[Text - Translated by G. R. S. Mead - Linked Above]
Imbedded within the Acts of Thomas we find a beautiful and complete statement of a classic Gnostic myth describing the exile and redemption of the soul. The text is known both as the "Hymn of the Pearl" and occasionally as "Hymn of the Robe of Glory". What astounds most is that such a clear rendition of the Gnostic mythos survived within a text which residing for centuries on the shelves of orthodox archives.