The Apostle Thomas got a bum rap with the name "Doubting" Thomas

Excellent points, let's take a look at some of them. First, I erred in discussing Mary Magdalene in John 19. It is John 20. That was my mistake, I apologize for that. Next, taking a look at the passages that were cited wherein the disbelief of the disciples may have been more due to the manner in which the story was relayed to them (Luke 24:11 : "And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not."; Mark 16:11 : "And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not."). If we say that the disciples did not believe due to the "words" that Mary used, rather than they simply disbelieved that he was risen, than we are ignoring that they simply did not believe. Whatever the reason, they doubted. Jesus had told them previously that he would be killed and then would rise (Mark 10:34, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will and Him over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again."). Jesus clearly told them that he would rise from the dead after three days. Now perhaps the words Mary used and they way she conveyed it made it "seem like a tale", but they did have foreknowledge that this would occur, and in the end their response was disbelief. http://www.biblegateway.com... Now, addressing the commentary that Matthew 28:17 refers to a group of high priests, not the disciples. I would have to say that this is inaccurate. This marks the end of Matthew's Gospel, and it is a passage that has traditionally been referred to as "The Great Commission" (Harper's Bible Commentary). Reading the passage in it's full context, we see clearly that Jesus' comments, as well as the evangelist's description of those who are worshiping and doubting in verse 17, are directed at the disciples: "But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." http://www.biblegateway.com... Reading that passage in its full context, we can see that it revolves around Jesus and his disciples. And in this context we see that the author is describing the disciples as having doubt, which would clearly indicate that "doubt" was not limited to Thomas alone. And looking further at Scriptural passages that discuss the "doubt" of the disciples, we see in Luke 24:36-4 that Jesus himself is quoted by the Evangelist as questioning the disciples about their doubt: "While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and said to them, 'Peace be to you.' But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. And He said to them, 'Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.' And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet." -Luke 24:36-40 http://www.biblegateway.com... So here we do have an instance where Jesus mentions the doubt of all the disciples. The Thomas narrative is not the only moment where Jesus comments on the "doubt" of a disciple, so Thomas is not an exclusive example. I do concede that Thomas did doubt. That was never in question. And further, I do concede that his doubt is the most dramatic moment of doubt chronicled in the Gospel accounts. His may have lasted longer, and been stronger than the others. But I make the point that he should not be remembered based solely on his doubt, and that history has been unfair in making that his dubious moniker for the following reasons: 1. Doubt, at whatever level or length of time, or for whatever reason, was not limited to Thomas alone. Did history have to take the one who had the most doubt and give them that as their defining label? I would say no. 2. Thomas did more than just doubt; we ignore his other moments of courage, loyalty, and belief in the Gospel of John. I eluded to this in my first argument. 3. The term "doubting" conveys a present tense. Thomas did doubt, past tense. He then believed. While his moment of doubt was there, that is not a point I argue, in the end he found belief. When we say "doubting", by definition we imply that doubt persists. This then would be is unfair to a man who came to believe, to label him as a persistent, present doubter. 4. And yes Thomas doubted. Perhaps more so than the others. But I believe that this should not be his historically defining trait. For one, as mentioned, he came to believe. And his believe was nearly unparallelled in all of the Gospels. Upon seeing Jesus he exclaimed "My Lord and my God!". As the Bible commentator Raymond F. Brown states, "This, then, is the supreme christological pronouncement of the Fourth Gospel... the first disciples gave many titles to Jesus... throughout the ministry: Rabbi, Messiah, Prophet, King of Israel, Son of God... Lord by Magdalene and by the disciples as a group. But it is Thomas who makes clear that one may address Jesus in the same language in which Israel addressed Yahweh (i.e., God)." So again, I say that yes, Thomas did doubt. Perhaps more than the others. And perhaps he needed more to believe than the others. But this does not mean that we should label him in a way that focuses solely on his "doubt". That is an unfair, and a limited approach to remembering Thomas. If we say that Thomas should be given the name "Doubting Thomas" because his doubt was stronger, more pervasive and more persistent that the other disciples, than we are judging Thomas based solely on his doubt and nothing else. And in doing so we ignore his previous courage and loyalty, and we ignore his depths of belief once he overcame his doubt. We also ignore his level of service after the doubt. "Tradition informs us that Thomas, after some misgivings, went to India and the Far East, preaching the Gospel and establishing the (Church), where he is still honored as the founder of the Church there. He was killed by stab wounds in the year 72 after a remarkable apostolate" (Stephen Ray). When we call him "doubting" Thomas we unfairly acknowledge only one aspect of him, and ignore the rest. That gives Thomas a bum rap.