As we know, Jesus reappeared among his disciples eight days later and this time Thomas was present. In any case, here Jesus spells out a fundamental principle for Christians who will come after Thomas, hence, for all of us.
XX lectio VI A final point concerning Thomas is preserved for us in the Fourth Gospel, which presents him as a witness of the Risen One in the subsequent event of the miraculous catch in the Sea of Tiberias cf.
Jn 2ff. On that occasion, Thomas is even mentioned immediately after Simon Peter: an evident sign of the considerable importance that he enjoyed in the context of the early Christian communities. Indeed, the Acts and the Gospel of Thomas, both apocryphal works but in any case important for the study of Christian origins, were written in his name. Lastly, let us remember that an ancient tradition claims that Thomas first evangelized Syria and Persia mentioned by Origen, according to Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History 3, 1 then went on to Western India cf.
Thus, in the name "Didymus Judas Thomas" the only actual name is Judas. If the writer were identified as Judas Thomas, it would be like writing "Judas, the twin. The Apostle Thomas? An apostle by that name is also identified in John's Gospel as "the twin" see John This might also explain how he became known as Thomas and not Judas.
Scholarly Debate Reading these passages literally, some scholars argue that the author of The Gospel of Thomas was in deed the twin brother of Jesus — none other than Judas not Judas Iscariot.
Other scholars, in trying to reconcile all these passages without reading them literally, think they might have been "twins" in a purely spiritual sense.
They reach this conclusion for several reasons, including the point that the author of Thomas' gospel claimed a measure of apostolic authority. Thomas here teaches us that it is okay to ask questions if we do not understand something.
Many times we hear or read the Bible, or a prayer or a hymn in Church, and we really have no idea what it's all about. There is nothing wrong with asking! Thomas gives us permission to ask if we do not understand.
And third, we hear again from Thomas after the Lord's resurrection. When Jesus first appears to the disciples, only ten of them are present. Judas of course is no longer one of them, and Thomas is absent for some unknown reason.
They are scared; they are cowering behind closed doors "for fear of the Jews. Thomas, unfortunately, misses the whole event, and declares afterwards: "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe" John After eight days, Jesus appears to them again, and this time Thomas is a bit more fortunate.
What takes St. Thomas from "I will not believe" to "my Lord and my God"? How do all of the disciples go from cowering behind closed doors to proclaiming the Risen Lord boldly throughout the entire world?
How could he have had a twin brother? In fact, we have interesting stories about Jesus and his twin brother in a book called the Acts of Thomas, in which Jesus and his twin brother are identical twins. Word spread that Jesus was no longer dead.
The body in the tomb by that time had decomposed beyond recognition. He arose and took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
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