When the apostle Thomas was at Caesarea, the Lord appeared to him saying: 'Gundoforus, king of India, has sent his steward Abbanes to seek a man skilled in the art of architecture. Come therefore, and I will send you to him.' Thomas said to him: 'Lord, send me wherever you will, only not to the Indians.' God said to him: 'Go in safety, for I will be your guardian. And when you have converted the Indians, you shall come to me with the palm of martyrdom.' Thomas said to him: 'You are my Lord and I am your servant: your will be done.' And as the steward was walking through the marketplace, the Lord said to him: 'What do you wish to buy, young man?' He replied:
'My lord has sent me to hire servants skilled in the art of architecture, so that a palace may be built for him in the Roman style.' Then the Lord handed Thomas over to him, declaring that he was most expert in such an art. As they sailed, they came to a certain city in which the king was celebrating his daughter's wedding. Since he had had it proclaimed that all should attend the wedding, or else offend the king, it happened that Abbanes and the apostle went in. Now a Hebrew girl, holding a pipe in her hand, was praising each one with some commendation; and seeing the apostle she perceived that he was a Hebrew, because he did not eat but kept his eyes fixed on heaven. And when the girl was singing in Hebrew before him, saying:
'There is one God of the Hebrews, who created all things and founded the seas,' the apostle eagerly urged her to repeat these same words. But the cupbearer, seeing that he neither ate nor drank but only kept his eyes fixed on heaven, struck the apostle of God on the cheek. The apostle said to him: 'It is better that pardon be granted you in the world to come, and that here a passing blow be returned: I will not rise from here until the hand that struck me is brought hither by dogs.' This man then went off to draw water, and a lion, killing him, drank his blood. And while the dogs were tearing his body, one black dog brought his right hand into the midst of the banquet.
At the sight of this the whole crowd was astonished, and the girl, repeating his words, threw down her pipe and cast herself at the apostle's feet. Augustine, however, in his book Against Faustus, censures this act of vengeance and asserts that it was inserted by a forger, whence this legend is in many points regarded with suspicion. Yet it could be said that it was spoken not with intent to obtain it, but only by way of foretelling. If, however, Augustine's words are carefully examined, they do not seem to reject these things altogether. For he speaks thus in the same book:
'The Manichaeans read apocryphal scriptures, written under the apostles' names by I know not what cobblers of fables, which in the times of their writers might have deserved to be received into the authority of the holy Church, if holy and learned men, who were then living in this life and able to examine them, had recognised that they spoke the truth. Yet there they read that the apostle Thomas, when he was a stranger and wholly unknown at a certain wedding banquet, struck on the cheek by a certain servant, called down upon the man a continual and savage vengeance.
For when he had gone out to the fountain and was serving water to the banqueters, a lion rushing upon him killed him, and the hand with which he had struck the apostle's head with a light blow, torn from his body according to the word of the same apostle who desired and called this down, a dog brought to the tables at which the apostle himself was reclining. What can be seen more cruel than this! Yet, because there too—unless indeed I am mistaken—this also is written, that he had asked pardon for the man in the world to come: a recompense of a greater benefit was made, so that the apostle, how dear he was to God, might be commended to strangers through this fear, and that the man, after this life which must one day end, might be consoled forever. Whether that narrative be true or fabricated is now no concern of mine.
For surely the Manichaeans, by whom those scriptures which the ecclesiastical canon rejects are accepted as true and genuine, are at least compelled to confess that the virtue of patience which the Lord teaches when he says, "If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, offer him the left," can exist in the preparation of the heart, even if it be not displayed by gesture of body and expression of words; since the apostle, struck on the cheek, rather asked the Lord that the injurious man be spared in the world to come, but that in the present that injury be not left without much—which he either offered the striker the other part, or admonished him to strike again.
He certainly held inwardly the affection of love, and outwardly sought an example of correction. Whether this be true or fabricated, why are they unwilling to believe that with such a spirit Moses, the servant of God, slew with the sword the makers of the idol! But if we compare those punishments, what is the likeness between being slain by the sword and being tortured and torn by wild beasts! Since judges who serve the public laws order those guilty of greater crime to be exposed to beasts and to be struck by the sword.' Thus far Augustine. Then the apostle, at the king's request, blessed the bridegroom and bride, saying: 'Grant, O Lord, to these young people the blessing of your right hand, and sow in their minds the seed of life.' But as the apostle departed, in the young man's hand was found a branch of palm full of dates.
And when the bridegroom and bride had eaten of its fruits, both fell asleep and both saw a similar dream. For it seemed to them that a king adorned with jewels embraced them and said: 'The apostle has blessed you, that you may be partakers of eternal life.' And when they awoke and revealed their dreams to each other, the apostle came in to them, saying: 'My King has just appeared to you and brought me here through closed doors, that by my blessing upon you, you may have integrity of the flesh, which is the queen of all virtues and the fruit of perpetual salvation. Virginity is the sister of the angels, the possession of all good things, the victory over lusts, the trophy of faith, the conquest of demons, and the security of eternal joys.
But from lust corruption is begotten, from corruption defilement is born, from defilement guilt arises, and from guilt confusion is produced.' While he was saying these things, two angels appeared, saying to them: 'We are the angels appointed to guard you, who, if you well keep the apostle's admonitions, will offer to God all your vows.' The apostle therefore baptised them and carefully instructed them in the faith. After much time the bride, named Pelagia, consecrated with the sacred veil, suffered martyrdom, and the bridegroom, named Dionysius, was ordained bishop of that city. After this the apostle and Abbanes came to the king of India.
When the apostle had designed a wonderful palace and received an abundant treasure, the king set out for another province, and the apostle distributed the whole treasure to the people. Throughout the whole two years during which the king was absent, the apostle devoted himself to preaching and converted an innumerable people to the faith. But when the king returned and learned what Thomas had done, he thrust him with Abbanes into the depths of the prison, intending afterwards to give them, flayed alive, to the avenging flames. Meanwhile Gad, the king's brother, died, and a tomb was prepared for him with excessive pomp. But on the fourth day after he had died, he rose again, and while all were astounded and all fleeing, he said to his brother:
'This man, brother, whom you were arranging to flay and burn, is a friend of God, and all the angels serve him. They, leading me into paradise, showed me a certain palace wonderfully built of gold and silver and precious stones; and when I marvelled at its beauty, they said to me: "This is the palace which Thomas built for your brother." And when I said: "Would that I were its doorkeeper!" they said to me: "Your brother has made himself unworthy of it.
If you wish to dwell in it, we will ask the Lord that he deign to raise you up, so that you may buy it from your brother, repaying him the money which he thinks he has lost."' And saying these things he ran to the apostle's prison, asking that pardon be granted to his brother; and when the chains had been cast off, he began to beg the apostle to accept a costly garment. The apostle said to him: 'Do you not know that those who desire to have power in the heavens crave nothing carnal, nothing earthly!' And as the apostle was coming out of the prison, the king met him and, wrapped about his feet, begged for pardon. Then the apostle said: 'God has greatly favoured you, in that he has shown you his secrets. Believe in Christ and be baptised, that you may be partakers of the eternal kingdom.' The king's brother said to him:
'I saw the palace which you made for my brother, and I have deserved to buy it.' The apostle said to him: 'This is in your brother's power.' The king said: 'It shall be mine. Let the apostle build you another; but if perchance he cannot, this one shall be common to me and you.' The apostle answered: 'Innumerable palaces are prepared in heaven from the beginning of the world, which are purchased at the price of faith and by almsgiving. Your riches can go before you to them, but they can by no means follow you.' Now after one month the apostle had all the poor of that province gathered together. When they were assembled, he ordered the weak and the sick to stand apart, and prayed over them.
And when those who had been instructed had answered 'Amen,' a flash of lightning coming from heaven so bathed both the apostle and the others for nearly half an hour that all thought they had perished by a stroke of lightning. But the apostle, raising himself, said: 'Arise, for my Lord has come like lightning and has healed you.' And rising up all whole, they glorified God and the apostle. Then the apostle began to teach them and to assign twelve steps of virtues. The first is that they should believe in God, who is one in essence and threefold in persons; and he gave them a threefold perceptible example of how there can be three persons in one essence. The first is that there is one wisdom in man, and from that one there proceed understanding, memory and intelligence.
For intelligence, he says, is that by which you discover what you have not learned; memory, that you do not forget what you have learned; understanding, that you grasp what can be shown or taught. The second is that in one vine there are three things, namely the wood, the leaves and the fruit, and all these three are one and are one vine. The third is that one head consists of four senses; for in one head are sight, taste, hearing and smell, and these are many and are one head. The second step is that they should receive baptism. The third is that they should abstain from fornication. The fourth, that they should restrain themselves from avarice. The fifth, that they should curb gluttony. The sixth, that they should keep penitence. The seventh, that they should persevere in these.
The eighth, that they should love hospitality. The ninth, that they should seek the will of God in the things to be done and fulfil it with all their power. The tenth, that they should seek it in the things not to be done and avoid them. The eleventh, that they should show charity to friends and enemies. The twelfth, that they should keep watchful care in guarding these. After the preaching, nine thousand men were baptised, besides children and women. [...]