Thomas
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The Apostle Thomas / Judas Thomas Didymus / Jude Thomas Didymus / The Twin

Thomas, also called Judas Thomas Didymus or Jude Thomas Didymus, was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. The Synoptic Gospels and Acts list this him among the apostles, but the Synoptic Gospels say little more about him.

He does appear in a few passages in the Gospel of John. When they received word that Lazarus has just died, the disciples were resisting Jesus' decision to return to Judea, where the Jews had previously tried to stone Jesus. Jesus is determined to go, but Thomas has the last word: "Let us also go, that we might die with him."

He also speaks up at The Last Supper. When Jesus assures his disciples that they know where he is going, Thomas protests that they don't know at all. Jesus replies to this and to Philip's requests with a detailed and difficult exposition of his relationship to God the Father.

In Thomas's best known appearance in the New Testament, he doubts the resurrection of Jesus and demands to feel Jesus' wounds before being convinced.

The canonical books do not identify Thomas' twin. Interestingly, according to the "Book of Thomas the Contender," Jesus Himself is identified as his twin.

The "Book of Thomas the Contender" is one of the books of the New Testament apocrypha represented in the Nag Hammadi library, a cache of Gnostic gospels secreted in the Egyptian desert, and should not be confused with the "Gospel of Thomas," which is another New Testament era apocryphal book found completel preserved in a Coptic manuscript discovered at Nag Hammadi, Egypt in 1945. Other apocryphal or pseudoepigraphical works bearing Thomas' name include the "Acts of Thomas" and the "Infancy Gospel of Thomas," which expands on the canonical texts to describe the childhood of Jesus.

 
 

India and the Apostle Thomas: An inquiry with a critical analysis of the Acta Thomae (Hardcover), by A., E. Medlycott
A careful and critical examination of the Thomas traditions written with both believers and skeptics in mind, India and the Apostle Thomas by A. E. Medlycott offers readers an extensive overview of the ancient literary materials pertaining to the Apostle's mission to India. First published in 1905, this work returns in a Gorgias Press reprint edition, making Medlycott's work widely available to a new generation of students, scholars, and other interested readers. Hardcover.

 
 

The Legend of Thomas Didymus: The Jewish Skeptic (Paperback), by James Freeman Clarke
Reproduced in 2006 from a text first published in 1881. No synopsis available. Paperback.

 
 

The Gospel of Thomas: Annotated & Explained (Skylight Illuminations,) (Paperback), by Stevan L. Davies (Translator)
In 1945, twelve ancient books were found inside a sealed jar at the base of an Egyptian cliff. One of those texts was the Gospel of Thomas, which may be one of the most important religious archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. Written at the same time as the canonical Gospels, the Gospel of Thomas portrays Jesus as a wisdom-loving sage, teaching about a Kingdom of God in the present tense. Paperback.

 
 

The Gospel of Thomas (Shambhala Library) (Hardcover), by Stevan Davies (Translator)
In 1945, a Coptic document containing sayings attributed to Jesus was discovered in an ancient Egyptian cave. This "lost gospel," the Gospel of Thomas, was written at the same time as the canonical Gospels, and is now considered one of the greatest religious discoveries of the 20th century. It contains 150 sayings, approximately half of which are found in the New Testament - the other half of which are found only here. These new sayings offer an original perspective on Jesus' message. Most notably, they emphasize that the Kingdom of Heaven exists right before us in this present moment, and all that we have to do is recognize it. This edition includes an extensive foreword by Andrew Harvey, as well as commentary that explains biblical terms, philosophical concepts, and historic contexts. Hardcover.

 
 

The Infancy Gospels of James and Thomas: With Introduction, Notes, and Original Text Featuring the New Scholars Version Translation (Scholars Bible) (Scholars Bible) (Paperback), by Ronald F. Hock (Editor)
The infancy gospels reflect the early Christian interest in how Jesus was born and raised. The Infancy Gospel of James narrates the story of Mary, mother of Jesus - her birth, infancy and childhood, up to her pregnancy. The Infancy Gospel of Thomas recounts stories depicting Jesus as a petulant child prodigy. Featuring the acclaimed Scholars Version translation side-by-side with the original Greek texts, this dual language edition makes the infancy gospels readily available and truly accessible for the first time ever. Paperback.

 
 

Didymus - The Twin (Paperback), by George Thomas
Historical and religious fiction similar to the Herman Hesse novel, Siddhartha. It is the quest of the apostle St. Thomas to find a true meaning in life after the death of Jesus. It is a first person account of the journey and work of St. Thomas in south India, after the death of Jesus. The tale is unorthodox and is based on a viewpoint other than those of the five apostles of the New Testament. It is rather the account of the doubter, Thomas. Paperback.