12 Apostles

The 12 Apostles of Jesus: 1. Peter (also known as Simon Peter) 2. Andrew (Simon Peter's brother) 3. James son of Zebedee 4. John (James' brother) 5. Philip 6. Bartholomew 7. Thomas 8. Matthew 9. James son of Alphaeus 10. Thaddaeus (Judas, son of James) 11. Simon the Zealot 12. Judas Iscariot (who betrayed Jesus) Matthias (who replaced Judas)

Peter the Apostle

Peter (also known as Simon) was one of the original 12 apostles. He became the leader of the apostles, after Jesus' ascension. Peter was originally from Bethsaida on the northern shore of the sea of Galilee. Peter was married. He was a fisherman with his brother Andrew. His home was in Capernaum. When Jesus called him to be an apostle, he was given the added name Cephas (Aramaic: "stone," Greek: "Petros," which in English is rendered as Peter). Peter was one of the three main apostles, along with James and John, who were chosen by Jesus to be present during certain important moments of His ministry. One trait of Peters character that stands out in the New Testament account, is his impetuosity. Peter was famous for many things: For being at Jesus' transfiguration, for walking on water at Jesus' bidding, for rebuking Jesus for what seemed to him negative thinking (prompting Jesus' sharp reply "Get behind Me Satan"), for his statement to Jesus during the washing of feet during the Last Supper, for his denials of knowing Jesus when Peter was in the courtyard of the high priest, for drawing a sword when Jesus was being arrested, and for being granted the singular privilege of an individual post-resurrection appearance by Jesus (Luke 24:34, 1Cor 15:5). When Jesus asked him "Who do you say I am?" Peter made that famous statement, "You are the Christ (Messiah) the Son of the Living God." (Matthew 16:15-16). Under the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter healed the sick and raised the dead. He made a

trip to Antioch (Galatians 2:1), and possibly Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:12). It is believed that Peter later traveled to Rome, and was martyred there by crucifixion in 64 AD. He is said to have requested that he be crucified upside down, because he said he wasn't worthy of dying in the same way as Jesus. Peter wrote two Epistles, called Peter 1 and Peter 2, in the New Testament. Papias, a disciple of the Apostle John, wrote that Mark's Gospel was influenced by Peter's writings. The name Peter, in the Greek language, which was spoken by people in the land of Israel during the 1st Century, as was Aramaic and Hebrew, means "rock." So, too, does the name Cephas, which is an Aramaic word for "rock," as used by Jesus in John 1:42.

Andrew the Apostle

Andrew was one of the original 12 apostles. He was the son of a man named Jonah (sometimes the name is rendered as John), and brother of Simon Peter. He lived in Bethsaida on the north side of the sea of Galilee. The two brothers had a fishing business in partnership with James and John. Before Andrew had met Jesus, he had been a disciple of John the Baptist. He became convinced that Jesus was the Messiah and brought his brother Peter to see Jesus. The two brothers returned to their fishing, but later, after John the Baptist had been arrested, Jesus saw Peter and Andrew by the Sea of Galilee and said to them, "Come after Me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:18). Peter and Andrew, at that point in time, lived in Capernaum (Mark 1:21, 29). Jesus always named Andrew among the first four apostles. Andrew was one of the four apostles who were with Jesus on the Mount of Olives. It was Andrew who inquired about the signs that would mark the end times (Mark 13:3-4). Andrew also was the one who called attention to the boy who had loaves and fishes, when Jesus fed the 5000 men, besides women and children, in John 6:5-9.

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James
There are three prominent people in the Bible named James, and their profiles are shown below: James, the Apostle, son of Zebedee James, the Apostle, son of Alphaeus James, the Epistle writer

James, the Apostle, son of Zebedee

James the Apostle was one of the 12 original apostles. He was the son of a man named of Zebedee and the older brother of John the Apostle. James was a fisherman, as was his father and brother. He was one of the first apostles to be called by Jesus. Jesus gave John and James the surname of Boanerges, which means "sons of thunder." Together with Peter and John, James was a close confidant of Jesus, being present at many important events, including the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus, Jesus' transfiguration, and the agony in Gethsemane. James was killed by King Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:1-2).

James, the Apostle, son of Alphaeus

James (son of Alphaeus) One of the 12 Apostles. He is named in the list of Apostles in Matthew 10:1-3, Mark 3:14-19, Luke 6:13-16, and Acts 1:13. His mother's name was Mary and she was one of the women who went to the tomb of Jesus, and found that it had been opened. James was also called "James the Less" and "James the Younger." Because the Apostle Matthew also is the son of a man named Alphaeus, it has been thought that he and James were brothers. But the two were never referred to as brothers, whereas Peter and Andrew, and James (a different James) and John, were consistently referred to as being brothers. Nothing else is known about James except he was among those who went to the upper room to pray after the Ascension of Jesus.

James, the Epistle writer

The Epistle of James is the 20th book of the New Testament. He identifies himself as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." Of the several New Testament people named James, it is possible, perhaps logical, that this James is "The Lord's Brother" (Galatians 1:19), the leader of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13, 21:18). He was a well-known figure of the church and martyred in 62 AD. His book may be the earliest of the New Testament writings. His book shows the difficulties that were troubling the people of the early church, such as pride, discrimination, greed, lust, hypocrisy, worldliness, and backbiting. James writes to correct these evils by showing that "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:26), that is, mere profession of faith is not enough. He rebukes the rich in (James 5:1-6), tells us to be patient and take courage (James 5:7-11), not to swear (James 5:12), the effectiveness of prayer (James 5:13-18), and turning a fallen Christian back to Christ (James 5:19-20).

John
There are two prominent people in the New Testament named John, and both of their profiles are shown below:

 John the Apostle John the Baptist

John the Apostle

John the Apostle was one of the original 12 apostles. He is the author of five New Testament books, including the Gospel of John, which is sometimes called the book of John. John, his brother James and their father Zebedee were Galilean fisherman. Jesus called John and James to leave their careers as fishermen and to become His apostles. Soon after, John and James became part of an inner circle around Jesus with Peter and sometimes Andrew. John along with Andrew had been disciples of John the Baptist and became followers of Jesus after He was baptized by John the Baptist. John was the "beloved disciple" who leaned on Jesus during the Last Supper (John 13:23), who was "known to the high priest" (John 18:15), who was entrusted by Jesus with the care of His mother Mary (John 19:26), and who outran Peter to the empty tomb (John 20:2-4). After the resurrection, John appears as one of the leaders of the early church. According to Papias, one of John's disciples, John later went to the city of Ephesus. He was exiled under Emperor Domitian to the island Patmos. It was there that he wrote the Book of Revelation, which is the 27th book of the New Testament. Under Nerva, John returned to Ephesus, and there composed the Gospel of John, the 4th book of the New Testament, and three Epistles, called John 1, John 2, John 3. John reportedly died at a very old age. John and his brother James were called the "Sons of thunder" by Jesus (Mark 3:17).

John the Baptist

John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus Christ. He was born to the elderly Zechariah and his barren wife Elizabeth (similar to Abraham and Sarah). Elizabeth was a relative of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and both became pregnant a few months apart. (Luke 1:4142). Both were visited by the angel, Gabriel. John grew up in the wilderness and preached in the wilderness. His message was for people to repent because the Kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2). John baptized his followers in the Jordan River, to signify the drowning of their old life and their emergence from the water into a new life. John, as did Jesus later on, ran into conflict with the Pharisees and Sadducees for whom he had sharp words (Matthew 3:7-12). John baptized Jesus, and proclaimed Him the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus Himself appraised John in Matthew 11:7-15. John was much more than a prophet, surpassing his predecessors in greatness, and comparable to Elijah. But John's generation did not accept him, alleging instead that he was demon possessed (Matthew 11:17-18).

John's role as forerunner to Jesus was alluded to in a prophecy from Isaiah 40:3, which spoke of A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God." There is another prophecy, in Malachi 3:1, that also alludes to John the Baptist's role in preparing the way for Jesus Christ. John was beheaded AD 29 by Herod Antipas who imprisoned him in revenge for John's condemnation of his incestuous marriage to his brother's wife (Luke 3:19-20). Herodias' daughter, danced for Herod, who rewarded her by offering her whatever she wished. On the advice of her mother, she requested the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Herod was grieved at being requested to execute him, but having given his oath before witnesses, he commanded that it be done (Matthew 14:1-11, Mark 6:14-28).

Philip
There are two important people in the New Testament with the name of Philip and both of their profiles are shown below: Philip the Apostle Philip the Evangelist

Philip the Apostle

Philip the Apostle was one of the original twelve apostles. He came from Bethsaida in Galilee. Jesus invited Philip to become His disciple (John 1:43). Philip became the sixth disciple of Jesus, and introduced his friend Nathanael (Bartholomew) to Jesus, who also became an apostle. When Jesus was about to perform a miracle and feed a multitude of people with a small amount of food, Jesus asked Philip where they should buy the bread to feed the people. But, Jesus was testing Philip, for Jesus already knew that He would perform a miracle (John 6:5-6). A group of Greek Jews who were in Jerusalem for Passover asked Philip to have him introduce them to Jesus (John 12:20-22). During the Last Supper, Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father (John 14:8-11). Phillip was present during the prayer meeting in the upper room with the 120 (Acts 1:13-15), after the ascension of Jesus.

Philip the Evangelist

Philip the Evangelist was one of the seven appointed by the apostles to take care of the growing Christian community and to look after their widows and the needy (Acts 6:1-6). He went to Samaria where he preached and performed miracles (Acts 8:4-6). He converted Simon the magician (Acts 8:9-13). Philip received the message from an angel to meet a man from Ethiopia in Gaza, a eunuch of great authority under Queen Candace,

and inspired the Ethiopian to be baptized (Acts 8:26-39). Later, Philip lived in Caesarea (Acts 21:8). According to Acts 21:9, Philip's four unmarried daughters had the gift of prophecy.

Bartholomew the Apostle

Bartholomew (perhaps also known as Nathanael) was one of Christ's twelve original apostles. He appears in the lists of the twelve apostles given in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts. Usually, his name is paired off with Philip. Bartholomew is a patronymic and thus not a person's familiar name. He does not appear in John's Gospel, and the association of Philip with the otherwise unknown Nathanael (John 1:45-51, 21:2) leads to the possibility that Nathanael was Bartholomew's personal name. In John, Chapter 1, Philip tells Nathanael "We have found the Messiah! The very person Moses and the prophets told about! His name is Jesus, the Son of Joseph from Nazareth." "Nazareth!" exclaimed Nathanael, "can anything good come from there?" The two went to see Jesus, and as they approached Him, Jesus said, "Here comes an honest man, a true son of Israel". Nathanael then asked, "How do you know what I am like?" Jesus replied, "I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you". Nathanael then replied, "Sir, You are the Son of God - the King of Israel". It is believed that Bartholomew/Nathanael was a missionary with Philip and Thomas. He is said to have preached the gospel in Armenia, India, Lycaonia, Mesopotania, Persia and Phrygia.

Thomas the Apostle

Thomas the Apostle was one of the twelve original apostles of Jesus. In Matthew, Mark, Luke and Acts, he is called Thomas. In John 11:16, he is given a further name, Didymus. On the evening of the day of the resurrection, Thomas declined to believe that Jesus had appeared to the other disciples (John 20:24), hence the term "doubting Thomas." When Jesus appeared again after eight days, Thomas was there also and on seeing Him confessed his faith that Jesus is God (John 20:28). John 21:2 mentions that Thomas was among those who were at the Sea of Galilee when Jesus appeared to them on another occasion.

Matthew the Apostle

Matthew was one of the original 12 apostles. He was a tax collector before he was called by Jesus to be an apostle (Matthew 9:9). Known formally as Levi, son of Alphaeus (Mark 2:14), Matthew wrote the first book of the New Testament. It is sometimes called the

Gospel of Matthew or the book of Matthew. Matthew gives a detailed account of the ancestors of Jesus, and about His birth through the Virgin Mary, and about the beginning of His public ministry in Chapters 1-4. Matthew's gospel includes a series of Jesus' speeches, including the Sermon on the Mount (see Chapters 5-7), the mission discourse (see Chapter 10), the parables of the Kingdom (see Chapter 13), the discourse on Christian living (see Chapter 18, and the final end time warnings in Chapters 23-25. Ten miracles by Jesus are recorded in Chapters 8 and 9. Matthew's work has been described as a textbook for Christian leaders. It is Gospel "to announce the good news", a presentation of the birth, ministry of teaching and healing, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

James
There are three prominent people in the Bible named James, and their profiles are shown below: James, the Apostle, son of Alphaeus James, the Apostle, son of Zebedee James, the Epistle writer

James, the Apostle, son of Alphaeus

James (son of Alphaeus) One of the 12 Apostles. He is named in the list of Apostles in Matthew 10:1-3, Mark 3:14-19, Luke 6:13-16, and Acts 1:13. His mother's name was Mary and she was one of the women who went to the tomb of Jesus, and found that it had been opened. James was also called "James the Less" and "James the Younger." Because the Apostle Matthew also is the son of a man named Alphaeus, it has been thought that he and James were brothers. But the two were never referred to as brothers, whereas Peter and Andrew, and James (a different James) and John, were consistently referred to as being brothers. Nothing else is known about James except he was among those who went to the upper room to pray after the Ascension of Jesus.

James, the Apostle, son of Zebedee

James the Apostle was one of the 12 original apostles. He was the son of a man named of Zebedee and the older brother of John the Apostle. James was a fisherman, as was his father and brother. He was one of the first apostles to be called by Jesus. Jesus gave John and James the surname of Boanerges, which means "sons of thunder." Together with Peter and John, James was a close confidant of Jesus, being present at many important events, including the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus, Jesus' transfiguration, and the agony in Gethsemane. James was killed by King Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:1-2).

James, the Epistle writer

The Epistle of James is the 20th book of the New Testament. He identifies himself as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." Of the several New Testament people named James, it is possible, perhaps logical, that this James is "The Lord's Brother" (Galatians 1:19), the leader of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13, 21:18). He was a well-known figure of the church and martyred in 62 AD. His book may be the earliest of the New Testament writings. His book shows the difficulties that were troubling the people of the early church, such as pride, discrimination, greed, lust, hypocrisy, worldliness, and backbiting. James writes to correct these evils by showing that "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:26), that is, mere profession of faith is not enough. He rebukes the rich in (James 5:1-6), tells us to be patient and take courage (James 5:7-11), not to swear (James 5:12), the effectiveness of prayer (James 5:13-18), and turning a fallen Christian back to Christ (James 5:19-20).

Thaddaeus (Judas, son of James) the Apostle

Thaddaeus was one of the 12 Apostles. It is believed that he was also known as Judas, son of James (not to be confused with Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed Jesus). In some New Testament passages, the name Thaddaeus appears among the list of 12 Apostles. But in other New Testament passages, the name Judas, son of James, appears instead. In ancient times, a person could have two or three different names, such as a Greek-language name and a Hebrew name. And, sometimes people were known primarily by their occupational title. The name Thaddaeus appears in the list of Apostles given in Matthew 10:3, between James, son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot. In Mark 3:18, the name Thaddaeus appears, again, in the same placement. In Acts 1:13, however, a man named Judas, son of James, is listed below Simon. And in Luke 6:16, Judas (son of James), is listed again among the 12 Apostles, between Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot. In John 14:22, there is a reference to Judas (not Iscariot) who spoke to Jesus. The two names, however, never appear in the same book, lending credence to the belief that they both refer to the same person.

Simon the Apostle

Simon the Apostle was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. He received the authority to cast out unclean spirits and to heal every kind of ailment and disease (Matthew 10:1-4). The name Simon means "God has heard." Simon was also known as Simon the Zealot.

Judas the Apostle

Judas Iscariot "man of Kerioth," the son of Simon, was one of the twelve original apostles of Jesus. He was the treasurer of the twelve. He considered it a waste of money when Mary anointed Jesus with expensive oil. And, John states that Judas had often dipped into the funds for his own personal use (John 12:3-6), and that Judas cared little about using the money to help the poor. After Jesus and His disciples went to Jerusalem, Satan entered into Judas (Luke 22:3) and Judas approached local community leaders, offering to deliver Jesus into their hands for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-15). During the Last Supper, Jesus foretold of Judas' betrayal (Matthew 26:25). Judas betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. After Jesus' arrest, Judas was seized with remorse. He returned the betrayal money and hanged himself (Matthew 27:3-5). The money was later used to buy a piece of land, which became known as the "Field of Blood."

Matthias (Apostle)
Matthias was chosen to become the 12th Apostle after the death of Judas. In Acts, chapter 1, Peter explains to about 120 followers the need to replace Judas, as he recites a Psalm of David that states "Let his work be given to someone else to do," in reference to Judas. Two men are nominated by the assembly, Joseph Justus, who was also called Barsabbas, and Matthias. The assembly prayed to God to make the right choice, and Matthias was chosen. Nothing more is written of him in the Bible. Tradition states he was one of the 70 sent out by Jesus in Luke 10:1, that he preached in Judea, and that he died a martyr. Matthias means "Gift of God."