Résumé
Résumé de The Apocalypse of Thomas
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For readers who love early Christian apocalypses, students of medieval religion, and anyone curious about how ancient writers pictured the end of time.
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The Apocalypse of Thomas is a short Christian text that presents itself as the Lord's own answer to the apostle Thomas about the end of the world. It tells of the signs and woes that come before the last day, and it arranges them across seven days of wonders in the heavens and on the earth. It is anonymous, and it should not be confused with the Gospel of Thomas or the Acts of Thomas, which are different works.
Scholars generally place its writing in the later centuries of the ancient church, and it survives in Latin in more than one form. In this summary you will hear how the text came down to us, what its warnings contain, how the seven days are laid out, and why it stands outside the Bible. Let us begin with where the text comes from.
Dans ce résumé
- 1A short Latin text under an apostle's nameFree
- 2The Lord answers Thomas about the end
- 3Seven days of wonders before His coming
- 4Why it stands outside the Bible and how to read it
Point clé 1 sur 4
A short Latin text under an apostle's name
The Apocalypse of Thomas is anonymous. Like many early apocalypses, it carries the name of an apostle to give weight to its message. Thomas is the disciple who, in the Gospel of John, asks hard questions, so he is a natural figure to hear about the last things.
The text survives in Latin, and it exists in more than one version. The versions differ in length and in how much explanation they offer.
The date is also uncertain. Many scholars place it somewhere between the second and the fourth centuries, though some propose an earlier root. Related material appears in early medieval preaching in Latin and in Old English, which shows that its images travelled and were reused by people who wanted to warn their hearers.
That’s 1 of 4 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Questions about The Apocalypse of Thomas
What is the Apocalypse of Thomas about?
It is a short Christian apocalypse in which the Lord tells the apostle Thomas about the end of the world. It describes the woes and signs that come before the last day, arranged across seven days of wonders.
Is the Apocalypse of Thomas the same as the Gospel of Thomas?
No. The Gospel of Thomas is a collection of sayings of Jesus. The Apocalypse of Thomas is a separate text about the end of time, and the Acts of Thomas is a third work.
When was the Apocalypse of Thomas written?
Scholars do not agree on a single date.
Why is the Apocalypse of Thomas not in the Bible?
It is a late work attributed to an apostle without clear evidence, and the early church councils did not recognise it as scripture. It circulated among preachers and writers but not in the biblical canon.
Is the Apocalypse of Thomas hard to read?
No. It is a short text with a simple plan: Thomas asks, and the Lord answers directly. The signs fall across seven days, each with its own wonders, so it is easy to follow and easy to remember.