The question of whether the apostle Thomas brought the gospel message to India in the first century A.D. has been debated for centuries. On one side are traditions from ancient Christian communities in India that claim their church was founded by the apostle Thomas himself. On the other side are scholars who argue the evidence is too scanty to support this belief. While the Scriptures do not provide definitive proof either way, examining the evidence can give us insight into this fascinating chapter of early church history.
Biblical background on the apostle Thomas
First, what do we know about the apostle Thomas from the Bible? Thomas was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. In John’s gospel, Thomas is described as “Didymus,” which is the Greek word for twin (John 11:16). He is most famous for initially doubting Jesus’ resurrection, declaring “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe” (John 20:25). When Jesus appeared and offered Thomas the proof he demanded, Thomas exclaimed “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Aside from a few references like these, the Bible says little else about Thomas.
After the resurrection and ascension of Christ, the book of Acts describes the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the subsequent explosion of the church in Jerusalem. The later chapters of Acts then recount the missionary activity of apostles like Peter and Paul. But the question remains: what happened to the other apostles like Thomas? The Bible simply does not specify where most of the original twelve apostles went in mission. The trail of Thomas vanishes after Acts 1. This opens up the possibility that oral traditions about his missionary work could hold some validity, even if they are not recorded in Scripture.
Early church traditions about Thomas in India
Starting in the third century A.D., multiple early church writings record that the apostle Thomas brought the gospel to India. These include:
- The apocryphal Acts of Thomas (c. 220 A.D.), which describes Thomas’ ministry in India and martyrdom.
- Writings of church fathers like Origen (185-254 A.D.) ,Eusebius (263-339 A.D.), Jerome (347-420 A.D.), and Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390 A.D.) that mention Thomas evangelizing populations in India.
- The Doctrine of the Apostles (c. 300 A.D.), which lists “India and all countries conder it” as receiving the gospel and declares Thomas was buried in India.
- The St. Thomas Christians of India who trace their church’s origin back to the apostle Thomas in the first century A.D.
These early accounts portray the apostle Thomas traveling to India, preaching the gospel, performing miracles, and founding church communities that still existed at the time these documents were written. While these writings are late-dating—being written 100+ years after the traditional date given for Thomas’ arrival in India in the first century—the fact that independent sources from distinct regions all recount the same story gives some credence to the essential storyline, if not all its details. The tradition seems to have circulated widely in the early decades of the church.
The St. Thomas Christians of South India represent an important piece of evidence for Thomas’ Indian mission. This ethnoreligious community of Christians living mainly in Kerala has existed since at least the third century A.D. Their tradition credits the apostle Thomas as the founder of their church. They point to ancient sites like Kodungallur where Thomas supposedly landed that still contain a centuries-old record of Christian worship. If true, the initial establishment of the St. Thomas Christian community by the apostle Thomas himself would verify that the gospel message reached India very early on.
Historical reliability of the traditions
However, most modern scholars approach these traditions about the missionary activities of Thomas in India with skepticism. Here are some reasons why:
- The apocryphal Acts of Thomas where the story originates contains exaggerated miracles and fanciful legends that seem fabricated. This casts doubt on the whole text.
- The earliest existing Syriac manuscript of the Acts of Thomas dates from the sixth century, even though the text probably originated in Edessa in the second century. This gap leaves room for development and embellishment of oral traditions before they were written down.
- Neither the canonical book of Acts nor early Christian writers like Clement of Rome and Ignatius mention Thomas ministering in India, even though they wrote before the Acts of Thomas.
- No concrete archaeological evidence like inscriptions conclusively proves the presence of first century Christians communities in India established by Thomas.
- The St. Thomas Christians assimilated local Hindu customs and traditions, shedding doubt on the belief they were founded entirely by Thomas as a pure church.
Due to problems like these, most critical scholars argue the traditions about Thomas in India emerged later and cannot be trusted. The stories grow more legendary over time as oral tradition expanded an original simpler core. While Thomas could have conceivably traveled east after Pentecost, they dispute that any solid evidence confirms the traditions he founded church communities still existing today in India.
So did Thomas reach India?
Given the lack of decisive evidence either way, scholars hold a range of conclusions on the historicity of the apostle Thomas bringing the gospel to India:
- Traditional view: Thomas did travel to India and Southern India churches like the St. Thomas Christians were founded by him in the 1st century.
- Moderate view: The core tradition has validity, but the details were expanded and exaggerated over time. Thomas may have visited trading centers along the coast without venturing deeply inland.
- Skeptical view: The stories emerged later without historical foundation. While possible, no reliable evidence confirms Thomas ever reached India.
There is simply not enough evidence from the first few centuries of the early church to establish any view with certainty. But while scholarly opinions differ, the possibility that the apostle Thomas brought the gospel to India in some form should not be too quickly dismissed. Here are a few reasons why:
- As mentioned, the gap in the biblical record about Thomas’ missionary work leaves it plausible he traveled east after Pentecost as traditions suggest.
- Trade routes clearly connected the Mediterranean world to India by sea at the time. Roman coins from the first century A.D. have even been found in South India.
- Multiple independent Christian communities separated geographically—like in Edessa and South India—all recounted core details about Thomas in their traditions.
- Archaeological evidence clearly proves a Christian community existed on the Malabar Coast of India no later than the third century A.D., but possibly earlier.
In the end, the question comes down to how much weight to give these points affirming the tradition versus the doubts raised by skeptics. But an open-minded examination of the evidence gives grounds for thinking stories of Thomas in India could be rooted in real history, even if the details were expanded and altered over time as legends grew. While not proven decisively, the possibility of Thomas reaching India deserves thoughtful consideration.
The takeaway on Thomas in India
The traditions that the “Doubting Thomas” of the Gospels traveled to India and founded church communities still existing today remain disputed. Scholars are divided whether these stories are pure legend or reflect some genuine history about the apostle Thomas that was later embellished. While actual archaeological evidence from the first century is lacking, factors like the gap in Acts about Thomas’ fate, the existence of independent yet similar traditions, established trade routes, and early Indian Christian communities suggest the core tradition cannot be dismissed too quickly. The possibility Thomas sowed seeds of faith on Indian soil in the first century deserves to be treated as a serious proposal by those seeking to understand the passage of the gospel to the far shores of the ancient world.