Apostle Thomas

Names and Identity

Thomas is identified in the Gospels by the additional name Didymus, a Greek term meaning 'twin'; his Aramaic name carries the same sense. Among the Eastern Orthodox and Syriac churches he is held in particular honor for his missionary labors associated with Syria and Persia, and the Christian community of India that traces its origins to him is known as the St. Thomas Christians.

The Orthodox tradition reads his hesitation before the Resurrection not as mere doubt but as the occasion of a firm confession; the OrthodoxWiki account notes that icons of the event are properly inscribed 'The Belief of Thomas' rather than 'Doubting Thomas.'

Relics & Shrines

According to the Orthodox synaxarion, portions of the relics of the Apostle Thomas are kept in India, in Hungary, and on Mount Athos.

Broader tradition records that he was first buried at Mylapore in India, where his tomb is marked by the San Thome Basilica in Chennai. His relics were later transferred to Edessa in Mesopotamia, where a martyrium drew pilgrims by the fourth century, and in 1258 relics were moved from Chios to Ortona in Italy, where they are kept in the Basilica of St. Thomas the Apostle.

Commemoration

In the Eastern Orthodox calendar the Apostle Thomas is commemorated on October 6, and he is also commemorated with the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles on June 30. The Sunday after Pascha is kept as Thomas Sunday in remembrance of his confession of the risen Christ. In Western and other Eastern traditions his feast is observed on July 3 or December 21.