The Acts of Thomas, 3rd Century
From The Apocryphal New Testament, Trans,
M..R. James, (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924)
The Acts of Thomas is an early Christian romance. For discussion
of this text see Bernadette Brooten, Love Between Women: Early
Christian Responses to Female Homoeroticism, (Chicago: 1996),
309-313
A young woman who has had a vision of hell relates what she
has seen.
55 And the apostle said unto her: Relate unto us where thou hast
been. And she answered: Dost thou who wast with me and unto whom
I was delivered desire to hear? And she began to say: [This desciption
of hell-tourments is largely derived from the Apocalypse of Peter]
A man took me who was hateful to look upon altogether black, and
his raiment exceedingly foul, and took me away to a place wherein
were many pits (chasms), and a great stench and hateful odour
issued thence. And he caused me to look into every pit, and I
saw in the (first) pit flaming fire, and wheels of fire ran round
there, and souls were hanged upon those wheels, and were dashed
(broken) against each other; and very great crying and howling
was there, and there was none to deliver. And that man said to
me: These souls are of thy tribe, and when the number of their
days is accomplished (lit. in the days of the number) they are
(were) delivered unto torment and affliction, and then are others
brought in in their stead, and likewise these into another place.
These are they that have reversed the intercourse of male and
female. And I looked and saw infants heaped one upon another and
struggling with each other as they lay on them. And he answered
and said to me: These are the children of those others, and therefore
are they set here for a testimony against them.
(Syr. omits this clause of the children, and lengthens and dilutes
the preceding speech.)
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