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Topic:
Persons Of The Bible -- Thomas
The name "Thomas" is derived from Greek form of the Aramaic
name Te'oma which meant "twin".
The account of Thomas from Easton's Bible Dictionary.
Thomas was one of the twelve (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18, etc.). He was
also called Didymus (John 11:16; 20:24), which is the Greek equivalent
of the Hebrew name. All we know regarding Thomas is recorded in the
fourth Gospel (John 11:15, 16; 14:4, 5; 20:24, 25, 26-29). From the
circumstance that in the lists of the apostles Thomas is always
mentioned along with Matthew, who was the son of Alphaeus (Mark 3:18),
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.
The account of Thomas from Smith's Bible Dictionary.
Thomas was one of the apostles. According to Eusebius, his real name
was Judas. This may have been a mere confusion with Thaddeus, who is
mentioned in the extract. But it may also be that Thomas was a surname.
Out of this name has grown the tradition that he had a twin-sister,
Lydia, or that he was a twin-brother of our Lord; which last, again,
would confirm his identification with Judas. Comp. (Matthew 13:55) He is
said to have been born at Antioch. In the catalogue of the apostles he
is coupled with Matthew in (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15) and with
Philip in (Acts 1:13) All that we know of him is derived from the Gospel
of St. John; and this amounts to three traits, which, however, so
exactly agree together that, slight as they are, they place his
character before us with a precision which belongs to no other of the
twelve apostles except Peter, John and Judas Iscariot. This character is
that of a man slow to believe, seeing all the difficulties of a case,
subject to despondency, viewing things on the darker side, yet full of
ardent love of his Master. The latter trait was shown in his speech when
our Lord determined to face the dangers that awaited him in Judea on his
journey to Bethany. Thomas said to his fellow disciples, "Let us
also go, that we may die with him." (John 11:16) His unbelief
appeared in his question during the Last Supper: "Thomas saith unto
him Lord we know not whither thou goest, and how can we: know the
way?" (John 14:5) It was the prosaic, incredulous doubt as to
moving a step in the unseen future, and yet an eager inquiry as to how
this step was to be taken. The first-named trait was seen after the
resurrection. He was absent--possibly by accident, perhaps
characteristically--from the first assembly when Jesus had appeared. The
others told him what they had seen. He broke forth into an exclamation,
the terms of which convey to us at once the vehemence of his doubt, and
at the same time the vivid picture that his mind retained of his
Master's form as he had last seen him lifeless on the cross. (John
20:25) On the eighth day he was with them at their gathering, perhaps in
expectation of a recurrence of the visit of the previous week; and Jesus
stood among them. He uttered the same salutation, "Peace be unto
you;" and then turning to Thomas, as if this had been the special
object of his appearance, uttered the words which convey as strongly the
sense of condemnation and tender reproof as those of Thomas had shown
the sense of hesitation and doubt. The effect on him was immediate. The
conviction produced by the removal of his doubt became deeper and
stronger than that of any of the other apostles. The words in which he
expressed his belief contain a far higher assertion of his Master's
divine nature than is contained in any other expression used by
apostolic lips--"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." (John 20:29) 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, (John 21:2) and again in the
assemblage of the apostles after the ascension. (Acts 1:13) 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.
Derived from Easton's and Smith's Bible Dictionaries
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