Thomas the Apostle

Thomas the Apostle (, romanized: ''Thōmâs''; Aramaic ܬܐܘܡܐ, romanized: , meaning "the twin"),; ; }} also known as (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 had healed 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 states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in India, Saint Thomas travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, travelling as far as Mylapore in South India (modern-day Tamil Nadu) and reached Muziris (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in Kerala State) in AD 52. 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, the early church of Sri Lanka.

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