"My loins are girded with truth, and my sandals are bound on my feet. May I not see their thongs untied. I have put my hand to my ploughshare, and I have not looked behind me, so that my furrows may not be crooked. My fields are white and are ready for reaping. May I receive my reward...May I receive your face and worship before your holy beauty...The internal I have made external, and the external internal. Let your will be fulfilled in every part of me...Let us receive the crown of victory."
Acts of Thomas 147
Commentary: (ca. late second or early third c.) This is a prayer attributed to Judas Thomas (the Apostle) while in prison before his martyrdom. The reference to receiving God's face and worshiping before his holy beauty is striking in its merkavah mystical language. Thomas is asking to be allowed to enter the heavenly throneroom and receive a vision of God's face, in order to worship God's Beauty.
1 comment:
I am enjoying these, and they have inspired me to post translations from a slightly different source, the Sahidic canonical Gospels, on my blog, "ihsous peJaF nneFmaqhths."
These represent primarily some of my translation exercises.
The blog is found at:
http://copticjesus.blogspot.com
Post a Comment