Thomas
Hebrew, "twin;" Greek, Didymus. Coupled with Matthew in Mat 10:3; Mar 3:18; Luk 6:15; but with Philip in Act 1:13. Matthew modestly puts himself after Thomas in the second quaternion of the twelve; Mark and Luke give him his rightful place before Thomas. Thomas, after his doubts were removed (Joh 20:28), having attained eminent faith (for sometimes faith that has overcome doubt is hardier than that of those who never doubt), is promoted above Bartholomew and Matthew in Acts.
John records three incidents throwing strong light on his character: (1) (Joh 11:8; Joh 11:15-16) When Jesus, for Lazarus' sake, proposed to go into Judaea again the disciples remonstrated, "Master, the Jews of late have sought to stone Thee, and goest Thou there again?"
On Jesus' reply that His day was not yet closed, and that He was going to awake Lazarus out of the death sleep, and that He was glad of his death "to the intent that they might believe," Thomas evinced his devoted love on the one hand, ready to follow Jesus unto death (compare Paul, Act 21:13), on the other hand ignoring, with characteristic slowness to believe, Jesus' plain statement as to His going to raise Lazarus.
He can see no hope of escape; his natural despondency anticipates death as the certain issue of the journey, still in self devoting affection he will brave all. (2) (Joh 14:4-6) cf6 "Where I go ye know, and the way ye know;" Thomas saith, "Lord, we know not where Thou goest (yet Jesus had answered Peter's question, Joh 13:36), 'Lord, where goest Thou?'
and plainly told the disciples He was going to cf6 'His Father's house', Joh 14:2, ascending to where He had been before, Joh 6:62), and how can we know the way?" Thomas still cannot raise his mind to the unseen future home where Jesus is going, or realize the way as through Jesus.
(3) (Joh 20:20; Joh 20:24-29) Thomas with morbid brooding over doubts had absented himself from the disciples' assembly on the first Lord's day, when "He showed unto them His hands and His side"; so he missed the immediate blessing (compare Heb 10:25). The disciples did not stand aloof from Thomas though he had stood aloof from them; they told him, "we have seen the Lord."
But he said with an unreasonable demand for sense evidence which is alien to the very idea of faith, and at the same time with language that marks the vivid impression which his Lord's body nailed on the cross had made on his mind, "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 (one sense, seeing, is not enough; not even feeling also will satisfy him unless he feels with both hand and finger the spear mark as well as the nail marks) I will not and cannot believe" (oumee pisteusoo).
A week of gloom to Thomas elapsed, the retribution in kind for his obstinate unbelief. Though Jesus might have cast him off yet He would not break the bruised reed; He condescends to Thomas' culpable weakness.
On the next Lord's day, Thomas, laying aside his morbid isolation, attended the weekly assembly of disciples; though the doors were shut Jesus came and stood in the midst with His wonted salutation, cf6 "Peace be unto you"; then saith He to Thomas, with grave yet tender reproof (showing that He knew all that had passed in Thomas's mind and all he had said to his fellow disciples), cf6 "reach here thy finger, and behold My hands, and reach here thy hand, and thrust it into My side; and be ("become", ginou) not faithless but believing".
Thomas said unto Him, My Lord and my God!" A refutation of Socinianism, because Thomas addresses these words to Jesus. The highest confession of faith in Jesus' Godhead thus far made; see Peter's (Joh 6:69; Mat 16:16). As this forms the close of John's Gospel, before the supplementary chapter (John 21) was added, this ending recurs to the doctrine alleged in the Gospel's beginning, "the Word was God." Like Mary Magdalene (Joh 20:13) Thomas appropriates Jesus to himself, "my Lord and, my God."
From the overwhelming proofs before him of Jesus' humanity Thomas believes in His Divinity. The resurrection of the Son of man proved that He was the Son of God (Rom 1:4). All Christ's appearances in the 40 days were preparations for the believing without seeing (1Pe 1:8). Jesus spoke for all our dispensation what He said to Thomas, "because thou hast seen Me thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed" (2Co 5:7).
Thomas was permitted to doubt, that we might not doubt ("Ab eo dubitatum est, ne a nobis dubitaretur"; Augustine). God's word, not demonstration, is the true ground of faith. Thomas is named next to Peter among the seven on the sea of Galilee, a proof that he was a fisherman like Peter (Joh 21:2). He appears for the last time among the disciples met after the ascension (Act 1:13).
The case of Thomas does not sanction but condemns skepticism, for if others were to demand the same tangible visible proofs as Thomas demanded miracles would have to be so continual as to cease to be miraculous, and sight would supersede faith. The unbelief of Thomas drew forth such an infallible proof of the identity between the crucified and the risen Lord that he who any longer disbelieves and is consequently condemned is left without excuse.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia on Thomas
Thomas tom'-as (Thomas; ta'om, "a twin" (in plural only): ⇒See a list of verses on THOMAS in the Bible. 1. In the New Testament: One of the Twelve Apostles. Thomas, who was also called "Didymus" or "the Twin" (compare Joh 11:16; 20:24; 21:2), is referred to in detail by the Gospel of John alone. His election to the Twelve is recorded in Mt 10:3; Mr 3:18; Lu 6:15; Ac 1:13. In Joh 11:1-54, when Jesus, despite imminent danger at the hands of hostile Jews, declared His intention of going to Bethany to heal Lazarus, Thomas alone opposed the other disciples who sought to dissuade Him, and protested, "Let us also go; that we may died with him" (Joh 11:16). On the eve of the Passion, Thomas put the question, "Lord, we know now whither thou goest; how know we the way?" (Joh 14:5). After the crucifixion, Thomas apparently severed his connection with the rest of the apostiles for a time, as he was not present when the risen Christ first appeared to them (compare Joh 20:24). But his subsequent conversation with them, while not convincing him of the truth of the resurrection--"except I shall see…
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible on Thomas
One of the Twelve, always i)laced in the second of the three groups of four in which the names of the apostles are arranged in the NT lists. In the oliiest extant list (Mk 3""-) the names are not distributed in pairs, and he is No. 8, as also in Lk O''"- ; but in the later lists he is coupled with Matthew and assigned the seventh place (Mt 10-'), or given tha sixth place, couideil with Philip (Ac I"'-). No incident is reconled of him by the Synoptists, but from John we learn that he played a conspicuous part in the anxieties and questionings which fol- lowed the Resurrection, which perhaps accounts for the higher position assigned to him in the lists as soon as the names began to be arranged or classilied ; cf. Jn 21-, where he is placed after Peter anj before the sons of Zebedee. John thrice describes him as Gu/iSs 6 ^eydfj-efos AiSv/ios (11" 20^ 2r''). ciRB is a ' twin' [only Gn 25;" 3S-'', Ca 4» 7», always in plur.], and of this Qa/ias is a translitera- tion, i StSv/ios being the Gr. translation. This last would be the form of the title most natural among the Greek-speaking Christ…
Smith's Bible Dictionary on Thomas
(a twin), 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 sh…
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Easton, M.G. (1893) Easton's Bible Dictionary. 3rd edn. Thomas Nelson. [Public Domain]
- Nave, O.J. (1897) Nave's Topical Bible. Topical Bible Publishing Co.. [Public Domain]
- Hastings, J. (ed.) (1909) A Dictionary of the Bible. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Smith, W. (ed.) (1884) Smith's Bible Dictionary. London: John Murray. [Public Domain]
- Fausset, A.R. (1878) Fausset's Bible Dictionary. [Public Domain]A Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopaedia