DISCIPLES

Asniah Abdullah

BSN 3
 1. Peter the Apostle - Member of Jesus' Inner Circle

Born : ca 1 AD Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire

Died : between AD 64 and 68 (aged 62–67)

Clementine Chapel, Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire

Simon Peter, son of Jonas, was a fisherman who lived in Bethsaida

and Capernaum. He did evangelistic and missionary work among

the Jews, going as far as Babylon. He was a member of the Inner

Circle and authored the two New Testament epistles which bear

his name. Tradition says he was crucified, head downward, in Rome.

By trade, Peter was a fisherman. He was a married man (1 Corinthians 9:5) and his home was

Capernaum. Jesus probably made His headquarters there when He visited Capernaum. Peter was

also a Galilean as was typical of many of the other disciples. Josephus described the Galileans this

way, "They were ever fond of innovation and by nature disposed to change and delighted in

sedition. They were ever ready to follow the leader and to begin an insurrection. They were quick

in temper and given to quarreling and they were very chivalrous men." The Talmud says this of

the Galileans, "They were more anxious for honor than for gain, quick-tempered, impulsive,

emotional, easily aroused by an appeal to adventure, loyal to the end."

Peter was martyred on a cross. Peter requested that he might be crucified head downward for he

was not worthy to die as his Lord had died. His apostolic symbol is a cross upside down with

crossed keys.
 2. Apostle Andrew - Brother of Peter

Born: 6 BC, Galilee, Israel

Died: 30 November 60 AD, Patras, Greece

The Apostle Andrew, whose name means "manly," was the first

apostle of Jesus Christ. He had previously been a follower

of John the Baptist, but when John proclaimed Jesus "the lamb of

God," Andrew went with Jesus and spent a day with him.

Andrew quickly found his brother Simon (later called Peter) and told him "We have found the

Messiah." (John 1:41, NIV) He brought Simon to meet Jesus. Matthew notes that Simon and

Andrew dropped their fishing nets and followed Jesus as he was passing by.

The Gospels record three episodes involving the Apostle Andrew. He and three other disciples

asked Jesus about his prophecy that the Temple would be torn down (Mark 13:3-4). Andrew

brought a boy with two fish and five barley loaves to Jesus, who multiplied them to feed

5,000people (John 6:8-13). Philip and Andrew brought some Greeks to Jesus who wanted to meet

him (John 12:20-22).

It is not recorded in the Bible, but church tradition says Andrew was crucified as a martyr on

a Crux Decussata, or X-shaped cross.

 3. Philip the Apostle - Follower of Jesus Christ

Born : Bethsaida, Galilee, Roman Empire

Died : 80 A.D
Hierapolis, Anatolia, Roman Empire

Philip the Apostle was one of the earliest followers of Jesus

Christ. Some scholars speculate that Philip was first a disciple
of John the Baptist, because he lived in the region where John
preached.

Like Peter and Peter's brother Andrew, Philip was a Galilean,

from the village of Bethsaida. It's probable they knew one
another and were friends.

Jesus issued a personal call to Philip: "Follow me." (John

1:43, NIV).

Leaving his old life behind, Philip answered the call. He may have been among the disciples with
Jesus at the wedding feast in Cana, when Christ performed his first miracle, turning water into
wine.

Philip recruited the skeptical Nathanael(Bartholomew) as an apostle, leading Jesus to reveal that
he supernaturally saw Nathanael sitting under a fig tree, even before Philip called him.

In the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus tested Philip by asking him where they could buy
bread for so many people. Limited by his earthbound experience, Philip replied that eight months'
wages would not be enough to buy each person one bite.

The last we hear of Philip the Apostle is in the book of Acts, at Jesus' ascension and the Day of
Pentecost. Another Philip is mentioned in Acts, a deacon and evangelist, but he is a different
person.

Tradition says Philip the Apostle preached in Phrygia, in Asia Minor, and was martyred there at
Hierapolis.
 4. Nathanael - The True Israelite

Nathanael was one of the 12 original apostles of Jesus Christ.

Little is written about him the Gospels and book of Acts.

Most Bible scholars believe Nathanael and Bartholomew were the

same person. The name Bartholomew is a family designation,

meaning "son of Tolmai." Nathanael means "gift of God." In the

synoptic Gospels, the name Bartholomew always follows Philip in lists of the Twelve. In

the Gospel of John, Bartholomew is not mentioned at all; Nathanael is listed instead, after Philip.

John also describes Nathanael's call by Philip. The two may have been friends, for Nathanael

scoffs, "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" (John 1:46, NIV) Seeing the two men

approach, Jesus calls Nathanael a "true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false," then reveals that

he saw Nathanael sitting under a fig tree before Philip called him. Nathanael responds to Jesus'

vision by proclaiming him the Son of God, the King of Israel.

Church tradition says Nathanael carried a translation of Matthew's Gospel to northern India.

Legend claims he was crucified upside down in Albania.

 5. Simon the Zealot - Mystery Apostle

Born : Judea
Died: ~65 or ~107[1]
place of death disputed. Possibly Pella, Armenia; Suanir,
Persia; Edessa, Caistor

Simon the Zealot, one of Jesus Christ's 12 apostles, is a mystery

character in the Bible. We have one tantalizing bit of

information about him, which has led to ongoing debate among

Bible scholars.

In some versions of the Bible (Amplified Bible), he is called Simon the Cananaean. In the King

James Version and New King James Version, he is called Simon the Canaanite or Cananite. In

the English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, New International Version,

and New Living Translation he is called Simon the Zealot.

To confuse things further, Bible scholars argue over whether Simon was a member of the

radical Zealot party or whether the term simply referred to his religious zeal. Those who take the

former view think Jesus may have chosen Simon, a member of the tax-hating, Roman-hating

Zealots, to counterbalance Matthew, a former tax collector, and employee of the Roman empire.

Those scholars say such a move by Jesus would have shown that his kingdom reaches out to people

in all walks of life.

 6. Meet James the Lesser: Obscure Apostle of Christ
Born: Bethsaida

Died: 44 AD, Jerusalem, Israel

The Apostle James, son of Alphaeus, was also known as James the

Less, or James the Lesser. He's not to be confused with James the

son of Zebedee, brother of the Apostle John.

A third James appears in the New Testament. He was the brother of the Lord, a leader in the

Jerusalem church, and writer of the book of James.

James of Alphaeus is named in each listing of the 12 disciples, always appearing ninth in order.

The Apostle Matthew (called Levi, the tax collector before becoming a follower of Christ), is also

identified in Mark 2:14 as the son of Alphaeus, yet scholars doubt he and James were brothers.

Never in the Gospels are the two disciples connected.

James was beheaded by order of King Herod Agrippa I of Judaea; according to Spanish tradition,

his body was taken to Santiago de Compostela, where his shrine attracts pilgrims from all over the

world.
 7. Meet Matthew the Apostle

Born in Palestine sometime in the 1st century

Died: January 24 in near Hierapolis or Ethiopia

Matthew was named Levi before his call by Jesus. We don't

know whether Jesus gave him the name Matthew or whether he

changed it himself, but it is a shortening of the name Mattathias,

which means "gift of Yahweh," or simply "the gift of God."

Despite his sinful past, Matthew was uniquely qualified to be a disciple. He was an accurate

record keeper and keen observer of people. He captured the smallest details. Those traits

served him well when he wrote the Gospel of Matthew some 20 years later.

Disputed legend has it that Matthew died as a martyr for the cause of Christ. The

official Roman Martyrology of the Catholic Church suggests that Matthew was martyred

in Ethiopia. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs also supports the martyrdom tradition of Matthew,

reporting that he was slain with a halberd in the city of Nabadar.

 8. Meet the Apostle John: 'The Disciple Jesus Loved'
Born : c. AD 6
Bethsaida, Galilee, Roman Empire
Died:
c. AD 100 (aged 93 or 94)
Patmos, Greece, Roman Empire

The Apostle John had the distinction of being a beloved

friend of Jesus Christ, writer of five books of the New

Testament, and a pillar in the early Christian church.

John served the church in Jerusalem for many years, then moved to work in the church

at Ephesus. An unsubstantiated legend holds that John was taken to Rome during

a persecution and thrown into boiling oil but emerged unhurt.

The Bible tells us that John was later exiled to the island of Patmos. He supposedly outlived

all of the disciples, dying of old age at Ephesus, perhaps about A.D. 98.

John continually emphasizes that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, sent by

the Father to take away the sins of the world. He uses many symbolic titles for Jesus, such

as the Lamb of God, resurrection, and the vine.

 9. Thomas the Apostle
Born: 1st century AD
Galilee (Roman Empire)
Died : 21 December 72 [1]
St.Thomas Mount, Chennai, India[2]
Saint Thomas the Apostle (also known as Judas

Thomas or Didymus, meaning "Twin") was one of the Twelve

Apostles of Jesus who is best known for doubting

the resurrection of Jesus and demanding to feel Jesus' wounds

before being convinced (John 20:24-29). This story is the origin

of the term "Doubting Thomas." After seeing Jesus alive,

Thomas professed his faith in Jesus, exclaiming "My Lord and my God!" presenting one of the

first clear declarations of Christ's divinity.

As an apostle, Saint Thomas was called to spread Jesus' teachings throughout the nations. While

Saints Peter and Paul were said to have brought the gospel to Greece and Rome, Thomas was said

to have taken it eastwards as far as India. The churches of Malankara in India trace their roots back

to St. Thomas who, according to local tradition, arrived along the Malabar Coast in the year 52 C.E.

According to tradition, Saint Thomas was allegedly killed at St.ThomasMount, near Chennai, in

72 A.D. and his body was interred in Mylapore. Ephrem the Syrian states that the Apostle was

martyred in India, and that his relics were taken then to Edessa.
 10. Thaddeus the Apostle

Born: Galilee, Israel

Died: 28 October 70 AD, Parthian Empire

Little is known about Thaddeus, one of Jesus Christ's

12 apostles. Bible scholars generally agree, however, that the

four names used for him all refer to the same person.

In lists of the Twelve, he is called Thaddeus or Thaddaeus, a

surname for the name Lebbaeus (Matthew 10:3, KJV), which means "heart" or

"courageous."

Thaddeus preached the gospel as a missionary following Jesus' resurrection. Some Bible

scholars believe Thaddeus penned the book of Jude, although more take the view that Jude,

the half-brother of Jesus, is the author. The final two verses of Jude (24-25) contain a

doxology, or "expression of praise to God," considered the finest in the New Testament.

Thaddeus learned the gospel directly from Jesus and loyally served Christ despite hardship

and persecution.

Church tradition holds that Thaddeus founded a church at Edessa and was crucifiedthere

as a martyr.

11. Apostle James - First Apostle to Die for Jesus

 The apostle James was honored with a favored position by Jesus Christ, as

one of three men in his inner circle. The others were James'

brother John and Simon Peter.

When Jesus called the brothers, James and John were fishermen with their

father Zebedee on the Sea of Galilee. They immediately left their father and

their business to follow the young rabbi. James was probably the older of

the two brothers because he is always mentioned first.

Three times James, John, and Peter were invited by Jesus to witness events no one else saw: the

raising of the daughter of Jairus from the dead (Mark 5:37-47), the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-

3), and Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane(Matthew 26:36-37).

But James was not above making mistakes. When a Samaritan village rejected Jesus, he and John

wanted to call down fire from heaven upon the place. This earned them the nickname "Boanerges,"

or "sons of thunder." The mother of James and John also overstepped her bounds, asking Jesus to

grant her sons special positions in his kingdom.

James' zeal for Jesus resulted in his being the first of the 12 apostles to be martyred. He was killed

with the sword on order of King Herod Agrippa I of Judea, about 44 A.D., in a general

persecution of the early church.

 12. Judas Iscariot - Betrayer of Jesus Christ

Judas Iscariot (died c. 30 – c. 33 AD) was one of the

twelve original disciples of Jesus Christ and son of Simon Iscariot,

according to the New Testament.

Judas Iscariot is remembered for one thing: his betrayal

of Jesus Christ. Even though Judas showed remorse later, his

name became a symbol for traitors and turncoats throughout

history. His motive seemed to be greed, but some scholars speculate political desires

lurked beneath his treachery.

Judas was a thief. He was in charge of the group's money bag and sometimes stole from

it. He was disloyal. Even though the other apostles deserted Jesus and Peter denied him,

Judas went so far as to lead the temple guard to Jesus at Gethsemane, and then identified

Jesus by kissing him. Some would say Judas Iscariot made the greatest error in history.

According to Matthew 27:3-6, the treacherous apostle quickly felt remorse over his betrayal

of Jesus and went to the Temple to recant. When the high priests ignored his plea, he threw

down the 30 pieces of silver that he had been paid, and went off and hanged himself. But

Acts 1:15-20, gives a different and even grislier version of Judas’ demise. He says that Judas

used the blood money to purchase a piece of land and then fell headlong from a high place

there, so that “he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.” Jerusalem

residents subsequently named the place Aceldama, which means “the field of blood.”