NAME

BIBLICAL INFORMATION

TRADITIONAL INFORMATION

Simon Peter

Preached sermon on Day of Pentecost. Healed lame man at gate of temple.

Withstood persecution of Sanhedrin.

Rebuked Ananias and Sapphira and Simon Magus.  Fisherman

Raised Dorcas from the dead.

Fisherman

Preached gospel to Cornelius.

Miraculously delivered from prison.

Rebuked by Paul at Antioch.

Wrote two New Testament epistles.

Late traditions speak of visits to Britain and Gaul.

He spent 7 years (33-40AD) in Antioch of Syria, then perhaps he went to what today is IRAQ for 5 years (44-49) (1 Pt 5:13), traveled through Turkey (Asia) to Greece to Rome. Was crucified upside-down in Rome during the State backlash against Christians under Nero in @ 64-68A.D. (McBirnie p66; 256; 283)

Andrew

Peters Brother

Follower of John the Baptist. Brought his brother Peter to meet Jesus.

Fisherman (Jn. 1:44, Mt 4:18)

Worked with John in Ephesus. Is supposed to have preached in Scythia, Asia Minor, and Greece. He traveled to southern Russia returned to Ephesus then went to Greece where he was scourged, tied to a cross, preached until he died 2 days later (McBirnie 83).

Was crucified at Patras in Achaia, @ 69 A.D.

John Son Of Zebedee

Participated in healing of lame man at temple.

Witness of the transfiguration.

Followed up Phillip’s work in Samaria.

Worked in Ephesus, was exiled to a small Island off the coast of Asia called Patmos in the Aegean Sea, during the reign of Domitian.

Wrote a gospel, three epistles, and the Apocalypse.

Fisherman, close friend of Jesus.

Ministered at Ephesus.

Is said to have rebuked early Gnostic heretic, Cerinthus.

He was exiled to the island of Patmos.

Later released by the Emperor Nerva, he managed to live until the reign of Trajan 98-117A.D.  He died a natural death in Ephesus some 68 yrs after the resurrection @ A.D. 100.

He was probably 96 yrs. old. His disciples Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp of Smyrna were martyred.

James Son Of Zebedee

Was executed by King Herod Agrippa I in Jerusalem in 44AD (Acts 12:1-4)

Brother of John. 

One of the Sons of Thunder 

Fisherman. Witnessed the Transfiguration

Philip:

Brought Nathaniel (Bartholomew) to Jesus.

Traveled to southern Russia (Scythia) north of the Black Sea and worked there 20 yrs. He returned to Asia @ 100 miles east of Ephesus to Hierapolis. He was crucified and crushed by stones as he preached while hanging on the cross @87 yrs. old He died @ 60 A.D.  (McBirnie 127).

Matthew

Wrote the gospel that bears his name.

Tax collector. Son of Alphaeus, could be the brother of James the less (son of Alphaeus).

He wrote the first gospel in Aramaic which was later translated into Greek. Bartholomew took Matthew’s gospel with him To India @ 35A.D. Matthew traveled to Persia and finally into Egypt and was martyred in Ethiopia. Do you suppose Matthew took his gospel with him?

Conflicting traditions place him in Ethiopia, Parthia, Persia, and Macedonia.

Possibly beheaded in Egypt.

Thomas Didymus A.K.A.

Traveled to India using land routes made possible by Alexander the Great took a ship to Madras, killed by Hindus.

Traveled through Iraq & Iran (Babylon & Persia) to North India. Supposedly preached in Babylon. He later caught ship around the southern tip of India seeking colonies of Jews in order to preach the gospel. He was killed in Mylapore India now a suburb of Madras.

Strong early tradition tells of his founding churches and eventually being martyred in India, by Hindu priests @ 50 A.D.

Bartholomew

A.K.A. Nathaniel

Jn 1:46 can any good thing come out of Nazareth.

He traveled to southern Arabia, through South Persia (Iraq & Iran) to India. He returned to Hierapolis 55 A.D. and fled, after Philip died, to Edessa in Armenia.  @ 60 A.D. He was eventually skinned alive and beheaded in Derbend near the west coast of the Caspian Sea 68 A.D. (131,130,134,139 McBirnie).   He took Matthew’s gospel in Hebrew @ 35 A.D. and left it in India (Eus. 5.10.12  213)

Is supposed to have accompanied Philip to Hierapolis @ 68 A.D.

Was martyred after ministry in Armenia.

James Son of Alphaeus

Known as the small or younger or less

Not the brother of Jesus.

Stoned to death near Russia by an angry mob.

Brother of Matthew, the less or younger. He was stoned to death near Russia by an angry mob for preaching Christ to the Jews in 62 A.D. Perhaps he also preached in Syria.

Has been confused with James the brother of Jesus in early church tradition  (Gal. 1:19).

Thaddaeus, Judas not Iscariot, Jude

He and Bartholomew worked together for a time in Edessa of Armenia (35-43AD). Perhaps with Thomas also.  The Armenian church claims him as the original apostle along with Bartholomew who established Christianity in that part of the world.  He labored 9 years in Armenia and Northern Persia.  He was killed by spears & arrows in what today is Iran in a small village about 40 miles from the Soviet Border near the Caspian Sea.

Has often been confused with Jude the brother of Jesus.

Tradition associates his ministry with Edessa.

Simon the Zealot, The Canaanean

A member of the militant Nationalistic Party.

He left Jerusalem, traveled to Egypt, through north Africa, to Spain and north to Britain to the new Roman capital of London. He probably preached in Latin. He perhaps also spoke to the Jews. With the threat of war, he fled by ship back to Palestine, then on to Syria, Mesopotamia & Persia where he was sawn in half (McBirnie 231).

Variously associated with Persia, Egypt, Carthage, and Britain.

Judas

Iscariot

Hanged himself after betraying Jesus.

Matthias

Elected to take the place of Judas Iscariot a disciple since the time of John the Baptist.

Acts 1:15-26

Perhaps one of the original 72 disciples of Jesus, since the time of John the Baptist.

Chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. He also went east into Armenia with several other apostles probably working with Andrew. There were colonies of Jews in every major population center in the Middle East.  When he returned to Jerusalem the antagonism against Christianity was overwhelming.

Continued to preach Christ until he was stoned to death in Armenia.

He is not mentioned again in the New Testament. Nothing is known about him from The New Testament