Although we will be looking primarily at the twelve disciples of
1. WHO WERE THE DISCIPLES?
Although we will be looking primarily at the twelve disciples of Jesus as a group in this book, it is important that we understand who the individual disciples were in order to see how and why the group acted as it did in a number of situations. We may be familiar with the names of many or all of the twelve, but it is still possible to be confused regarding the identities of some of them. Who Was Who? There is often confusion regarding the individual disciples because some of them were known by multiple names. For example, Judas, son of James, seems to be called Thaddeus in the Gospel of Matthew and that of Mark to avoid confusion between that Judas and Judas Iscariot. Other individuals may also be confused because they shared the same name. Following the order given in Mark 3:16–19, these are the men who became the twelve disciples: Simon – Also known as Peter, Simon Peter, and Cephas, Peter was probably the oldest of the Twelve (as explained in Chapter 2 of this book) and the only one said to be married (1 Corinthians 9:5). He was one of Jesus' three main disciples along with James and John. James – Also known as the son of Zebedee, and called "James the Greater" (referring to his height, age, or importance), James was one of the three leading disciples along with Peter and John. John – James' brother and probably the youngest of the Twelve, John was originally a disciple of John the Baptist. "The one Jesus loved" (John 13:23, CSB) was one of the leading disciples with Peter and James. Andrew – Simon Peter's younger brother was a leading disciple along with Peter, James, and John. According to the Gospel of John, Andrew was the first of the twelve disciples Jesus called and
while Peter is often credited with being the first to recognize Jesus as the Messiah (Matthew 16:13–20), Andrew not only brought Peter to Jesus, but also told him Jesus was the Messiah! (see John 1:41). Philip – Like Peter and Andrew, Philip was from the town of Bethsaida by the Sea of Galilee. He brought the disciple called Nathanael or Bartholomew to Jesus. Bartholomew – The name Bartholomew most likely comes from the Aramaic Bar-Talmai, meaning "son of Talmai," which would explain why he also seems to have been known as Nathanael – which was probably his personal name. Matthew – Also known as Levi (his Hebrew name), Matthew was a tax collector in Capernaum and became the author of the gospel that bears his name. Thomas – Actually not a name, "Thomas" comes from the Aramaic word te'oma, meaning "twin." Also called Didymos (Greek for "the twin"), tradition says his name was "Judas Thomas" – Judas the twin. He is often (undeservedly) known as "Doubting Thomas." James – Also called "James the Less" or "James the Lesser," he is only mentioned in the lists of disciples, so little is known of him. Thaddeus – This disciple is also called Jude, Jude of James, Judas of James, Judas Thaddeus, and Lebbaeus. Some identify him with Jesus' brother Jude (Mark 6:3), but this is highly unlikely. Simon the Zealot – This individual is only mentioned in the four lists of the disciples found in the New Testament. It is doubtful that he is the Simon mentioned in Matthew 10:4 and Mark 3:18. Judas Iscariot – "Iscariot" probably refers to Kerioth, a town located south of Jerusalem in Judea. After he betrayed Jesus, Judas was replaced by Matthias (Acts 1:20–26), but this replacement apostle is not mentioned again in the New Testament.
Discovering the Disciples What kind of men were these disciples? We know that as individuals they were widely different. Some among the Twelve were fishermen, of course, and we also know that one (Matthew) was a tax collector, and one (Simon the Zealot) seems to have been a revolutionary. We get glimpses of their individual personalities not only in the Bible, but also in the writings of the early church fathers. Those later writings are occasionally quoted in this book – though we must be careful in using extra-biblical sources because spurious legends and stories quickly sprang up about the disciples after their deaths. On the other hand, history can help give us an idea of some of the characteristics probably shared by many in the group.
We know that almost all of the disciples were from Galilee, and the first-century Jewish historian Josephus described the people of Galilee this way: "They were always fond of innovation and by nature disposed to change and delighted in sedition. They were always ready to follow the leader and to begin an insurrection. Quick in temper and given to quarreling, they were very courageous men." We can certainly see some of these traits in some of the disciples, though in others not so much.
Interestingly, the same can be said of the description of the Galileans that is found in the Jewish Talmud: "They were more anxious for honor than for gain, quick-tempered, impulsive, emotional, easily aroused by an appeal to adventure, loyal to the end." This description certainly fits what we know of the twelve disciples in many ways and although they were definitely not loyal to Jesus at the time of his arrest, they eventually showed great loyalty in their later lives.
Overall, we will certainly see many of these traits in what the New Testament tells us of the disciples as a group, and keeping these things in mind we can look now, in the next few chapters, at the ages of the disciples, why they were all male, and how they were selected.