The Text and Context of the Acts of Thomas and His Wonderworking Skin 14 views

The Acts of Thomas and His Wonderworking Skin (Acts Thom. Skin) is a work that was widely disseminated in the premodern world, and is still influential even to the present day. Even so, it has been largely neglected by scholarship. This dissertation seeks to encourage and enable increased scholarly engagement with this fascinating apocryphal narrative about Thomas by answering foundational questions about the history of its study, its text, and its transmission. In the introductory chapter, I examine key issues regarding the date, place, and language of composition in order to show that the work was originally composed in Greek, likely in Egypt, and possibly in the fifth century. In the second chapter, I survey the scholarship that has already been done on this work, which is often somewhat scattered and difficult to locate. In chapter three, I provide an edition and translation of the oldest extant Greek manuscript of Acts Thom. Skin. Next, I explore the work’s literary relationship with other apocryphal literature. In chapter four, I argue on the basis of a close comparison of the two works that Acts Thom. Skin was influenced by the narrative of Acts Thom., though the relationship is not necessarily one of direct literary dependence. In this chapter, I also demonstrate that apocryphal Bartholomew traditions are not the origin of Acts Thom. Skin’s story of Thomas’ flaying in India. In chapter five, I argue that Acts Thom. Skin is dependent upon the Greek text of the Acts of Peter and Andrew, a key factor in determining Acts Thom. Skin’s original language. In the final chapter, I explore the ways that Acts Thom. Skin both shaped, and was shaped by, the liturgical hagiography of the church. Here I argue that harmonization with the martyrdom of Acts Thom. allowed Acts Thom. Skin––in which Thomas does not die––to be transmitted in contexts that celebrate Thomas as a martyr.

PHD (Doctor of Philosophy)

Extended limited access per LS-30302

English

All rights reserved by the author (no additional license for public reuse)

2026-04-29