Page:Early Christianity outside the Roman empire.djvu/80

70 the King: he is taken outside the town and after a short prayer is speared by four soldiers. Before his death he ordains Ṣîfûr and Vîzân, and the converts continue in the faith after being encouraged by a vision of the ascended Judas Thomas.

The bones of the Apostle were secretly taken away to the 'West' by one of the brethren, but a long time afterwards the dust from the grave charms away a devil from one of King Mazdai's sons, whereupon the king also believes and prays Ṣîfûr and the brethren for forgiveness.

Such is the tale of St Thomas. It is quite possible that some of the details of the legend are older than our Acts. The reputed bones of the Apostle were preserved at Edessa, and doubtless some story of their adventures had grown up around the shrine. But the real interest of the Acts is not historical, any more than the interest of Lear or Hamlet is historical. The interest lies in the prayers and sermons of Judas Thomas. These are not mere embellishments of the narrative, but the