John Chrysostom, On Holy Thomas the Apostle

Do not honor me by dishonoring the Creator; I do not accept an honor which is the mother of dishonor. If you insult the Master, how will you serve me, the servant? if you do not hold my faith, how will you celebrate my memory? if you do not agree with me, how do you share in my tomb? I was taught Christ as Lord and God; I touched with my hand, and I found the truth; I was convinced by my own fingers; no other one proposed the doctrine to me, I do not have the wonder from hearing, I did not believe those who said to me, We have seen the Lord; I fought with the apostles, I contradicted Peter when he tried to teach me; I said to him, Man, why do you trouble me? Why do you offer me words instead of facts? Why do you bid me to believe from sayings? Unless I see, I will not believe. As you also saw, let me also see; as you were taught, let me be taught; as you learned, let me learn. What I am about to preach, let me see, and I shall preach. No one reports what he hears; no one puts forth a doctrine from a rumor; no one accepts me when I announce your things. If I am asked, how did Christ rise, I do not know what to say. If I say, "Peter told me," who will pay attention as to a trustworthy source? Let me see, and I shall preach; let me learn, and I shall teach; let me be convinced, and I shall convince others. Let me also say, Thomas, an apostle, not from men, nor through 59.500 men.

As I was saying these things, the Lord appeared, and immediately resolved the conflict; and He says to me: What has happened to you, Thomas? Why do you fight with Peter? Why do you contend with your companions? Come, receive the wonder by experience; learn the resurrection by deed; bring your hand, and see the body. If you have room, hold it; if you have clean fingers, touch the prints; if you believe, you will also reach; but if you are contentious, you do not find; if you disbelieve, you do not know; if you doubt, you do not grasp that which can suffer; if you have passion, you do not learn that which is without passion. Having heard these things, I cleansed my soul of unbelief; I put off my doubtful opinion; I took up a convinced mind; I touched the body, rejoicing and trembling; I extended with my fingers also the eye of the soul, and then I perceived two workings. I held, and I saw; and with my hand I held a body, but with my soul I understood God; and what was outside I found wonderful, and what was inside, fearsome; and what appeared was great, and what was held was a wonder.

Therefore, amazed at what I grasped, I cried out: My Lord and my God; for nowhere did I see a servant, nowhere did a humble form appear; and that which was kindred shone forth, and the divine flashed out; and that which was worn was exalted, and that which wore it was glorified; and while two realities were perceived, there was one person to be worshipped. These things I received by experience, these things I held with my finger, these things I understood with my soul. But you, Arius, from where were you taught the blasphemy? From where did you learn what you preach? Did you touch Christ as I did? Did you bring your hand near? Did you investigate the prints? Do your fingers testify to you? Did you hold the Lord? In which hand? In the one in which you seized the treasures? In the one in which you plundered the apostles? In the one in which you received the spoils of the barbarian? In the one in which you held the reward of impiety? In the one in which you melted down the vessels of blood? In this hand did you touch Christ? May it not be so. The Master is not so unjust, Christ is not so insecure, as to entrust His own flesh to you. You did not hold him whom you set aside; you did not touch him whom you hated; you did not investigate him whom you diminished. For if you had investigated, you would not have humbled him; if you had searched well, you would not have misinterpreted so badly. Be gone, enjoy your wickedness, fall with your own allies. For now I have cast down one of your towers; for now I have freed Thrace from your tyranny; a little while longer and I will destroy you from everywhere; a little while longer and I will drive you from the world.

Now I am removing your head; now I am also delivering the West from your madness. Yes, blessed Thomas, fulfill the word by deed; follow your voice; confirm the good beginning also with the end. As you freed Thrace, free also the West. Let me hear also of the robber being cut off like the tyrant;

Μή με τιμήσῃς ἀτιμάζων τὸν Πλάστην· οὐ δέχομαι τιμὴν ἀτιμίας μητέρα. Εἰ τὸν ∆εσπότην ὑβρίζεις, ἐμὲ τὸν δοῦλον πῶς θεραπεύσεις; εἰ μὴ κρατεῖς μου τὴν πίστιν, πῶς ἑορτάσεις τὴν μνήμην; εἰ μὴ συμφωνεῖς μοι, πῶς κοινωνεῖς μου τῷ τάφῳ; Ἐγὼ Χριστὸν Κύριον καὶ Θεὸν ἐδιδάχθην· ἐψηλάφησα τῇ χειρὶ, καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν εὗρον· οἰκείοις ἐπιστώθην δακτύλοις· οὐκ ἄλλος ὑπέθετό μοι τὸ δόγμα, οὐκ ἐξ ἀκοῆς ἔχω τὸ θαῦμα, οὐκ ἐπίστευσα τοῖς εἰποῦσί μοι, Ἑωράκαμεν τὸν Κύριον· ἐμαχεσάμην τοῖς ἀποστόλοις, ἀντέκρουσα Πέτρῳ διδάσκειν με πειρωμένῳ· εἶπον πρὸς αὐτὸν, Ἄνθρωπε, τί με ταράττεις; τί μοι λόγους ἀντὶ πραγμάτων χαρίζῃ; τί μοι κελεύεις ἀπὸ ῥημάτων πιστεύειν; Ἐὰν μὴ ἴδω, οὐ μὴ πιστεύσω. Ὡς εἶδες καὶ σὺ, ἴδω κἀγώ· ὡς ἐδιδάχθης, διδαχθῶ· ὡς ἔμαθες, μάθω. Ὃ κηρύττειν μέλλω, θεάσωμαι, καὶ κηρύττω. Οὐδεὶς ἀκούων ἀπαγγέλλει· οὐδεὶς ἀπὸ φήμης δόγμα προφέρει· οὐδεὶς ἀποδέχεταί με τὰ σὰ διαγγέλλοντα. Ἂν ἐρωτηθῶ, πῶς ἀνέστη ὁ Χριστὸς, οὐκ οἶδα τί λέξω. Ἐὰν εἴπω, Πέτρος μοι εἶπε, τίς ὡς ἀξιοπίστῳ προσέξει; Ἴδω, καὶ κηρύττω· μάθω, καὶ διδάσκω· πιστωθῶ, καὶ πιστοῦμαι. Εἴπω κἀγὼ, Θωμᾶς ἀπόστολος οὐκ ἀπ' ἀνθρώπων, οὐδὲ δι' 59.500 ἀνθρώπων.

Ταῦτά μου λέγοντος, Κύριος ἐπεφάνη, καὶ τὴν μάχην ἔλυσε παραχρῆμα· καί φησι πρός με· Τί σοι γέγονε, Θωμᾶ; τί μάχῃ τῷ Πέτρῳ; τί φιλονεικεῖς τοῖς ἑταίροις; ∆εῦρο, λάβε τὸ θαῦμα τῇ πείρᾳ· μάθε τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἔργῳ· φέρε τὴν χεῖρα, καὶ βλέπε τὸ σῶμα. Εἰ χωρεῖς, κράτει· εἰ καθαροὺς ἔχεις δακτύλους, ἅψαι τῶν τύπων· εἰ πιστεύεις, καὶ φθάσεις· εἰ δὲ φιλονεικεῖς, οὐχ εὑρίσκεις· εἰ ἀπιστεῖς, οὐ γνωρίζεις· εἰ ἀμφιβάλλεις, τὸ παθητὸν οὐ κατέχεις· εἰ πάθος ἔχεις, τὸ ἀπαθὲς οὐ μανθάνεις. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἐκάθηρα τὴν ψυχὴν ἀπιστίας· ἀπεδυσάμην τὴν ἀμφίβολον γνώμην· ἀνέλαβον τὸν νοῦν πεπεισμένον· ἡψάμην τοῦ σώματος χαίρων καὶ τρέμων· ἐξήπλωσα μετὰ τῶν δακτύλων καὶ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ὄμμα, καὶ δύο λοιπὸν ἐνεργ[ε]ιῶν ᾐσθόμην. Ἐκράτουν, καὶ ἑώρων· καὶ τῇ μὲν χειρὶ σῶμα κατεῖχον, τῇ δὲ ψυχῇ Θεὸν κατενόουν· καὶ τὸ ἔξωθεν ηὕρισκον θαυμαστὸν, καὶ τὸ ἔσωθεν φοβερόν· καὶ τὸ φαινόμενον, μέγα, καὶ τὸ κρατούμενον, θαῦμα.

Ἐβόησα τοίνυν ἐκπλαγεὶς ὃ κατέλαβον· Ὁ Κύριός μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου· οὐδαμοῦ γὰρ ἔβλεπον δοῦλον, οὐδαμοῦ ταπεινὸν ἐφαίνετο σχῆμα· καὶ τὸ συγγενὲς ἐξέλαμπε, καὶ τὸ θεῖον ἐξήστραπτε· καὶ τὸ φορούμενον ὑψοῦτο, καὶ τὸ φοροῦν ἐδεδόξαστο· καὶ δύο νοουμένων πραγμάτων, ἓν ἦν τὸ προσκυνούμενον πρόσωπον. Ταῦτα ἐγὼ πείρᾳ παρέλαβον, ταῦτα δακτύλῳ ἐκράτησα, ταῦτα ψυχῇ κατενόησα. Σὺ δὲ, Ἄρειε, πόθεν τὸ βλάσφημον ἐδιδάχθης; πόθεν ἔμαθες, ἃ κηρύττεις; Χριστὸν ἐψηλάφησας ὡς ἐγώ; τὴν χεῖρα προσήνεγκας; τοὺς τύπους ἠρεύνησας; οἱ δάκτυλοι μαρτυροῦσί σοι; κατέσχες τὸν Κύριον σύ; εἰς ποίαν χεῖρα; εἰς ἣν ἥρπασας τὰ κειμήλια; εἰς ἣν τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐσύλησας; εἰς ἣν ὑπεδέξω τοῦ βαρβάρου τὰ λάφυρα; εἰς ἣν ἐκράτεις τὸν μισθὸν τῆς ἀσεβείας; εἰς ἢν ἐχώνευσας τὰ σκεύη τοῦ αἵματος; εἰς ταύτην Χριστὸν ἐψηλάφησας; Μὴ γένοιτο. Οὐχ οὕτως ἄδικος ὁ ∆εσπότης, οὐχ οὕτως ἐπισφαλὴς ὁ Χριστὸς, ἵνα σοι τὴν ἰδίαν ἐμπιστεύσῃ σάρκα. Οὐκ ἐκράτησας, ὃν ἠθέτησας· οὐκ ἐψηλάφησας, ὃν ἐμίσησας· οὐκ ἠρεύνησας, ὃν ἐσμίκρυνας. Εἰ γὰρ ἠρεύνησας, οὐκ ἂν ἐταπείνωσας· εἰ καλῶς ἐξεζήτησας, οὐκ ἂν οὕτω κακῶς παρηρμήνευσας. Ἄπαγε, ἀπόλαυε τῆς κακίας, πῖπτε μετὰ τῶν οἰκείων συμμάχων. Τέως ἕνα σου κατέβαλον πύργον· τέως τὴν Θρᾴκην ἠλευθέρωσα τῆς σῆς τυραννίδος· ἔτι μικρὸν καὶ πανταχόθεν σε καταλύω ἔτι μικρὸν καὶ διώκω σε τῆς οἰκουμένης.

Ἄρτι σου τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀφαιροῦμαι· ἄρτι καὶ τὴν δύσιν ἀπαλλάττω τῆς σῆς ἀπονοίας. Ναὶ, μακάριε Θωμᾶ, πλήρωσον ἔργῳ τὸν λόγον· ἀκολούθησον τῇ φωνῇ σου· καλὴν τὴν ἀρχὴν βεβαίωσον καὶ τῷ τέλει. Ὡς τὴν Θρᾴκην ἠλευθέρωσας, ἐλευθέρωσον καὶ τὴν ∆ύσιν. Ἀκούσω καὶ τὸν λῃστὴν ὡς τὸν τύραννον ἐκκοπέντα·