The Holy Apostles

Andrew (brother of Simon Peter) and the son of Jonas. He lived in Bethsaida and Capernaum and was a fisherman. Andrew was initially a follower of John the Baptist. He brought his brother, Saint Peter, to Our Lord. He was the first chosen apostle, was active in bringing people to Jesus, and was the director-general of the Twelve.

Andrew was chairman of the apostolic corps of the kingdom and he was 33, a full year older than Jesus and the oldest of the apostles. Saint Andrew was the best judge of men, a good organizer but a better administrator. Saint Andrew died on the cross

James the Elder was the son of Zebedee and Salome and the brother of John the Apostle. He also was a fisherman who lived in Bethsaida, Capernaum, and Jerusalem.

Peter, James son of Zebedee (older brother of John), and John were appointed personal companions of Jesus. They were to attend him day and night, to minister to his physical and sundry needs, and to accompany him on those night vigils of prayer and mysterious communion with the Father in heaven.

James son of Zebedee was 30 years old when he became an apostle, he was married and had four children. James had a fiery temper, was a well-balanced thinker, and was a very tactical planner. He was next to Peter unless it was Matthew, James was the best public orator among the twelve, thus the first of the twelve to sacrifice his life upon the new battle line of the kingdom. James was also known as James “the Greater”

He was 24 years old when he became an apostle and was the youngest of the twelve, unmarried, and lived with his parents. He was perhaps just a bit spoiled and was a man of few words except when his temper was aroused.

He was gifted with a remarkable and creative imagination. John Zebedee died a natural death at Ephesus in A.D. 103 when he was 101 years of age.

Philip came from Bethsaida, the same town as Saint Peter and Saint Andrew. It is believed that he was a fisherman. Philip was made steward of the group. It was his duty to provide food and to see that visitors and even the multitude of listeners at times, had something to eat. Apostle Philip was the fifth apostle to be chosen and was 27 years of age when he joined the disciples.

Philip had recently been married, but he had no children at this time. He came from a family of seven, three boys and four girls. Though Philip was not necessarily dull, he lacked imagination and was not a man who could be expected to do big things, but he was a man who could do little things in a big way and do them well and acceptably. Apostle Philip was not a good public speaker, but he was a very persuasive and successful personal worker

He lived in Bethsaida and Bartholomew Nathanael was the son of Talmai and lived in Cana of Galilee. Many believe that he was the only one of the twelve men who descended from royalty.

Bartholomew watched over the needs of the families of the twelve. He received regular reports as to the requirements of each apostle’s family and made requisitions on Judas, the treasurer, who would send funds each week to those in need. He was the sixth and last of the apostles to be chosen by the Master himself and was brought to Jesus by his friend Philip.

Bartholomew was 25 years old and was the next to the youngest of the group, he was the youngest of a family of seven, unmarried, and the only support of aged and infirm parents. Saint Bartholomew was an apostolic philosopher and dreamer, but he was a very practical sort of dreamer. Bartholomew also refers or known as (Nathaniel) was one of the best-educated men among the twelve.

Matthew was the son of Alpheus and lived in Capernaum. He was a tax collector. It is believed that one of the reasons Jesus chose Matthew is because he had studied Scripture and had a great understanding of its meaning. Matthew (Levi) was the fiscal agent of the apostolic corps. It was his duty to see that the budget was balanced, and the treasury replenished.

If the funds for mutual support were not forthcoming, if donations sufficient to maintain the party were not received, Matthew was empowered to order the twelve back to their nets for a season. But this was never necessary after they began their public work; he always had sufficient funds in the treasurer’s hands to finance their activities.

Levi was the seventh apostle and was chosen by Andrew. Matthew was 31 years old, married, and had four children. He was a good businessman and a good social mixer gifted with the ability to make friends and to get along smoothly with a great variety of people. Matthew gave practically the whole of his modest fortune to the work of the Master and his apostles, but they never knew of this generosity. The apostles all died without knowing that Matthew was their benefactor.

Thomas Didymus lived in Galilee. The synoptic Gospels tell us nothing of Thomas but John gives us more insight into his personality. Thomas (Didymus) was the manager of the itinerary. It devolved upon him to arrange lodgings and in a general way select places for teaching and preaching, thereby ensuring a smooth and expeditious travel schedule. He was the eighth disciple and was chosen by Philip.

He was 29 when he joined the Apostles and was married with four children. Thomas was formerly a carpenter and stonemason, but latterly he had become a fisherman and had little education, he possessed a keen, reasoning mind and was the son of excellent parents. Thomas grew up having a very disagreeable and quarrelsome disposition.

His wife was glad to see him join the apostles; she was relieved by the thought that her pessimistic husband would be away from home most of the time. Thomas was a good executive, and an excellent businessman, but his many moods handicapped him. If Jesus and his work had not been genuine, it could not have held a man like Thomas from start to finish. He had a keen and sure sense of the fact.

James, the Lesser, or Younger was the son of Cleophas and Mary. He lived in Galilee. Although James is believed to have been the brother of the Apostle Jude, some scholars believe that he was the brother of the Apostle Matthew. Saint James “the Less” and Judas were assigned to the management of the multitudes.

It was their task to deputize a sufficient number of assistant ushers to enable them to maintain order among the crowds during the preaching. Saint James the Less was a fisherman, he was 26 years old, married, and had three children, was thought to be the cousin of Jesus and helped Philip with the supplies and also carried money to the families for Nathaniel.

Very little is known about Simon the Zealot, but he was called the Zealot and lived in Galilee. Simon Zealotes (the Zealot) was given charge of recreation and play. He managed the Wednesday programs and sought to provide a few hours of relaxation and diversion each day. He was the eleventh apostle and was chosen by Simon-Peter.

He was 28 years old when he became attached to the apostles. Simon the Zealot was a fiery agitator; and a man who spoke much without thinking. He was a very efficient organizer and a great debater and he did like to argue.

Jude Thaddeus lived in Galilee. He was the son of Alpheus or Cleophas and Mary and the brother of James the Lesser.

Judas was a fisherman, was married, and had at least one child. Jude helped Philip with the supplies and also carried money to the families for Nathaniel. Judas was also known as Jude, Lebbaeus, and Thaddaeus

Judas Iscariot was the traitor; the man who betrayed Jesus. He was the son of Simon who lived in Kerioth of Judah. Of the group of twelve men, Judas was the only Judean. All the others came from Galilee. Judas Iscariot was appointed treasurer. He carried the bag. He paid all expenses and kept the books. He made budget estimates for Matthew from week to week and also made weekly reports to Andrew. Judas paid out funds on Andrew’s authorization.

Judas was an only son of wealthy and unwise Jewish parents living in Jericho. Judas was 30 years of age and unmarried when he joined the Apostles. At a young age, he was pampered and petted; he was a spoiled child. Judas Iscariot was looking for employment in these regions when Jesus’ apostles found him and he was the only Judean among the twelve apostles. Judas was a good businessman, a great executive, a farseeing and able financier, and a stickler for organization. Judas Iscariot was one of the best-educated men among the twelve.

Apostle Matthias was a disciple of Jesus Christ but was not part of the original 12. He is the only disciple who wasn’t summoned or called into the ministry by Jesus. Instead, he was chosen by the other disciples to replace Judas Iscariot, who committed suicide by hanging himself after betraying Jesus.

Apostle Matthias is only referenced by name in Acts 1:23 and Acts 1:26, but after that, anytime the Twelve Apostles are named collectively, he is included. The New Testament tells us nothing about him other than these two mentions in Acts. We do know that he matched Peter’s criteria for replacing Judas: he had accompanied Jesus since his baptism by John the Baptist, and he had witnessed Jesus’ ascension to heaven (Acts 1:21; Acts 1:22).

As with other more obscure disciples, the early church was frequently perplexed regarding Matthias’ identity, making it difficult for us to discover much more about him. Some said he was the same person as Nathanael or Zaccheus, and some even claimed he was the same person as Matthew. There are also apocryphal texts that purport to offer us an account of Matthias’ work, and numerous stories have developed around his missionary trips and death.