We hear this expression a huge number of times in our lives," Why are you, like Thomas, an unbeliever?"During this time, this phraseological unit has become so close and familiar to us that we don’t think about where it came from and what it really means.
Have you ever wondered who this Thomas is and why he didn’t trust anyone?
In biblical mythology there is information about 12 the apostles, one of whom was the Venerable Thomas. This guy was a very interesting person, because he was extremely skeptical about everything he heard from others.
There are only two versions of this expression.

First version.
This version occurred long before the respected Thomas met Jesus Christ on his thorny path in life.
The venerable Thomas had a brother whose name was Andrey. One fine day, Andryukha, wandering around the city, suddenly saw some guy walking straight across a pond (it was Jesus). Very surprised by such a sight, he hurried home and told his brother about the miracle he had seen. Thomas laughed at Andryukha, because everyone knows that people cannot walk on water, just like on dry land. Brother Andryukha turned out to be a cunning guy and suggested that Thomas should be driven to Jesus and invite him once again to satisfy their curiosity to walk on water (the guys clearly did not have enough spectacle, and before the invention of television there was at least 2 thousands years).
The brothers went to Jesus and he was so kind, or he had nothing to do at all, that he fulfilled the request of two inquisitive young men and walked on the water to satisfy their curiosity. That’s how Thomas believed and admitted that Andryukha was right.
From then on they began to call him Thomas the Unbeliever, because his favorite phrase was - " Until I see it for myself, I won’t believe it".

Second version.
This version is more significant than the first. Since it is connected with the fact of the resurrection of Christ. When Jesus was resurrected, Thomas was wandering around somewhere and did not catch that very famous moment when Jesus appeared before his disciples. When the apostles met Thomas and told him about the miracle, this the guy again expressed his disbelief, which is quite natural, because corpses do not come to life every day. He answered the apostles that he must personally verify the resurrection of Jesus and stick his inquisitive fingers into the holes from the nails in his hands and ribs.
When Christ appeared before his disciples again, Thomas was already fully armed and began to leisurely stick his fingers into his wounds. I don’t know how Jesus even reacted to such shameless impudence, but Thomas again believed in this miracle.

Of course, fairy-tale characters are wonderful, but even in our time there are similar individuals who do not take anything at their word. And you know what? This is simply wonderful! All modern science is built on an evidence-based basis, on facts, and not on the unfounded statements of gurus.
Therefore, we can be proud of the first naturalist, Thomas, who did not take anything for granted.

HOLY APOSTLE THOMAS (†72)

Saint Apostle Thomas was one of the 12 apostles (disciples) of Jesus Christ. We know little about his life.

The Apostle Thomas, called the Twin (according to legend, the Apostle Thomas looked like Christ in appearance), was from the Galilean city of Paneas (Northern Palestine) and was engaged in fishing. Having heard the divine teaching of Christ and seen His miracles, Thomas followed the Lord and was elected one of the twelve apostles (Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:14-19, Luke 6:13-16). In later times he became known as "Doubting Thomas."

He had little education, but had a sharp and logical mind. Of all the apostles, only Thomas had a truly analytical mind, a better intellectual understanding of Jesus, and the ability to appreciate His personality.

When Thomas joined the apostles he was prone to melancholy, but his association with Jesus and the other apostles greatly cured him of this painful self-absorption.

Thomas was one of the Lord's most devoted disciples. Thomas's devotion was the fruit of sincere love, heartfelt affection for the Lord. The Gospel of John tells that when Christ was about to set off on His last journey to Jerusalem, where, as we know, His enemies were going to capture Him, Saint Thomas called on several timid apostles to follow the Teacher to the end and, if necessary, to die with him. Nim.

Jesus liked Thomas very much, with whom he had many long private conversations. His presence among the apostles was a great comfort to all honest skeptics and helped many troubled minds to enter the kingdom, even if they could not fully understand all the spiritual and philosophical aspects of the teachings of Jesus. Thomas's apostleship was a constant testimony that Jesus also loved honest skeptics.

However, Thomas had a very difficult and grumpy character. In addition, he was characterized by some suspicion and pessimism. But the better Thomas's comrades got to know him, the more they liked him. They were convinced of his absolute honesty and unwavering loyalty. Thomas was an extremely sincere and truthful person, but he was naturally picky. The curse of his analytical mind was suspicion. He was already losing faith in people when he met the apostles and thus came into contact with the noble personality of Jesus. This connection with the Teacher immediately began to transform Thomas's entire character, which led to a huge change in his relationships with other people.

Thomas had very difficult days; at times he became gloomy and despondent. However, when the time came to act, it was Thomas who always said: “Let's go!”

Thomas serves as an excellent example of a person who experiences doubts, fights them and wins. He was a man of a logical mind, a thinker.

Resurrection of Christ

Possessing a critical consciousness, the Apostle Thomas did not believe the stories of the apostles about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (he was not among the other ten apostles during the appearance of the risen Teacher to them): “ Until I see the wounds from the nails on His hands and put my finger into these wounds, I won’t believe it!”(John 20:25).

And exactly a week later, on the eighth day after the Resurrection, the disciples of Christ were again in the house and Thomas was with them. And again the Lord appeared before them and showed His wounds and invited Thomas to put his finger into the wounds: “Put your finger here and see My hands; give me your hand and place it in my side; and do not be an unbeliever, but a believer."(John 20:27).

The Unbelief of Saint Thomas, Caravaggio. 1601-02.

After this, Thomas believed and exclaimed: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).

Then Jesusreproachfully remarked to him: “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”(John 20:29).

The Gospel narrative leaves it unclear whether Thomas actually put his finger into Christ's wounds or not. According to some theologians, Thomas refused to do this, while others believe that Thomas touched the wounds of Christ.

Thomas’s doubt served as the final confirmation in the faith of the disciples of Christ.

We see that the faith of the Apostle Thomas was very strong and even greater than that of many other apostles. It’s just that the event itself, the Resurrection of Christ, is so incredible, so joyful, so transformative of the whole world that it was even scary to believe in it, to believe that it could really be true, is such happiness possible in this world?

Many commentators point out that the Apostle Thomas personifies the rational or intellectual possibility of believing in God. An example of godly skepticism bearing its own unique fruits.

Thomas doubted and was distrustful of many things, however, there is not a single place in the Gospel where Thomas expressed his doubts to Christ, or doubted His opinion, or argued with Him. And in this case, Thomas did not believe Christ, but the apostles! Moreover, they had already demonstrated their cowardice more than once (Judas betrayed Him with a kiss; Peter boasted of being faithful to death and immediately denied Him that night; during the arrest of Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, all the disciples fled away). Moreover, there was a rumor that the disciples wanted to steal the body of Christ from the cave tomb and simulate His resurrection. It is quite natural that Thomas did not believe the apostles.

Also, no one trusts us. We can pretend to be spiritual, Orthodox, full of love, but they don’t believe us. It seems to us that we, disciples of Christ, are speaking the words of God, and no one, listening to these verbs, is going to become a Christian. At best, there are a few people whom we somehow persuaded to come to the temple. And even our neighbors are indifferent to our words. Nobody believes only words. Faith without works is dead and completely unconvincing.

The Lord could not help but support Thomas, who so strove for Him and almost fell. He not only appeared, but moreover, He allowed Him to be touched. Let us note that if before Easter Christ and the disciples, as we read, could greet Christ with a kiss, could pour oil on His head, or touch Him, then after the Resurrection a certain distance arose. As he said to Mary Magdalene, who met Him on Easter morning: “Jesus says to her: Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; But go to My brothers and say to them: I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.”

But here, on the contrary, he suggests putting fingers into “nail” wounds. This is a very high degree of trust and a sign of intimacy, and a consequence of Thomas’ faith. Touching as an argument that the resurrected Christ is not a ghost, but a reality.

“Thomas, who was once weaker than the other apostles in the faith,- says Saint John Chrysostom, - By the grace of God, he became more courageous, more zealous and tireless than all of them, so that he went around almost the entire earth with his preaching, not being afraid to proclaim the Word of God to the savage peoples.”

Preaching in India

After the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit, the apostles cast lots among themselves where each of them should go to preach the Word of God. Thomas's lot fell to go to India to teach the true faith to the various peoples who lived there - the Parthians and Medes, the Persians and Hyrcanians, the Bactrians and Brahmins and all the most distant inhabitants of India.

India in the modern geographical sense, the southern part of the Asian continent is called, comprising the middle of the three southern peninsulas of the continent and the neighboring part of the mainland to the huge mountain ranges that separate it from central Asia. But ancient writers often called all the southern rich countries of Asia, about which they had only vague ideas, the common name of India. Medes lived next door to Persia, in the western part of Iran, south of the Caspian Sea and were subsequently conquered by the Persians. Parthians they also lived in the neighborhood of the Persians, in a vast country from the Euphrates to the Oxus and from the Caspian Sea to the Indian Sea; in the 3rd century BC were conquered by the Romans. Persians lived in southern Iran. Hyrcane lived along the banks of the Euphrates and Tigris and were conquered by the Persians. Bactrians lived in northeastern Iran. Brahmins- residents of India proper, mainly Indian priests.

Thomas was horrified that he had to go to such wild countries; but the Lord appeared to him in a vision, strengthening him and commanding him to be courageous and not to be afraid, and promised to be with him Himself.

And the Apostle Thomas began to preach in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Pyrrhia, Ethiopia and India, founding Christian Churches there.

Sermon of the Apostle Thomas in India

The journey of the Apostle Thomas to India is told in non-canonical sources. These are the apocryphal “Gospel of St. Thomas” and the Indian collections Margom Kali and Mapilla Paattu.

Apostle St. Thomas sailed to Kerala and founded a Christian church there, baptizing the local residents. They are usually referred to as Syrian Christians. According to legend, St. Thomas lived in Kerala for 12 years.

Many misadventures befell the apostle. Ancient legends about this have been preserved.

On the way to India, the Apostle Thomas met the rich merchant Avan, who was sent by the Indian king Gundaphorus to Palestine to find a good architect to build a royal palace like the palaces of the Roman Caesars. At the inspiration of the Lord, St. Thomas pretended to be an architect and they went to India together. Upon arrival, Avan introduced the apostle to the Indian Raja (King Mahadevan) as a very skilled architect, and the Raja ordered Thomas to build a magnificent palace for him. Thomas said that he would build such a palace, and it would be even better than the king could imagine. For the construction, the apostle received a lot of gold, which he distributed to the poor and needy. Two years passed and the Raja again invited the apostle to his place and asked what had been accomplished during this period. And the Apostle Thomas replied that the palace was almost ready, all that remained was to finish the roof. The delighted king again gave Thomas gold so that the roof would match the splendor and beauty of the palace. The apostle again distributed all this money to the sick, poor and poor people.

Then they reported to the Raja that nothing had yet been built on the place where the palace should stand. The angry king invited Thomas and asked whether he had built anything or not, and Thomas replied that the palace was ready, but he built it in heaven. "When you pass from this temporary life,- said Thomas, “Then there, in heaven, you will find a beautiful palace in which you will reside forever.” The Raja suspected deception in this answer and decided that the apostle was openly mocking him, and therefore ordered him to be seriously tortured.

At this time, the rajah's brother, whom he loved very much, died. In this grief, he inconsolably mourned the death of his brother for many days. And the soul of this pagan brother was also ascended to heaven and, like every other soul, both the heavenly abodes and hell were shown to her. And when she looked around paradise, in one place she saw a most magnificent building, so beautiful that she wanted to stay in it forever. And then the soul asked the Angel, who led her around paradise, who owned this place. And the Angel replied that this was his brother’s palace, these magnificent chambers were built for him. And then the soul began to ask the Angel to allow her to return to Earth in order to ask her brother for permission to enter the chambers prepared for him. And the Angel allowed her to return to her lifeless body.

And a miracle happened - the Rajah's dead brother was resurrected. What jubilation there was, what joy there was when the king heard that his brother had come to life. When their first conversation took place, his brother began to tell him what happened to his soul after death. And he said: “Remember, you once promised to give me half your kingdom - I don’t need this gift, but give permission so that the palace that is prepared for you in the Kingdom of Heaven will also be my palace.” And the Raja realized that Thomas had not deceived him, that the Lord had already prepared a place for him in the Kingdom of Heaven. Then the repentant Raja not only released Thomas from prison, asking him for forgiveness, but also accepted Baptism.

Dormition of the Virgin Mary

At the time when Thomas was enlightening the Indian countries with the preaching of the Gospel, the time came for the honest repose of the Mother of God. On the day of the Dormition of the Mother of God, miraculously, almost all the apostles who had previously dispersed to different countries to preach the Word of God were gathered in Jerusalem to bid farewell to Her. Later than everyone else, the Apostle Paul arrived with his disciples: Dionysius the Areopagite, Hierotheus, Timothy and others from among the 70 apostles. Only Apostle Thomas was absent.

According to God’s dispensation, only three days after the burial of the Virgin Mary, the Apostle Thomas returned to Jerusalem and was very sad that he could not say goodbye and worship the Mother of God. Then, by the general agreement of the holy apostles, the tomb of the Most Holy Theotokos was opened for Saint Thomas to give him the opportunity to say goodbye to the Mother of God. But, to their amazement, the body of the Virgin Mary was not in the cave, only funeral clothes remained. And from here everyone was firmly convinced that the Mother of God, like Her Son, rose on the third day and was taken to heaven with her body.

The Lord, at His special discretion, delayed the arrival of Saint Thomas on the day of the repose of the Most Pure Mother of God, so that the tomb would be opened for him, and the believers would thus believe that the Mother of God with her body was taken to heaven, just as earlier, through the unbelief of the same apostle Thomas, believed in the resurrection of Christ.

There is a legend that on the third day after the burial, the Mother of God appeared to the Apostle Thomas and threw Her belt from Heaven to him as a consolation.

Death of the Apostle Thomas

After this, Thomas returned again to the Indian countries and preached Christ there, converting many to faith with signs and wonders.

Then the apostle went even further, to the Kalamis country, and, preaching Christ here, converted two women to the faith, one of whom was the wife of the local king Muzdius (ruler of the Indian city of Melipura). Both women believed so much that they renounced carnal cohabitation with their wicked husbands. This greatly angered the king and his entourage, and the holy apostle was imprisoned, where he suffered torture.

Malipur(now part of the city of Madras) is a city on the eastern (Coromandel) coast of the Hindustan peninsula. When the Portuguese first arrived on the shores of India in 1500, they found in Malipura a settlement of Christians who said that they had accepted the faith from the Apostle Thomas, and this city at the end of the last century was called the city of St. Thomas.

The holy apostle ended his preaching of the Gospel with martyrdom:Thomas was pierced with five spears on the mountain while praying in front of a cross that he personally carved from stone. He died hugging this cross and was buried in the place where the Catholic Basilica of St. Thomas on the seashore in Chennai (Madras).

According to legend, King Muzdius believed in Christ after the death of the Apostle Thomas and, together with all his nobles, was baptized.

The mountain where Thomas was martyred was later named after him.

The place of the martyrdom of the Apostle Thomas is indicated in Kalurmin - on one high rock, about 6 miles from Malipur, where Thomas often went to pray.

About the martyrdom of the Apostle Thomas in India it is reported that he accepted it either in '68 or '72.

Relics of Saint Thomas the Apostle

Parts of the relics of St. Thomas the Apostle are in India , Hungary, Italy And on Mount Athos .

The relics of the holy apostle remained untouched in India until the 4th century.

India, Chennai (until 1996 - Madras). Cathedral of St. Thomas

Reliquary containing the relics of Apostle Thomas in the city of Chennai (India)

But in 385, part of the relics of the Apostle Thomas was transferred from India to Mesopotamia to the city Edessa(now Orpha). In Edessa, a magnificent church was built over the relics of the holy apostle, where pilgrims flocked from distant countries. Subsequently, part of the relics of the Apostle Thomas was transferred to Constantinople , where a temple was created in his name under Emperor Anastasius (490-518) by the royal dignitary Amancius.

In 1143, as a result of the war with the Muslims, the city of Edessa fell. To preserve the holy relics from desecration, the crusaders transferred them to Chios island in the Aegean Sea .

In 1258, a battle took place between the Genoese and Venetians for control of the main sea routes leading to the East. The Venetians won the battle and transferred the holy relics of the Apostle Thomas from the island of Chios to their city ​​of Ortona (Italy) .

From then to this day, the relics of St. Thomas the Apostle have been kept in the cathedral of the city of Ortona, to which numerous pilgrims from all over the world flock to venerate the shrine.

The Ortona Cathedral in the name of St. Thomas the Apostle (Basilica San Tommaso Apostolo) was erected on the site of a pagan temple, as often happened in Europe, as a sign of the triumph of Christianity over paganism

Inside the cathedral

The relics of the holy Apostle of God are kept in two shrines - in the crypt, in a shrine made of gilded copper, on which the throne is located, and in the chapel - in a silver shrine-bust.

In 1566, the tomb of the apostle in the cathedral was desecrated by the Turks who captured the city, but the holy relics were not damaged. The cathedral, in which the holy relics of the Apostle are kept, was subsequently attacked more than once - in 1799 by the French and in 1943 the retreating Germans tried to destroy it.

The memory of Saint Thomas the Apostle is celebrated by the Orthodox Church October 6/19, V 2nd week of Easter and on the day of the Council of the glorious and all-praised 12 apostles ( June 30/July 13 ).

When unbelief troubles the soul, they pray to the Apostle Thomas, as if he himself had gone through this difficult state.

Troparion to the Holy Apostle Thomas, tone 2:
Having been a disciple of Christ, a participant in the Divine Council of the Apostles, having notified Christ’s Resurrection through unbelief and having assured Him of His most pure passion by touch, O All Valuable Fomo, and now ask us for peace and great mercy.

Kontakion, tone 4:
Filled with the wisdom of grace, Christ's apostle and true servant cried out to You in repentance: You are my God and Lord.

Prayer to Saint Apostle Thomas
Oh, holy Apostle Fomo! We pray to you: save and protect us with your prayers from the temptations of the devil and the falls of sin and ask us from above for help in times of unbelief, so that we do not stumble over the stone of temptation, but steadily walk the saving path of the commandments of Christ, until we reach those blessed abode of paradise.

Hey, Apostle Spasov! Do not disgrace us, but be our helper and protector in all our lives and help us end this temporary life in a pious and godly manner, receive a Christian death and be honored with a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ; let us glorify the magnificent name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Material prepared by Sergey SHULYAK

for the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Sparrow Hills

doubting Thomas

doubting Thomas
From the Bible. The New Testament (Gospel of John, chapter 20, v. 24-29) tells how one of Jesus’ disciples, the Apostle Thomas, did not believe the news of the resurrection of the crucified Christ and said: “If I do not see the wounds on his hands from nails, and I will not put my finger into the wounds of the nails, and I will not put my hand into his side (a Roman soldier pierced the chest of the crucified Jesus Christ with his spear to be sure of his death. - Comp.), I will not believe.”
Then Jesus turned to Thomas with the words: “Put your finger here and see My hands; give me your hand and place it in my side; and do not be an unbeliever..."
Allegorically: an extremely distrustful person (ironically).
Hence the colloquial expression that has the same meaning - Thomas is unfaithful.

Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. - M.: “Locked-Press”. Vadim Serov. 2003.

doubting Thomas

This is what they say about a person who is difficult to get to believe anything. The expression arose from the Gospel legend about how one of the apostles Thomas, when he was told about the resurrection of the crucified Christ, declared: “Unless I see the wounds of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the wounds of the nails, and put my hand in his side, I will not believe" (John 20:24-29).

Dictionary of catch words. Plutex. 2004.

Synonyms:

See what “Doubting Thomas” is in other dictionaries:

Incredulous, unfaithful Thomas, skeptic, little faith Dictionary of Russian synonyms. Thomas the unbeliever adj., number of synonyms: 4 of little faith (3) ... Synonym dictionary

FALSE, oh, oh; ren, rna, rno, rny and rnShy. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Assurance of Saint Thomas (painting by Caravaggio, 1601-1602) Thomas (Greek Θωμάς, Lat. Tommaso) one of the apostles (disciples) of Jesus Christ. Called by Christ from among the fishermen. He was called the “twin”: according to one version, he looked similar to Jesus. One... ... Wikipedia

doubting Thomas- Iron. The same as Thomas being unfaithful. The interlocutors began to argue. Oh, you, non-believer Thomas, again for your own... You baluster, vain talker... yes! (S. Eleonsky. Rude). My son, remember the commandment: “Thou shalt not lie!” The man says he saw... It’s up to you to believe or not to believe... ... Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Literary Language

doubting Thomas- wing. sl. This is what they say about a person who is difficult to get to believe anything. The expression arose from the Gospel legend about how one of the apostles Thomas, when he was told about the resurrection of the crucified Christ, declared: “If I do not see it in my hands... ... Universal additional practical explanatory dictionary by I. Mostitsky

doubting Thomas- about a person who is difficult to make believe anything. The turn came from the Gospel. One of the apostles, Thomas, when they told him about the resurrection of the crucified Christ, declared: “... unless I see the wounds of the nails in His hands, and put my finger in... ... Phraseology Guide

See. I don’t see, I still don’t believe... IN AND. Dahl. Proverbs of the Russian people

doubting Thomas - … Spelling dictionary of the Russian language

doubting Thomas- About someone who persistently doubts the existence or accomplishment of something. From the biblical story about the Apostle Thomas, who refused to believe in the resurrection of Christ until he himself saw his wounds; Christ, who appeared after some time, allows him to invest... ... Dictionary of many expressions

This term has other meanings, see Unbeliever Thomas. Thomas the Unbeliever Spy School Doubting Thomas ... Wikipedia

Books

• Uncle Styopa, Mikhalkov S.. The book “Uncle Styopa” by S. Mikhalkov is a book for all times! You can even start learning to read with it. If your children know letters and already know how to put them into syllables, then this book will be useful...

Sergei Mikhalkov even has a poem “Stubborn Thomas” about a boy who didn’t trust anyone. But why exactly are such people called Thomas? It's all about the Apostle Thomas, one of the twelve disciples of Christ. But if Thomas is an apostle, then why is he an unbeliever? This is what the Gospel of John tells about it.

After Jesus was executed, His disciples were in despair, not knowing that their Teacher had been resurrected. Although they had already heard that the body of Jesus who died on the cross had disappeared from the tomb, and Mary Magdalene even said that she had seen Christ with her own eyes, and even spoke to Him, but not everyone was ready to believe it. One evening, the Teacher Himself suddenly appeared among the disciples. Jesus entered the room where the apostles were. He showed them His hands and feet, pierced with nails, and the wound between His ribs from the spear of a Roman soldier. This is how the disciples learned about the resurrection of the Teacher.

But at that time the Apostle Thomas was not among them. When the next day they told him about what had happened, Thomas could not believe it. He said, “Unless I see in His hands the marks of the nails, and put my finger into the marks of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

Eight days later, Christ's disciples gathered in the house again. This time Foma was with them. And although the doors were locked, Jesus entered the house. He turned to Thomas, saying: “Put your finger here and see My hands; give me your hand and place it in my side; and do not be an unbeliever, but a believer.”

Joyful Thomas exclaimed, turning to Christ: “My Lord and my God!”

An amazing thing: Thomas, throughout his entire time with Jesus, believed Him. He witnessed the miracles that Christ performed, believed His teaching and even wanted to die with his Teacher. But after the death of Christ, Thomas could not believe that He had risen. Thomas not only didn’t want to believe, but simply couldn’t. He needed proof. And the Lord, condescending to human weaknesses, specially came to His disciple in order to heal him of unbelief.

The Gospel also brings to us one more word spoken to Thomas Jesus. They can be attributed to those Christians who today, two thousand years after those events, believe in the resurrection of Christ: “You believed because you saw Me; Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Thomas the Unbeliever checks his wounds

How many times in our lives have we heard the expression “Oh, you’re an unbelieving Thomas,” and this phrase It has become so familiar to us that we don’t even pay any attention to this phrase when we hear it or pronounce it ourselves. And whoever wondered where it came from, and who Thomas himself was. In mythology there is a definition that Thomas was one of the twelve apostles whom Christ chose for himself. And he stood out among everyone because he was practically distrustful of everyone and everything. There are two original versions of this expression. First version happened

In Ancient Jerusalem long before Christ chose Thomas as his apostle.

Versions of the origin of the expression “Doubting Thomas”

Thomas had a brother whose name was Andrei. One day Andrei saw Christ walking on water and told Thomas about it. As a normal, sensible person, Thomas naturally did not believe Andrei, to which he replied that let’s go together and ask Christ to walk on the water. The brothers went to Christ and he walked on the water. Foma had no choice but to admit he was wrong. Since then he has been like this Thomas to non-believers. “Until I see it with my own eyes, I won’t believe it” - this was Thomas’s favorite phrase.

The second version is more significant. The Bible says that after the crucifixion of Christ and his resurrection, Thomas was not there at the moment when the resurrected Jesus Christ appeared to his apostles. Having met Thomas, apostles They told Thomas about this, then he did not believe it and told them that until he himself saw the wounds on Christ’s hands from the nails, and until he himself stuck his finger into his wounds and into his ribs, I would not believe it. The second time, when Christ appeared before the apostles, in the presence of Thomas, he invited Thomas to do this. After this, Thomas believed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Of course, the Bible is good, but even in our time there are many for whom such a definition fits. No matter what they say or explain, until a person sees and feels it for himself, it’s useless to tell him anything. Such people are usually distrustful and cautious in their actions. So, from mythology we got such a winged expression "Doubting Thomas", though slightly altered in a modern way, “Thomas does not believe,” but, nevertheless, this is our favorite expression.