The Twelve Apostles
The names of the Twelve are listed in four places in the Bible (Mt
10:2-4, Mk 3:16-19, Lk 6:12-19, Ac 1:13). Many of them are known by
their bynames--either the name of their father or some sort of
nickname--rather than by their given names. When one considers that
this group of twelve contains two Simons, two Jameses, and perhaps as
many as three Judases, this fact is not surprising.
Simon (Shim'on Kefa')
(Mt 10:2; Mk
3:16; Lk 6:14; Ac 1:13) was more commonly known as Peter (Petros) or Cephas (Kefa') (Jn 1:1:42), meaning "Rock"
in Greek and Aramaic, respectively. He was a fisherman and the brother
of Andrew. They were originally from Bethsaida (Jn 1:44), but also had
ties to Capernaum, where Peter owned a house (Mk 1:21, 29). The two
cities are actually only a few miles apart. Their father's name is
given as John (Jn 21:15) or Jonah (Mt 16:17). Peter is depicted as the
most impulsive of the group, always ready to speak up. It was he who
took up arms to try to prevent Jesus' arrest (Jn 18:10). He ministered
in Rome, from whence he wrote 1 Peter to believers in Asia Minor,
although the tradition that he and Paul were co-founders of the church
there is not at all likely. According to Roman Catholic teaching, Peter
was the first bishop of Rome (i.e., the first pope). Tradition also
holds that he was martyred in Rome by being crucified upside down
because he did not consider himself worthy of dying in the same manner
as Jesus and pleaded with his captors for an alternative.
Memorial: January 18 (Confession of
Saint Peter); June 29 (Feast of SS. Peter and Paul)
Andrew (Andreas) (Mt
10:2; Mk 3:18; Lk
6:14; Ac 1:13) was the brother of Simon. Andrew and an unnamed
disciple, probably John son of Zebedee, were originally disciples of
John the Baptist and were the first disciples to follow Jesus (Jn
1:40). John often depicted him bringing others to Jesus, including his
brother (Jn 1:40-42), the boy with the loaves and fishes (Jn 6:8-9),
and certain Greek worshipers (12:20-22). According to tradition, Andrew
preached in Asia Minor and Greece, traveling as far as Scythia (north
of the Black Sea) before being martyred in Achaia. Like his brother
Peter, tradition claims that Andrew pleaded not to be crucified in the
same manner as Jesus. He was crucified on an x-shaped cross, upon which
he is said to have preached for two days.
Memorial: November 30
James (Ya'aqov bar-Zavdi)
(Mt 10:2; Mk
3:17; Lk 6:14; Ac 1:13) is actually "Jacob" (Greek Iakobos). He was the son of Zebedee
and Salome
and the brother of John. These brothers were cousins of Jesus on his
mother's side. He is sometimes called "James the Greater" to
distinguish him from "James the Lesser," the son of Alphaeus. He was
the first of the Twelve to be martyred,
around AD 44 in Jerusalem (Ac 12:2). Jesus gave to James and his
brother John the nickname "sons of thunder" (Mk 3:17). Along with
Peter, James and John constituted the inner circle of Jesus' disciples.
Memorial: July 25 (formerly August 5)
John (Yochanan bar-Zavdi)
(Mt 10:2; Mk
3:17; Lk 6:14; Ac 1:13) was the younger son of Zebedee and Salome.
Tradition
identifies him with the "Beloved Disciple" mentioned in the Gospel of
John (see Jn 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:20). Early church tradition about
John is sometimes contradictory, but apparently he eventually went to
Ephesus, where he died a natural death during the reign of Trajan
(98-117). He has long been identified with the Gospel and Letters of
John and with the book of Revelation, although these claims have been
debated for centuries.
Memorial: December 27 (Western); May 8
(Eastern)
Philip (Philippos) (Mt
10:3; Mk
3:18; Lk 6:14; Ac 1:13) was from Bethsaida, as were Andrew and Peter.
He was formerly a disciple of John the Baptist, and he introduced his
friend Nathanael to Jesus. Little else is known about him from
Scripture. According to tradition, he was eventually martyred,
possibly at Hierapolis
in Phrygia, Asia Minor. He should not be confused with Philip the
evangelist mentioned in the book of Acts.
Memorial: May 1 (Anglican); May 3
(Roman); November 14 (Eastern)
Bartholomew (Nathana'el bar-Tolmai)
(Mt
10:3; Mk 3:18; Lk 6:14; Ac 1:13) is probably to be identified with
Nathanael (Jn 1:45). Bartholomew is paired with Philip in all of the
lists of apostles, and it was Philip who first brought Nathanael to
Jesus (Jn 1:45). Bartholomew simply means "son of Tolmai." If it
is true that Bartholomew and Nathanael were the same person, the
disciple's full name would thus have been "Nathanael son of Tolmai." He
was originally from Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle (Jn
21:2). According to tradition, Bartholomew preached in Armenia and
possibly as far as India. Other traditions place his ministry in
Ethiopia. It is said he was skinned alive and then beheaded at
Albanopolis, Armenia.
Memorial: August 24 (Western); June 11
(Eastern)
Thomas (Yehudah ha-Th'oma)
(Mt 10:3; Mk
3:18; Lk 6:15; Ac 1:13) is known in some extrabiblical writings as
"Judas Thomas." Thomas (Th'oma)
is Aramaic for "Twin," which in Greek is Didymos (Jn 21:2). The Bible never
names his twin, but there are ancient writings that claim he bore a
striking resemblance to Jesus himself. He is perhaps best known for his
initial skepticism when told about Jesus' resurrection (Jn 20:24-25).
He is said to have preached in Parthia, Persia, and India, where he was
speared to death near Madras.
Memorial: July 3 (Roman Catholic);
December 21 (Anglican)
Matthew (Levi Mattithyahu)
(Mt 10:3;
Mk 3:18; Lk 6:15; Ac 1:13) is also known as Levi (Mk 2:13-14). Matthew
means "Gift of Yahweh," and may have been a byname given by Jesus just
as Simon was renamed "Rock" He was formerly a toll collector at
Capernaum and became one of the more prominent apostles. Like James the
Small, Levi is called the son of Alphaeus, suggesting that the two may
have been brothers. Alphaeus (Hebrew Alfai
or Chalfai, see 1 Macc
11:70), however, was a relatively common name, so
this is purely speculation. Accounts of Matthew's later life vary, but
from earliest times Christians have commemorated him as a martyr. He
preached among the Jews, perhaps including Jewish enclaves in Ethiopia
and places in the East.
Memorial: September 21
James Son of Alphaeus
(Ya'aqov
bar-Halfai) (Mt 10:3; Mk 3:18; Lk 6:15; Ac 1:13) is sometimes
identified with "James the
Younger" or "James the Small" (Greek, mikros)
by Catholic scholars. This designation only appears in Mark 15:40,
however, and it is uncertain that this James, the son of Mary and
brother of Joses, is the same person as the apostle. Making this
identification would require equating Alphaeus with Clopas,
an uncle of Jesus. There are good linguists on both sides of this
debate, but on the whole it seems the evidence is extremely tenuous for
making any of the "brothers of Jesus" members of the Twelve. Nothing
more
is known of James from the New Testament, unless he is in fact to be
identified
with James "the brother of Jesus." This seems rather unlikely.
It is sometimes conjectured that James son of Alphaeus was a brother of
Levi son of Alphaeus, but they are never portrayed as brothers in the
Gospels (as are, for example, Simon and Andrew or James and John). It
is more likely that the two were unrelated--the sons of two distinct
Alphaei.
Memorial: May 1 (Anglican); May 3
(Roman). If he is the same as James the brother of Jesus, also October
23
Judas Thaddaeus (Yehudah Thaddai)
(Mt
10:3; Mk 3:18) is known in Luke's writings as "Judas of James" (Lk
6:16; Ac 1:13), which can mean either "son of James" (NIV) or "brother
of James" (KJV). Whether this refers to James son of Alphaeus, James
son of Zebedee, or some other James is unclear, although tradition
identifies him as the brother of James son of Alphaeus. In the Gospel
of
John, he is once called "Judas, not Iscariot" (Jn 14:22). Thaddaeus is
probably a byname, possibly derived from an Aramaic root meaning
"chest" or "nipple." If this is the derivation of the byname, it might
explain the textual variant in Matthew 10:3 that lists him as "Lebbaeus
who was called Thaddeus." Lebbaeus (Libbai)
is related to the Aramaic word for "heart." Perhaps Judas was a brawny,
barrel-chested man? Another theory is that Thaddaeus is a variant of
Theudas, which in turn was a Greek form of Judas (replacing the Hebrew Yah with theos, a more generic term for
God). In some ancient sources, it is claimed that Thaddaeus and Simon
the Zealot preached together in Persia and were martyred there.
Memorial: October 28 (Western); June 19
(Eastern)
Simon the Zealot (Shim'on ha-Qana'na')
(Mt
10:4; Mk 3:18; Lk 6:15; Ac 1:13), like Paul, was known for his "zeal."
This perhaps identifies him with the same strict Shammaite school of
Phariseeism that Paul embraced (cf. N. T. Wright, What Saint Paul Really Said,
[Eerdmans, 1997]). The Shammaites were zealots in the sense that they
were political revolutionaries. "Zeal" meant a willingness to kill in
God's name, in the spirit of Old Testament heroes like Phinehas (Nu
25:1-9) and Elijah (1 Ki 18:40), or of the Maccabean heroes of the
second century BC. Josephus depicted Shammaites as being zealous for
God and Torah in exactly this sense: willing to do anything, up to and
including acts of violence, in order to achieve the liberty they
desired. According to tradition, he preached in Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Several places claim to be the site of his martyrdom.
Memorial: October 28 (Western); May 10
(Coptic)
Judas Iscariot (Yehudah Ish-Keryoth)
(Mt 10:4: Mk 3:19;
Lk 6:16) betrayed Jesus to the Temple authorities. His byname
"Iscariot" has been interpreted as a Greek corruption of either Latin Sicarius, "knife man" (i.e.,
a political revolutionary), or Hebrew Ish-Keryoth,
"Man from Kerioth." The latter receives further support from a textual
variant in John 12:4; 13:2, 26; 14:22, which identifies him as "from
Kerioth." Similar names with the Ish
prototheme are known in both Josephus and the Talmud. Kerioth
was located somewhere in southern Palestine, which makes Judas the only
Judean among the Twelve. It is likely that he was one of the more
prominent apostles, as evidenced by his position as treasurer for the
group (Jn 12:6; 13:29) and his apparent seat at the Last Supper at a
place of honor near Jesus himself (Jn 13:21-26). There is an Eastern
tradition that he was formerly ranked "higher" on the list of
apostles--either third or sixth.
Matthias (Mattithyahu) (Ac
1:26)
was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. Although not originally one of
the Twelve, Matthias had been a follower of Jesus from the very
beginning and may possibly have been a disciple of John the Baptist (Ac
1:21-22). He was likely one of the seventy evangelists Jesus
commissioned in Luke 10. According to tradition, he preached the gospel
in Judea, Cappadocia, Ethiopia, and Egypt before being stoned to death
in Cochis, Georgia in AD 80.
Memorial: February 24 (Anglican); May
14 (Roman Catholic)