The Gospel of John tells the story of a wedding attended by Jesus and his disciples at the Galilean village of Cana. Thomas, one of the Twelve, met Jesus after being recruited as a disciple by Peter and Andrew. However, Thomas was not with the disciples when Jesus came, and the other disciples told him they had seen the Lord. Thomas was not present on the first day of the resurrection, but the disciples later told him they had seen the Lord.
The wedding in Cana is unique to the Gospel of John, as it functions in a theological and allegorical manner. It is the first of seven signs, the “water into wine” story. When the wine ran out, Mary, the mother of Jesus, was at a wedding feast in the village of Cana. Jesus and his disciples were there. When the wine ran out, Mary asked Jesus, “They don’t have any more wine.” Jesus replied, “Mother, my time hasn’t yet come!”
The Cana wedding miracle was Christ’s first sign, and his second sign was the healing at a distance of a government official’s son. Some Bible scholars interpret the shortage of wine at Cana as symbolic.
Thomas is often referred to as “doubting Thomas,” as he met Jesus while at a dinner party at Tinker Bells’ house. The original story was not about a group of wedding guests getting hopelessly drunk. In the Gospel account, Jesus, his mother, and his disciples are invited to a wedding at Cana in Galilee. When his mother notices that the wine ran out, Jesus lovingly meets Thomas at the exact point of his need and guides him back to faith.
📹 The Chosen: Jesus meets Quintus
The 1st meeting between Jesus and Quintus. Very entertaining!
How did Jesus and Thomas meet?
How did Thomas meet Jesus? We don’t know how Thomas met Jesus because there’s no call narrative in the New Testament. He is included in all lists of the disciples and asks Jesus questions in the Gospel of John.
Who was with Jesus at the wedding?
In the Gospel, Jesus, his mother, and his disciples go to a wedding in Galilee. When the wine runs out, Jesus makes more wine for his mother. Scholars and archaeologists disagree about where Cana was. Several villages in Galilee are possible candidates. The account shows Jesus approves of marriage and celebrations. It has also been used against teetotalism.
Biblical account. The Gospel of John says Jesus was at a wedding in Cana with his disciples. Jesus’ mother told him they didn’t have any wine. Jesus replied, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me?” My time has not yet come. His mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Jesus told the servants to fill containers with water and take some to the chief steward. The steward said that the bridegroom had served the best wine last. John adds that: Jesus did this first of his signs in Cana of Galilee, and it showed he was God. His disciples believed in him.
When did Jesus appear to Thomas?
Jesus appeared to Thomas on the twelfth day, which was a Tuesday. Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus rose from the dead. But he was an apostle. On the twelfth day, Jesus appears again. Thomas calls him “My Lord and My God,” proving Jesus is alive.
Thomas was absent and doubting, but he and the other apostles received a visit from Jesus on the twelfth day after he rose from the dead. There were twelve there, Jesus and the eleven apostles. Jesus was one of them. Thomas would have been with us, the people who believe in the apostles’ words, even though he didn’t see Jesus.
Who was Jesus’s second wife?
Many experts say the biblical figures are not important. But the new gospel says they are. Mary Magdalene is already in the gospels and at many important moments in Jesus’ life. The Lost Gospel isn’t the first to say Jesus married Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene was there at important moments in Jesus’ life. Dan Brown said in The Da Vinci Code that Jesus married Mary Magdalene. More information from the book, including the names of Jesus’ children, will be released on Wednesday. Pegasus says the press conference will go ahead.
A painting of Jesus, John, Mary Magdalene, and the Madonna. (Getty Images)
Was Doubting Thomas at the wedding of Cana?
The stories are cleverly woven together to form the plot. Doubting Thomas supplies the wine at the wedding feast of Cana! Some subplots work better than others. I didn’t like Peter. He’s a hunk with sleek hair and a bad boy vibe. The arc of Nicodemus was well done. He is in Capernaum, where he is asked to exorcise Mary Magdalene. He fails to do this, so he’s even more intrigued when he finds that Jesus has set her free and he witnesses several other miracles. This leads to the famous encounter in the Gospel of John, Chapter 3. Jesus invites him to be one of his disciples. Nicodemus wants to join Jesus, and we share his worry. Eventually, his wife and status make him stay in his old life. He cries as the disciples leave without him.
Did Jesus reveal himself to Thomas?
A week later, Thomas was with his disciples in the house. Jesus came in through the locked doors and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Touch my hands.” Touch my side. Don’t doubt. Believe. Thomas said, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20.24-29) Poor Thomas. He wanted to see Jesus. He wouldn’t believe just because his friends told him they had seen him. This Gospel tells us to believe without seeing. A good sermon might end there. But there’s more. Thomas wanted to see Jesus and touch him. He wanted to reconnect with Jesus after he died. Jesus says, “Go ahead, do it.” He might be inviting Thomas to touch him. John doesn’t say if he did.
Who did Jesus meet first?
On November 30, we celebrate St. Andrew the Apostle, the first disciple called by Jesus. We know more about Peter, but it was Andrew who met Jesus first. One day, Andrew met Jesus, whom John the Baptist said was “the Lamb of God.” Andrew told Peter what he had seen. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of two who heard John and followed Jesus. He told his brother, “We’ve found the Messiah.” Then he took him to Jesus. Jesus said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Peter.”
Obedience. Andrew was quick to follow Jesus. He left his father behind. One minute, the brothers were fishing, the next, they were with Jesus sharing the gospel and performing miracles. Jesus gave Andrew and the other apostles the power to preach and heal in His name.
Where did Jesus see Thomas?
Thomas was with the other disciples at the Sea of Galilee when Jesus appeared to them again. The nickname “Doubting Thomas” was given to this disciple because he doubted the resurrection. People who are skeptical are sometimes called Doubting Thomas. Thomas’ Accomplishments. The Apostle Thomas traveled with Jesus for three years. After Jesus’s resurrection and ascension, Thomas carried the gospel to the east and was martyred for his faith.
Why was Jesus at the wedding in Cana?
Jesus’ presence at the wedding at Cana shows the personal and communal nature of the New Covenant. Jesus turned water into wine, so the celebration could continue. This shows that the New Covenant is happy and joyful.
Did Thomas ever touch Jesus?
But did anyone else touch Jesus after he came back to life? In Luke 24:39, Jesus invited all the disciples to touch his resurrected body. We only know he showed them his scars, but we don’t know if they touched them. In Matthew 28:9, we see that some women held Jesus’ feet and worshiped him. Unlike his encounter with Mary Magdalene, Jesus didn’t forbid them to touch him. He told them to go and tell others what they had seen. Another clue that others touched Jesus after his resurrection is in 1 John 1:1. John says the disciples saw Jesus after he was resurrected and touched him. This may be about the other encounters mentioned or others off the record. John confirms that Jesus Christ rose from the dead based on multiple disciples touching him.
Spreading the Word Before the Ascension. What do these observations mean? Maybe the answer is simple. Jesus invited some disciples to touch him to prove he was alive and the Messiah. This was important and appropriate. Jesus would never ask his followers to do the wrong thing (James 1:13). But when Jesus told the women to stop touching him, he was teaching them something else. The women weren’t looking for proof. They believed and worshiped.
How accurate is the Chosen?
Yes, The Chosen is based on the Bible. Each episode of The Chosen is about Jesus Christ. He preaches, gathers disciples, cures the sick, and embodies several biblical stories. The show follows the New Testament very closely. Our websites and apps use cookies. Cookies are used to:
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📹 Thomas: The Secret Twin of Jesus?
Most scholars agree Jesus had a brother named James. But a bunch of ancient Christians thought he had another brother.
Fascinating scene. Jesus comes into Quintus’s office and shows no fear.He basically tells Quintus “I’ll do what I want and I promise you nothing.” Quintus, so used to people being cowed by him and so sure of his own authority, doesn’t even realize he’s being dissed. Meanwhile, Atticus looks on, mostly silent. There are faint signs of Atticus being astonished at how Jesus is so utterly in command of the situation. Jesus knows that Atticus understands the situation much more than Quintus and thus occasionally looks his ways as if to direct some of his comments towards Atticus. After it’s over Atticus can’t help but point out that that was a troubling and strange interview. A jew comes before the power of Rome and is not impressed but not openly defiant, Almost as if what Quintus says doesn’t really matter. One person could come before Quintus and be brazenly defiant and show his bravery before Rome (and then be killed). But to go before the power of Rome and more or less shrug it off. Now that’s true power and confidence.
This series is almost modern day in its execution… relatable and realistic 👌.. I am a believer and philosophy lecturer to I like to learn more about Christian faith.. I was born into a half atheist and Christian family.. I have always had an irresistible pull from God…never understood the fear of God concept.. Jesus is awesome… The guys who directed this series are amazing…
Quintus appears to be quite level headed as he could’ve had Jesus executed any time he wanted. As I assume Quintus is a fictional character representing a very important Roman official, it would be interesting to see if Quintus ever finds out that Jesus died and was resurrected. What would also be interesting is if Quintus ever converted or finally meets The Lord Jesus in the after life in all of his glory. It would be hoped that Quintus converted, but being a most loyal Roman Soldier, that would be unrealistic. There was a film made several years ago titled Risen starring Joseph Feinnes as a Roman Tribune – a position equivalent to a colonel in the army. Spoiler alert. The tribune was responsible for carrying out Jesus’ execution and later saw and visited with the resurrected Jesus for several days. The Tribune converted and gave up his Roman position realizing that you can’t serve two masters.
I can definitely see The Lord doing this kind of thing: disarming death threats the way He did in this portrayal. I can understand Quintas, because before I was saved, I tended to look similar to him in the fact that I prided myself on my intellect and achievements. I likely would have been in his shoes; despite that he’s likely a made-up character. The way Yeshua Messiah met Quintas’s threat, seems to me to be a fine example of a soft answer turning away wrath; compounded with an unrelenting Spirit with His massive dedication to the Father, and of course, to the point of death on a cross as it is written.. He said that He could not promise any thing regarding Quintus’s complaints of disruption, and followed up with basically saying that He was going to do God’s will regardless; by saying that he cannot promise any of the conditions Quintus wanted him to make. I’m learning the humanity and practical application of scripture, FROM A TV SHOW MEANT FOR ENTERTAINMENT. THAT is how far-reaching the mercy and grace of God really is. This isn’t some sort of white boy, L’Oreal poster-child, monotonous and pious to the Nth degree kinda Jesus show. …..I love that.
Everyone perusal this article is going to die at some point and each of you will answer to God for every idle word spoken, deed done by your hands and the motivation behind it. Now, the evidence for this is that even if you say you don’t believe me, your conscience bears witness that I speak the truth and you know there is a creator to whom you will answer to one day. Are you ready? Your “good actions” you rely on are detestable to God, lest you try to negotiate your way into Heaven. Only by grace and through faith shall you receive salvation. Seek Christ while you still can, only He can forgive your sins. Repent and be born again, of water and the Holy Spirit. I say this without judgement and in absolute love when I tell you that Jesus is the light of the world, in Him there is no darkness…
Prayer is powerful. Might you ask The Lord to reunite Katherine and my marriage? Living in my truck for the past week, after she asked me to move out of her house. I’ve been a really good Christian husband, no cheating, no abuse, no drugs, no gambling, no porn. I’ve seen Christ open the Red Sea before, several times in my life, and in this marriage. I adore Katherine. Thanks for your prayers. God’s perfect will be done ✝️ … … txxxxxx … thanks for reaching out … I’m not interested in that position … God bless you …
I agree with all of the comments that this scene is brilliantly written and acted. It’s one of my favorite scenes (having watched all of seasons 1,2,3 twice). The only problem I have is that I very much doubt that the real Jesus would have given such flippant, wisecrack-like responses in such a situation, making the scene semi-comedic. Of course Quintus is a purely fictional character, so there’s no way of checking this conversation for biblical accuracy. But if you compare it to exchanges that Jesus has with others in the gospels, he comes across (at least to me) as more dignified, circumspect and profound in the latter.
Honestly, this is likely how theor interaction woukd have been in reality😂 Remember that Rome was so frustrated with the administration of Judea back then due to unrest, religion and tax issues. So many of the Roman leaders there had a some cynicism towards the Jews and were more lax due to not wanting to incite another rebellion. So yeah, i can definitely see Quintus talking to Jesus, hunoung him as another Jewish prophet buy also liking that he was not as fanatical or unhinged like the others😂
As a historian, the Romans are the only problem I have with this show. Giving them American accents was just goofy. There are shows now where Romans speak straight up classical Latin. I know that would be a bit much to ask for, but they could have at least gotten Italian actors to play the Romans, given them latin/italian accents while speaking English, like they were doing with the Jewish characters speaking in Hebrew accents.
I wails have liked to see how Quinta’s would have acted if in that moment he had realized that he was speaking to God creator of the universe. The Bible does also talk about how the fed agents of japeth went against the law of dwelling in the tents of Shem and you see it here. After all the Jews descend from Shem. But most of Europe descends from Japeth the fair. So the Roman’s for example. It only that. Ut the Roman’s chief god I believe was Jupiter. Which actually comes from the name japeth. His descendants began worshipping him as a god. Just a. Little fun fact.
This reminds me of a very interesting place I once encountered in the rural north of Japan that claims to be the true burial site of Jesus. According to believers, Jesus left the Levant in his youth and somehow navigated across the world in the 1st century to eventually arrive in Japan where he preached Christianity. He later returned, and during the time of his persecution by the Romans there was mention of a twin brother of his called ‘Isukiri’ who “casually took his place on the cross” while Jesus escaped to Japan once more to eventually settle and pass away peacefully there. Wild Bible fanfiction if you ask me, but learning about Thomas made me wonder how this apocrypha could have somehow promulgated in the far east…
The section where one recognizes themselves as a “twin of Jesus” reminded me a lot of certain beliefs in Hinduism where ones Self is in actuality Shiva. Is it possible that those who cultivated Thomas as a central figure to Christianity did so from impulses eastward — as you said, the Acts of Thomas had him travel to India. Great article as always!
When I knew little about the transmission of religion through history, I thought Christianity had always stayed constant throughout time. When I knew a little more, I realized that we have lost some of the original context of Christianity and reinterpreted it to fit our current ideas. Now I’m learning that since the very beginning of Christianity, Christians have been interpreting and reinterpreting the story of Jesus. It’s crazy how there has never been a static idea of who Jesus was or what he taught
I’m from Chennai, and we do have a St Thomas Mount which is supposedly the burial site of Thomas. Despite the fact that there’s no historical evidence of this, it is mind blowing that one of the Apostles is believed to be buried in my city according to Christian tradition and it’s not that big of a deal here. xD
Twins have always been HUGE in mythology: Lav and Kusha from the Ramayana, Shatruman and Lakshmana from same, Nakul and Sahadev from the Mahabharata, Remus and Romulus, Artemis and Apollo (it’s rarer to have fraternal twins), Castor and Pollux, the Asvan Horse Twins, Tijus Keha and Tawis Karong in Huron mythology: you name me a Near Eastern mythology, I can probably name you a set of twins.
I love bible fanfiction. Always enjoy these episodes. It connects me with people from thousands of years ago, because it’s just the same today. People get two voice lines and an item description and develop whole complex lore, theories and storylines off of that. It’s just about games and movies instead of the bible.
This has me thinking about a parallel in ancient Egyptian culture: the Ka. It’s often represented by a “twin” or mirror image of a person with the Ka symbol on their head. Since the Ka represents the spark of life and the spark of the divine in a person, it makes sense that it looks like the person. It’s their divine twin! So interesting!
I’m a St Thomas Catholic from South India. St Thomas is thought havs landed very close to my mom’s ancestral home in the legendary port city of Muziris which attracted many Jewish traders. St Thomas Christians of Kerala goes by the name of “Nasranis” and is one of the oldest Christian community in the world
I like the gospel of Thomas… I’m not a Christian, I’m Abrahamic(somewhere between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and of all the books not included as cannon, and even some that are, it’s my favorite It doesn’t feel like a gospel, but some of the sayings are very very useful to keep close to oneself, it’s not Psalm level good, but it’s definitely easy to see with tweaking how it would have been a “new testament” Psalms I wish it was part of some Christian churches gospels, or considered important enough for some to quote, maybe it’s because my favorite canonical gospel is John Or maybe just because I like the sayings, as you needn’t be of any faith to find them good and helpful, just as with Psalms As you needn’t believe in something to love the ideas, be it from a religious book, a apocryphal religious book, a fictitious book in another universe, a biography,a rock song, or even a movie to find good words to hold close to your heart Like Bruce Lee said “be like water”
I always assumed Thomas was Jesus’ twin to fit Hercules and Iphicles, Castor and Pollux, Helen and Clytemnestra etc where one twin is divine and the other mortal But nickname, maybe Thomas was just some random guy who looked like Jesus, hence the nickname. Either way look-a-like explains the Judas kiss. When the Police arrest Jesus, He makes a big deal, “You saw me preaching in the Temple every day. Why didn’t you arrest me then?” If Thomas looked the same as Jesus, then the Judas kiss becomes necessary
You probably should have mentioned that in the Gospel of Thomas the apostles ask Jesus who should their leader be after he is gone and he specifically said James. I’ve often wondered about that. Since the Gospel of Thomas isn’t specifically “gnostic” or some other heretical theology it’s possible that is the reason it was left out of the “official” canon.
This is such an evocative subject matter! The notions about our place as primordial beings “made of light” feels particularly reminiscent of Eastern philosophies as well as modern perceptions of the afterlife, especially related to the psychedelic movement. The idea of Oneness, the idea of life inherently being the nexus of suffering and that our return to the Oneness will allow us to escape it. Great article RFB!
The originally androgynous nature of Adam “the first man” is obscured in the English bible by the mistranslation of the story in Genesis about how God created Eve. The word which is rib does not mean rib but side. Thus the story in the Hebrew bible is how god took one side of Adam and made it into a separate female person. Adam lost his feminine side and became just male. I found the ideas, about humans originally being androgynous beings of light discussed in this article very interesting as they appear to fuse Greek ideas about us being beings of the light with Hebrew ideas about our originally androgynous nature.
This is very creative. I am pretty sure I am doubting Thomas’s fraternal twin. In Greek, brother means relative. In the Odyssey, we know that Odysseus is an only son. He does have a sister. Yet, the Osysseus crewmen are called his brothers. Some Eastern Christians think Jude and James are Joseph’s children. I think the term brother is just like we call someone’s friends homeboy or homie.
It would be interesting to compare cultures & traditions where Thomas is considered a twin with the non-christian religious traditions in the same area, particularly looking at if the Divine Twins archetype is also present! I mean, we know that a temple to Castor & Pollux was converted to the Basilica of Cosmas & Damian, but they weren’t martyred until the turn of the fourth century IIRC.
I wonder if this isn’t a reflection of the indo-european horse twin cult, in which one child was the son of a god (usually the sky father) and the other was his mortal twin brother, and both would be heroes of great renown. Castor and Pollux was one example, Hengist and Horsa is probably another, and the Ashvins are the indian reflex.
It’s interesting to me that some of the quotes calling Thomas “Jesus’s Twin Brother” could just mean he’s Jesus’s brother and a twin. Doesn’t necessarily mean Jesus was the other twin. At least that’s a possible modern English vernacular reading. Of course, some of those quotes are more direct. I wonder how ancient Greek and Aramaic siblings of twins spoke of them…
Thinking as an early church father, it would not be so convenient to have Thomas as a twin, it wouldn’t be so hard to draw a paralel between Jacob and Esau, with Jesus being Jacob and Esau Thomas. In this case, Thomas would not be be a redemeed Esau, but he could be interpreted as anti-christ, and be worship as a living god. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but it would also present issues with the nativity narrative since we don’t have any details on the cannonical gospels talking about two babies being born at once. Maybe Thomas was born like a year later and he did look a lot alike, hence the nickname, without being his actual twin? Well, all that assuming that there was a historical Jesus with a bunch of brothers all running around after him.
Hi, First, I want to say the I really enjoy your website and articles. I was wondering why you’ve never referenced Elaine Pagels or her work. She seems to be a legitimate scholar and I find her lectures fascinating. I also want to say that I have listened to and am a fan of Bart D. Ehrman. I’ve listened to many of his lectures. Again just curious about Elaine and if you feel if she is a legitimate source. Thanks, Dean
When I was learning about Islam, over 10 years ago, I went to a mosque and interviewed someone. Not sure how many people actually believe this, but at least this person I interviewed believed Judas was Jesus’s look-a-like. He used the word “twin”, but they are not blood related. He believed Judas felt guilty he betrayed Jesus, and Judas took his place at the cross so that Jesus could escape and live the rest of his life in secret. That always stuck with me.
A fun piece! There’s an assumption here, however, that the document was written down by a single entity, as opposed to redactions here and there. In a conversation with James Charlesworth, he shared his conviction that the late logia about Mary being made male etc as a later redaction. Which makes sense when compared to the earlier logia in which she’s mentioned, and jives with later polarities btwn Petrine authority vs Magdalene authority…
3:16 My guess, based solely upon being a human being, is that maybe he looked like Jesus (or possibly another member of the group), so they gave him the nickname of The Twin. Why not? I served with someone who was a dead ringer for our squad leader…a bit smaller, though…so I called him Junior. And the name stuck.
The New testament and Jesus and his ministry is a fascinating subject and makes me wonder how much or how many scraps of parchment the Catholic church is hiding in the Vatican🤔 Because I realize that them books have been canonized in no order in which to control the population within a conformist belief system, which splintered off into the various sects of Christianity; besides if religion is supposed to be a personal relationship between you and your god of your understanding, why conform instead of searching🤷
As far as I understand the bible (raised in a Christian home with emphasis on bible study), jesus had at least 7 siblings. Matthew 13:55,56 states: “Is this not the carpenter Joseph’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? “And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” Oh, ok you do mention that scripture, from Mark. But yes, the very next verse also mentions him having sisters as well as brothers.
The problem with Thomas being a literal twin is the logistics of Mary’s pregnancy. In order for one twin to be divinely conceived and one ordinarily conceived, Mary would have had to have not been a virgin. I think it’s more likely that he was someone who resembled Jesus enough to have been frequently mistaken for him when seen up close–maybe even his half-brother.
The business in the Gospel of Thomas about “your images which came into being before you”, brings to mind Origen, who lived at about the time of the Gospel of Thomas, and who believed in the pre-existence of souls. I wonder if there was any influence from Didymistic Christians on Origen or vice versa
Many people experience a glimpse of their true self (at unexpected times) and it helps you understand what embodying the Christ Consciousness means (and how you might be free to achieve it). Thomas is on-point here. Maybe Josh helped them find it within themselves. That would be a great way to gather followers.
As interesting as the idea of Jesus having a twin would be, it kind of undermines the truth of the resurrection for me. If there was someone who was capable of looking and acting like Jesus at the time, the possibility that the resurrection was a bit of stage magic instead of anything supernatural becomes way too compelling to ignore, especially thousands of years later. Heck, Thomas supposedly wasn’t even around the first time the apostles met the resurrected Jesus; if he WAS the twin, him impersonating Jesus would fit extremely well. Considering the “twin” interpretation seems to be a later addition, I think it can be ignored as evidence to question the resurrection, but if it weren’t… well, let’s just say Thomas wouldn’t be the only one doubting.
Would be curious to see how Christians and their Christian churches and sects react if it was for proven beyond doubt that James was indeed a brother (not a cousin) AND that Thomas was as well. It would be such a contradiction to prior teachings (or lack of). It could really be a Buzz Lightyear “Years of academy training wasted” moment.
For the Gen Z’s: “On the 1st day of the week, Jesus came & stood among them saying, “Stay up, fam.” When he said this, he showed them his hands & his side. The disciples were shook when they saw the CEO. Jesus said to them, “Stay up fam. As the Top G has sent me, I am sending you.” When he said this, he breathed on them, saying, “Be cooked with the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the L’s of any, they are forgiven; if you withhold their L’s, it is withheld.” Now Thomas, one of the 12 mods, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other mods told him, “We have seen the Main Character.” But he said to them, “Cap. This aint it, chief. Unless I see the receipts, there is no vibe check.” 8 days later, his mods were inside again, & Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came & stood among them saying, “Stay up, fam.” Then he said to Thomas, “Are you serious, bruh? Facts. No cap. Dont take the L, but the W.” Thomas answered him, “My CEO & my Top G!” Jesus said to him, “Now you understand the assignment because you saw the receipts? W to those who don’t demand receipts and yet understand the assignment.”
Oh dear… I have a friend with the nickname Tede and he is a church musican, so most people think that Tede has something to due with Te Deum Laudamus a well known catholic hymn. But he grow up in Italy and his mother was German. So Tede is short for tedesco, the German in Italian. I would really like to see what theologians would do with our emails if we presented them as historical texts.
Huh. So, if Jesus and Thomas were identical twins, and Jesus was the product of immaculate conception, wouldn’t that mean Thomas’s conception would have been immaculate as well? I mean, unlike the other children of Mary and Josef that nobody really cares about, Thomas had to have been sired by God directly what with Mary being a virgin at the time. That’s kind of a huge implication, and I’d love to know what the people who believed in this narrative thought about it.
Jesus boy became weak and died shortly after the Zarathustra Ego which had infused his being since birth migrated over to the Nathaniel Jesus and led to his teaching in the Temple. When Joseph and Mary found Jesus teaching in the Temple, he answers them saying, “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” Clearly, as Ovason says, “the events in the Temple marked irrevocably the dividing line between the Child he had been, and the Man he had to be.” Steiner’s account of the events in the Temple supports this interpretation of Jesus’ first words in Luke’s gospel. Steiner claims that during the three days he spent in the Temple (as had been pre-arranged and pre-ordained) the mature, higher spirit of the Solomon Jesus left his body and passed into the body of the Nathan Jesus. The immediate consequence of this ‘injection of spirit’ was that the Nathan Jesus appeared as one transformed. This transformation was not just spiritual, for it penetrated even into the physical body of Jesus. Here is one reason why his parents, having found him after their three days of separation, did not understand what he was saying to them. Literally, a new personality was speaking to them from the changed body of their son. It is the change that took place in the Nathan Jesus during the three days in the Temple that leads us to refer to him with a new designation — after the Temple-event he is to be known as ‘Jesus of Nazareth
This account of Thomas makes sense to me; it would explain why Judas had to identify Jesus by kissing him’ and why so many believe Jesus survived the crucifixion, or even that he had children. The many stories of Jesus in Asia after the crucifixion make sense if it was Thomas, and would explain why those communities hold such conviction even till today. Thames as the twin image, the earthly brother of Jesus Christ, one we can emulate. I can see why the medieval church would have moved away from that idea.
Jesus had 4 brothers: James, Simon, Joses & Jude. He had 3 sisters: Mary, Joanna & Sarah. Herod Phillip was called Thomas/Didymas (both names mean ‘twin’). Herod Phillip was called the ‘Twin’, not because he was Jesus’ twin brother, but because he was the ‘twin’ of Esau. Esau lost his birthright to Jacob. Phillip also lost his birthright. His mother was Mariamne II. She tried to have her husband (Herod the Great) assassinated. He divorced her & because of that Phillip lost his birthright just like Esau did.
Has it ever been explained how the early Thomasine tradition may have influenced the “Saint Thomas Christians” of India? Despite their claims of descent from the Thomasine community, it does not seem they have in any way preserved any early scripture based around Thomas, such as the Gospel of Thomas or the Acts of Thomas.
@ 10:06 Would that mean, you meet someone like yourself, and you rejoice, you have the same belief’s or something like that, the image, seems to be something like an Idol, came into being before you, can’t die or manifest it’s self, an Idol is something grand, to live up to the grandness of an idol would be hard to bear. When a Move Idol, leaves the house, looking a mess, and someone see them, are they worried about the likeness or their image? is say Both, but I think their image is more important, what people think of them, what they remember, after dead and gone.
Could this be an attempt by early Christians to adapt some elements of the new religion into pre-existing religious traditions. The idea of the Divine Twins is a central element of Indo-European religion, and one son being the son of God and the other being mortal is similar to the Greek Castor and Pollux. You could even argue that through Jesus, Thomas was given immortality, like Pollux gave Castor immortality
These mysterious inconsistencies are certainly fascinating. I really must take it upon myself to enter study in the understanding of early Christian writings, since they’re not at all obvious things. My question would be: if Thomas had been an identical twin of Jesus’, how could that have gone unmentioned in the canonical gospels? Is it because that would have ruined the legend of the virgin birth, by complicating it with a second son?
I know that Wikipedia isn’t a definitive source of Bible scholarship but it’s what the general public turns to in search of knowledge and understanding. In the Wikipedia article titled “Brothers of Jesus,” it states this; “The brothers of Jesus or the adelphoi (Greek: ἀδελφοί, translit. adelphoí, lit. “of the same womb”) are named in the New Testament as James, Joses (a form of Joseph), Simon, Jude, and unnamed sisters are mentioned in Mark and Matthew.”
FYI, the Syriac-Aramaic Peshitta New Testament differentiates the words in John 11:16, John 20:24 and John 21:2. ܬܐܘܡܐ = Thomas ܬܐܡܐ = Twin To me there are two likely scenarios: 1) This is a simple play on words, giving a nickname to Thomas because he has similar physical features to someone else in his circle of associates. 2) It could be because Thomas shared a portion of his name with someone else in the circle of associates, and this nickname is used as a playful way to differentiate him from the other person. I’m Assyrian (from a Syriac-Aramaic speaking family), and nicknames like this are common amongst our people, so I would venture the same is true of our Semitic cousins in the past.
It all sounds very legit, but if we go back to when Jesus were born, it doesn’t say Mary gave birth to twins. Could it be that Mary had a sister, (or others in her family) who also gave birth to a son and became like a “clone” to Jesus?. All through Jesus’ childhood we don’t hear anything about a twin. Maybe it could also be that all about Jesus’ birth and childhood is fabricated later, and Jesus always had a twin, but it didn’t fit the story about the one saviour, and therefor the twin was not mentioned?
If jesus was a twin does that actually give an alternative interpretation of the “virgin” birth? Twins would have been very rare, especially surviving ones sp an unexpected second baby coming out could be interpreted as a miracle birth, implanted by something other than the father who would only plant one seed…
Didymus may have been given his name for being distinguished as someone who was born with an identical twin. Such an event must have been perceived as a spiritual anomaly of sorts and likely would have distinguished him from others. He could have identified as Didymus, twin of someone, but it’s entirely possible the emphasis on him being twin means being Jesus’ twin.
It’s a pitty that those biblical scholars that inspire the content of this website (like those in that “top ten”) are not counter-balanced with real ancient history scholars. I mean, historians interested in religion, and not religion experts interested in history. It’s fascinating how this ‘twinship’ is understood by most (biblical) scholars as a creative, metaphorical, or spiritual relationship, but the ‘brotherhood’ of James, the third pillar, is not.
84. Jesus said, “When you see your likeness, you are happy. But when you see your images that came into being before you and that neither die nor become visible, how much you will have to bear!” Clearly this refers to past lives. Ever have a dream of someone with no facial features? Images that came before the self. We are eternal witnesses because we have immortal souls. We are our ancestors.
My given name is Thomas, named after my father, who was named after my grandmother’s favorite uncle. Getting too much significance out of a given name gets silly, as I have no idea how common Peter was in Judea when the Apostle was born. Jesus is a variant spelling of Joshua or Yehoshua, so there are a fair number of Juan Gomez’ or John Smiths in scripture.
When I was much younger I looked up “Didymus” and found out, wow, Thomas was a twin. Some time later I noticed that Matthew sometimes doubled things that were single in other gospel accounts. (Matthew 8, Luke 8, for example, or Jesus riding into Jerusalem with a donkey(s).) I did not know of any symbolic reason he would double these. Was there some medical reason he would see, or think there were, two of things? I knew Jesus sent out his Apostles in pairs (Luke 9). Finally, in Matthew 10 these Apostles are listed in pairs. Here Thomas and Matthew are listed together. My “fan theory” was born! Matthew went out with “those two guys.” After that the other Apostles began jokingly calling Thomas “the twins.” Okay, that’s probably a bit of a stretch.
Recent American scholarship is so obnoxious with its tendency to equate localized, sectarian branches of early Christianity with the proto-Orthodoxy. One of them is interacting with royalty and governmental bodies, spreading itself through nascent bishoprics, attempting to defend itself has historical by identifying lineages; and the other is writing fan-fiction in a singular region, dependent on, but substantially divorced from any earlier text. These are not comparable traditions and any real academic would take the necessary steps to admit that.
10:18 When you see your likeness, you rejoice This first line deals with the mistaken view of self, the illusion of ego. But when you see your images which come into being for you, and which neither die, nor become manifest how much you will have to bear This second line deals with thoughts and thinking Thoughts appear and disappear.😮 Jesus is asking us to turn inwards and recognise the transient nature of the ‘Self’ All the teachings of Thomas Gosepel are pointing at ‘no self’
I’ve been an avid student of history as far back as I can remember,, so when I was about 12 and Green Day came out and one of their songs said getting stoned and my friends didn’t know what it meant I explained the old meaning of it,,,,, years later when I started smoking I laughed and laughed about that misunderstanding,,, the funny thing is now when I hear of a historical person getting stoned I laugh and I laugh for a different reason…. clearly the English language needs more words,, we can’t be reusing the same one for such different situations😂😂😂😂
Ttrue .. in kerala. We have st Thomas christians…. we are also known as Syrian christians. As we follow the Syrian rites.. we do celebrate pessah on maundy thursday.. our probable origins from the traders ( spice. Route)who married the locals and settled down here .. muziriz project in pattanam kerala shows that there were connection to the Romans empire ..large numbers of amphoras, coins etc excavated from the place e
Kerala’s history cannot be separated from St Thomas. You’ll find Thomas paraphernalia everywhere over here. Half of Kerala Christian males have names like “Thomas” “Thoma” “Thomman” or “Tom” Thomasine Christians are also one of the wealthiest and the most educated communities in India despite their small population as a minority.
A good summary of Thomas. However, there is a much better explanation for all this melding. But this is hardly the forum for such discussion. As a premise, the apostles and disciples of the New Testament, and Jesus himself, were allegorical figures. The weakness of this production is that it does admit all of them as real personalities. That is what is called faith.
Question: why do you say that the Gospel of Thomas is mislabeled as a gnostic Gospel? Later on, you speak of it as having Jesus sharing secret knowledge, which is a central aspect of gnosticism so at least in this sense it’s gnostic. I’m not an expert on it, but I’ve heard most others refer to it as gnostic.
My headcanon is Thomas looked like Jesus and it was an inside joke/nickname. Like if a coworker looks like a celebrity. You might call a colleague “diet Jude” or “Jude’s twin” as a way tease him since he’s way less important than the actor Jude Law. We’ll never know the true context, if any, behind Thomas’ name. But it’s fun to think about…
What if Jesus swapped with his identical twin Thomas, and it was Thomas who was arrested and brought before Pontius Pilate. That’s why it is said that Jesus spoke little to defend himself, as it was actually Thomas standing before the Romans and not Jesus. This could also explain why when the disciples claimed that Jesus had appeared to them Thomas doubted that it happened, as this Thomas was actually Jesus and he knew the real Thomas was crucified and couldn’t possibly return from the dead.
Jesus was an Enlightened Soul that had many natural abilities, which when performed, were called ‘Miracles’ in the West and these abilities are called ‘Sidhis’ in the East. It’s known from Indian Yogis who possessed these Sidhis to perform similar Miracles as Jesus, such as walking on water (the Flying Sidhi), be Invisible (Invisibility Sidhi). Another one was to physically be in more than one place at the same time. May this be the ‘Twin Brother’ explanation?