Date: Wed Oct 2 00:01:06 EDT 2002
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--doubting Thomas
doubting Thomas (DOU-ting TOM-uhs) noun

A person who is habitually doubtful or someone who refuses to believe something until given proof.

[After Saint Thomas, apostle, who doubted Jesus Christ's resurrection
according to the Bible.]

P.S. I tried to find out the basis in the Bible for this
tradition, but was unable to do do.

Speaking of St Thomas, you meet a lot of South Indians with his name. Seems that India was evangelized by the Doubting Thomas himself. I believe Christianity came to India in something like the 5th century. The other common given name I've come across is Winston. (Most of the Indian Christians I've met seem to be from Kerela where they speak Malayalam, not to be confused with Kannada in Karnataka, Telegu in Andhra Pradesh, or Tamil in Tamilnadu.) All four are Dravidian languages (i.e., not genetically related to Sanskrit and Avesta).

not to be confused with Kannada in Karnataka

of course not...

According the Elaine Pagels and other scholars, Thomas's is one of the gospels the Council of Nicæa in the early 4th century thought best not to include in the Bible.

Probably because it shows evidence of being Gnostic, a well-known heresy at the time. (ObLang ref: It exists in a Coptic version. Coptic is important for the reconstruction of the vowel sounds in Egyptian, because hieroglyphs left out the vowel sounds, but the Greek-derived alphabet of the Copts did not.)

John 20:24-28

24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
28Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?passage=John+20&NIV_version=yes&language=english&x=12&y=3

Bingley

The Gospel of Thomas:

http://www.misericordia.edu/users/davies/thomas/Trans.htm

Bingley

Thanks Bingley. Obviously I just didn't hit the right
search words.

thanks, Bing for the links. some really good stuff there. my dad has read voraciously of all the Jesus Seminar material, and has encouraged me to as well, though for lack of time...