There are non-canonical Gnostic writings dating from the 200s AD which say the apostle Thomas was Jesus’ twin brother. Here we’ll see whether or not the New Testament (NT) substantiates that relation.
The name Thomás (Strongs g2381, Greek), the apostle/disciple, occurs twelve times in the NT. In Mt.10:3; Mk.3:18; Lk.6:15; Jn.11:16, 14:5, 20:24, 26-29, 21:2. Ac.1:13 “They went to the upper room where they were staying; Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James of Alpháeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas of James.” Eleven apostles were there in the upper room after Jesus’ ascension. The only one of Jesus’ original twelve apostles missing was Judas Iscariót.
The Aramaic name Táoma/Thomas means ‘twin’. The counterpart in Greek is Dídymus, meaning ‘twin’. Of the twelve occurrences of the name Thomas in the NT, eight are in John’s gospel. Jn.11:16 RSV “Thomas, called the Twin [Didymus g1324], said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” At the Sea of Tiberius/Galilee in Jn.21:2 KJV, “There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, Nathanaél of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedée, and two other of His disciples”. (Thomas too was probably a Galilean fisherman. Nathanael was the Bartholomew of Ac.1:13, the son or “bar” of Ptolemy/Tholmái. The sons of Zebedee were James & John.)
John is the only NT book to identify Thomas as a twin/Didymus (g1324); in Jn.11:16, 20:24, 21:2. The apostle Thomas was a twin, according to John.
But neither John nor any other NT book tells the identity of Thomas’ twin brother (or sister)!
Eusebius (265–340 AD), church historian and bishop of Caesárea, referred to the apostle Thomas as a man named Judas, who was called Thomas/Didymus/twin. “After the ascension of Jesus, Judas, who is also called Thomas, sent to him Thaddáeus, an apostle.” According to Syriac tradition, Thomas was a third apostle with the name Judas (not Iscariot, and not the Judas called Thaddaeus, cf. Ac.1:13 & Mt.10:3). This Judas’ surname or nickname was Thomas/Didymus (twin).
However, in the NT the name Judas isn’t anywhere connected to the name Thomas. Jn.14:22 “Judas, not Iscariot, said to Him, ‘Lord, how is it that You will reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” John in his gospel distinguishes the apostle “Judas not Iscariot” (the Thaddaeus/Lebbaeus/large-hearted of Mt.10:3 & Mk.3:18) from the apostle Thomas (seen in Jn.11:16, 14:5, 20:24, 26-29, 21:2). Also see the topic “Jesus’ Twelve Apostles”.
If Syriac tradition and Eusebius are correct, not two but three of Jesus’ original twelve disciples/apostles were named Judas…Judas Iscariot, Judas Thaddaeus (cf. Lk.6:16 & Mk.3:18), Judas Didymus Thomas. The use of surnames serves to clearly separate the other two named Judas from Judas Iscariot the traitor.
The non-canonical Gospel of Thomas (GTh) is a Coptic manuscript discovered at Nag Hammádi in Upper Egypt in 1945. It’s dated anywhere from 40–240 AD, likely around 200 AD. GTh was found among other writings of gnostic character, but it isn’t obvious gnosticism. GTh begins with, “These are the secret sayings which the living Jesus spoke, and which Didymus Judas Thomas wrote down”.
Many if not most scholars think the author of GTh is unknown, doubting that Thomas was the author. Anglican bishop N.T. Wright, history professor at Oxford, wrote concerning the Gospel of Thomas (GTh) in The New Testament and the People of God. “Thomas reflects a symbolic universe, and a worldview, which are radically different from those of the early Judaism and Christianity.”
However, Thomas’ twin isn’t specifically identified in GTh, the (spurious?) Gospel of Thomas.
The apocryphal Acts of Thomas (ATh), written in east Syria, dates from the 200s AD. It is docétic gnosticism. (Believing Jesus only appeared to be human.) This ATh isn’t to be confused with the earlier Gospel of Thomas (GTh), date uncertain.
ATh.1:1 “At that season all we the apostles were at Jerusalem, Simon which is called Peter and Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Canaanite, and Judas the brother of James: and we divided the regions of the world, that every one of us should go unto the region that fell to him and unto the nation whereunto the Lord sent him. According to the lot, India fell unto Judas Thomas, which is also the twin.” (cf. apostles’ names in Lk.6:13-16, Ac.1:13.)
But in the Acts of Thomas, Thomas is Jesus’ twin brother! The serpent said to Thomas in ATh.3:31, “I know that you are the twin brother of Christ”. Unlike the GTh, the ATh says Thomas is Jesus’ twin.
In the above ATh.1:1, Judas Thomas (Judas the Twin) and Judas the brother of James are two different apostles. (again, see Lk.6:13-16 & Ac.1:13 where Thomas and Judas of James are two different apostles.) The apostle Judas Iscariot had committed suicide. Again, if the Syriac tradition is correct, three original apostles were named Judas. And traditionally…Judas Thomas, Judas Thaddaeus, and Judas Iscariot died in three different countries.
The Book of Thomas the Contender (ThCon) is a gnostic dialogue found at Nag Hammadi, dating from the 200s AD. It was probably written in Syria. ThCon begins with, “The secret words that the Savior spoke to Judas Thomas…The Savior said, ‘Brother Thomas….it has been said that you are My twin and true companion….Since you will be called My brother, it is not fitting that you should be ignorant of yourself.” It has been said? Perhaps that indicates the Acts of Thomas (ATh) was written and known before this Book of Thomas the Contender (ThCon).
Both ATh and ThCon contain language about Thomas being Jesus’ twin. Christianity Stack Exchange “A few scholars have understood this to mean that Thomas and Jesus were very similar in appearance. Some have gone so far as to suggest that Thomas is the brother of Jesus and the author of the book of Jude. The majority, however, believe this text is using ‘brother’ and ‘twin’ metaphorically.” But some readers interpret that twin relationship as literal.
According to tradition, the apostle Thomas went to India around 50 AD to spread the gospel. He “died in AD 53, Madrás, India” (Encyclopaedia Britannica). Another extant tradition says Thomas died in Chennái in 72 AD. Wikipedia “After his death, the reputed relics of Saint Thomas the Apostle were enshrined as far as Mesopotamia in the 3rd century, and later moved to various places (Edessa, Syria).”
Herbert Merillat The Gnostic Apostle Thomas “There appear to be two somewhat separate but intertwined traditions relating to Thomas as he is depicted outside the New Testament canon: in one he is founder of churches in Asia (Church of the East, or Nestorians, and the St Thomas Christians of southern India), in the other he is carrier of a distinctive message of gnosis and wisdom. In the beginning the two roles may have been combined, but the churches claiming him as founder endured for many centuries after the Gnostic message was suppressed. St Thomas Christians of India are still a vital community today.”
{Sidelight: Another twin hypothesis claims that Jesus had an unknown identical twin brother who stole Jesus’ body from the tomb, and then impersonated Jesus to His disciples after His death. Most think this twin hypothesis and the so-called swoon theory (that Jesus merely fainted or became unconscious but never really died, as in Hugh Schonfield’s 1965 book The Passover Plot)…is fantasy.}
Let’s now turn to the scriptures to see whether or not the apostle Thomas could’ve been Jesus’ twin.
We understand from Bible passages that Jesus was birthed by the virgin Mary. The angel Gabriel said to Mary in Lk.1:31-35, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son….Mary said, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered and said, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the holy thing begotten will be called the Son of God.” The Is.7:14 prophecy, “The Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuél.” And an angel said to Joseph in a dream, Mt.1:21-23 “She [Mary] will bear a Son….that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet may be fulfilled…and they shall call His name Emmanuel.” Mary will bear a Son. None of those verses say the virgin Mary would be carrying twins! (see the topic “Jesus’ Virgin Birth”.)
Mt.1:24-25 “Joseph…kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son, and he called His name Jesus.” Prior to Jesus’ birth, Joseph didn’t have sexual relations with the virgin Mary, so he didn’t impregnate her with a twin. Therefore, based on the verses, it was impossible for Jesus to have had a twin brother!
Accordingly, no verse says Mary gave birth to twins. Matthew and Luke provide details surrounding Jesus’ birth. Mt.2:1 “Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod [the Great] the king.” Mt.2 tells of the mági visit to the Christ Child, Joseph & Mary’s flight to Egypt, and Herod slaughtering all male infants in Bethlehem. After Herod was dead, an angel told Joseph in Mt.2:20-21, “Arise and take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel. He arose and took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.” Matthew indicates the three of them departed Egypt. The family didn’t leave behind a twin brother of Jesus in Egypt…there was no twin!
Mary delivered Jesus in Lk.2:7. “She gave birth to her firstborn Son, wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a feeding trough.” Then in Lk.2:8–20, shepherds saw a vision and came to see the newborn Jesus. Lk.2:16 “They came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the trough.” Luke didn’t say twin babies were laid in the feeding trough (manger), or seen there!
Matthew names Thomas among Jesus’ twelve disciples. Mt.10:2-4 “…Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax-gatherer, James of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus….” But Matthew doesn’t name Thomas among Jesus’ kin in Mt.13:55. “Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph, Simon and Judas?” Matthew knows Thomas as a disciple, but not as a relative of Jesus.
Similarly, Mark names Thomas among Jesus’ twelve disciples. Mk.3:14-19 “…Andrew and Philip, and Bartholomew, Matthew, and Thomas, and James of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus….” But Mark doesn’t name Thomas among Jesus’ kin in Mk.6:3. “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” Mark knows Thomas as a disciple, but not as a relative of Jesus. Not Matthew, not Mark…not any NT writer shows Thomas as kin to Jesus!
Although Thomas’ name (which means ‘twin’) indicates Thomas did have a twin sibling…that twin wasn’t Jesus, according to the Bible verses.
Perhaps Bartholomew/Nathanael or Matthew was Thomas’ twin? Ellicott Commentary Jn.11:16 “In Mt.10:3, Mk.3:18, Lk.6:15…he [Thomas] is coupled with Matthew, whose twin-brother he possibly was.” Yet in Jn.21:2, Ac.1:13, ATh.1:1, the name Bartholomew/Nathanael is next to Thomas’ name. Also, traditionally both Bartholomew and Thomas went to India (ref the theologian Hippólytus).
{{Sidelight: Gnostic literature/spirituality is a mixture of truth and error. There were various forms of gnosticism, such as Christian Gnosticism so-called. Gnosis meant ‘knowledge’. Gnostics claimed they held a special secret knowledge. Many were ascetics. It is thought that ancient Gnosticism began in Persia. It is dualistic; spirituality is light/good, whereas matter is darkness/evil. That Jesus is Supreme and brought gnosis to the earth, whereas a lesser evil God (Démiurge) created physical matter. It holds that Jesus only appeared to be physical (docétism), but was more like a phantom. Gnostics believe each human has a ‘spark’ of the divine trapped in a mortal body, needing redemption. (God did give us the breath of life, from Himself, Ge.2:7.) A few early gnostics were Valentínus, Básilides, Máni (founded Mánichaeism). Orthodox Christians such as Irenáeus and Hippolytus viewed Gnosticism as heresy.
To guard against deception and false belief, any gnostic writings we may read (or risk perusing) should be scrutinized by testing them through the lens of scripture. Paul admonished, 1Th.5:21 NASB “Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good”. Also Jn.17:17 “Thy word is truth.”}}
Lastly, the apostle Thomas is known as ‘doubting Thomas’. In Jn.20:24-25, Thomas said he wouldn’t believe the other apostles had seen the risen Jesus unless he himself saw the imprint of the wounds in Jesus’ hands & side. Perhaps some of us Christians have doubted the events in the life of Jesus, or the efficacy of His sacrifice? If we haven’t fully believed, perhaps it is us who are Thomas’ ‘twin’, in doubt? (That impression was posed by Presbyterian Sid Burgess of Alabama.) However, Paul said we Christians should “put on Christ” (Ro.13:14), emulating Him; to resemble Jesus in character.
Jn.20:26-29 Jesus reappeared, showed Thomas the marks from His wounds, and said to Thomas, “Be not unbelieving, but believing. Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God.” Jesus is God; Thomas isn’t!
Those who haven’t seen the risen Jesus, yet do believe, are blessed. Jn.20:30-31 “These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” Do you believe?
Mt.28:6 “He is risen, as He said.” May the Lord grant us the faith to not be doubting Thomases, but believers in God’s risen Son our Savior.
Bible Topic Exposition 