Boys · Aramaic · New Testament · classic · New Testament / Ministry of Jesus
Thomas
/TOM-us/
תְּאוֹם (Hebrew/Aramaic) / Θωμᾶς (Greek)
"Twin"
John 11:16
RoleApostle; questioner; confessor
Etymology
From the Aramaic 'toma' (תְּאוֹם), meaning twin. The Greek equivalent is 'Didymus.' John's Gospel calls him 'Thomas, also known as Didymus' — Thomas the Twin. Who his twin was is never stated.
Who they were
Thomas has been unfairly branded 'Doubting Thomas' for two thousand years, but his actual record in the Gospels tells a more complex story. His first significant appearance is in John 11, when Jesus announced he was going to Bethany where Lazarus had died — back into territory where people had tried to stone him. The other disciples hesitated. Thomas said, 'Let us also go, that we may die with him.' That is not the voice of a doubter. That is the voice of someone ready to die alongside Jesus. At the Last Supper, when Jesus said, 'You know the way to the place where I am going,' Thomas interrupted: 'Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?' His honest question provoked one of Jesus' most important statements: 'I am the way and the truth and the life.' Then came the resurrection. Thomas was absent when Jesus first appeared to the disciples. He said he would not believe unless he could touch the wounds. A week later, Jesus appeared again and invited Thomas to do exactly that. Thomas' response was not tentative belief but the highest confession of faith in all four Gospels: 'My Lord and my God!' No other disciple said that. Jesus replied, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.' Thomas' doubt was honest, his courage was real, and his faith, when it came, was the most complete statement of who Jesus is that any disciple ever made. Tradition says he carried the gospel to India, where the Mar Thoma Church traces its origins to his mission.
Character qualities
- Willingness to die alongside Jesus
- Honest questioning
- Refusal to pretend to believe
- The highest confession of faith when conviction came
Key verse
John 20:28
Where they appear
Themes
Variants & related forms
Tom · Tommy · Tomás · Tommaso · Tomas
Read their story
Thomas's story begins in John.
The full passage is at John 11:16. Any modern translation will do — the NLT and NIV are the most readable; the ESV and NKJV stay close to the wording the church has used for centuries.
Find a Bible to read it in →