The Hymn of the Pearl

A poem embedded in the Acts of Thomas, and the single most economical statement of the whole Gnostic mood — told as a fairy tale, so that anyone can carry it. A prince is sent from his kingdom in the East down into Egypt to fetch a pearl guarded by a serpent. He takes off his radiant robe. He puts on the clothing of the country so as not to be noticed. He eats their food — and forgets. He forgets the pearl, forgets the errand, forgets he is a king's son, and falls asleep. His parents send a letter; the letter rises up as a voice; the voice says Awake and rise from your sleep, and remember that you are a son of kings. He remembers, charms the serpent by naming his father's name, takes the pearl, strips the filthy clothing, and turns homeward — and his robe comes down the road to meet him, and he sees it is a mirror of himself, and he puts it on. Every element of teshuvah is here — exile, forgetting, the call, the turning, the garment restored — arriving from outside Judaism, in Syriac, around 225.