Thomas the Apostle's name came up in conversation today, ostensibly about his travels to India. I was originally wondering about the documentation for these journeys from whatever sources - and then reviewed what he had said or done in the Gospels or Acts. Thomas appears in the Gospel of John and sources at least as early as the 3rd century describe him as a missionary to India. But what struck my attention is a review of the end of John in chapter 20 where Christ reappears to a group of disciples with the sceptical Thomas among them (24 to 29). Having examined the marks of the nails in Christ's hands, Thomas exclaims, "My Lord and my God!" Since there has been so much Trinitarian vs. Aryan debate in the Christian community since, not to mention the reasoning of the JW movement, howdoes this near final episode in John fit into the picture?
John 20: 24-29 In the NWT it says the same as elsewhere. Dissonance somewhere?
by kepler 2 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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kepler
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sir82
Official JW answer from the Insight book:
What did Thomas mean when he said to Jesus, “My Lord and my God”?
On the occasion of Jesus’ appearance to Thomas and the other apostles, which had removed Thomas’ doubts of Jesus’ resurrection, the now-convinced Thomas exclaimed to Jesus: “My Lord and my God! [literally, “The Lord of me and the God (ho The·osʹ) of me!”].” (Joh 20:24-29) Some scholars have viewed this expression as an exclamation of astonishment spoken to Jesus but actually directed to God, his Father. However, others claim the original Greek requires that the words be viewed as being directed to Jesus. Even if this is so, the expression “My Lord and my God” would still have to harmonize with the rest of the inspired Scriptures. Since the record shows that Jesus had previously sent his disciples the message, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God,” there is no reason for believing that Thomas thought Jesus was the Almighty God. (Joh 20:17) John himself, after recounting Thomas’ encounter with the resurrected Jesus, says of this and similar accounts: “But these have been written down that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that, because of believing, you may have life by means of his name.”—Joh 20:30, 31.
So, Thomas may have addressed Jesus as “my God” in the sense of Jesus’ being “a god” though not the Almighty God, not “the only true God,” to whom Thomas had often heard Jesus pray. (Joh 17:1-3) Or he may have addressed Jesus as “my God” in a way similar to expressions made by his forefathers, recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures, with which Thomas was familiar. On various occasions when individuals were visited or addressed by an angelic messenger of Jehovah, the individuals, or at times the Bible writer setting out the account, responded to or spoke of that angelic messenger as though he were Jehovah God. (Compare Ge 16:7-11, 13; 18:1-5, 22-33; 32:24-30; Jg 6:11-15; 13:20-22.) This was because the angelic messenger was acting for Jehovah as his representative, speaking in his name, perhaps using the first person singular pronoun, and even saying, “I am the true God.” (Ge 31:11-13; Jg 2:1-5) Thomas may therefore have spoken to Jesus as “my God” in this sense, acknowledging or confessing Jesus as the representative and spokesman of the true God. Whatever the case, it is certain that Thomas’ words do not contradict the clear statement he himself had heard Jesus make, namely, “The Father is greater than I am.”—Joh 14:28.
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kepler
Sir82,
Thank you.
Seems rather re-miss though that they did not mention John eighth chapter 58th verse.
I had to write it out because there is an edit feature that deleted first time.
Kepler