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John

About this book
Chapter 20

1 Now very early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been moved away from the entrance. 2 So she went running to Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out to go to the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down and saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter, who had been following him, arrived and went right into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been around Jesus’ head, not lying with the strips of linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, came in, and he saw and believed. 9 (For they did not yet understand the scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead.) 10 So the disciples went back to their homes. 11 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she bent down and looked into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus’ body had been lying, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” Mary replied, “They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put him!”⁠ 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Because she thought he was the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus replied, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. Go to my brothers and tell them,⁠ ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene came and informed the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what Jesus had said to her. 19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the disciples had gathered together and locked the doors of the place because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, I also send you.” 22 And after he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.⁠ 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.” 24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the wounds from the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the wounds from the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe it!”⁠ 26 Eight days later the disciples were again together in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and examine my hands. Extend your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe.” 28 Thomas replied to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are the people who have not seen and yet have believed.”⁠ 30 Now Jesus performed many other miraculous signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Texts in conversation

Compare John 20:25 and Protoevangelium of James 19

New Testament · Early Christian

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Summary

In John, Thomas refuses to believe in the resurrection unless he can put his finger into Jesus’ wounds. The Protoevangelium of James echoes this scene with Salome, who refuses to accept the virgin birth unless she examines Mary herself.

Passages

John 20:25

New Testament
24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the wounds from the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the wounds from the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe it!” 26 Eight days later the disciples were again together in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
90–110 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in John

Protoevangelium of James 19

Early Christian · Gospel of James
19 I saw a woman coming down from the hills, and she asked me, “Where are you headed?” I replied, “I’m looking for a Hebrew midwife.” She asked, “Are you from Israel?” and I said, “Yes.” Then she asked, “Who’s giving birth in the cave?” I told her, “A woman engaged to me.” She asked, “Isn’t she your wife?” I explained, “It’s Mary, who was raised in the temple of the Lord, and I was chosen by lot to be her husband. But she isn’t really my wife, because she’s conceived by the Holy Spirit.” The midwife asked, “Is that true?” and Joseph answered, “Come see for yourself.” So the midwife followed him, and when they got to the cave, a bright cloud overshadowed the cave. The midwife said, “My soul is magnified today, because my eyes have seen strange things: salvation has come to Israel.” Right after that, the cloud disappeared, and a brilliant light filled the cave, so intense it was hard to look at. After a moment, the light faded, and the baby appeared, going straight to Mary to nurse. The midwife shouted, “This is a great day for me, because I have seen this strange sight!” She left the cave and met Salome. The midwife said, “Salome, Salome, I have a strange sight to tell you about: a virgin has given birth, which her nature does not allow.” Salome replied, “As the Lord my God lives, unless I put my finger in and examine her, I will not believe that a virgin has given birth.”
150–200 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Protoevangelium of James

References

... What follows is derived from the familiar story of “doubting Thomas” in the Gospel of John. In it, Jesus’ disciples report to Thomas, “We have seen the Lord,” and he responds, “Unless (ἐὰν μή) I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe (οὐ μὴ πιστεύσω)” (John 20:25). Salome’s rejoinder is similar: “Unless (ἐὰν μή) I put my finger into and examine her φύσις, I will not believe (οὐ μὴ πιστεύσω) that a virgin has given birth” (Protevangelium of James 19:19). ... Even in the absence of these details, the episode establishes that Mary does remain virginal after giving birth. Like Thomas, who seeks physical proof to validate the disciples’ “we have seen the Lord” (John 20:25), Salome seeks tangible evidence to confirm the midwife’s seemingly incredible claim about Mary’s postpartum condition. While she follows through with her plan and Thomas does not, the result for both is the same: a confession of faith. ...
Eric M. Vanden Eykel, “But Their Faces Were All Looking Up”: Author and Reader in the Protevangelium of James, The Reception of Jesus in the First Three Centuries 1 (London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2016), 147–149.

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John 20:25 and Protoevangelium of James 19

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