EN
The first part of the article shows the genesis of the soma-sema formula and its function in the Orphic and Pythagorean tradition, as well as in Plato. A particular attention was paid to its ontic background (dualism) and its ethical aspect: a necessity to undergo a punishment in the subsequent birth cycles (metempsychosis) and cleanse the soul of guilt. The second part presents a reception of the formula in the Gnostic Book of Thomas the Contender, indicating similarities and differences.