Lived: Approximately 1 AD – 72 AD
Thomas grew up in a world where the Roman Empire controlled everything. While he was learning to fish in Galilee (modern-day northern Israel), gladiators fought in Rome’s Colosseum and engineers built aqueducts that still stand today.
He was a fisherman from the region around the Sea of Galilee—a massive freshwater lake about 60 miles north of Jerusalem. When Jesus called him to be a disciple, Thomas left everything behind.
Thomas is often remembered for one moment of doubt. But his story is bigger than that. He was fiercely loyal, willing to die alongside Jesus. He asked the questions others were afraid to ask. And when he finally believed, his declaration—”My Lord and my God”—became the clearest statement of who Jesus was in all four Gospels.
Ancient tradition says Thomas traveled further than any other disciple, taking his message all the way to India, where Christian communities still trace their roots to him today.