When Jesus began his ministry on earth he chose 12 men as partners in the work he was to do. We know them as the 12 apostles. Jesus shared his life with them, transformed their hearts and empowered them to impact the nations in his name and with the power of God.
Who were the 12 apostles? Let’s get to know those first disciples of Jesus better, those who were closest to him. Let’s look at the ministry they carried out with Jesus and what happened to each of them after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension.
- Simon, son of Jonas (Peter)
- Andrew, son of Jonah (Simon’s brother)
- James / James, son of Zebedee
- John, son of Zebedee
- Philip
- Bartholomew (Nathaniel)
- Thomas (nicknamed Didymus or the Twin)
- Matthew (Levi)
- James, son of Alphaeus
- Tadeo (Judas Tadeo)
- Simon the Zealot
- Judas Iscariot
Simon, son of Jonah (Peter)
Peter is in all probability the best known of the 12 apostles. His name appears first in the list of disciples (Matthew 10: 2-4, among others). He had an impulsive character and sometimes spoke without filtering his words, something that proved good at times and disastrous at others (see Matthew 14:22-33 and Matthew 16:21-23 for examples).
He was the brother of Andrew, another of the disciples, and before meeting Jesus they worked together with their father as fishermen. Peter was married (Mark 1:29-31). He was one of the closest disciples of Jesus, who chose him to witness his transfiguration (Mark 9: 2-13) and other special moments in his life.
Although many remember Peter mostly for having denied Jesus, the reality is that his ministry after the Lord’s resurrection was very powerful. In Acts 2: 14-41 we read the account of the first preaching of him filled with the Holy Spirit. That day, about three thousand people received the message of salvation and were baptized, thus beginning the expansion of the church.
Peter’s life is a great testimony to the power of God’s forgiveness towards his children.
Biblical Examples of God’s Forgiveness
Peter is credited with the authorship of the 2 apostolic letters of the New Testament that bear his name, the 1st and 2nd Epistle of the Apostle Saint Peter.
According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside down during the persecution of Nero. It seems that he himself requested that he be placed in this position because he did not feel worthy to die in the same position as the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Catholicism, Peter is considered the first Pope. His body is believed to be buried under St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
Andrew, son of Jonah (Simon’s brother)
Before following Jesus, Andrew worked as a fisherman with his brother Simon (Peter). Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist before he met Jesus (John 1: 35-40) which shows the sincere yearning of his heart to know God. Andrew bore witness to Jesus from the beginning. In fact, he testified to his brother Peter as soon as he knew that Jesus was the expected Messiah (John 1:40-42).
A curious fact about Andrés: for the miracle of feeding more than 5,000 people, it was he who found the boy who had 5 loaves and 2 fish and told Jesus (see John 6:8-12). However, he couldn’t understand how such a small amount could be of help among so many people…
According to tradition, Andrew died in Patras, Greece, tied to an X-shaped cross with his head down. His ministry in Greece had been very fruitful. A governor’s wife was healed and converted to Christianity, but the governor was very angry and had Andrew arrested and condemned to die on the cross. They did not nail him, but tied him up so that his death would be slower and more exhausting.
Apparently, Andrew kept preaching the gospel from the cross until his death. The X-shaped cross is known as the cross of Saint Andrew.
James (James), son of Zebedee
James or James (depending on the translation), was the brother of John, the other disciple. It seems that they were very close brothers and worked as fishermen with his father (Mark 1: 19-20). Jesus nicknamed them Boanerges (or sons of thunder, Mark 3:17) perhaps implying that they had a strong character. The two of them, along with Peter and on some occasions Andrew, formed Jesus’ inner circle: the disciples with whom Jesus shared his most special moments.
For example, in Mark 1:29 we see Jesus going with James and John to visit the other pair of apostle brothers, Peter and Andrew. On that visit Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law. On another occasion James (James) witnessed with Peter and John the resurrection of a girl, the daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:35-42).
Of the 12 disciples, James was the first to die as a martyr in 44 AD, a date recorded in the Bible in Acts 12:1-2. King Herod had him killed with a sword.
According to historians, after his death, his body was transferred to Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, Spain). According to tradition, Santiago had evangelized that region and that is why his body was buried in the place where the Cathedral of Santiago is today.
John, son of Zebedee
John is known as the beloved disciple. He was the brother of James (James) and like Peter and Andrew, he had a special friendship with Jesus. John was with Jesus until the end, apparently he was the only one of the 12 who was present during the crucifixion. At that time, Jesus gave him a very important task: to take care of his mother Mary for him (John 19: 25-27). Such was the trust between them!
John shared with Jesus memorable moments. Some of them were his transfiguration (Mark 9:2-13), his anguish in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46), and his crucifixion (John 19:25-27).
During the last years of his life, John lived in exile on the island of Patmos as punishment for testifying about Jesus. There he wrote the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible (Revelation 1:1-9).
John is credited with authoring the Gospel of John, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd apostolic letters of John, and the Apocalypse.
Of the 12 apostles, John was the only one who almost certainly died of natural causes of old age. Even so, it is believed that at some point in his life he survived an attempted poisoning.
Philip
Jesus called Philip after calling Peter, Andrew, James, and John. Felipe immediately went to talk to his friend Nathanael. He told him, “We have found Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph, the one of whom Moses in the law wrote, and of whom the prophets wrote” (John 1:43-48).
We see that Philip knew the Scriptures and longed for the coming of the promised Messiah. He saw something different in Jesus that filled him with hope and he did not hesitate to go and share his good news with his friend.
Philip was from Bethsaida (John 12:21), the fishing village where John and James were from. We know little about Philip, but the Gospel of John mentions him on a few occasions. For example, just before Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed over 5,000 people, there was this conversation between Philip and Jesus:
When Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, he said to Philip: Where are we going to buy bread for these people to eat?
He said this only to test him, because he already knew what he was going to do.
Not even with eight months’ salary could we buy enough bread to give each of us a piece,” replied Felipe.
(John 6:5-7)
Apparently, Philip had not yet realized the immense power of Jesus. Felipe showed to have a sincere heart and a missionary spirit. Not only did he immediately share with Nathanael his encounter with Jesus, but on another occasion some Greeks approached him and told him that they wanted to meet Jesus. Philip spoke with Andrew and together they went to Jesus (John 12:20-22).
It is not known with certainty how Felipe died. Some say that he died of natural causes and others that he was crucified, hanged, or beheaded at Hierapolis, Turkey, where he had been preaching the Gospel.
Bartholomew (Nathaniel)
There is a bit of confusion about his name. It is thought that he was actually called Nathanael, but that many people knew him as Bartholomew (which means “the son of Talmai”). We know that Philip was his friend and the one who led him to Jesus (John 1:45). We also know that Nathanael had certain prejudices about Nazareth. When Philip told him that Jesus was from Nazareth, Nathanael responded: “From Nazareth! Can anything good come out of it? (John 1:46).
However, his encounter with Jesus cleared all his doubts and Nathanael became one of Jesus’ disciples whom he recognized as Rabbi, the Son of God and the King of Israel (John 1:47-51).
There is some confusion about how he died, but the general belief is that he was also martyred. According to tradition, he founded the church in Armenia and died as a martyr in India or Armenia where he was skinned alive and then beheaded.
Thomas (nicknamed Didymus or the Twin)
Thomas was known as Didymus (the twin). Thomas is remembered for his reaction of disbelief after the resurrection of Jesus. His words “Until I see the nail marks in his hands, and put my finger into the marks and my hand into his side, I will not believe it” (John 20:25) are used to prove his alleged lack of faith.
However, there were times when Tomás showed courage and determination. For example, he was the only one of the disciples who encouraged Jesus to go see what had happened to Lazarus (John 11:11-16). He also showed a great desire to follow the path of Jesus to the end (John 14:5).
According to tradition, Thomas evangelized in Syria, in Babylon, in India and in China. It is surprising to see that there is very specific information about his death. According to historians, Thomas was pierced by a spear on July 3, 72 AD. C, in India.
Matthew (Levi)
Mateo (Leví) was a tax collector and his job earned him the dislike of everyone. Tax collectors were known for their cunning (or mischief) in overcharging people and their lack of compassion for debtors.
Still, Jesus called Matthew to follow him and Matthew did not hesitate: he got up from his table and followed the Master (Matthew 9:9). This same Matthew is thought to have authored the Gospel according to Matthew, the first book of the New Testament.
Here you can learn more about the books of the Bible
According to tradition, Matthew evangelized first in Judea, then in Ethiopia, Persia, and Antioch. There is no clarity on how, when or where he died. Some say he was martyred, probably in Ethiopia, but others think he may have died of natural causes.
James, son of Alphaeus
Very little is known of this disciple. We do know that his father’s name was Alphaeus, a fact mentioned in the 4 lists of the apostles (Matthew 10: 2-4; Mark 3: 16-19; Luke 6: 13-16; Acts 1:13). It is believed that his mother was named Mary (Matthew 27:56).
The Catholic tradition considers him a relative of Jesus, his cousin or his brother. He may have preached throughout Palestine and Egypt, where he is thought to have been crucified. Others believe that he was stoned in Jerusalem.