saint thomas

English - English

Definition of saint thomas in English English dictionary

{i} island of the U.S. Virgin Islands in the West Indies; city in Ontario (Canada); town in Missouri (USA); city in North Dakota (USA); one of the twelves disciples of Jesus

An island of the U.S. Virgin Islands in the West Indies east of Puerto Rico. Discovered and named by Columbus in 1493, it was settled by the Dutch in 1657 and later passed to the Danes, who sold it to the United States in 1917. Chief island (pop., 1990: 48,000), U.S. Virgin Islands. Located east of Puerto Rico, it covers an area of 32 sq mi (83 sq km). The capital, Charlotte Amalie, has a well-sheltered harbour. Sighted in 1493 by Christopher Columbus, St. Thomas was colonized first by the Dutch (1657) and then by the Danish (1666). After 1673, when slavery was introduced, the island became one of the chief Caribbean sugar producers and a major slaving centre. Falling sugar prices after 1820 and the abolition of slavery in 1848 led to a decrease in profits. The U.S. bought St. Thomas for use as a naval base in 1917. The chief industry is tourism. born , probably Galilee died AD 53, Madras, India; Western feast day December 21, feast day in Roman and Syrian Catholic churches July 3, in the Greek church October 6 One of the Twelve Apostles of Christ. He is best known for requiring physical proof of Jesus' Resurrection before he could believe it, hence the phrase "doubting Thomas." When Jesus reappeared and had Thomas touch his wounds, Thomas became the first person to explicitly acknowledge Jesus' divinity, saying "My Lord and my God." His subsequent history is uncertain; he is said to have evangelized Parthia (modern Khorsn) and even India

Related Terms

Saint Thomas Aquinas

born 1224/25, Roccasecca, near Aquino, Terra di Lavoro, Kingdom of Sicily died March 7, 1274, Fossanova, near Terracina, Latium, Papal States; canonized July 18, 1323; feast day January 28, formerly March 7 Foremost philosopher and theologian of the Roman Catholic church. Born of noble parents, he studied at the University of Naples, joined the Dominicans, and taught at a Dominican school at the University of Paris. His time in Paris coincided with the arrival of Aristotelian science, newly discovered in Arabic translation; his great achievement was to integrate into Christian thought the rigours of Aristotle's philosophy, just as the early Church Fathers had integrated Plato's thought in the early Christian era. He held that reason is capable of operating within faith; while the philosopher relies solely on reason, the theologian accepts faith as his starting point and then proceeds to conclusion through the use of reason. This point of view was controversial, as was his belief in the religious value of nature, for which he argued that to detract from the perfection of creation was to detract from the creator. He was opposed by St. Bonaventure. In 1277, after his death, the masters of Paris condemned 219 propositions, 12 of them Thomas's. He was nevertheless named a Doctor of the Church in 1567 and declared the champion of orthodoxy during the modernist crisis at the end of the 19th century. A prolific writer, he produced more than 80 works, including Summa contra Gentiles (1261-64) and Summa theologica (1265-73). See also Thomism

Saint Thomas Aquinas

{i} Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), Italian philosopher, famous theologian of the Roman Catholic Church

Saint Thomas Becket

or Thomas à Becket born 1118, Cheapside, London, Eng. died Dec. 29, 1170, Canterbury, Kent; canonized 1173; feast day December 29 Archbishop of Canterbury (1162-70). The son of a Norman merchant, he served as chancellor of England (1155-62) under Henry II, whose entire trust he won. A brilliant administrator, diplomat, and military strategist, he aided the king in increasing the royal power. Resistant to the Gregorian reform movement that asserted the autonomy of the church, Henry hoped to reinforce royal control of the church by appointing Becket archbishop of Canterbury in 1162. Becket, however, embraced his new duties devoutly and opposed royal power in the church, especially proclaiming the right of offending clerics to be tried in ecclesiastical courts. The king issued the Constitutions of Clarendon (1164) listing royal rights over the church, and he summoned the archbishop to trial. Becket fled to France and remained in exile until 1170, when he returned to Canterbury and was murdered in the cathedral by four of Henry's knights, traditionally said to be acting in response to the king's angry words. Becket's tomb, which was visited by Henry in an act of penance, became a site of pilgrimage

Saint Thomas More

born Feb. 7, 1477, London, Eng. died July 6, 1535, London; canonized May 19, 1935; feast day June 22 English statesman and humanist. He studied at Oxford and was successful as a lawyer from 1501. He served as an undersheriff of London (1510-18) and endeared himself to Londoners as a fair judge and consultant. He wrote the notable History of King Richard III (1513-18) and the renowned Utopia (1516), which was an immediate success with humanists, including Desiderius Erasmus. In 1517 More was named to the king's council, and he became Henry VIII's secretary and confidant. In 1523 he was elected speaker of the House of Commons. He wrote A Dialogue Concerning Heresies (1529) to refute heretical writings. After the fall of Cardinal Wolsey (1529), More succeeded him as lord chancellor, but he resigned in 1532 when he could not affirm Henry's divorce from Catherine. He also refused to accept the Act of Supremacy. In 1534 More was charged with high treason and imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he wrote his Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation. In 1535 he was tried and sentenced to death by hanging, which the king commuted to beheading

Hyphenation

saint Thom·as

Turkish pronunciation

seynt tämıs

Pronunciation

/ˈsānt ˈtäməs/ /ˈseɪnt ˈtɑːməs/