Jesus said, The [Father's] imperial rule is like a woman who was carrying a [jar] full of meal. While she was walking along [a] distant road, the handle of the jar broke and the meal spilled behind her [along] the road. She didn't know it; she hadn't noticed a problem. When she reached her house, she put the jar down and discovered that it was empty. (97 Thomas)

God's domain is not what we expect.

It is as a woman, said to a culture that oppressed women.

God's domain travels distant roads.

It is as a broken vessel.

God's domain is a spilling out of life's sustenance.

It is oblivious to loss.

Jesus [said], The Father's imperial rule is like [a] woman who took a little leaven, [hid] it in dough, and made it into large loaves of bread. Anyone here with two ears had better listen! (96 Thomas)

Two ears - and a bit of context - help us hear.

It is worth recalling that one of the most common rituals of Jewish life, both then and now, is to remove all leaven from one's possession before celebrating Passover.

This is part of recalling the need to escape Egypt so quickly there was no time for yeast to rise. But it is also often used as a spiritual metaphor for giving up pride.

I am not sure modern Christians have anything truly analogous. But thinking of Lenten disciplines, it is akin to saying, God's domain is like a woman who took a little chocolate, bourbon, and beef and made them into a feast.

There are important differences between this version and the very similar teaching in Luke and Matthew. The synoptic versions are practically identical:

And again he said, ‘To what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened. (Luke 13:20-21)

Thomas says God's domain "is like a woman..." Both of the synoptic gospels focus on the yeast. Thomas tells of the outcome. Matthew and Luke emphasize the leavening.

What do you hear of God's domain?

[Jesus said], "If you have money, don't lend it at interest. Rather, give [it] to someone from whom you won't get it back." (95 Thomas)

Consider replacing "money" with other words: time, skill, or talent. Vegetables from the garden. Apples from my tree. Eggs from the hen house. A ride to town.

It is much more difficult for most of us to give money away than to give away anything else.

Recently someone said they needed money. I was not sure they did, in fact, need the money. I was feeling rather needy myself.

But I gave what they said they needed. I had it. The giving away would have no immediate effect on me.

It did, however, have an effect. I am still trying to decide why I gave it. What would it mean if I defined value as giving rather than receiving?

According to legend St. Thomas was hired by a South Indian king to build a palace. The Apostle received the money and gave it to the poor. When the king came to inspect the construction site Thomas explained he was building the king a palace in heaven. The king was furious and ordered Thomas put to death. But at the last minute the king's dead brother appeared in a vision and confirmed that a glorious place in heaven had been erected exactly as Thomas described. Thomas was allowed to live and continue his work.

Above is Thomas holding an architect's square.

Jesus [said], "One who seeks will find, and for [one who knocks] it will be opened." (94 Thomas)

What am I seeking?

The first prayer I can remember offering was a request to remain child-like in my engagement with the world.

The words whispered were something like, "Dear God, help me avoid the not-seeing of most grown-ups."

At age nine or ten I perceived that as most moved from childhood they would adopt a predictable set of explanations and expectations.

In effect they would stop seeing, stop seeking, and choose a kind of intellectual and spiritual stasis that seemed to me false and often boring.

I prayed for God's help in seeking the new, surprising, and always changing.

The synoptic parallels are Luke 11:9-13 and Matthew 7:7-11.

Don't give what is sacred to dogs, for they might throw them upon the manure pile. Don't throw pearls [to] pigs, or they might . . . it [. . .]." (93 Thomas)

They might... what? We cannot be sure. Our sources are insufficient to know.

There is a parallel saying in Matthew's gospel: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." (Matthew 7:6)

It is a teaching in tension with most of what we know Jesus to have offered us.

In Matthew the injunction against dogs and pigs seems to contradict an immediately prior instruction to avoid judging others (see the whole chapter). Without judging how do we know dogs or pigs?

Perhaps the teaching has less to do with what is impure (dogs and pigs) and has more to do with what we define as sacred or holy.

To be sacred - the Hebrew is qodesh - is to be put aside, set apart, and consecrated for special use. It is a common ecclesiastical term having to do with temple rituals.

Is it possible that our typical rush to judgment hears an unintended judgment in the teaching of Jesus? Perhaps Jesus loves the innocence of dogs and pigs. Perhaps Jesus is not warning us about dogs and pigs, but instead is warning us to avoid a tendency to define God as safely separate from most of our living.

But I cannot be sure, my sources are insufficient.

Jesus said, "Seek and you will find. In the past, however, I did not tell you the things about which you asked me then. Now I am willing to tell them, but you are not seeking them. (92 Thomas)

In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke - as above -we are assured that if we seek, we shall find.

In the Gospel of Mark we are also assured of finding what we seek. The language is less parallel, but the shared teaching may be more apparent:

Jesus answered them, ‘Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea”, and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:22-24)

Mark tells us that faith in God and lack of doubt are the paths to finding. Thomas adds the precondition of seeking what Jesus has pointed us toward.

Above is an altarpiece giving primary attention to Thomas' discovery of the risen Christ.

They said to him, "Tell us who you are so that we may believe in you." He said to them, "You examine the face of heaven and earth, but you have not come to know the one who is in your presence, and you do not know how to examine the present moment." (91 Thomas)

This is my common experience, perhaps our common experience.

We know so much. We can spend our days in detailed examination of great mysteries.

But too often this knowledge and seeking after more knowledge can simply distract me from the present moment and the one in my very presence.

I increasingly perceive that God-is-with-us. The wholeness and fulfillment of God is accessible today, now, in this present moment.

But we must notice. Even more we must choose to be in the moment.

The synoptic parallels are Matthew 16:1-4 and Luke 12:54-56.

Jesus said, "Come to me, for my yoke is comfortable and my lordship is gentle, and you will find rest for yourselves." (90 Thomas)

There is an echo of Matthew's gospel and also of Sirach's book of wisdom.

In Matthew we read, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

In Sirach we read, "Put your neck under her (wisdom's) yoke, and let your souls receive instruction; it is to be found close by. See with your own eyes that I have laboured but little and found for myself much serenity."

A yoke is a wooden crosspiece used to guide a pair of oxen. It is always a pair. Yoke derives from the ancient sanskrit meaning team. It has the same origin as yoga.

Are we invited to yoke ourselves to Jesus? Rather than Jesus running the yoked team, does Jesus join us in the yoke?

Jesus said, "Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Don't you understand that the one who made the inside is also the one who made the outside?" (89 Thomas)

A similar saying is found in Luke and Matthew. But there the saying is given a context - critique of ritual - and advocates a clear meaning - reforming the essential self rather than attending to superficial forms.

Here context is missing and the meaning is ambiguous.

We might discern that no matter how dirty the outside of the cup, it is the inside and the maker that matters. We are each made of God. No matter what we do to tarnish and foul the outside, we cannot corrupt the inside.

The synoptic parallels are Matthew 23:25-26 and Luke 11:39-41. Above is an icon of Thomas the Apostle by Sister Kathleen Homberg.

Jesus said, "The messengers and the prophets will come to you and give you what belongs to you. You in turn, give them what you have, and say to yourselves, 'When will they come and take what belongs to them?'" (88 Thomas)

Through scripture, reason, prophecy, tradition, and intuition we can claim a pearl of great price. It is a pearl that has been waiting for us to claim it, but often we are not even aware of its existence, much less our claim on it.

When we are told of it and receive it we realize that rather than claim it, we have been claimed. We know this is the beauty that has been absent and for which we have been left wanting. Now that we have found it we will not leave it for any distraction. We will give it our longing and receive fulfillment.

We also realize it is a beauty that we do not own, but can only share. We are surprised the many others with a claim are not yet with us. When will they come and take what belongs to them?

A respected scholar writes of Logion 88, "The meaning of this saying is simply unknown..." and notes that Thomas has a tendency to "make assertions that are mystifying, secretive, dark, and impenetrable."

Jesus said, "How miserable is the body that depends on a body, and how miserable is the soul that depends on these two." (87 Thomas)

Our soul - our essence - should depend on God. Our soul, our body, our all is fulfilled only in relationship with God. When we try to depend on anything - or anyone - else we are choosing failure and misery.

This saying is often read as despising the body. Greek philosophy especially neo-Platonism mistrusts the body as a highly corruptible form that can impede our experience of the ideal. This is inconsistent with Torah and Jesus.

For Jesus and Torah the body is the creation of God and is very good. One body has great potential. Two bodies together multiply their individual potentials. But avoid depending on that which is dependent. Instead and together, depend on that which is source and completion.

Jesus said, "[Foxes have] their dens and birds have their nests, but human beings have no place to lie down and rest." (86 Thomas)

Some have translated the Coptic as directly parallel to the Greek version of this saying found in Luke and Matthew: Foxes have their dens and birds have their nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lie down and rest.

The Greek is almost certainly a translation of Aramaic spoken by Jesus as remembered thirty or more years after the crucifixion. This is a rather complicated listening game, but Jesus probably referenced the son(s) of Adam.

Whether this refers to all of humankind or is an indirect self-reference is a matter of judgment. It is often understood that the Son of Man is Jesus. It could also be that the Aramaic original was meant to suggest a shared identity: Jesus is and each of us are sons of Adam.

Jesus was and each of us are pilgrims. We are as passers-by. We should not mistake our current condition as anything but temporary. From Luke and Matthew it is clear we should avoid anything that will distract us from making the journey.

To not have den or nest is an advantage. We are unencumbered and encouraged to continue on our way. Jesus is ready to walk with us if we are ready to walk with him.

Above is a map of ancient spice routes. Thomas is said to have begun his missionary work in what is modern Iraq and Iran, proceeded to Southern India and, perhaps, made it as far as China.

Jesus said, "Adam came from great power and great wealth, but he was not worthy of you. For had he been worthy, [he would] not [have tasted] death." (85 Thomas)

Adam was given every good thing. In his Eden there was abundance and peace. Adam was not even troubled by the knowledge of good and evil. All was his to enjoy as he might desire. He walked with God.

In our world there is also abundance, but it is hoarded by some and withheld from others. There is violence, war, and fear. We know both good and evil, and can be confused by which is which. We often choose paths far from God.

Yet we are blessed beyond Adam. He was exiled for his sin. Our sins have been forgiven. He was cast out. We are invited to return. Through the love of God we have far exceeded Adam. But we must accept the invitation.

Jesus said, "When you see your likeness, you are happy. But when you see your images that came into being before you and that neither die nor become visible, how much you will have to bear!" (84 Thomas)

We are, as explained in Genesis 1:26, made in the likeness of God.

According to Thomas our particular image was created from a preexisting and eternal image that persists in the mind of God.

In reconciling with this ideal version of ourselves we will find fulfillment.

This fulfillment does not, however, promise to be carefree and easy. Rather, how much we will have to bear!

God evidently intends that we join in a great task.

Jesus said, "Images are visible to people, but the light within them is hidden in the image of the Father's light. He will be disclosed, but his image is hidden by his light." (83 Thomas)

Remember the forms and ideals of Socrates and Plato? Proposed five centuries before Jesus, here the concept is applied by Jesus to explain our imperfect understanding of God.

Most scholars doubt this is an authentic quotation. I tend to agree. But this does not eliminate all value. It is helpful to consider a distinction between outer form and inner essence.

We each share in the Father's light. Each of us are fundamentally creatures of the light. Yet we have assumed diverse forms.

Each of our forms, truly and properly expressed, reflect some particular aspect of the ideal. The form is not so much untrue as partially true. We are each of the light.

Our form may be damaged, broken, or destroyed. But this does not extinguish the ideal - the light - which shines eternally. There are even occasions when the ideal is better perceived in a broken form.

Above is a St. Thomas Cross from Finland. The filigree suggests how a form can differ from an ideal by elaboration.

Jesus said, "Whoever is near me is near the fire, and whoever is far from me is far from the (Father's) domain." (82 Thomas)

Fire attracts. The warmth of a winter fire, the dancing flame of a campfire, the soft glow of candlelight draw us close.

Fire threatens. Last evening 72 homes in Paradise, California were engulfed in flames.

The reign of God both attracts and threatens. The attraction is final fulfillment. The threat is to be totally consumed.

In the life of Jesus we encounter one totally consumed, yet he is also a distinctive personality and free to choose.

Perhaps in this instance our fear of fire is misplaced.

Jesus said, "The one who has become wealthy should reign, and the one who has power should renounce (it)."(81 Thomas)

In the synoptic gospels Jesus warns of wealth. Here he seems to endorse it.

Even if we transform the worldly into the spiritual, why should the spiritually wealthy reign while the spiritually powerful give up authority?

One scholarly source comments, "This paradoxical saying is a puzzle to interpreters of the Gospel of Thomas."

The saying is usually treated as two verses, the first dealing with wealth and the second dealing with power.

What if, instead, we read it as a single sequence? It helps the sequence to know that wealth was understood as the result of street-smarts or worldly wisdom.

So, perhaps... Let the one who is wealthy have political authority in the world, but once assuming power may he become wise enough to renounce power.

Let us understand the world, let us know what is required for success in the world. May we use this wisdom to better understand our self and the world.

Self-knowledge is the foundation of power. The one who exercises self-control will, almost certainly, gain authority over others.

But worldly wisdom, self-knowledge, and authority are only milestones on the path. The pilgrim will renounce each as the journey continues toward the wholeness of God's intention.

Jesus said, "Whoever has come to know the world has discovered the body, and whoever has discovered the body, of that one the world is not worthy." (80 Thomas)

It is easy to be distracted by the world's beauties and troubles and never know the world.

To know the world - engage and understand the world - is worth a great deal.

As we know the world, we will also better understand the nature of our own creation.

In knowing the world, though, there is always separation: subject and object.

In full self-knowledge there is reconciliation and wholeness. In this wholeness we may come to know God.

For the self reconciled with God even the entire world seems somehow small.

Above is Thomas encountering the body of the risen Jesus.

A woman in the crowd said to him, "Lucky are the womb that bore you and the breasts that fed you." He said to [her], "Lucky are those who have heard the word of the Father and have truly kept it. For there will be days when you will say, 'Lucky are the womb that has not conceived and the breasts that have not given milk.'" (79 Thomas)

What external event, validation, or success do you perceive would fulfill your purpose, make you happy, or confirm your value?

I hear the woman congratulating Jesus and pronouncing her own desire for such a son. I worry her son or sons might even be standing nearby.

Jesus tells her - and us - that these externalities are ephemeral. They will disappoint, they will fail, they will bring trouble.

Instead, lucky, blessed, barack, בָּרִךְ, are we if we have heard the word - the creative intention - of God and we have organized our life around that word.

The word of our Creator - and the relationship with our Father - is always a source of blessing... even luck.

The synoptic parallel is Luke 11:27-28.

Jesus said, "Why have you come out to the countryside? To see a reed shaken by the wind? And to see a person dressed in soft clothes, [like your] rulers and your powerful ones? They are dressed in soft clothes, and they cannot understand truth."(78 Thomas)

Where and how can we find the truth?

Beginning at about twelve I regularly hiked or biked to the counryside outside my small hometown.

Often I would go with two or three or even nine or ten friends. As often I would go alone.

Our wilderness consisted of the remains of strip-mining from thirty or forty years before.

The flat Illinois prarie had been transformed into hills, forested ridges, outcropings of rock and shale, lakes, ponds, creeks, and waterfalls.

In the marshy bottoms cattails extended for hundreds of yards. In summer the tall green fronds were taller than me. In winter the dried reeds stood tall against wind and snow.

Red wing blackbirds especially favored the cattails, as did turtles and frogs, as did I especially in late winter and early spring.

In that season I would find a clearing in the reeds open to the sun. No wind penetrated. The only sound was the occasional scratching of one reed against another.

Cattails are wonderful at reclaiming wounded land. The marshy places of my youth are now grassy meadows.

Cattails were wonderful for healing my adolescent wounds and the memory is healing still.

Yes, I have gone to the countryside to see a reed shaken by the wind.

The synoptic parallels are Matthew 11:7-15 and Luke 7:24-30.

Jesus said, "I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attained. Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there." (77 Thomas)

Most scholars argue this is not an authentic saying of Jesus. It is viewed as atypically self-laudatory and typically Gnostic and pantheistic.

It reminds me of the opening to the Gospel of John, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."

The distinction between pantheism (bad) and immanence (good) can be too subtle for me.

The stone is not God, but I can find God in the sparkling and persistent crystals. The wood is not God, but in its veins and texture I may perceive the hand of God.

God is with us. God is within us. God is about us. God is the creator of all. In God's creation we can discern the patterns and principles to which our creator calls us. God created and saw that it was good. May we also see.

While scholars do not accept it as a parallel, it is also worth comparing 77 Thomas to John 8:12. Above is a mosaic of the Apostle Thomas by Studio Icona.

Jesus said, The Father's imperial rule is like a merchant who had a supply of merchandise and then found a pearl. That merchant was prudent; he sold the merchandise and bought the single pearl for himself. "So also with you, seek his treasure that is unfailing, that is enduring, where no moth comes to eat and no worm destroys." (76 Thomas)

God's reign is like the full parable, not just the pearl. The kingdom of heaven is like any of us who finds something so valuable that we do whatever is necessary to claim that value.

The value - the pearl - motivates this action. But we must recognize the value. We must also be willing to take action, accept risks and change in order to receive the value.

God's reign reorders our motivations and selects new targets. God's reign is experienced in how we choose to advance God's purposes.

The synoptic parallel is Matthew 13:45-46.

Jesus said, "There are many standing at the door, but those who are alone will enter the bridal suite." (75 Thomas)

The prior saying is unusual in standing alone as a follower's statement. Is this the the answer to the implied question?

We thirst for intimacy with God, consumation of our relationship with God, a unification of two as one. In this way we yearn for the bridal suite.

Many experience this longing but only the manoxoc will be fulfilled. This is Coptic for alone, a single person, a solitary, it eventually was used for spiritual contemplatives.

I wonder about using singular as in, "only the singular will enter the bridal suite." To me this suggests knowing our particular identity, our specific purpose, our true self.

Perhaps we can only know God as we work with God to know our singular role within God's intention.

He said, "Lord, there are many around the drinking trough, but there is nothing in the well." (74 Thomas)

The Thomas gospel's lack of context can be both troublesome and enabling. In this case there is no recognized scriptural parallel.

Out of context the intended meaning of the Coptic is unclear. Depending on context "nothing" can be "no one." There is no way to be sure which is more accurate.

If we stay with nothing, I read this as a warning about false faith: If we choose badly our thirst shall not be quenched.

If we go with no one, I read this as a warning about superficial faith: why do we gather around the shallow drinking trough instead of entering into the depth of the well itself?

In either case, we are encouraged to carefully consider the source of our faith.

To the left are steps to the Siloam pool outside Jerusalem. In the case of many ancient wells, especially in the Middle East, it is necessary to walk into something like a cave to reach the water. The steps can be better seen by clicking twice on the the picture.

Above is the Apostle Thomas from the Kizhi Monastery in Karelia, Russia.

Jesus said, "The crop is huge but the workers are few, so beg the harvest boss to dispatch workers to the fields." (73 Thomas)

We know this phrase from the gospels of Matthew and Luke. The synoptic parallels point toward a harvest of healing.

Luke expands considerably on what Jesus says in Matthew and Thomas. From Luke we get a sense the Lord of the Harvest will come in awful judgment.

But without Luke we only know the potential is great, the opportunities are fantastic, and the task is beyond our current capacity.

In all three gospels the harvest is closely tied to - perhaps identical with - experiencing the reign of God.

In all three gospels the harvest is ready - today, now, this very moment - for our grateful gathering and our joyful devouring.

The synoptic parallels are Luke 10:1-16 and Matthew 9:35-38.

A [person said] to him, "Tell my brothers to divide my father's possessions with me." He said to the person, "Mister, who made me a divider?" He turned to his disciples and said to them, "I'm not a divider, am I?" (72 Thomas)

The twelfth chapter of Luke provides more context. In the physician's gospel we read, "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a mans life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." (Luke 12:13-21)

Thomas has flattened - or perhaps opened - the narrative. The surely purposeful implication is that Jesus brings wholeness not division.

Yet we also read in Luke, "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division." (Luke 12:49-53) And from 16 Thomas, "Perhaps people think that I have come to cast peace upon the world. They do not know that I have come to cast conflicts upon the earth: fire, sword, war. For there will be five in a house: there will be three against two and two against three, father against son and son against father, and they will stand alone."

Jesus seeks to make us whole and coherent with our origins. He does offer the shalom of knowing and abiding with God.

But this wholeness cannot be achieved by the double-minded or the doubly committed or by those who choose possessions over relationships. We must be divided from what distracts us from God's intention.

Jesus said, "I will destroy [this] house, and no one will be able to build it [. . .]." (71 Thomas)

This is an unfinished fragment of a saying preserved without context. There is a scholarly consensus that the "house" is the Jerusalem temple.

Sunday's gospel spoke of another house: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Matthew 7:24-27)

Sometimes I am sure that Jesus is destroying my house. One brick at a time, he is bring down the walls of pride and self-satisfaction, fear and self-assertion that I have erected.

Is Jesus moving my house from the sand to the rock? Or is he giving me the chance to build a different house? Or is he preparing me to live house-less?

I don't know, it is not finished.

Above is a statue of St. Thomas the Apostle, perhaps from the Vatican.

Jesus said, "If you bring forth what is within you, what you have will save you. If you do not have that within you, what you do not have within you [will] kill you." (70 Thomas)

What is within? I am reminded of Jesus explaining in Luke 17:21, "In fact the kingdom of God is within you."

A scholar named Doresse has translated saying 70 as, "Jesus says: "When you have something left to share among you, what you possess will save you. But if you cannot share [among you], that which you have not among you, that [ ... ? ... will ...] you.

The passage from Luke can also be translated as, "In fact the kingdom of God is among you."

Which is it, among or within? One word suggests the single contemplative, the other points to the community of faith.

If the kingdom of God is within me then surely it is also within you and all of us. If I do not recognize it in you, have I really found it within me?

Jesus said, "Congratulations to those who have been persecuted in their hearts: they are the ones who have truly come to know the Father. Congratulations to those who go hungry, so the stomach of the one in want may be filled." (69 Thomas)

Satisfaction is an impediment to knowing God. Physical hunger and emotional hurt can be gateways to knowing God.

If we do not need God - or if our need is no more than infatuation - there will always be distractions and excuses.

The closer we come to existential uncertainty the better prepared we may be for essential engagement.

Hunger and emptiness can make room for God, no longer excluded by self-indulgence, but welcomed with thanksgiving.

Self-satisfaction is almost always the opposite of self-fulfillment. True fulfillment comes in finding the self intended by God.

Jesus said, "Congratulations to you when you are hated and persecuted; and no place will be found, wherever you have been persecuted." (68 Thomas)

One way of understanding Jesus is as a radical realist. He seeks to share with us his understanding of ultimate reality.

The fundamental reality of self is found in the nature of our relationship with God: subject and object.

The fundamental reality of space is also dependent on the relationship of ultimate subject and ultimate object.

Where this relationship is obscured - even oppressed - reality is absent, such a place does not have existence.

The parallel in Matthew's beatitudes reads, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

We might also hear Jesus telling us that the kingdom of heaven is the only place that has existence. Any other place is an illusion.

Above is the Kapaleeswarar Temple in Mylapore - or Chennai - India. The original temple was destroyed by the Portugese to build a church commemorating the martyrdom of St. Thomas, perhaps on the temple grounds.