Psalms of Thomas
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The ''Psalms of Thomas'' (more correctly ''Psalms of Thom'') are a set of 3rd-century Judeo-Christian
psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...
found appended to the end of a
Coptic Coptic may refer to: Afro-Asia * Copts, an ethnoreligious group mainly in the area of modern Egypt but also in Sudan and Libya * Coptic language, a Northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century * Coptic alphabet ...
Manichaean psalm book, which was in turn part of the Medinet Madi Coptic Texts uncovered in 1928. The psalms were originally published in 1938 by C. R. C. Allberry. The meter and structure of the psalms suggest that they were originally written in
Eastern Aramaic The Eastern Aramaic languages have developed from the varieties of Aramaic that developed in and around Mesopotamia (Iraq, southeast Turkey, northeast Syria and northwest and southwest Iran), as opposed to western varieties of the Levant (modern ...
. There are 20 psalms in total. The themes and content of the psalms bear a considerable resemblance to the
Hymn of the Pearl The Hymn of the Pearl (also Hymn of the Soul, Hymn of the Robe of Glory or Hymn of Judas Thomas the Apostle) is a passage of the apocryphal ''Acts of Thomas''. In that work, originally written in Syriac, the Apostle Thomas sings the hymn while p ...
from the
Acts of Thomas ''Acts of Thomas'' is an early 3rd-century text, one of the New Testament apocrypha within the Acts of the Apostles subgenre. References to the work by Epiphanius of Salamis show that it was in circulation in the 4th century. The complete ve ...
.


Authorship

Considerable controversy continues as to whether the Thomas or Thom referred to could be the
Apostle Thomas Thomas the Apostle ( arc, 𐡀𐡌𐡅𐡕𐡌, hbo, תוֹמא הקדוש or תוֹמָא שליחא (''Toma HaKadosh'' "Thomas the Holy" or ''Toma Shlikha'' "Thomas the Messenger/Apostle" in Hebrew-Aramaic), syc, ܬܐܘܡܐ, , meaning "twi ...
,
Mani Mani may refer to: Geography * Maní, Casanare, a town and municipality in Casanare Department, Colombia * Mani, Chad, a town and sub-prefecture in Chad * Mani, Evros, a village in northeastern Greece * Mani, Karnataka, a village in Dakshi ...
's disciple, also called Thomas, or the
Gnostic Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...
concept of the divine twin. This is because the latter is referred to in other parts of the Coptic Manichaean Psalm-book as a distinct person from the Apostle. The enigma has since deepened with the publication of the Cologne Mani-Codex in the 1970s, which showed that Mani himself came out of a baptizing Christian sect called the Elkasaites (= Elcesaites).


Mandaean parallels

In 1949,
Torgny Säve-Söderbergh Torgny Säve-Söderbergh (born 29 June 1914 in Lund; died 21 May 1998 in Uppsala) was a Swedish writer, translator, and professor of Egyptology at Uppsala University from 1950 to 1980. He was the younger brother of paleontologist Gunnar Säve-Sö ...
suggested that the psalms were largely based upon canonical
Mandaean Mandaeans ( ar, المندائيون ), also known as Mandaean Sabians ( ) or simply as Sabians ( ), are an ethnoreligious group who are followers of Mandaeism. They believe that John the Baptist was the final and most important prophet. ...
texts (despite Jesus being mentioned positively in two psalms). Säve-Söderbergh's work on the psalms demonstrating that Mandaeism did not derive from Manichaeism, as was formerly commonly believed.Lofts, Mark J. (2013). "How Old are the Psalms of Thomas and what is their Relation to the Gospel of Thomas?" I
''ARAM'' 25:2 (2013)
445-461.
For instance, Psalm 13 has parallels with prayers 125, 129 (cf. Psalms of Thomas 13:1–8), and 155 (cf. Psalms of Thomas 13:37–45) in the
Qolasta The Qolastā, Qulasta, or Qolusta ( myz, ࡒࡅࡋࡀࡎࡕࡀ; mid, Qōlutā, script=Latn) is the canonical prayer book of the Mandaeans, a Gnostic ethnoreligious group from Iraq and Iran. The Mandaic word ''qolastā'' means "collection". The p ...
. Säve-Söderbergh (1949) notes Mandaean parallels such as the following. *Psalms 1, 2, 6, 8, 12, and 14 have concluding formulae (e.g., on the victorious return of Light) that are similar to the Mandaean ''
ʿniana In Mandaeism, a ʿniana ( myz, ࡏࡍࡉࡀࡍࡀ; plural form: ''ʿniania'' ) prayer is recited during rituals such as the masiqta and priest initiation ceremonies. There is a total of 26 ʿniana prayers. They form part of the Qolasta. Etymology ...
'' ("response") prayers, which are
Qolasta The Qolastā, Qulasta, or Qolusta ( myz, ࡒࡅࡋࡀࡎࡕࡀ; mid, Qōlutā, script=Latn) is the canonical prayer book of the Mandaeans, a Gnostic ethnoreligious group from Iraq and Iran. The Mandaic word ''qolastā'' means "collection". The p ...
prayers 78103. *Psalm 2 has parallels with Hymn 15 in Book 3 of the
Left Ginza The Left Ginza is one of the two parts of the Ginza Rabba, the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. The other part of the Ginza Rabba is the Right Ginza. Summaries of each book (or tractate), based mostly on Häberl (200 ...
(both have "trembling demons" that were defeated). *In Psalm 5, the phrase "treasure of life" is a parallel of the Mandaean formula "I am a ''
mana According to Melanesian and Polynesian mythology, ''mana'' is a supernatural force that permeates the universe. Anyone or anything can have ''mana''. They believed it to be a cultivation or possession of energy and power, rather than being ...
'' of the Great Life," a phrase often found in the numerous hymns of Book 2 of the
Left Ginza The Left Ginza is one of the two parts of the Ginza Rabba, the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. The other part of the Ginza Rabba is the Right Ginza. Summaries of each book (or tractate), based mostly on Häberl (200 ...
. In
Mandaic Mandaic may refer to: * Mandaic language * Mandaic alphabet ** Mandaic (Unicode block) Mandaic is a Unicode block containing characters of the Mandaic script used for writing the historic Eastern Aramaic, also called Classical Mandaic, and the m ...
, ''mana'' () has been variously translated as "mind," "'' nous''," or "treasure." In Mandaeism,
Simat Hayyi In Mandaeism, Simat Hayyi or Simat Hiia ( myz, ࡎࡉࡌࡀࡕ ࡄࡉࡉࡀ, lit=Treasure of Life), the personification of life, is an uthra (angel or guardian) from the World of Light who is the wife of Yawar Ziwa. The name ''Simat Hayyi'' ("Li ...
, the name of a female
uthra An uthra or ʿutra ( myz, ࡏࡅࡕࡓࡀ; plural: ʿutri) is a "divine messenger of the light" in Mandaeism. Charles G. Häberl and James F. McGrath translate it as "excellency". Jorunn J. Buckley defines them as "Lightworld beings, called 'u ...
, also literally translates as "Treasure of Life." *Psalm 6 directly corresponds with
Qolasta The Qolastā, Qulasta, or Qolusta ( myz, ࡒࡅࡋࡀࡎࡕࡀ; mid, Qōlutā, script=Latn) is the canonical prayer book of the Mandaeans, a Gnostic ethnoreligious group from Iraq and Iran. The Mandaic word ''qolastā'' means "collection". The p ...
prayer 66, which is in turn identical with Hymn 43 in Book 3 of the
Left Ginza The Left Ginza is one of the two parts of the Ginza Rabba, the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. The other part of the Ginza Rabba is the Right Ginza. Summaries of each book (or tractate), based mostly on Häberl (200 ...
. *Psalm 8 has various Mandaean motifs, such as the capture of demons and the triumph of Light (e.g., chapter 15 in Book 2 of the
Left Ginza The Left Ginza is one of the two parts of the Ginza Rabba, the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. The other part of the Ginza Rabba is the Right Ginza. Summaries of each book (or tractate), based mostly on Häberl (200 ...
). *In Psalm 12, phrases such as "the empty one" and "the laden one" have parallels with the end of chapter 47 of the Mandaean Book of John. In the same chapter, phrases such as "ears but would not hear" have parallels in Psalm 14. *Psalm 13 has parallels with
Qolasta The Qolastā, Qulasta, or Qolusta ( myz, ࡒࡅࡋࡀࡎࡕࡀ; mid, Qōlutā, script=Latn) is the canonical prayer book of the Mandaeans, a Gnostic ethnoreligious group from Iraq and Iran. The Mandaic word ''qolastā'' means "collection". The p ...
prayer 24 and hymns 2, 22, and 41 in Book 3 of the
Left Ginza The Left Ginza is one of the two parts of the Ginza Rabba, the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. The other part of the Ginza Rabba is the Right Ginza. Summaries of each book (or tractate), based mostly on Häberl (200 ...
. *Coptic passage 220 (i.e., Psalm 13) is similar to
Qolasta The Qolastā, Qulasta, or Qolusta ( myz, ࡒࡅࡋࡀࡎࡕࡀ; mid, Qōlutā, script=Latn) is the canonical prayer book of the Mandaeans, a Gnostic ethnoreligious group from Iraq and Iran. The Mandaic word ''qolastā'' means "collection". The p ...
prayer 155, which is the first Saturday ''
rahma Rahma most commonly refers to an Arabic name, which may refer to: *Al-Rahma mosque, on Hatherley Street, Liverpool, England *''Malak al-Rahma'', a classic 1946 Egyptian film directed and written by Youssef Wahbi People *Rahma el-Dennaoui (born 20 ...
'' (devotional) prayers. *In Psalm 14, Hylē's answer of co-existing opposites (e.g., "death and life") is similar to
Ruha In Mandaeism, Rūha ( myz, ࡓࡅࡄࡀ, lit=spirit/breath; also known as Namrūs or Hiwat (Ewath; myz, ࡏࡅࡀࡕ)) is the queen of the World of Darkness (''alma ḏ-hšuka'') or underworld. She rules the underworld together with her son U ...
's answer to
Dinanukht Dinanukht (also spelled Dinanukt or Dananukt; myz, ࡃࡉࡍࡀࡍࡅࡊࡕ or ; from Persian 'the one who speaks in accordance with the religion') is a mythological character in the '' Ginza Rabba'', one of the main religious scriptures of Manda ...
in Book 6 of the Right Ginza. Both texts also resemble the
Nag Hammadi Nag Hammadi ( ; ar, نجع حمادى ) is a city in Upper Egypt. It is located on the west bank of the Nile in the Qena Governorate, about north-west of Luxor. It had a population of close to 43,000 . History The town of Nag Hammadi is name ...
Gnostic Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...
poem ''
The Thunder, Perfect Mind "The Thunder, Perfect Mind" is a text originally discovered among the Gnostic manuscripts in the Nag Hammadi library in 1945. It follows a poetic structure, and has received scholarly attention for its gnomic style and unclear subject. Form Th ...
''. *In Psalm 17, the "mockery litany," in which aspects of the transient material world are mocked, has parallels with chapter 12 of the Mandaean Book of John. *Psalm 18 enumerates the senses and limbs, with its text similar to chapter 15 of the Mandaean Book of John, Hymn 19 in Book 3 of the
Left Ginza The Left Ginza is one of the two parts of the Ginza Rabba, the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. The other part of the Ginza Rabba is the Right Ginza. Summaries of each book (or tractate), based mostly on Häberl (200 ...
, and prayer 96 of the
Qolasta The Qolastā, Qulasta, or Qolusta ( myz, ࡒࡅࡋࡀࡎࡕࡀ; mid, Qōlutā, script=Latn) is the canonical prayer book of the Mandaeans, a Gnostic ethnoreligious group from Iraq and Iran. The Mandaic word ''qolastā'' means "collection". The p ...
(identical with Hymn 2 in Book 3 of the
Left Ginza The Left Ginza is one of the two parts of the Ginza Rabba, the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. The other part of the Ginza Rabba is the Right Ginza. Summaries of each book (or tractate), based mostly on Häberl (200 ...
). Van Bladel (2017) suggests that an equally plausible scenario is that of Manichaeism and Mandaeism both having borrowed the hymns from another common source, likely an Aramaic-speaking Judeo-Christian group in Mesopotamia such as the Elchasites.


References


External links


Translation of Psalms 1–12
{{Manichaeism footer 3rd-century Christian texts Mandaean texts Manichaean texts Texts in Coptic Thomas the Apostle