Travelling Thomas: Slave Trade and Missionary Travel in the Acts of Thomas

Travelling Thomas: Slave Trade and Missionary Travel in the Acts of ThomasReligionsSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference PortalThe National Endowment for the HumanitiesThe International Balzan Prize FoundationDavid A. Michelsoncbsc_adminRecord added to Zotero bycbsc_adminSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference Portalhttp://syriaca.org/cbss/PB8EFASI/tei

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2025-05-20-05:00

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CREATED: This bibl record was autogenerated from a Zotero record.Marianne BjellandKartzowTravelling Thomas: Slave Trade and Missionary Travel in the Acts of Thomashttp://syriaca.org/cbss/PB8EFASIhttps://www.zotero.org/groups/a_comprehensive_bibliography_on_syriac_studies/items/PB8EFASIhttps://www.zotero.org/groups/4861694/items/PB8EFASIReligions15 [808]20241-11The Acts of Thomas is a long, rich, and fascinating narrative about the Apostle Thomas who was forced to travel to India as a missionary. When Thomas hesitates to go, his master Jesus literally sells him as a slave to an Indian merchant. Like other Apocryphal Acts, the Acts of Thomas revolves around the apostolic figure battling both human and demonic adversaries. Celibacy is central, although familiar narrative elements from ancient romances and novels are also present. On his way, Thomas sings, prays, teaches, heals, converts, and baptizes. His travel follows open trade routes in the ancient world, by land and by sea. He participates in various social events like parties, weddings, and family celebrations. His own status as a foreign slave/apostle, with a strange religion, is negotiated and contested: Sometimes he is treated like a foreign slave, suffering violence and harassment. On other occasions, his exotic strangeness in language and religion gives him access to royal palaces and influential men and women. By examining the role played by slavery in initiating this travel, as well as various intersections of religion and gender in the overall narrative, this article explores the Acts of Thomas to draw a more nuanced picture of travel in the ancient world. Kartzow, Marianne Bjelland. “Travelling Thomas: Slave Trade and Missionary Travel in the Acts of Thomas.” Religions 15 [808] (2024): 1–11. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15070808. Marianne Bjelland Kartzow, Travelling Thomas: Slave Trade and Missionary Travel in the Acts of Thomas,” Religions 15 [808] (2024): 1–11, https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15070808.