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Who Is Thomas In The Bible

Where Is Thomas Mentioned In The Bible

Thomas

Apart from the initial calling of Thomas, recorded in Matthew 10, , and Luke 6, everything we know about Thomas is found in Johns gospel.

In John 11, Jesus decided to travel to Bethany to visit Mary and Martha after the death of their brother Lazarus. While the rest of the disciples tried to talk Jesus out of traveling too close to Jerusalem Thomas professed a willingness to go with Jesus and die with him if thats what was at stake.

In John 14, at the Last Supper, Jesus spoke of his eventual departure from this earth to prepare a place for his followers. To this, Thomas asked where he was going and how his friends would get there, not wanting to be separated from his Lord.

And in John 20, the disciples told Thomas of Jesus resurrection. Thomas, who was not present at the time of Jesus initial reappearance, refused to believe unless he touched the hands of Jesus for himself. Later, Jesus would reveal himself to Thomas to confirm that he had indeed returned, putting Thomass fears and doubts to rest once and for all.

Thomas is mentioned by name in these other two biblical stories:

1. In John 21:1-11, when Jesus appears to the Twelve while they are on the Sea of Tiberius .

2. When the disciples return to the Upper Room to await instructions following the ascension of Jesus .

Apart from these, all other references to Thomas are as a member of the Twelve, functioning as a single body of apostolic leadership in the early church. Next, lets unpack the story of Thomas:

Who Was Thomas In The New Testament

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Thomas was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ . He was also called Didymus and both names mean twin. All that is known of this disciples is recorded in the Gospel of John . Although he showed himself to be doubting at times , yet on other occasions he was brave, faithful, and loyal .

The first reference to Thomas words is found in John 11:16, when Lazarus had recently died, the apostles did not want to go back to Judea, where some Jews had tried to stone Jesus. Thomas said, let us also go, that we may die with him. The second reference is found in John 14:5. Jesus had just stated that he was going away to prepare a heavenly home for His followers, and that one day he would come back to get them. Then, Thomas said, Lord, we dont know where you are going, so how can we know the way?

Also, in John 20:24-29, there is a reference to how this disciple was doubtful at first when he heard that Jesus had risen from the dead and appeared to the other apostles. Thomas said, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe . But when Jesus appeared later and invited the apostle to touch his wounds and behold him, the disciple confessed his belief by saying, My Lord and my God . Jesus then said, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed they that have not seen, and have believe .

In His service,

What Is St Thomas Famous For

St. Thomas is famous for having doubted the Resurrection of Jesus and for demanding physical proof of the wounds of Christs Crucifixion. The phrase doubting Thomas was coined for his lack of faith. When Jesus showed him the wounds, St. Thomas became the first person to explicitly acknowledge the divinity of Jesus.

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St Thomas Cathedral Basilica Chennai

Santhome Church
National Shrine of Saint Thomas Basilica
Santhome Basilica
Assistant priest Rev. Fr. A. Ritchie Vincent

San Thome Church, is known as St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica and National Shrine of Saint Thomas, is a Roman Catholicminorbasilica in Santhome, in the city of Chennai , India. It was built in 1523 by Portuguese explorers, over the tomb of Saint Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. In 1896, it was rebuilt by the British. The British style church still stands today. It was designed as Neo-Gothic style, favoured by British architects in the late 19th century. This church is one of the only three known churches in the world built over the tomb of an apostle of Jesus, the other two being St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City and Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Galicia, Spain.

Why Is The Gospel Of Thomas Not Included In The Bible

FreeBibleimages :: Jesus appears to Thomas :: Thomas

The Bible contains sixty-six books in all of its pages, all of them meant to show who God is. Its pages teach us to live a life of holiness in obedience to the Christ, the Son of the living God, and empower us to live a life of Godliness. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us of Scripture,

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

The Bible is a complete Book, bringing to us what is necessary for this life and beyond. The Gideons International says of the Bible,

“The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable … Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end … It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.”

As God’s word, it is the final authority for any and everything that concerns human life. As such, anyone who adds to it or subtracts from it will receive what God declared in Revelation 22:18-19.

What is the Gospel of Thomas?

Why is that?

Before we answer that question, let’s talk about where it came from and what it contains.

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How Did The Apostle Thomas Die

The Acts of Thomas says that he was martyred in Mylapore, India, where he was stabbed with spears. Syrian Christian tradition specifies Thomas was martyred in Mylapore on July 3, 72 AD, noting that he was killed with a spear. An early ecclesiastical calendar entry reads:

3 July, St. Thomas who was pierced with a lance in India.

No other tradition exists regarding his death.

Who Was Saint Thomas Aquinas

Combining the theological principles of faith with the philosophical principles of reason, Saint Thomas Aquinas ranked among the most influential thinkers of medieval Scholasticism. An authority of the Roman Catholic Church and a prolific writer, Aquinas died on March 7, 1274, at the Cistercian monastery of Fossanova, near Terracina, Latium, Papal States, Italy.

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History Of St Thomas The Apostle

According to Bible Saint Thomas was born in Judea the Roman province. He was one of the twelve disciple of Jesus. He was the one who touched the wound of Jesus after he was risen from his death. Later on in AD 52 he came to Kerala, India to preach about Jesus later on he moved to present-day Chennai. In AD 72 he was killed in St. Thomas Mount and he was buried in Mylapore by his disciples and they built a small structural building to mark his tomb.

Later on the tomb of St. Thomas was respected and maintained by Muslims and they called the tomb as “Bothuma” . Centuries later, it became an abandoned structure although many pilgrims came to visit the tomb from East and Kerala. In 1327 visited this church and confirmed the tomb of St. Thomas.

Sacraments And Apostolic Succession

Out of India – Life & Teachings of Doubting Thomas ~ Documentary

According to the Liberal Catholic Church’s Statement of Principles, “The Liberal Catholic Church recognises seven fundamental , which it enumerates as follows: , , Holy , , Holy , Holy , and . It claims an unbroken through the Old Catholic and claims that its orders are ‘acknowledged as valid throughout the whole of those churches of which maintain the of orders as a tenet of their .” The LCC International has modified their Statement of Principles to read “it has preserved an episcopal succession that is valid, as understood throughout the whole of those churches in Christendom that maintain the apostolic succession as a tenet of their faith.” The LCC International permits the ordination of non-celibate .

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King James Bible Dictionary

Twin, one of the twelve . He was also called Didymus , which is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name. All we know regarding him is recorded in the fourth Gospel . From the circumstance that in the lists of the apostles he is always mentioned along with Matthew, who was the son of Alphaeus , and that these two are always followed by James, who was also the son of Alphaeus, it has been supposed that these three, Matthew, Thomas, and James, were brothers.

possibly by accident, perhaps characteristically

“My Lord and my God.” The answer of our Lord sums up the moral of the whole narrative: “Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen me, and yet have-believed.” In the New Testament we hear of Thomas only twice again, once on the Sea of Galilee with the seven disciples, where he is ranked next after Peter, and again in the assemblage of the apostles after the ascension. The earlier traditions, as believed in the fourth century, represent him as preaching in Parthia or Persia, and as finally buried at Edessa. The later traditions carry him farther east, His martyrdom whether in Persia or India, is said to have been occasioned by a lance, and is commemorated by the Latin Church on December 21 the Greek Church on October 6, and by the Indians on July 1.

Bible Commentary On Doubting Thomas

The following commentary for John 20:26-29 is from :

That one day in seven should be religiously observed, was an appointment from the beginning. And that, in the kingdom of the Messiah, the first day of the week should be that solemn day, was pointed out, in that Christ on that day once and again met his disciples in a religious assembly. The religious observance of that day has come down to us through every age of the church. There is not an unbelieving word in our tongues, nor thought in our minds, but it is known to the Lord Jesus and he was pleased to accommodate himself even to Thomas, rather than leave him in his unbelief. We ought thus to bear with the weak, . This warning is given to all. If we are faithless, we are Christless and graceless, hopeless and joyless. Thomas was ashamed of his unbelief, and cried out, My Lord and my God. He spoke with affection, as one that took hold of Christ with all his might “My Lord and my God.” Sound and sincere believers, though slow and weak, shall be graciously accepted of the Lord Jesus. It is the duty of those who read and hear the gospel, to believe, to embrace the doctrine of Christ, and that

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Lesson No : We Must Continue Doing The Work

After Christs death, it seems that all hope is gone. Many of the disciples and followers of Christ went back to their old occupation. They stopped doing the work of God.

However, after Jesus resurrection and the confirmation that He is indeed the Messiah, many of His followers had a renewed zeal and dedication to do Gods work. Among them is Thomas.

We read in Acts 1:13-14:

And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew Philip and Thomas Bartholomew and Matthew James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

We read from this passage that Thomas didnt stop following Christ. Along with other disciples, they all continued in prayer and supplication. They have been preparing to do Gods work and now, they are ready to perform the commission Christ gave them.

For us, Christians, we must not forget that the greatest work on the face of the planet is not our earthly jobs, but rather it is the preaching of the Gospel.

Like Christ, our daily spiritual bread should be doing the work of God. We must not let any day pass by without doing anything to preach the Gospel. It should be a top priority for us since by preaching the Gospel, we are also hastening the return of Christ.

Why Is Thomas Called The Twin And Who Is His Twin

Disciple Thomas Photograph by Icons Of The Bible

Nov 05, 2018 ·Tradition credits him with the authorship of a gospel which is included in apocryphal literature: the Gospel of Thomas you may have heard of it. One Christian brother with whom I went to the same Scottsdale Bible Church, Scottsdale High School, and then Dallas Seminary for 4 years is Mark Hopper who married a twin.

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Unity Of All Religions

The Liberal Catholic Church believes there is a body of doctrine and mystical experience common to all the great of the world which cannot be claimed as an exclusive possession by any one of them. Moving within the orbit of and regarding itself as a distinctive Christian church it nevertheless holds that the other great religions of the world are also divinely inspired and that all proceed from a common source, though religions may stress different aspects of the various teachings and some aspects may even temporarily be ignored. These teachings, as facts in nature, rest on their own intrinsic merit. They form that true catholic faith which is because it is the statement of universal principles. The LCC bases these beliefs on what said: “The identical thing that we now call the Christian religion existed among the ancients and has not been lacking from the beginnings of the human race until the coming of Christ in the flesh, from which moment on the true religion, which already existed, began to be called Christian.” .

Apostle Thomas Amazing Bible Timeline With World History

Jun 27, 2016 ·Thomas as Jesus Disciple. The Apostle Thomas, one of Jesus original twelve disciples , was probably one of Christian historys famous skeptics who gave way to the term Doubting Thomas. He was, however, one of the very first to acknowledge the Lords divinity with his exclamation, My Lord and my God! when Jesus appeared to the disciples …

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Ryan Leasure holds a Master of Arts from Furman University and a Masters of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He currently serves as a pastor at Grace Bible Church in Moore, SC.

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For Thought And Contemplation:

A Brief History of the Jefferson Bible

Have you ever pondered as to why before the creation of the world the Lord chose you to be one of His present-day disciples? Was His choice based, as some believe, on the fact that He foresaw that you would accept Himor, as others believe, on the fact that some are predestined to salvation and others not? What do you think?

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

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Jesus The Way To The Father

After predicting his betrayal and Peters eventual denial of him, Jesus comforts his disciples by telling them he is going to prepare a place for them, and that they know the way to the place he is going.

Reasonably, Thomas points out:

Lord, we dont know where you are going, so how can we know the way? John 14:5

This sets up one of Jesus more famous quotes, which only appears in the Gospel of John:

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. John 14:67

The gospel writers frequently use the disciples questions to tee up Jesus teachings. Some Christians use this passage to read into Thomas character, but thats probably not the point. Philip has a similarly blunt line after this to set up another one of Jesus important monologues.

Jesus Appears To Thomas

John is the only one who records Thomas special encounter with Jesus, which appears to mirror the encounter Jesus had with the others in John 20:1923. For some unknown reason, Thomas wasnt with the disciples when Jesus appeared to them the first time, and Thomas refuses to believe his friends, so Jesus declares a do-over.Heres the entire passage:

Now Thomas , one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, We have seen the Lord!But he said to them, Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace be with you! Then he said to Thomas, Put your finger here see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.Thomas said to him, My Lord and my God!Then Jesus told him, Because you have seen me, you have believed blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. John 20:2429

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