Doubting Thomas
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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A doubting Thomas is a skeptic who refuses to believe without direct, physical, personal evidence or experience—a reference to the Apostle Thomas, who refused to believe that the resurrected Jesus had appeared to the eleven other apostles, until he could see and feel the wounds received by Jesus on the cross.
In art the episode (formally called the Incredulity of Thomas) has been frequently depicted since at least the 5th century, with its depiction reflecting a range of theological interpretations.
Origin
The term is based on a Biblical account of Thomas the Apostle, who doubted the resurrection of Jesus and demanded to feel Jesus' wounds before being convinced (John 20:24-29), although the Bible does not mention if actual contact took place. After seeing Jesus alive and being offered the opportunity to touch his wounds—according to John, the author of the Gospel of John—,Thomas professed his faith in Jesus; on this account he is also called Thomas the Believer.
According to the Biblical account, Jesus then said "blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed", suggesting Jesus's preference was for faith over skepticism. Thomas was a very close friend of Jesus, but did not believe Jesus came back to life after he died on the cross.
See also
- Thomas the Apostle
- Thomas and John
- Gospel of John
- Christianity
- Doubt
- Gospel of Thomas#Intertextuality with John's gospel
