The Concept of Rest in the Greek Acts of Thomas

The Concept of Rest in the Greek Acts of ThomasOrientalia Christiana PeriodicaSyriaca.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/PK9LJGJB/tei

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2024-08-15-04:00

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CREATED: This bibl record was autogenerated from a Zotero record.Kristine J.RuffattoThe Concept of Rest in the Greek Acts of Thomashttp://syriaca.org/cbss/PK9LJGJBhttps://www.zotero.org/groups/a_comprehensive_bibliography_on_syriac_studies/items/PK9LJGJBhttps://www.zotero.org/groups/4861694/items/PK9LJGJBOrientalia Christiana Periodica75:12009133-155Rest is an important soteriological and christological concept in the third century apocryphal Acts of Thomas. The forty-five references to rest (ἀνάπαυσις and its cognates) mark rest as a significant theme of the work. This article provides an analysis of the use of ἀνάπαυσις in the Greek Acts of Thomas. Rest is a rich and multifaceted motif that expresses both present experience and future hope. It is an attribute of Christ but also a benefit of being in union with Christ. Rest, achieved through rigorous “holiness” (abstinence, especially from sex), is synonymous with salvation. The Acts of Thomas’ understanding of rest is rooted in Jewish rest tradition, which the author/compiler has christianized and enriched with an ascetical emphasis that is characteristic of Syriac spirituality. Ruffatto, Kristine J. “The Concept of Rest in the Greek Acts of Thomas.” Orientalia Christiana Periodica 75:1 (2009): 133–55. Kristine J. Ruffatto, The Concept of Rest in the Greek Acts of Thomas,” Orientalia Christiana Periodica 75:1 (2009): 133–55.Acts of ThomasI-III CENT apocryphasoteriology