Ethan Walker
The apostles, also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve, were the primary disciples of Jesus during his life and ministry in the 1st century AD. They were his closest followers and became the primary teachers of the gospel message of Jesus. The original Twelve Apostles were Peter, Andrew, James (son of Zebedee), John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddeus, Simon (the Zealot), and Judas Iscariot. After Judas Iscariot's death, Matthias replaced him as one of the Twelve, and Paul, though not one of the original Twelve, described himself as an apostle, saying he was called by the resurrected Jesus himself. The term apostle comes from the Greek apóstolos, meaning envoy or delegate. While some of the apostles had Greek names, this was common among Jewish people in the eastern Mediterranean region at the time due to the dominance of Hellenistic culture. They worshipped in the Jewish temple with Jesus, celebrated the Passover meal and other Jewish feasts with him, and there is no evidence to suggest that they were not all Jewish.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of apostles | 12 |
| Names of the apostles | Peter, Andrew, James (son of Zebedee), John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddeus, Simon (the Zealot), Judas |
| Replacements | Matthias, Paul |
| Hebrew origin names | Peter, James (son of Zebedee), John, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the Zealot), Judas |
| Greek origin names | Andrew, Philip, Thaddeus |
| Aramaic origin names | Thomas, Thaddeus |
| Worshipped in the Jewish temple | Yes |
| Celebrated Jewish feasts | Yes |
| Used Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages | Yes |
| Jesus as an apostle | Yes |
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What You'll Learn
The Twelve Apostles
The term "apostle" comes from the Greek "apóstolos", meaning "messenger" or "envoy". In the New Testament, the term is used in an expanded sense, referring to anyone who had received a mission from God or Christ.
There is debate over whether all of the Twelve Apostles were Jewish. While some argue that they were all Israelites or Hebrews, others point to the Greek names of some apostles, such as Andrew, Philip, and possibly Thaddeus, as evidence that not all of them were ethnically Jewish. However, it was common for Jewish people in the eastern Mediterranean region during that time to have Greek names due to the influence of Hellenistic culture. Additionally, the apostles worshipped in the Jewish temple with Jesus, celebrated the Passover meal and other Jewish feasts with him, and there is no evidence from Scripture or Tradition to suggest that any of them were not Jewish.
Several of the Twelve Apostles were martyred, including St. Peter, St. James (the son of Zebedee), St. Matthew, St. Philip (possibly), St. Simon (the Zealot), and St. Jude (Thaddeus).
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The apostles' Hebrew names
The apostles, or the Twelve Apostles, were the primary disciples of Jesus during his life and ministry in the 1st century AD. They were his closest followers and became the primary teachers of the gospel message of Jesus.
The term apostle comes from the Greek 'apóstolos', meaning 'messenger' or 'envoy'. The New Testament uses the term in an expanded sense, referring to anyone who had received a mission from God or Christ as an apostle.
The Twelve Apostles were: Peter, Andrew, James (son of Zebedee), John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddeus, Simon (the Zealot), and Judas Iscariot (replaced by Matthias and/or Paul).
The names of the apostles have origins in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Most of the apostles' names have Hebrew origins, with the exceptions of Andrew (Greek, but Peter's brother), Philip (Greek, but from the same city as Peter and Andrew), and the possible exception of Thaddeus (Aramaic, but still considered Jewish/Hebrew).
Aramaic was the local language of the Jews in that region, and Greek was the lingua franca, with many Jews speaking Greek as a first language. Hebrew was used as a liturgical and scriptural language, although by the first century, many Jews had little proficiency in it, instead using Aramaic or Greek.
Some of the apostles' names in Aramaic include:
- Thomas: 'Tomai' or 'Toma'
- Nathaniel: 'Netan'el'
- Bartholomew: 'Son of Talmai'
The apostles' names in Greek include:
- Markos: John Mark
- Paulus: Paul
- Thomas: 'Thomas' or 'Didymus'
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Were the apostles Israelites?
The term "apostle" comes from the Greek "apóstolos", meaning "envoy" or "messenger". In the New Testament, the apostles were the primary disciples of Jesus and his closest followers. They were also the primary teachers of the gospel message of Jesus.
The twelve apostles were Peter, Andrew, James (son of Zebedee), John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddeus, Simon (the Zealot), and Judas Iscariot. After the death of Judas Iscariot, Matthias replaced him as one of the twelve, and Paul, though not one of the original twelve, also described himself as an apostle.
There is evidence to suggest that the twelve apostles were all Israelites. Firstly, each of their names has a Hebrew origin, with the exceptions of Andrew (a Greek name, but Peter's brother) and Philip (also a Greek name, but from the same city as Peter and Andrew). Thaddeus may also have been an exception, as his name is probably Aramaic, but this is still evidence that he was Jewish, and he is also identified with an apostle named Jude, which is a Jewish/Hebrew name. Additionally, the apostles all worshipped in the Jewish temple with Jesus and celebrated the Passover meal and other Jewish feasts with him.
The fact that the apostles were Israelites is significant because it suggests that they were not Gentiles. This is important because there was debate in the early Christian church over whether Gentiles should be baptized and allowed to enter the Church. If one of the twelve apostles had been a Gentile, it is unlikely that this would have been a controversy.
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Were the apostles Jewish?
The term "apostle" comes from the Greek "apóstolos", meaning "envoy" or "messenger". In the New Testament, the term is used to refer to the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), who were the primary disciples of Jesus. They were his closest followers and became the primary teachers of his gospel message.
There is debate about whether all of the Twelve Apostles were Jewish. Some sources state that they were all Jewish, and that this can be assumed based on the fact that they worshipped in the Jewish temple with Jesus, celebrated the Passover meal and other Jewish feasts with him, and that they had names of Hebrew origin. Additionally, the first Christians debated whether Gentiles (non-Jews) should be allowed to enter the Church, and it is argued that this controversy would not have arisen if one of the Twelve had been a Gentile.
However, it is important to note that some of the Apostles had Greek names, such as Andrew, Philip, and possibly Thaddeus. This was not uncommon among Jewish people in the eastern Mediterranean region at the time due to the influence of Hellenistic culture. Additionally, Jesus is said to have had other followers who were not Jewish, such as the Canaanite woman and the Roman centurion.
Furthermore, the term "apostle" is used in an expanded sense in the New Testament, referring to anyone who had received a mission from God or Christ. This includes Paul, who was not one of the original Twelve but described himself as an apostle, and Matthias, who replaced Judas as one of the Twelve.
In conclusion, while there is evidence to suggest that the Twelve Apostles were all Jewish, there is also some indication that not all of them may have been, and that the term "apostle" can be applied to a broader group of followers of Jesus, some of whom were not Jewish.
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Apostles outside the Twelve
The Twelve Apostles were the primary disciples of Jesus, chosen by Christ himself. They were his closest followers and became the primary teachers of the gospel message of Jesus. They were:
- Simon, also known as Peter
- Andrew, Peter's brother
- James, son of Zebedee
- John, brother of James
- Philip
- Bartholomew
- Thomas
- Matthew the tax collector
- James, son of Alphaeus
- Thaddaeus or Judas, son of James
- Simon the Cananaean, or the Zealot
- Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus
However, there were also apostles outside of the Twelve. The term apostle comes from the Greek "apóstolos", meaning "messenger" or "envoy". In the New Testament, the term is used in an expanded sense, with the Catholic Encyclopedia stating: "It is at once evident that in a Christian sense, everyone who had received a mission from God, or Christ, to man could be called 'Apostle'". This extends the original sense beyond the Twelve.
Paul, for example, described himself as an apostle, saying he was called by the resurrected Jesus himself during his road to Damascus event. He later described himself as "an apostle to the Gentiles". There is also an Eastern Christian tradition derived from the Gospel of Luke that there were seventy apostles during the time of Jesus' ministry. In Western Christianity, they are usually referred to as disciples, while in Eastern Christianity they are known as apostles.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, nearly all of the Twelve Apostles were Jewish. The only exception may have been St. Luke, who may have been a Gentile.
The Twelve Apostles were: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus/Jude, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot. Matthias replaced Judas Iscariot after his death and Paul is also sometimes considered an apostle.
It is likely that Jesus spoke to the Apostles in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Aramaic was the language most people spoke at home, but Greek was the language of trade and government.
The Apostles were the primary disciples of Jesus and were his closest followers. They became the primary teachers of the gospel message of Jesus and founded Christian communities throughout the ancient world.
