Thomas - Love as Strong as Death

Thomas appears only four times in John's Gospel. Despite this he is crucially important in understanding the function of the Johannine message. Dennis Sylva presents the first major study of Thomas examining the paradox that Thomas is seemingly defined both as opposed to a dominant theme in the Fourth Gospel, the eternal life that is a gift to Jesus' followers, and in support of Jesus himself.

Thomas appears to have a foot on both sides of the Johannine dualistic divide. He seems to be existentially at home on one side and yet ideologically at home on the other. No other character in John's gospel so tenaciously holds on to companionship with Jesus while just as resolutely distancing himself from Jesus' central teaching. Thomas breaks down the barriers between the disciples (the 'sons of light') and the world (the 'sons of darkness') that John takes pains to establish. Sylva's new work demonstrates the importance of Thomas in fully understanding the message of the Fourth Gospel.