The twelve apostles of Jesus Christ

1. The Twelve apostles of Jesus Christ – 1st January 2017
“The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the
Lamb.”(Revelation 21:14).
The word apostle means “one who is sent out.” In the New Testament, there are two primary usages of the word
apostle. The firstis in specifically referringto the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.The second is in generically
referring to other individualswho aresent out to be messengers/ambassadors of Jesus Christ. The twelve apostles
held a unique position.
The twelve apostles arereferred to in Matthew 10:2-4; “These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon
(who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and
Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the
Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” Itwas these twelve apostles who were the firstmessengers of the
gospel after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.Itwas these twelve apostles who were the foundation of
the church—with Jesus being the cornerstone as we learn from Ephesians 2:20,“…built on the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”
This specific typeof apostleis not present in the church today. The definition for Jesus’apostleis:Firstto have
been explicitly chosen by Jesus Christ. Second is to have been a witness of the resurrected Christ.Third to have the
ability to perform signs and wonders. The role of the twelve apostles was in layingthe foundation of the church as
we know ittoday.
Beyond the unique twelve apostles of Jesus Christ,there were also apostles in a generic sense. Paul and Barnabas
is referred to as “apostlesa”as we learn from Acts 13:2 “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the
Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”. Andronicus and
Junia arepossibly identified as apostles in Romans 16:7,“Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have
been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.” The
same Greek word usually translated “apostle”is used to refer to Titus where Paul states in 2 Corinthians 8:23, “As
for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the
churches and an honor to Christ.” We also read about Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:25,“But I think it is necessary
to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom
you sent to take care of my needs.” So, there definitely seems to be room for the term apostle being used to refer
to someone besides the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.Anyone who was “sent” in layingthe foundation or
enhancingthe church could be called an apostle.
What exactly would be the role of an apostleoutsidethat of the twelve apostles? From the definition of the word,
the closestthingtoday to an apostle,in the general sense, is a missionary.Amissionary isa follower of Christwho
is sent out with the specific mission of proclaimingthegospel. A missionary isan ambassador of Christto people
who have not heard the good news. However, to prevent confusion,itis likely bestto not use the term apostle to
refer to any position in the church today.
As Christiansweknow that Jesus was crucified and was resurrected in three days.Similarly onemay want to know
as to what happened to the 12 Apostles who were his closestfollowers? Notas much information has survived
about their fates, but here is what’s availablefromvarious sources,includingthe New Testament itself,apocryphal
texts, early Christian historiansand legends.
• Simon, AKA Peter: Simon-Peter, who was appointed by Jesus the leader of the new sect, is viewed by Roman
Catholics as thefirstpope, was eventually martyred in Rome duringthe reign of the emperor Nero. As the story
goes, Peter asked to be crucified upsidedown, so that his death would not be the equal of Jesus and the Romans
supposedly obliged.

2. • Andrew: Accordingto 15th Century religious historian Dorman Newman, Andrew—the brother of Peter—went
to Patras in western Greece in 69 AD, where the Roman proconsul Aegeates debated religion with him. Aegeates
tried to convinceAndrew to forsakeChristianity,so thathe would not have to torture and execute him. But when
that didn’t work, apparently he decided to give Andrew the full treatment. Andrew was scourged, and then tied
rather than nailed to a cross,so that he would suffer for a longer time before dying. Andrew lived for two days,
duringwhich he preached to passersby.
• James (son of Zebedee, AKA James the Greater): Acts 12:1-19 says thatJames was killed with a sword. The
newly-appointed governor of Judea, Herod Agrippa,decided to ingratiatehimself with the Romans by persecuting
leaders of the new sect. After James was arrested and led to the placeof execution, his unnamed accuser was
moved by his courage. He not only repented and converted on the spot, but asked to be executed alongside
James. The Roman executioners obliged,and both men were beheaded simultaneously.
• John: John was the only one of the original disciples notto die a violentdeath. Instead,he passed away
peacefully in Patmos in his old age, sometime around 100 AD.
• Philip: Philip,the firstof Jesus’disciples,became a missionary in Asia.Eventually,hetraveled to the Egyptian city
of Heliopolis,wherehe was scourged, thrown into prison,and crucified in 54 AD.
• Bartholomew: Bartholomew supposedly preached in several countries,includingIndia,where he translated the
Gospel of Matthew for believers. In one account,“impatient idolaters”beatBarthol omew and then crucified him,
whilein another, he was skinned aliveand then beheaded.
• Thomas: Apparently Thomas preached the gospel in Greece and India,where he angered local religious
authorities,who martyred him by runninghim through with a spear.
• Matthew: Accordingto legend, the former tax collector turned missionary was martyred in Ethiopia,where he
was supposedly stabbed in the back by an swordsman sent by KingHertacus, after he criticized the king’s morals.
• James (son of Alphaeus, AKA James the Less): James, who was elected by his fellowbelievers to head the
churches of Jerusalem, was one of the longest-lived apostles,perhaps exceeded only by John. At the age of 94,he
was beaten and stoned by persecutors, and then killed himby hittinghim in the head with a club.
• Thaddaeus, AKA Lebbaeus, Judas or Jude: Accordingto several stories,he was crucified atEdessa (the name of
cities in both Turkey and Greece) in 72 AD.
• Simon the Canaanite AKA the Zealot: Simon preached in Mauritania on the west coastof Africa,and then went
to England,where he was crucified in 74 AD.
• Judas Iscariot: Accordingto Matthew 27:3-6, the treacherous apostlequickly feltremorse 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 thathe 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 thatJudas used the blood money to purchasea piece of land and then fell
headlongfrom a high placethere, so that “he burstasunder in the midst,and al l his bowels gushed out.” Jerusalem
residents subsequently named the placeAceldama, which means “the field of blood.”

4. We knowthatJudas betrayedJesusandeventuallycommittedsuicide. We know thatJudas’"office"
was takenoverbyMatthias. Anditis notas thoughthiswasdone throughsome rash thinkingonthe
part of the Peter,forhe,alongwiththe otherapostleshadinfact alreadyreceivedthe HolySpirit
appointedMatthiaswhichstronglysuggeststhatMatthias wasindeedthe 12thapostle.Withthe
inclusionof Matthias,the phrase itbecomes12 as we read where itsays“Peterandthe eleven"isused
inActs 2:14, “Then Peter stood up withthe Eleven, raisedhis voiceand addressedthe crowd: “Fellow
Jews and all of youwho live inJerusalem, let me explainthisto you; listen carefullyto whatI say.” At
that pointof time Paul wasnot inthe picture. Butsome argue that Matthias wasneversentbyChristto
do anything, “therefore he cannotbe an apostle".The problemisthatPaul whowe all know and
Barnabus - of whomwe have no evidencethathe wassentby Christ - isalsocalledan "apostle"in Acts
14:14, “But when the apostlesBarnabasand Paul heard of this,they tore their clothesand rushedout
intothe crowd, shouting.” We knowPaul wasan Apostle,butthatdoesn'ttell usthathe replaced
Matthias.
As we study these courageous first-century lives of the apostles, and what discipleship meant in
the time of Jesus, we understand the difficulties and the significance of what they did in
proclaiming Christ to the world. The names of the twelve disciples of Jesus are Simon Peter,
Andrew, James (the son of Zebedee), John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (the
son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot. (Matthew 10:1-4 and Luke 6:12-16) [1]
How did the 12 disciples die?

5. 1. Andrew = Crucified on an X-shaped cross
2. Bartholomew or Nathanael = Flayed alive with knives
3. James the elder = First apostle martyred
4. James the lesser = Sawn in pieces
5. John = Died of natural causes on the isle of Patmos
6. Judas Iscariot = Hung himself
7. Jude or Thaddeus = Killed with arrows
8. Matthew or Levi = Martyred in Ethiopia
9. Peter = Crucified upside-down on a cross
10. Philip = Died by hanging
11. Simon the Zealot = Died a martyrs death
12. Thomas = Killed with a spear
Thisunderstandingwill certainlyassistus indevelopingaSpirit-directedtwenty-firstcenturydiscipleship
as Christmusthave meantit to be.