Thomas, Apostle, Saint, active 1st century

Thomas the Apostle (Greek: Θωμᾶς, romanized: Thōmâs; Aramaic ܬܐܘܡܐ, romanized: Tʾōmā, meaning "the twin"), also known as Didymus (Greek: Δίδυμος, romanized: Dídymos, meaning "twin"), was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "Doubting Thomas" because he initially doubted the resurrection of Jesus Christ when he was told of it (as is related in the Gospel of John); he later confessed his faith ("My lord and my God") on seeing the places where the wounds appeared still fresh on the holy body of Jesus after the Crucifixion of Jesus. While it is often assumed he touched the wounds in art and poetry, the scriptures do not say that he touched the wounds, merely that Jesus invited him to do so, with it being unclear if he actually felt them. According to traditional accounts of the Saint Thomas Christians of modern-day state of Kerala in India, Saint Thomas travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, travelling as far as Kerala in South India, and reached Muziris (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in Kerala State) in AD 52. He started the Assyrian Church of the East in Ankawa, Assyria in Upper Mesopotamia, probably sometime between late AD 30's and AD 45, and spent many years evangelizing both Jews and pagans in the area before heading further east in the late AD 40's. In 1258, some of the relics were brought to Ortona, in Abruzzo, Italy, where they have been held in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle. He is regarded as the patron saint of India among its Christian adherents, and the Feast of Saint Thomas on July 3 is celebrated as Indian Christians' Day. The name Thomas remains quite popular among the Saint Thomas Christians of the Indian subcontinent. Many churches in the Middle East and southern Asia, besides India, also mention Apostle Thomas in their historical traditions as being the first evangelist to establish those churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, as well as the early church of Sri Lanka.