The theme of the Pearl: the Acts of Thomas and the Hymns on the Pearl by Ephrem the Syrian Abstract: In the Acts of Thomas, composed around the 3rd century AD, the Hymn of
Abstract
In the Acts of Thomas, composed around the 3rd century AD, the Hymn of the Pearl is included, which can be traced back to a Gnostic view of the world. It tells of a salvific myth in which the protagonist, a young prince, starting from the East, manages to retrieve a pearl guarded by a serpent in Egypt. This allows the protagonist to return home and assume a role in his father's kingdom. In Christian symbolism, the Pearl has become emblematic of Christ, his virgin birth, and the kingdom of Heaven. This theme leaves traces in the Syriac area in the Christianity of the 4th century AD in the five Hymns on the Pearl composed by Ephrem the Syrian, who, with images of strong suggestion, where the natural world and the spiritual world are closely linked, makes the Pearl the perfect symbol of the beauty of faith.
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