Gnosticism was a religious movement which traces its roots back to the early Christian Church. It was characterized by a belief in gnosis or esoteric knowledge, through which the spiritual element in man could be released from its bondage in physical matter, and that Jesus Christ was an emissary of God or Supreme Being who enabled the redemption of the human spirit. "Gnosis" is variously interpreted as knowledge, enlightenment, salvation, emancipation, or oneness with God.


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