The Hymn of the Pearl, a.k.a. The Hymn of the Soul, a.k.a. The Hymn of the Robe of Glory

My professor, Dr. Andrei Orlov, introduced me to a poem that I think more Latter-day Saints should know about. It is found within the apocryphal work The Acts of Thomas, which is known to have circulated in the 4th century and recounts the missionary journeys of Judas Thomas the Apostle to India. It is known in Greek and Syriac versions and has a rather Gnostic flavor notwithstanding it having been used by orthodox Christians. 

The Hymn of the Pearl is a hymn or poem that is inserted into the text and said to have been spoken by the apostle while he was in prison. Interestingly, it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the apostle’s life, but speaks of a journey of an individual who lived in the glorious kingdom of his parents, where he enjoyed all kinds of treasures and luxuries. His parents decide to send him to “Egypt” on a mission to retrieve a special treasure, The Pearl, which is guarded by a terrible serpent. They remove his glorious robe and royal vestments and prepare him to go on his mission. If he w as successful in his mission, this glory would be restored to him.

 “If thou goest down into Egypt,
And thence thou bring’st the one Pearl –

“[The Pearl] that lies in the Sea,
Hard by the loud-breathing Serpent –

“[Then] shalt Thou put on thy Robe
And thy Mantle that goeth upon it,

“And with thy Brother, Our Second,
Shalt thou be Heir in our Kingdom.”

Throughout the hymn, we can perhaps perceive references to our Heavenly Parents, Pre-existence, Plan of Salvation, our mortal life, and the promise of jointly inheriting the Father’s Kingdom, together with the Second, Jesus Christ.
But as he began to mix with “the Egyptians,” he began to forget his earthly mission and Whose son he truly was.

But from some occasion or other
They learned I was not of their country.
With their wiles they made my acquaintance;
Yea, they gave me their victuals to eat.
I forgot that I was a King’s son,
And became a slave to their king.
I forgot all concerning the Pearl
For which my Parents had sent me;
And from the weight of their victuals
I sank down into a deep sleep.

The Royal Parents do not forget their child, but send him a letter to remind him of who he is and what his mission is.

“From Us — King of Kings, thy Father,
And thy Mother, Queen of the Dawn-land,
“And from Our Second, thy Brother –
To thee, Son, down in Egypt, Our Greeting!
“Up an arise from thy sleep,
Give ear to the words of Our Letter!
“Remember that thou art a King’s son;
See whom thou hast served in thy slavedom.
Bethink thyself of the Pearl
For which thou didst journey to Egypt.
“Remember thy Glorious Robe,
Thy Splendid Mantle remember,
“To put on and wear as adornment,
When thy Name may be read in the Book of the Heroes,
“And with Our Successor, thy Brother,
Thou mayest be Heir in Our Kingdom.”
My Letter was [surely] a Letter
The King had sealed up with His Right Hand,

He remembers his mission and goes on to conquer the dragon and obtain the pearl, then returns to his royal home.

I remembered that I was a King’s son,
And my rank did long for its nature.
I bethought me again of the Pearl,
For which I was sent down to Egypt.
And I began [then] to charm him,
The terrible loud-breathing Serpent.
I lulled him to sleep and to slumber,
Chanting o’er him the Name of my Father,
The Name of our Second, [my Brother],
And [Name] of my Mother, the East-Queen.
And [thereon] I snatched up the Pearl,
And turned to the House of my Father.
Their filthy and unclean garments
I stripped off and left in their country.
To the way that I came I betook me,
To the Light of our Home, to the Dawn-land.

When he reaches his (heavenly) home, he regains his royal robe and mantle and is crowned with glory. He is welcomed home by his Parents, his elder Brother, and the rest of the Royal Court.

My Glorious Robe that I’d stripped off,
And my Mantle with which it was covered,
Down from the Heights of Hyrcania,
Thither my Parents did send me,
By the hands of their Treasure-dispensers
Who trustworthy were with it trusted.
Without my recalling its fashion, –
In the House of my Father my childhood had left it,–
At once, as soon as I saw it,
The Glory looked like my own self.
******
I clothed me therewith, and ascended
To the Gate of Greeting and Homage.
I bowed my head and did homage
To the Glory of Him who had sent it,
Whose commands I [now] had accomplished,
And who had, too, done what He’d promised.
[And there] at the Gate of His House-sons
I mingled myself with His Princes;
For He had received me with gladness,
And I was with Him in His Kingdom;
To whom the whole of His Servants
With sweet-sounding voices sing praises.
* * * * *
He had promised that with him to the Court
Of the King of Kings I should speed,
And taking with me my Pearl
Should with him be seen by our King.
The Hymn of Judas Thomas the Apostle,
which he spake in prison, is ended.

I have only quoted parts of this amazing document here. If you want to read the whole thing (in two different translations), go to: http://www.gnosis.org/library/hymnpearl.htm

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