Patristic Interpretation of the Scriptural Witness Regarding Saint Thomas the Apostle
The Apostle Thomas has become, in popular culture at least, the quintessential doubter and example of unbelief. Is this view of St. Thomas a realistic summation of his person, or nothing more than a caricature? What does the Scripture say about him, and how do the saints of the Church understand these Scriptural verses?
When someone begins reading what the Church has said about Saint Thomas, they find out very quickly that the Church never stated things so simply as popular culture today does. In fact, what the Church says of Saint Thomas, including the various traditions handed down about him, is quite the opposite the caricature that has become entrenched in popular culture. Certainly there was the episode after the resurrection of Christ our God, when Thomas did indeed have doubts: yet for the saints this was not something to condemn Thomas for, but was something of value for all of us.
Saint Thomas spent his early life in purity and asceticism (cf The Lives of the Holy Apostles, [Holy Apostles Convent, 1988], pp. 185, 188). As with most of the Apostles, very little is told of Saint Thomas in the Scriptures concerning his personal life. Most of the mentions of the Apostle Thomas in the Scriptures aren't really relevant for this post; Thomas being named as being among the other Apostles (Matt. 10:3; Mk. 3:18; Lk. 6:15; Jn. 21:2), for instance, doesn't really establish anything we don't know.
In one passage in the Gospel according to Saint John (Jn. 14:5), we find Thomas asking a question before Christ our God makes one of his most important statements, but even this does not really teach us very much about Saint Thomas. However, elsewhere in the Gospel of John we do find the passages that help us to understand St. Thomas (in fact, there are more verses mentioning St. Thomas in the Gospel of John than in the 3 other Gospels combined).
The first passage to consider is found in the eleventh chapter of the Gospel of John: "Then Thomas, the one who was called Didymos, said to his fellow disciples, 'Let us also go, that we might die with Him.'" (Jn. 11:16) There is some dispute as to what the motive was for Thomas saying this. The book The Lives of the Holy Apostles by Holy Apostles Convent, for instance, sees this remark by St. Thomas as demonstrating that he was "a good and faithful servant of his Master" (p. 185). I must admit that this was how I took the verse every time I had read it as well.
Saint John Chrysostom gives a totally opposite interpretation of the passage, however. He says that: "the expression is rather one of cowardice," (Homily 62 on John) making similar comments elsewhere as well (cf Homily 73 on John; Homily 5 on 1 Corinthians). It must be noted, however, that Saint John quickly adds: "Yet he was not rebuked, for Christ as yet supported his weakness, but afterwards he became stronger than all, and invincible." (Homily 62 on John)
Whatever the reason for the words by St. Thomas in Jn. 11:16, everyone agrees that he became one of the boldest, most faithful servants of Christ our God after the resurrection. That is, after Thomas had been assured that Christ had trampled death by death, he became "stronger than all, and invincible". But indeed, there was one episode that transpired before Thomas could be assured: and it is because of this passage, Jn. 20:24-29, that Thomas has been caricatured in popular thought.
Before going into what the Fathers thought of the passage, though, it would perhaps to make two comments about what might have been going through the mind of St. Thomas at the time. First, Jesus had explicitly told the Apostles: "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." (Matt. 24:23-25; Mk. 13:21-23).
Second, with this warning from Christ himself in his ears, St. Thomas might have very well remembered the words of the father in Mk. 9:24: "Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief". Indeed, our Orthodox tradition teaches us that, if we see what we think to be a vision, or apperance of someone thought to be dead, that we should be extremely cautious, and that our cautious though faithful approach will be respected and will certainly not interrupt the vision/apperance if it is indeed sent from God. With these thoughts in mind let us read the passage:
"But Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymos, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore were saying to him, 'We have seen the Lord.' But he said to them, 'Unless I should see in His hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into His side, in no wise will I believe.' And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Then cometh Jesus, the doors having been shut, and He stood in the midst, and said, 'Peace be to you.' The he saith to Thomas, 'Bring thy finger here, and behold My hands; and bring they hand, and put it into My side. And cease being unbelieving, but believing.' And Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God.' And Jesus said to him, 'Because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed; blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.'" - Jn. 20:24-29
The Father's teaching on this passage is varying, though most intepret the passage with a positive light shining on (or from) St. Thomas. For many Church Fathers, the passage was a sort of proof text to use against the gnostic who claimed that Jesus had not had a real body, but had been essentially a phantom. Thomas' question, and Jesus' response, gave explicit evidence of both the fact that Jesus had a body while on earth, and that their had (and would be for us) a bodily--and not just spiritual--resurrection.
Saint Ignatius, for examples, says: "And I know that He was possessed of a body not only in His being born and crucified, but I also know that He was so after His resurrection, and believe that He is so now..." and then went on to give various scriptures that demonstrated this, including Jn. 20:27-28. (Epistle to the Smyrnaeans, 3) Many others saw exactly the same thing (and the same value) in this passage, including Ireneaus (Against Heresies, 5, 7, 1 and 5, 31, 2), Tertullian (On the Soul, 17), Jerome (Letter 108, 24), and the heretic Origen (Against Celcus, 2, 61-63)*.
While the Tractate of Augustine which deals with the passage in question (Tractate 121 on John) does not really reveal anything relevant, we find more pertinent words elsewhere in his writings. In Tractate 16 on John, for instance, Saint Augustine says that "the Lord censured" Thomas. Yet, in another place, Augustine emphasises that Christ "did not spurn" Thomas, but instead "sought to heal the wounds of his mind" (Against the Epistle of Manichæus Called Fundamental, 16, 8 ) It is not clear (to me) whether Augustine changed his mind, or thought both (that Christ both censured him but did not wholly spurn him).
Either way, it is clear that Augustine didn't see the doubts expressed by Thomas as the infamous words society seems to view them as today, but saw the situation as being very much more complex. What's more, the interpretation of some Fathers adds yet other levels of complexity to the situation, as when Saint Cyril notes that not only Thomas doubted, but that many (if not all) of the Apostles doubted: "Then after He had risen He entered through closed doors, but they believed not that it was He, for they supposed that they beheld a spirit. But He said, Handle Me and see. Put your fingers into the print of the nails, as Thomas required. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, Have ye here anything to eat? And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and honeycomb." (Catechetical Lectures, 14, 11)
The fullest treatment of this passage (of a Father that we will quote) came from Saint John Chrysostom. Like Augustine, his views tend to go in many different directions, have a view hat is completely opposite the shallow caricature of Thomas held by some. Saint John says that Saint Thomas can be, to some extent, "held to blame" because "he believed not the Apostles... not sure mistrusting them, as deeming the thing impossible." Yet, admitting that Thomas lapsed, Saint John said that "Christ did not deprive him" of his wish, but "fulfilled his desire". However, the condescension to Thomas' unbelief came with a "sharp rebuke". (Homily 87 on John) **
Having gone over all of this, and admitting that the person of St. Thomas is indeed complex (and we haven't even gone into some of the interesting things he did not recorded in the Scripture!) Saint Gregory the Great probably sums up best what the overall Orthodox position has been: "When the doubting disciple touched the wounds in his Mastery's body, He cured the wounds of our unbelief. Thomas' unbelief was of more advantage to our faith than the faith of the believing disciples, because when he was led bck to faith by touching Jesus, our minds were relieved of all doubt and made firm in faith." (Homily 25, Forty Gospel Homilies, 206-207). Saint Leo the Great says something similar, noting that the doubts of Thomas have "profited us all". (Sermon 34, 3)
Following along these last two Fathers, the hymnographers of our Church have often noted the positive aspect to the passage in which Thomas showed doubt. For example:
"O amazing wonder! John leaned on the breast of the Word, but Thomas was found worthy to handle his side." - John the Monk, Sunday of Thomas, At Great Vespers, At the Aposticha. Idiomel Stichera (Tone 4.)
"He [Thomas] tasted gall, healing the tasting of old; but now with honeycomb Christ gives the Forefather a share in illumination and his sweet participation. You rejoice as you are searched; because for this, O Lover of mankind, you invited Thomas, offering your side to the disbelieving world, confirming, O Christ, your Rising on the third day. The Twin, drawing wealth, O Benefactor, from the inviolate treasure of your side pierced by the lance, has filled the whole world with wisdom and knowledge. Your all-blest tongue is hymned, O Twin, for, being filled with grace from the touch, it was the first to devoutly proclaim Jesus the Giver of life to be God and Lord." - John the Monk, Sunday of Thomas, Canon To the Apostle Thomas, Ode 4, Troparia
"As the disciples were in doubt, the Savior came on the eighth day to where they were gathered and granted them peace, and cried unto Thomas: Come, O Apostle, and feel the palms in which they fastened the nails. O good unbelief of Thomas, which hath led the hearts of the faithful to knowledge! Hence, he cried out with fear: O my Lord and my God, glory be to Thee." - Sticheron from Lord I have cried, Vespers for St. Thomas Sunday
* Though we should of course use caution when reading Origen, it must be admitted that he does makes a number of interesting and insightful points during his interpretation of the passage in his Commentary on the Gospel of John, 10, 27. These comments have not been included here because they are not really relevant to the subject at hand.
** Saint John also speaks of this this verse in Homily 6 on 1 Corinthians, but the content is not really relevant here.
