Thomas the Apostle
1. Name
Thomas,
Masculine gender, Te’oma (in
Aramaic) also
called Didymus (in Greek) mean “Twin”. Early church traditions state that he
had a twin sister Lydia, which is how he received his name. But
in Syriac tradition he is called Judas Thomas as the twin brother of Jesus.
He is called
Judas Thomas (i.e., Judas the Twin) by the Syrians. Some have gone to great lengths to determine who
his twin was. Because his name is paired with that of Matthew, there are those
who suggest that they may have been twins. It is best to say that we don't know
who Thomas' twin was.
2. Birth and Childhood of Thomas
Sacred
Scripture has not passed down any information concerning the origin, parents,
or early life of Thomas. Thomas probably was
born in Galilee, city of Pansada. Scripture,
nonetheless, suggests that he was a fisherman, not a full-fledged owner of a
business, as were Peter and Andrew and the sons of Zebedee, but a helper. This
supposition coincides with other statements that Thomas came from a poor family
of the tribe of Juda or Issachar. The Acts of Thomas suggests that Thomas was a carpenter and a
member of Jesus' immediate family. Legend places that Thomas was an
architect. Since the thirteenth century,
artists have associated the carpenter's square with this apostle, who has been
made the patron of builders. In any case, hearing the good tidings of Jesus, he left all and followed him.
3. Thomas, as one of the 12 Apostles
He was
the first one of the Twelve to enter the Gospels practically unnoticed. The
first seven apostles had been mentioned before their calling, but Thomas' name
appears for the first time in the lists of the apostles. The Synoptic Gospels (Mathew, Mark and Luke) give
the list of the 12 Apostles. In all the three, we can find the name of Thomas. In
the Gospel of Matthew 10:3, Thomas is in the seventh place between Bartholomew
and Matthew whereas in Mark 3:18 and Luke 6:15,
Thomas is in 8th place between Matthew and James. Thomas plays a distinctive part in the gospel of
St. John, though it does not give the list of 12 apostles. John
identifies him as “Thomas called Didymus (11:16).” In Acts 1:13, there is again a list of Apostles who witnessed Christ’s
ascension and was gathered in the upper room. Thomas was there with the other
Apostles. Here he is placed in the 6th between Philip and Bartholomew.
St. Thomas is also mentioned as
being present at another Resurrection appearance of Jesus - at Lake Tiberias when a miraculous catch of fish
occurred (Jn: 21: 2). This is all that we know about St. Thomas from the New
Testament. In
the Canon of the Mass and in the Litany of the Saints, and also in the Acts of
the Apostles, he is portrayed as an especially important witness of the
Resurrection; he is placed before Philip and Bartholomew and Matthew, not after
them, as he was in the Gospels. In Leonardo Da Vinci's "Last Supper"
St. Thomas-the second on the left of Christ-was portrayed fervently assuring
the Lord of his faithfulness.
4. Thomas in the Gospel of John
St.
John recorded a few very significant words about Thomas in three passages.
Despite their brevity these words reveal the whole nature of this man. First,
when Jesus announced His intention of returning
to Judea
to visit Lazarus, "Thomas" who is called Didymus, said to his fellow
disciples: "Let us also go, that we may die with him" (Jn 11:16).
Again it was St. Thomas who during the discourse before the Last Supper
raised an objection: Thomas said to him: "Lord, we do
not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" And Jesus answered
Thomas: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (Jn 14:5).
But
more especially St. Thomas is remembered for his doubt when the other Apostles
announced Christ's Resurrection to him: "Unless
I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of
the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." (Jn 20:25). A week later Jesus appeared to the disciples and
this time Thomas was with them. Jesus said to Thomas “Put your finger here; see
my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas makes that
historical confession as, "My Lord and my God!" (Jn 20:27-28). His sudden realization of truth made Thomas the first
person to explicitly acknowledge Jesus’ divinity.
5. Thomas and His Early
Ministry
Tradition
strongly favors the East, the land of the rising sun, as the place of his
apostolic labors. In Syrian and Armenian legends he appears as the leading
apostle in the Orient. The apostle
Thomas, after our Lord’s ascension, continued to preach the gospel in various
parts of Judaea; till at length, being interrupted by the dispersion of the
Christian church in Jerusalem, he repaired into Parthia, the province assigned
him for his ministry. Origen (d. 253) holds this view. He afterward preached the gospel to the Medes,
Persians, Carmans, Hyrcanians, and the
neighboring nations. Today this comprises the districts of Iran,
Iraq, Afghanistan, and Baluchistan. During
his preaching in Persia, he is said to have met with the magi or wise men that
he baptized, and took with him, as his companions and assistants in propagating
the gospel. Leaving Persia, he traveled into Ethiopia, preaching the glad
tidings of the gospel, healing the sick, and working other miracles, to prove
he had his commission from on high.
·
The Acts of Judas
Thomas (Full name) is an apocryphal literature with
certain historical data. It has a value as the first and the earliest of the
written document about the apostolate and martyrdom of St. Thomas in India
·
It was written in Syriac between 180-
230 AD hence it is not written by Apostle Thomas.
·
This document has some variations both
in Greek and in Syriac.
The
story itself runs briefly as follows: At the division of the Apostles, India
fell to the lot of Thomas, but he declared his inability to go, whereupon his
Master Jesus appeared in a supernatural way to Habban, the
envoy of Gundafor, an Indian king, and sold Thomas to him to be his slave and
serve Gundafor as a carpenter. Then Abban and Thomas sailed away until they
came to Andrapolis, where they landed and attended the marriage feast of the
ruler's daughter. Strange occurrences followed and Christ under the appearance of Thomas
exhorted the bride to remain a Virgin. Coming to India Thomas undertook to build a palace for
Gundafor, but spend the money entrusted to him on the poor. Gundafor imprisoned
him; but the Apostle escaped miraculously and Gundafor was
converted. After a long residence in the
court at Taxila he ordained leaders for the Church, and left in
a chariot for the kingdom of Mazdei. Going about the country to preach,
Thomas met with strange adventures from dragons and wild asses. Then he came to
the city of King Misdai (Syriac Mazdai). The king Misdeus was infuriated when St. Thomas converted the Queen Tertia, son Juzanes, sister-in-law princess Mygdonia (a province of Mesopotamia) and her friend Markia. After this he was condemned to death, led out of city to a
hill, and pierced through with spears by four soldiers. He was buried
in the tomb of the ancient kings. Syphorus was elected the
first presbyter by the brethren after the death of St. Thomas while Juzanes
the prince became the deacon.
These are generally rejected by various Christian
religions as either apocryphal or heretical. “Let none read the gospel according to Thomas, for it is the work, not
of one of the twelve apostles, but of one of Mani's three wicked disciples.” Cyril of Jerusalem.
7. Other
Books
Besides the Acts of Thomas there was a widely circulated Infancy Gospel of Thomas probably written in the later 2nd century and probably also in Syria, which relates the miraculous events and prodigies of Jesus' boyhood.
Because of the complexities of the manuscript tradition, however, there is no
certainty as to when the stories of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas began to be
written down."
The best known in modern times of these documents is the
"sayings" document that is being called the Gospel of Thomas, a non-canonical work whose date is disputed. The opening line claims it
is the work of "Didymos Judas Thomas" – whose identity is unknown.
This work was discovered in a Coptic translation in 1945 at the Egyptian village of Nag Hammadi, near the site of the monastery of Chenoboskion. Once the Coptic text was
published, scholars recognized that an earlier Greek translation had been
published from fragments of papyrus found at Oxyrhynchus in the 1890s.
8.
Thomas,
A Reluctant Missionary to India
According to one of the legends in the Acts, the apostles divided up the world for their
missionary labors, and India fell to Thomas. However, Thomas claimed that he
was not healthy enough and that a Hebrew could not teach Indians. The Lord appeared to him in a night vision and said, “Fear not, Thomas. Go
away to India and proclaim the Word, for my grace shall be with you.” But the
Apostle still demurred, so the Lord overruled the stubborn disciple by ordering
circumstances so compelling that he was forced to accompany an Indian merchant,
Abbanes, to his native place in northwest India.
9.
First
Missionary Journey of St. Thomas
According
to the Acts of Judas Thomas, the
Apostle Thomas came from Jerusalem with Habban, the merchant of King Gundaphor
to Alexandria, Aden and Sokotra and from there to Barygaza (Bharukaccha), Gujarat, India in 44 - 48 AD. Emperor Gundaphor ruled
from AD 20 to 51 the Indo-Parthian Empire which comprised Persia, Afghanistan,
Pakistan, Punjab Sind, Northwest parts of India. The Capital was Taxila. It is
possible that St. Thomas touched Madhyapradesh. As there were Christians in
Thane, Nallasopara, Kalyana it is possible St. Thomas had connections with
Maharashtra. St. Thomas must have returned to Jerusalem for Council AD 50 (Acts
15: 1 ff).
This
we know both from the discovery of coins, some of the Parthian type with Greek
legends, others of the Indian types with the legends in an Indian dialect in Kharoshthi characters. We have the
evidence of the Takht-i-Bahi
inscription, which is dated and which the best specialists accept as
establishing the King Gunduphara
probably began to reign about A.D. 20 and was still reigning in 46. Again there
are excellent reasons for believing that Misdai
or Mazdai may well be transformation
of a Hindu name made on the Iranian soil. In this case it will probably
represent a certain King Vasudeva of
Mathura, a successor of Kanishka.
10.
Second
Missionary Journey of St. Thomas
After
the Jerusalem council Thomas decides to come back to India for continuing his
missionary works. But in 51 AD the Parthian King Gundaphoras died; and the
Kushans attacked his Kingdom. So St. Thomas took the sea route through Alexandria, Aden, Sokotra to Muziris (Kodungallur) and in the
year 52 AD St. Thomas arrived in Muziris (Kodungalloor)
which was then called Maliankara. He
must have come to the South India as the Jewish
diaspora present in Kerala at that time. The ancient port of Muziris was destroyed in 1341 AD due to a massive flood which realigned the
coasts.
11.
Evangelization in India
Thomas has preached the gospel throughout India
especially the Malabar coast, though the various churches he founded were
located mainly on the Periyar River and its tributaries and along the coast, where there were Jewish colonies.
He reputedly preached to all classes of people and had about seventeen thousand
converts, including members of the four principal castes. Later, stone crosses
were erected at the places where churches were founded, and they became
pilgrimage centres. In accordance with apostolic custom, Thomas ordained
teachers and leaders or elders, who were reported to be the earliest ministry
of the Malabar church.
12.
The Route Map of St. Thomas’
Journeys
13.
7 ½ Communities or Churches in India
From Kodungalloor Thomas then went to Palayoor (near present-day Guruvayoor), which was a Hindu priestly community at that time. He left Palayoor in AD 52 for the southern part of what is now Kerala State, where he established the Ezharappallikal, or "Seven and
Half Churches". These churches are at Crangganore/Kodungallur/Maliankara, Quilon/Kollam, Niranam, Nilackal/Chayal, Kokkamangalam, Kottakkayal/Paravoor/Parur, Palur/Palayoor and Thiruvithancode (arappally – the half church).
1.
Kodungallur
At Kodungallur the Apostle is said to have made converts from Jews who
were living there as well from natives of the place. The local king also became
a Christian and was given the name of Andrew and his newphe Keppa was ordained
a priest. Keppa was a constant companion of Thomas in his further travels.
Later the apostle appointed this Keppa as his successor and entrusted him the
folk of believers prior to his departure.
2.
Palayur
In the case of Palayur, the conversion of Brahmins
was preceded by a spectacular miracle. According to the folklore, at
Thaliakulam, the Apostle sprinkled water upwards and made the drops remain
suspended in mid-air challenging the Brahmins changing Vedic incantations and
splashing water upwards by their palm. The story goes that most of the Brahmins
accepted Christ as their savior. This traditional story seems to be supported
by historical facts.
3.
Niranam
St. Thomas could have come to Niranam because of its accessibility to
the river-port. Anyway, local tradition is very strong that he preached to the
Brahmins and that a formidable number of them became Christians.
4.
Nilackal
After the missionary activity at Nilackal, the Apostle crossed over the
Western Ghat to Tamilnadu finally reaching Madras.
5.
Kokkamangalam
St.
Thomas sailed to Kokkamangalam where
he preached the gospel for
about a year. 1600 people converted to Christianity through him according to
the narration in "Rampan Pattu", an ancient
form of Christian folk-song
prevalent in Kerala. He formed a Christian community there and enshrined a Cross
for the faithful. This cross was later cut off by saboteurs, and thrown into
the Lake Vembanad, through which it floated up to Pallippuram, where
it is enshrined.
6.
Kollam
According to
tradition, St. Thomas the Apostle established a Church along the southern part
of west coast of India at Quilon, pronounced Koy-lon and now known as Kollam.
7.
Paravur
As regards Paravur, the traditional story is that St. Thomas reached
Paravur on a festival day of the local temple and he began preaching the Gospel
of Christ.
14. Fathers of the Church on Apostle Thomas
Clement of Alexandria, a Greek Theologian of 3rd century
(c. 235) makes a passing reference to St. Thomas’ Apostolate in Parthia. This
agrees with the testimony which Eusebius records about Pantaenus' visit to India. In the Doctrine of the Apostles of 3rd century, there are several
references on the apostleship of St. Thomas in India.
Origen in 3rd century (185–254?) taught with great
acclaim in Alexandria and then in Caesarea. He is the first known writer to
record the casting of lots by the Apostles. Origen original work has been lost; but his statement about Parthia falling to
Thomas has been preserved by Eusebius. “Origen, in the third chapter of his Commentary on Genesis, says that,
according to tradition, Thomas’s allotted field of labour was Parthia”.
St.
Ephrem of 4th century
bear witness to the Edessan Church’s strong
conviction concerning St. Thomas’s Indian Apostolate. "It was to a land of dark people he was sent, to clothe them by
Baptism in white robes. His grateful dawn dispelled India's painful darkness.
It was his mission to espouse India to the One-Begotten. The merchant is
blessed for having so great a treasure. Edessa thus became the blessed city by possessing the
greatest pearl India could yield. Thomas works miracles in India, and at Edessa Thomas is destined to baptize peoples perverse and
steeped in darkness, and that in the land of India." – Hymns of St. Ephraem, edited by Lamy.
Gregory of Nazianzus of 4th century (died 389) states that “… Peter indeed may have belonged to
Judea; but what had Paul in common with the gentiles, Luke with Achaia, Andrew
with Epirus, John with Ephesus, Thomas with India, Mark with Italy?”
Ambrose of Milan of 4th century had a good deal of
information on India and Indians. “… Even those Kingdoms which were shut out by
rugged mountains became accessible to them, as India to Thomas, Persia to
Matthew…”
St. Jerome (342- 420) testifies “He (Christ) dwelt in all
places: with Thomas in India, Peter at Rome, ….”
St. Gaudentius, Bishop of Brescia (5th Century
AD) In a sermon speaks about the relics of his Church viz. those of St. Thomas,
John the Baptist, Andrew and Luke and says: “We possess here the relics ….
Thomas among the Indians…”
St. Paulinus of Nola (5th Centuary) writes:
“So God bestowing his holy gifts on all lands, sent his aposltes to the great
cities of the world… Parthia receives Mathew, India receives Thomas….”
St. Gregory of Tours (died 594) testifies “Thomas the
Apostle, according to the narrative of his martyrdom is stated to have suffered
in India. His holy remains (corpus), after a long interval of time, were
removed to the city of Edessa in Syria and there interred.”
St. Isidore of Seville in Spain (d. c. 630 states “This
Thomas preached the Gospel of Christ to the Parthians, the Medes, the Persians,
the Hyrcanians and the Bactrians, and to the Indians of the Oriental region and
penetrating the innermost regions and sealing his preaching by his passion he
died transfixed with a lance at Calamina (present Mylapore),a city of India, and there was buried with honour”.
St. Bede the Venerable (c. 673–735) states “Peter
receives Rome, Andrew Achaia; James Spain; Thomas India; John Asia"
15.
Other Written and Oral Traditions
A number of early Christian writings written during
centuries immediately following the first Ecumenical Council of 325 mention
Thomas' mission.
A Syrian ecclesiastical calendar of an early date
confirms that "3 July, St. Thomas who was pierced with a lance in India. …
A great festival." There is also a legend that Thomas had met the Biblical
Magi on his way to India.
The Didascalia (dating from the end of the 3rd century) states, “India and all countries
considering it, even to the farthest seas... received the apostolic ordinances
from Judas Thomas, who was a guide and ruler in the church which he built.
Bar-Daisan (154–223) reports that in his time there were
Christian tribes in North India which claimed to have been converted by Thomas
and to have books and relics to prove it. But at least by the year of the
establishment of the Second Persian Empire (226), there were bishops of the
Church of the East in northwest India, Afghanistan and Baluchistan, with laymen and clergy alike engaging in missionary activity.
Historian Vincent A. Smith says, “It must be admitted that a
personal visit of the Apostle Thomas to South India was easily feasible in the
traditional belief that he came by way of Socotra, where an ancient Christian settlement undoubtedly existed. I am now
satisfied that the Christian church of South India is extremely ancient... ”.
Another
document attributed to the third century writer, Hippolytus, also talks of
Thomas preaching in Iran and India.
Eusebius, a Christian historian says that Thomas
traveled all the way to India preaching the Gospel of Jesus and lived there
preaching until he was martyred.
When
the Portuguese arrived in southern India in the 16th century, they found a
flourishing Christian community who maintained that their church had been
founded by St Thomas in the 1st century AD. In 1533 the Portuguese monarch
directed all his missionaries to record the oral history of this community and
it was soon discovered that there was a substantial body of tradition about
Thomas in India.
The
ancient Syriac document, the Doctrines of the Apostles recounts that “India and
all its own countries and those bordering even to the farthest sea, received
the Apostles' hand of priesthood from Judas Thomas, who was guide and ruler in
the Church which he built there and ministered there.”
St John Chrysostom says, Thomas "toiled through
the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so
that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the
Word of God to savage nations."
In AD 522, Cosmas Indicopleustes (called the Alexandrian) visited the Malabar Coast. He is the first
traveller who mentions Syrian Christians in Malabar, in his book Christian
Topography. He mentions that in the town of "Kalliana", there is
a bishop consecrated in Persia. Metropolitan Mar Aprem writes, "Most
church historians, who doubt the tradition of the doubting Thomas in India,
will admit there was a church in India in the middle of the sixth century when
Cosmas Indicopleustes visited India."
There is a copper plate grant given to Iravi Korttan, a
Christian of Kodungallur (Cranganore), by King Vira Raghava. The date is
estimated to be around AD 744. In AD 822, two Nestorian Persian Bishops Mar Sapor and Mar Peroz came to Malabar, to occupy their
seats in Kollam and Kodungallur, to look after the local Syrian Christians.
Marco Polo, the Venetian traveller and author of Description of the World,
popularly known as Il Milione, is reputed to have visited South India in
1288 and 1292. He is believed to have stopped in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) where he documented the tomb of Adam, and Quilon (Kollam) on the western Malabar coast of India, where he met Syrian Christians and
recorded their tradition of St. Thomas and his tomb on the eastern Coromandel
coast of the country.
Near Chennai (Madras) stands a small hillock called St. Thomas Mount, where the Apostle is said to have been killed in AD 72. Also to be found
in Chennai is the Dioceses of Saint Thomas of Mylapore to which his mortal remains were supposedly transferred.
South Indian legends indicate that Thomas arrived on the Malabar
coast around AD49 and in the Rabban Song, which has been handed down orally by
Indian Christians over the generations, we learn more details about Thomas'
work in India. The song indicates that, after arriving in South India, he went
to preach in China (probably Burma and Malaysia) and on his return in AD52 he
began to build churches and convert the local population.
From AD59 onward he began to travel through South India and
conduct missionary tours founding Christian colonies in cities throughout the
region. Between AD62-69 the Rabban Song records him baptizing over 17,000
Hindus, including king Choran of Lola and 700 of his subjects. The song also
talks of the miracles he performed including the healing of lepers and
restoring the sight of blind men. It is said that even the Hindus considered
him a holy man.
16.
Martyrdom of St. Thomas
A
Christian martyr is regarded as one who is put to death for his Christian faith
or convictions. Saint Thomas became a martyr in 72 AD. There are different
traditions regarding his death. Thomas died a martyr
for his faith when an Indian king, whose wife had
become a Christian, angry that he couldn't get Thomas to worship an
idol, ordered his high priest to stab Thomas with a spear. Another tradition
states that after Thomas had performed several miracles, Sagamo,
prince of the country and great numbers of his friends and subjects embraced
the Christian
faith. This remarkable success
alarmed the Brahmins, who perceived that their religion would be soon
extirpated unless some method could be found of putting a stop to the progress
of Christianity; they resolved to put the apostle to death. At a
small distance from the city was a tomb, where St. Thomas often retired for private
devotion,
the Brahmins and their armed followers pursued him;
and while he was at prayer they first threw at him a shower of darts, after
which one of the priests ran him through with a lance. His corpse was taken up
by his disciples, and buried in the church he had erected.
According to an account noted by Marco Polo, Thomas prayed before his death,
"Lord, I thank Thee for all Thy mercies. Into Thy hands I commend my
spirit," and entered into rest.
17. Tomb and Relic of St. Thomas
The traditions of Malabar, Coromandel and the Persian Church held that Thomas the Apostle died near the ancient town of Mylapore. In A.D. 232 the greater part of relics of the Apostle Thomas are brought
from India to the city of Edessa, Mesopotamia. When the relics were taken to Edessa, few relics were kept in church at
Mylapore. A Syrian ecclesiastical calendar of an early date confirms that his
body is at Urhai (Edessa) having been brought there by the merchant Khabin. They
were kept in a shrine just outside the city, but in August 394, they were
transferred in the city, inside the church dedicated to the saint. In 441, the Anatolius donated to the church a silver coffin to host the relics. In 1144 the city
was conquered by the Zengids and the shrine destroyed. But in 1141, the relics
were taken to Chios, a Greek island, and on 1258, the relics were transported
to the West
by crusaders, and now rest in Ortona, Italy.
In
the year 2002 AD our bishop Mar Thomas Elavanal was privileged to receive a
particle of the bones of St. Thomas for the Diocese of Kalyan which was
solemnly installed at the then Cathedral Church in Kalyan West by the then
Major Archbishop Mar Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil. In the context of the Silver
Jubilee celebration and the Year of St. Thomas, the relic was taken for
veneration to all the parishes and mission centres of the diocese and solemnly
re-installed at the St. Thomas Cathedral Church at Kalyan West on 1st
May 2013 by Mar Thomas Elavanal. In 1953, particles from the relics were brought
from Orthona by Cardinal Eugene Tissarant Kerala and portions of the same were
installed in Pala Cathedral, Kodungallur and Mylapore. In the same way, later
in Kokkamangalam (November 1999) to
Palayoor (16th April 2000) Changanassery (Jun 27, 2005).
18.
Saint Thomas Cross
In the sixteenth century work Jornada, Antonio Gouvea writes of decorative cross “known as
Saint Thomas Cross or Mar Thoma Sliba". This cross dates from the 6th
century and is found in a number of churches in Kerala, Mylapore and Goa. The
original term used is “Cruz de San Thome” which literally translates as Cross
of St. Thomas. Gouvea also writes about the veneration of the Cross at
Cranganore, referring to the cross as "Cross of Christians”.
This miraculous cross, located
on the spot of martyrdom of Thomas is a stone engraved with a cross that was
seen to ooze blood on December 18, 1558, and to have continued on that day each
year with various interruptions until the year 1704. This phenomenon first took
place during the offering of Holy Mass and lasted four hours. Diocesan
officials certified that at the end of the bleedings the stone turned a
glistening white before returning to its original black.
According
to the traditions of the "St Thomas Christians" of Malabar:
"Thomas forbade any sort of pictures or images, but decorated his houses
of worship with the symbol of the cross. This is interesting in light of the
fact that the cross did not emerge as a religious symbol in the Roman Empire
until the fourth century, after the Emperor Constantine abolished it as a means
of execution."
19. Feast
Day of Saint Thomas
The
feast days first arose from the very early Christian custom of the annual
commemoration of martyrs on the dates of their deaths at the same time
celebrating their birth into heaven. Now, feast day of St. Thomas in Roman and Syrian
Catholic churches is on 3rd July. When the feast of Saint Thomas was inserted in the Roman calendar in the
9th century, it was assigned to 21 December, although the Martyrology of St.
Jerome had a mention of the Apostle on 3 July, the date to which the Roman
celebration was transferred in 1969, so that it would no longer interfere with
the major ferial days of Advent. But many Anglicans including members of the Episcopal Church as well as members of the Church of
England still celebrate his feast day on
21 December.
The Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches celebrate his feast day on October 6. In addition the next
Sunday of the Easter (Pascha) is celebrated as Sunday of Thomas, in
commemoration of Thomas' question to Jesus which led him to proclaim, ‘My Lord
and My God’ and the day in Kerala is known as Puthunjayar. Thomas is also commemorated in common with all of the
other apostles on June 30, in a feast called the Synaxis of the Holy Apostles.
20.
Saint Thomas represented
in Christian Art
The
artistic representations reflect the life or death of saints, or an aspect of
life with which the person is most closely associated. St. Thomas is portrayed in paintings, stained
glass windows, illuminated manuscripts, architecture and other forms of
Christian art. He is represented in Christian Art with a builder's square.
21. Civil World accepting
Thomas
The
Indian Post Department issued a special postage stamp in commemoration of Saint
Thomas, on the 2nd December 1964, which coincided with the arrival of Pope Paul
VI in India. The stamp was issued in the denomination of 15 Paise and carries a
picture of his silver bust which is in the Ortona Cathedral in Italy.
22. Patronage
Thomas is considered to be the patron saint for
people against doubt, against blindness, architects,
builders, carpenters, construction workers, geometricians, masons, stone
masons, stone cutters, surveyors, theologians; and places such as Certaldo,
Italy, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, East Indies, Ceylon and Sri Lanka.
23. Names of Christian Community after St. Thomas
The existence of a Christian community in the
south India in the name of the Apostle from the very first century itself
designated St. Thomas Christians … is almost incontrovertible proof of the
Apostolate of St. Thomas in South India. The names were ‘Christians of St.
Thomas’ or ‘Thoma christians’ or ‘St. Thomas Christians’ or
‘Marthomaschristianikal’ could turn out to be significant as recognition of the
historical truth of Christian origins in India from the Apostle Thomas.
24. Thomas and the Assumption of Mary
According to The Passing of Mary, a text attributed to Joseph of Arimathaea, Thomas was the only witness of the Assumption of Mary into heaven. The other apostles were miraculously transported to Jerusalem
to witness her death. Thomas was left in India, but after her first burial he
was transported to her tomb, where he witnessed her bodily assumption into
heaven, from which she dropped her girdle. In an inversion of the story of Thomas' doubts, the other apostles are
skeptical of Thomas' story until they see the empty tomb and the girdle.
25. Courageous Thomas and not Doubting Thomas
Unfortunately
Thomas is known with the nickname “Doubting Thomas”. In fact, among the
disciples, Thomas was not the first one to have doubt. Remember Peter sinking into the water after
walking upon it toward Jesus when he doubted. Nathanael doubted that the
Messiah could ever come from such an insignificant town as Nazareth. From
another perspective, for strengthening of all who believe, whether they see or
not, Thomas was called to be an apostle-he who believed only because he had
seen. It was the Divine Providence, not mere chance, that this one apostle was
not present with the others on that first Easter evening. He persisted in his
unhappy doubt so that we might be happy in our grace of belief. So we are
obliged to thank the unbelieving Thomas.
If at all
a fair nickname was to be given to Thomas, it should have been “Courageous
Thomas” for his “Let us go with him, so
that we may die with him” statement.
He
was not only courageous but also sincere, open, strait
forward, loyal follower and true man.
Fr.
Francis Eluvathingal
