St. Thomas in the Gospel of John

Abstract

In the Synoptic gospels, Thomas is not given any special prominence. One finds his name only in the list of the twelve disciples of Jesus (Mt 10:3; Mk 3:18; Lk 6:15). Like most of the disciples in these gospels, Thomas is very much a faceless figure. However, that is not the case in the Gospel of John, where Thomas is given great prominence. Thomas is one of the three disciples who are presented as ideal or model disciples, the other two being Peter and “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (Jn 13:23; 19:26; 21:7, 20), generally identified with John, the author of the fourth gospel. Ideal or model disciples means that their faith, their relationship with Jesus, the values they stand for, are to be emulated and imitated by believers. They stand as models for all followers of Jesus of all times. All these three are found in several texts in the gospel of John.