Did You Know?

Thomas, the apostle, was the first to bring the gospel to India.

You should call him “Doubting Thomas” no longer. Thomas took seriously the words of his risen Lord to make disciples of all nations. According to the tradition of the early church and evidence from ancient history, Thomas traveled several thousand miles by water over an existing trade route between the Roman world and the southeast coast of India, arriving c. 52 AD. He testified to Christ and started a church, eventually dying a martyr in Mylapore, which is today called Chennai, the city of HBI’s headquarters.

But is it true? How do we know? What are the facts?

1) The earliest written account of Thomas living and dying in southern India comes from the “Acts of the Apostles” written between 200 and 220 AD. Though the stories seem to be embellished, there is archaeological confirmation that at least some facts in that document are true, which leads to the conclusion that the core of the story is true. There is evidence that Jews were living and trading on the Indian coast during Roman times, and to these Thomas
may have preached.

2) Because these accounts were written only two or three generations after the fact, the strong oral traditions that passed through the generations would have challenged his going to India if it had been false. Instead, there has been no record of challenge. In fact, later generations of Christians arriving in India noted the strong Christian communities throughout the country. To this day, there are several million “Saint Thomas Christians” who serve as living proof of the evangelical work of Thomas.

Sean McDowell, Ph.D., a professor of Christian Apologetics at Biola University, addressed the probability that Thomas became a missionary to India and died there a martyr.

You can read the full story at this link:
https://seanmcdowell.org/blog/did-the-apostle-thomas-die-as-a-martyr

Here is an excerpt:

“Rather than being preserved in written text, the tradition of the St. Thomas Christians has been transmitted through songs, stories, legends, customs, and celebrations of the people. These various forms of oral tradition were how Indians at this time recorded their history. The St. Thomas Christians are utterly convinced that their heritage traces back to the apostle Thomas himself, including introduction of the Syriac or Chaldaic (East Syriac) language. The community has preserved many ancient antiquities that testify to their traditions. Some of the names of the converts of Thomas have been preserved as part of this tradition and are still remembered today in the state of Kerala. When the Portuguese landed in Malabar around 1500, they found an indigenous community of Christians who had already held for centuries that Thomas was their founder. Like the tradition contained in the Acts of Thomas, the southern tradition contains numerous legends, exaggerations, and conflicting episodes. But the core of the tradition remains: that Thomas travelled to southern India, preached to the people, established a community, and was martyred and buried at Mylapore (Chennai).”

On the first day of each month, you will receive one of two brief emails, alternating each month. “DID YOU KNOW” will highlight interesting facts about India or missions in general. “3 THINGS” will highlight three brief happenings at HBI India. These are in addition to the mid-month letter that you already receive reporting on current projects and stories of what God is doing to advance His vision for India and beyond.