Why is thomas called the twin

We simply do not have enough information to answer this question. Pope Benedict, in a reflection on Thomas in , mentioned the etymology of the name but added, "The reason for this nickname is unclear.

One recent speculation is that Thomas' name was not actually derived from the Aramaic word for twin, but sounded enough like it that it became a nickname. Judea had long been part of the Seleucid Empire, and a very common Macedonian name was Ptolemy, which, in Aramaic, was rendered as Talmai or Talmais.

That might explain why he was also known as Judas , which basically identified him as Judean; because there was a desire to make it clear that he was of Judaic rather than Greek descent.

Note that Bartholomew, the name of the Apostle who may have traveled to India with Thomas after Jesus' crucifixion, is believed to derive from bar Talmai, meaning "son of Ptolemy". This explanation depends on the later texts that identify him as Judas Thomas, so it has not won much support.

At least one minister has suggested that in his doubts, Thomas is the twin of all of us. Could be me, could be you. Could be each of us and all of us together, as we summon the courage to doubt our doubts, as we read and study the gospel seeking answers to questions. As you all know, Aramaic was the language of first century Israel Check here for more information - Why didn't the Jews understand "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani"?

In Aramaic, the name "Thomas" is "Tauma. In Aramaic, "Tauma who was called Taama" will become "Thomas who was called Didymus" in Greek losing the wordplay and the meaning becomes more obscure. For more information on this, check Yukhanan Chapter 11 at www.

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Asked 8 years, 8 months ago. Active 2 years, 11 months ago. Viewed 80k times. Can anyone run through the different possibilities, and their level of support and acceptance? Thomas, unfortunately, misses the whole event, and declares afterwards: "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe" John After eight days, Jesus appears to them again, and this time Thomas is a bit more fortunate.

What takes St. Thomas from "I will not believe" to "my Lord and my God"? How do all of the disciples go from cowering behind closed doors to proclaiming the Risen Lord boldly throughout the entire world? The Lord gives them and us two things: His peace "Peace be with you," and , and the gift of the Holy Spirit "He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit,'" It's with the peace of Jesus in our hearts, and the forgiveness that comes from the gift of the Holy Spirit, that we find our voice as Christians.

The disciples go from cowering behind closed doors, afraid of what the Jewish authorities will do to them, to public prayer, healing and preaching.

When the peace and love of Jesus invades our hearts, we don't worry about what others may think. According to Origen, St. Thomas travelled through Syria and Persia, spreading the Gospel. We also know that he ended up in India, where his relics reside to this day.

Christians in India have a particularly strong devotion to St. Thomas the Apostle. Following in St. Thomas' footsteps, let us receive from Jesus His peace, and let us give to others His peace. Let us live in His love, so that we may follow in the footsteps of St. Thomas and the other apostles in their faith and their witness to Him. The first concerns his exhortation to the other Apostles when Jesus, at a critical moment in his life, decided to go to Bethany to raise Lazarus, thus coming dangerously close to Jerusalem Mk His determination to follow his Master is truly exemplary and offers us a valuable lesson: it reveals his total readiness to stand by Jesus, to the point of identifying his own destiny with that of Jesus and of desiring to share with him the supreme trial of death.

Thus, Christian life is defined as a life with Jesus Christ, a life to spend together with him. What takes place between the Apostle and his Christians must obviously apply first of all to the relationship between Christians and Jesus himself: dying together, living together, being in his Heart as he is in ours.

A second intervention by Thomas is recorded at the Last Supper. Thus, it is primarily to Thomas that he makes this revelation, but it is valid for all of us and for every age. Every time we hear or read these words, we can stand beside Thomas in spirit and imagine that the Lord is also speaking to us, just as he spoke to him.

At the same time, his question also confers upon us the right, so to speak, to ask Jesus for explanations. We often do not understand him. In such a way, with this frankness which is the true way of praying, of speaking to Jesus, we express our meagre capacity to understand and at the same time place ourselves in the trusting attitude of someone who expects light and strength from the One able to provide them.