The Independence of the “Martyrdom” of the Acts of Thomas

Abstract Chapters 159–70 of the Acts of Thomas (ATh) – the so-called “Martyrdom” – are broadly agreed to have originally been independent, and only later appended to the end of the ATh to provide the story with a proper martyr’s ending. However, this article suggests that previous scholarship only establishes that the “Martyrdom” had a separate author to the rest of the ATh. An argument has yet to be made demonstrating that the author of the “Martyrdom” did not intend it to be immediately attached to the ATh. I argue that the “Martyrdom” contains a subplot that completely contradicts the ATh through a comparative analysis of the respective narratives of the “Martyrdom” and the preceding chapters of the ATh. This article thus demonstrates that the “Martyrdom” was not simply separately authored, but also was not intended to be read with the ATh and originally circulated as an independent tradition.