An Image of Faith?

In John 20, Thomas the Apostle doubts Jesus’ resurrection until he can see and touch him in the flesh. This is the scene of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (1601–02), a painting that, unlike others on the same subject, does more than merely illustrate a lesson or support religious doctrine. The artist’s unconventional approach to his subject matter depicts the way faith manifests itself in our own lives. It is a representation of the “unknowing” that is necessary to faith, unlike belief.