St Thomas’ Cave, Little Mount, Chennai/Madras
Most of us know him as "Doubting Thomas" - the apostle who refused to believe in Jesus’ resurrection until he saw the wounds for himself. But there’s much more to Thomas than a moment of scepticism. In fact, according to a long-standing tradition, he may have taken the message of Jesus further east than any other apostle - possibly even to India.
But how much of that story holds up? Did Thomas really travel that far, or is it just legend? Let’s explore.
Thomas in the Bible: A Curious Character
Thomas appears mainly in the Gospel of John, and not much at all in the Synoptic Gospels. We know him for his famous question in John 14 - “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” - to which Jesus replies, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
After Jesus' resurrection, Thomas doubts until Jesus invites him to touch His wounds. But Thomas then offers one of the strongest confessions of faith in the Gospels: “My Lord and my God!”
Where Did Thomas Go After Pentecost?
Tradition holds that the apostles divided the world among themselves for mission work, and Thomas drew India. According to the apocryphal Acts of Thomas, he first journeyed eastward through the Parthian Empire - modern-day Iran and Iraq - and eventually arrived in India.
The story continues: he performed miracles, converted royalty, and was eventually martyred - pierced by a spear.
Kerala and the Mar Thoma Christians
Today, the strongest claim to Thomas’ legacy comes from the Mar Thoma Christians of Kerala, in south-western India. “Discovered” by Portuguese explorers in 1498, these communities confidently trace their origins to Thomas himself.
Their tradition says that Thomas arrived in 52 AD, preached to Jewish communities and locals, and founded seven churches; he was then martyred near Mylapore (modern Chennai, some 600km the north-east on India’s east coast) in 72 AD. His tomb is located there today, at the Basilica of St. Thomas.
But is this actual history - or merely pious devotion?
A Sceptical Look: What the Sources Say
The Acts of Thomas, our main source for this journey, was written around 230 AD. It’s full of miraculous events, legends, and overtly heretical
“Gnostic” theology - so much so that the early church rejected it. Whilst it offers colourful stories and mentions real figures like the Indo-Parthian king Gundoferus (known from coins), it doesn’t name Mylapore or clearly describe the southern Indian coasts.
Indeed, the countryside features described in The Acts better match Syria, Persia, or parts of northwestern India - not tropical, coastal Kerala.
What About the Relics?
Thomas’s relics are said to have been moved to Edessa (modern Urfa, in Turkey) from Chennai in around 232 AD. From there, they eventually made their way to Ortona, Italy, where parts of a skeleton believed to be his was examined in 1984. The remains belonged to a man aged between 50 and 70, with signs of arthritis and a healed cheekbone fracture - plausible for an apostolic missionary, although far from conclusive.
Thomas in the Bible: A Curious Character
Thomas appears mainly in the Gospel of John, and not much at all in the Synoptic Gospels. We know him for his famous question in John 14 - “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” - to which Jesus replies, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
After Jesus' resurrection, Thomas doubts until Jesus invites him to touch His wounds. But Thomas then offers one of the strongest confessions of faith in the Gospels: “My Lord and my God!”
Where Did Thomas Go After Pentecost?
Tradition holds that the apostles divided the world among themselves for mission work, and Thomas drew India. According to the apocryphal Acts of Thomas, he first journeyed eastward through the Parthian Empire - modern-day Iran and Iraq - and eventually arrived in India.
The story continues: he performed miracles, converted royalty, and was eventually martyred - pierced by a spear.
Kerala and the Mar Thoma Christians
Today, the strongest claim to Thomas’ legacy comes from the Mar Thoma Christians of Kerala, in south-western India. “Discovered” by Portuguese explorers in 1498, these communities confidently trace their origins to Thomas himself.
Their tradition says that Thomas arrived in 52 AD, preached to Jewish communities and locals, and founded seven churches; he was then martyred near Mylapore (modern Chennai, some 600km the north-east on India’s east coast) in 72 AD. His tomb is located there today, at the Basilica of St. Thomas.
But is this actual history - or merely pious devotion?
A Sceptical Look: What the Sources Say
The Acts of Thomas, our main source for this journey, was written around 230 AD. It’s full of miraculous events, legends, and overtly heretical
“Gnostic” theology - so much so that the early church rejected it. Whilst it offers colourful stories and mentions real figures like the Indo-Parthian king Gundoferus (known from coins), it doesn’t name Mylapore or clearly describe the southern Indian coasts.
Indeed, the countryside features described in The Acts better match Syria, Persia, or parts of northwestern India - not tropical, coastal Kerala.
What About the Relics?
Thomas’s relics are said to have been moved to Edessa (modern Urfa, in Turkey) from Chennai in around 232 AD. From there, they eventually made their way to Ortona, Italy, where parts of a skeleton believed to be his was examined in 1984. The remains belonged to a man aged between 50 and 70, with signs of arthritis and a healed cheekbone fracture - plausible for an apostolic missionary, although far from conclusive.
The relics of Thomas, contained in the box beneath the altar in the crypt at Ortona
Other body parts claimed as Thomas's are found across Europe and Asia – a finger bone in Rome (which I have seen!) and another in India, arm bones in Bari and Maastricht, even a skull on Patmos. The medieval church loved spreading relics, but the original source of most of these was probably the Edessa skeleton.
The Ortona Skeleton and the Patmos Skull
So, Did He Make It to India?
Probably - but how far?
The most historically grounded theory is that Thomas evangelised the Parthian Empire (modern Iran/Iraq), perhaps even reaching Taxila in today’s Pakistan. These regions had Jewish communities and could be easily reached via the long-distance trade routes known as The Silk Road. A friend who is a Christian brought up in Pakistan tells me that a building built by Thomas in Taxila, close to the huge Indus river, which is both a barrier and a transport route, is still there, although nowadays it only consists of walls a foot or so high.
But it seems less likely he continued 1,800 miles further south to Kerala, through unfamiliar cultures and languages, with little trace left behind.
It’s possible, of course - but perhaps not probable.
Statue of St. Thomas at Palayoor in Kerala, India
The Mar Thoma Christians: Legacy? or Later Arrivals?
It’s very likely that Christian communities did reach southern India in ancient times - but possibly via later Syriac-speaking merchants and missionaries from areas that are in modern-day Iraq, Syria, and Iran, rather than directly from Thomas himself. Some of the Mar Thoma Christians use the Syriac language in their services.
Whatever the truth, the vibrant witness of the Mar Thoma churches and their connection to the apostle show how the faith travelled across continents and centuries, inspiring real people to keep the message alive.
Conclusion: Apostle of the East
Whether or not Thomas reached the shores of Kerala, his legacy in the East is strong. He remains a powerful symbol of Christianity’s early spread to the east and south of the Roman Empire - across plains, deserts and mountains, using the established trade routes.
Thomas may not have made it as far as Kerala or Mylapore - but he certainly went further than most. Perhaps he died a martyr’s death not far beyond the Indus River – his body may well have been taken almost immediately back to an unknown location in Mesopotamia by disciples of his who had travelled with him, before they were later translated to Edessa, and thence to Ortona with bits of him spread elsewhere across Europe. In the faith of millions today, his journey lives on.
Interested in the full historical dive? This post is based on an 11,000-word article tracing every legend, relic, and document related to Thomas. Here's a link to the full article (click on the picture):
1 comment:
Interesting, thank you. I'd never really thought of early evangelism travelling eastwards. I had assumed that happened later on..
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