# Religious-type question about Doubting Thomas

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-type-question-about-doubting-thomas/954528>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [November 17, 2021, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-type-question-about-doubting-thomas/954528 "2021-11-17T20:16:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2021, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-type-question-about-doubting-thomas/954528/21 "2021-11-20T20:17:44Z")

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> [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](#):
>
> > [@ratatoskK](#):
> >
> > Do you suppose any of this actually happened?
> 
> Well, it’s never mentioned in any of the three other, earlier gospels.  
> Indeed, Thomas is only mentioned 7 times in the gospels, 4 of those times in lists of the apostles. Plus we really don’t know what his name was, it’s not given in the original texts.

A proposed reason for that is that the proto-gnostics of the Thomasine variety of Christianity (think Gospel of Thomas) had become a thing by the time John was written or compiled into its current state. These groups doubted that the Resurrection of Jesus was physical.

Even if not a direct repudiation of these beliefs (e.g. “Even your beloved Thomas knew the Resurrection was physical!”) , the idea of “doubting Thomas” could have thus taken root by then, and thus got incorporated into the stories.

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