Saint Thomas the Apostle: New Testament, Apocrypha, and Historical Traditions

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Are the Thomas references in the Gospel of John, the Thomas compositions, and the early Thomas traditions in northwestern and southern India purely legendary as biblical scholars have assumed or do they preserve unexamined historical traditions intermittently as the Thomas Christians in India have believed Didymus Judas Thomas is one of the most misunderstood characters from the beginning of the New Testament history and interpretation. In this study, Thomaskutty addresses the following questions: whether Thomas was merely a doubting Thomas or a genuine Thomas Can we understand Thomas comprehensively by bringing the New Testament, apocrypha, and historical traditions together How was Thomas connected to eastern Christianity and how does the Thomas literature support/not support this connectivity Can we understand the Thomas traditions related to Judea, Syria, and India with the help of canonical, extra canonical, and traditio-historical documents Thomaskutty investigates the development of the Thomas literature right from the beginning, examining and questioning the approaches and methodologies that have been employed in interpreting these documents, and analyzes the Thomas literature closely in order to understand the character, his mission involvements, and the possible implications this may have for understanding early Christianity in the east.

Reviews

This is a monograph with an edge ... The author is to be commended for marshalling the evidence in a way that lends some support to the ideas being articulated. * The Expository Times *
What I find most attractive is Thomaskuttys interdisciplinary methodology. It is both revolutionary and refreshing. He examines the four selected texts [The Gospel of Thomas, The Book of Thomas, The Acts of Thomas, and The Infancy Gospel of Thomas] using textual criticism, biblical criticism, narrative criticism, and theological reflections. * James H. Charlesworth, Princeton Theological Seminary, USA *
Prof. Thomaskutty offers a comprehensive assessment of the evidence for the Apostle Thomas within the New Testament, in early Christian literature, and in the traditions of the Church, particularly the church in India, which has long venerated the Apostle Thomas as its founder. Thoroughly researched and carefully argued, Prof. Thomaskuttys treatment will be a valuable resource to scholars of the early church and to anyone interested in the development of apostolic traditions outside the western sphere. * Harold W. Attridge, Yale Divinity School, USA *
Based on careful reading of all the ancient primary sources and attention to the traditions of India, Prof. Thomaskutty has succeeded in bringing the Apostle Thomas to life, in all his complexity. Anyone interested in the Apostle Thomas the Twin would do well to start here. * Charles M. Stang, Harvard Divinity School, USA *
Thomaskutty provides a thorough and well-researched investigation into the Thomasine traditions ... [A]n interesting and informative book, which should have broad appeal to specialists in gospel studies, patristics, and the history of the early church. * Religious Studies Review *

Author Bio

Johnson Thomaskutty is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of New Testament Studies at Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, India. He is the author of Dialogue in the Book of Signs: A Polyvalent Analysis of John 1:19-12:50 (2015). His forthcoming monograph is entitled Saint Bartholomew the Apostle: New Testament, Apocrypha, and Historical Traditions (forthcoming).