One of the Twelve Apostles, remembered for confessing the risen Christ as Lord and God; tradition says he preached as far as India and was martyred there.
Feast Day
October 6
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Thomas was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. The Orthodox tradition records that he was born in the Galilean town of Pansada and worked as a fisherman before leaving everything to follow Christ. He is also known by the name Didymus, a Greek word meaning 'twin', which corresponds to the meaning of his Aramaic name.
He is best remembered for the episode recounted in the Gospel of John, in which he declined to accept the other disciples' reports of the Resurrection until he could see and touch Christ's wounds, and then, when the risen Lord appeared to him, confessed Him with the words 'My Lord and my God.' Church tradition holds that he afterward carried the Gospel across a wide span of the ancient world, reaching as far as India, where he was martyred.
Timeline 4 moments
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1st centuryCalled among the TwelveBorn in the Galilean city of Pansada and working as a fisherman, Thomas heard the preaching of Jesus Christ, left his occupation, and was numbered among the Twelve Apostles.
After the ResurrectionThe confession of ThomasThomas did not at first believe the other disciples' reports of the Resurrection, saying that he would not believe unless he saw and touched the print of the nails. According to the Gospel of John, on the eighth day after the Resurrection the risen Lord appeared and showed him His wounds, and Thomas responded, 'My Lord and my God.'
1st centuryApostolic missionAccording to Church tradition, Thomas founded Christian communities in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia, and India. Tradition associated with the St. Thomas Christians of Kerala holds that he reached the Malabar Coast of India and established churches there.
1st centuryMartyrdom at MeliapurIn the Indian city of Meliapur, Thomas converted the wife and son of the local prefect. For this he was imprisoned and tortured, and finally, pierced with five spears, he died.
Contributions & Legacy
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Names and Identity
Thomas is identified in the Gospels by the additional name Didymus, a Greek term meaning 'twin'; his Aramaic name carries the same sense. Among the Eastern Orthodox and Syriac churches he is held in particular honor for his missionary labors associated with Syria and Persia, and the Christian community of India that traces its origins to him is known as the St. Thomas Christians.
The Orthodox tradition reads his hesitation before the Resurrection not as mere doubt but as the occasion of a firm confession; the OrthodoxWiki account notes that icons of the event are properly inscribed 'The Belief of Thomas' rather than 'Doubting Thomas.'
Relics & Shrines
According to the Orthodox synaxarion, portions of the relics of the Apostle Thomas are kept in India, in Hungary, and on Mount Athos.
Broader tradition records that he was first buried at Mylapore in India, where his tomb is marked by the San Thome Basilica in Chennai. His relics were later transferred to Edessa in Mesopotamia, where a martyrium drew pilgrims by the fourth century, and in 1258 relics were moved from Chios to Ortona in Italy, where they are kept in the Basilica of St. Thomas the Apostle.
Commemoration
In the Eastern Orthodox calendar the Apostle Thomas is commemorated on October 6, and he is also commemorated with the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles on June 30. The Sunday after Pascha is kept as Thomas Sunday in remembrance of his confession of the risen Christ. In Western and other Eastern traditions his feast is observed on July 3 or December 21.
