Laurentius

In a book on religion, it said the Thomas and Judas incidents make the most significant incongruities in Christianity.

Thomas did not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead until he could really check for himself. The question is then: What did he believe before seeing the resurected Jesus?

Judas also is a perfect follower of Jesus, except for a night when he suddenly chooses to betray his mentor. There is no psychological motivation for Judas to act the way he did.

There are numerous things in the Bible that appear not to make sense, but can be interpreted metaphorically or overlooked for one reason or another. However, for an educated Christian, who would like to play fair, the episodes involving Thomas' lack of belief and Judas' abnormal behavior should raise some doubts about the coherence of the whole story.

Jack the Bodiless

There's another major incongruity with Judas (apart from the famous cause-of-death contradiction): I don't have the verses handy, but IIRC the betrayal was added to the story by Mark, and Matthew and/or Luke copied it but incorporated pre-Markan material in which Judas remained one of "the Twelve", becoming a trusted apostle despite his betrayal.

Cubeless Academian

That Jesus was dead.

Not true. Judas is painted as a bad guy all along. For instance, John 12:6 has him habitually stealing money intended for the poor.

Chris Weimer

Cubeless Academecian - the story in John has no relevance to the Judaic portrayal in the synoptics

Also, catch the name here. Judas Ioudas what was the surrounding country called? Ioudaia. Coincidence? I doubt it, for even a prophet is denied in his homeland, further evidence contributing to a fictitious narrative.

Roland

Luke was also apparently unfamiliar with the Thomas story as he specifically states that "eleven" disciples were present when Jesus appeared to them on Easter evening.

Laurentius

And therefore Jesus was not God.