7 Scrolls

The Twelve Apostles of Jesus

The twelve apostles were the inner circle of disciples Jesus chose to be with him and to send out: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus (Judas son of James), Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot. After Judas's death, Matthias was chosen to replace him (Acts 1:26).

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Peter, Andrew, James, John and Thomas, five of the Twelve, on the hills of Galilee.

Part of People of the Bible. Each entry gives the passage where the story is told, so you can read it for yourself.

The New Testament gives four lists of the Twelve: Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:14-16 and Acts 1:13. The lists agree on almost every name, though the order varies and one apostle appears under two different names.

The word apostle means one who is sent. Jesus gave the Twelve authority to preach and heal (Matthew 10:1), and after his resurrection they became the first leaders of the church in Jerusalem.

The Twelve

Listed here in the order of Matthew 10, which pairs the apostles two by two.

  1. Peter (Simon) Matthew 16:13–20

    A Galilean fisherman whom Jesus named Cephas, or Peter, meaning rock. He is listed first in every list and became a leading voice in the early church.

  2. Andrew John 1:40–42

    Peter's brother and a fisherman from Bethsaida, first a follower of John the Baptist. He brought his brother to Jesus.

  3. James, son of Zebedee Acts 12:1–2

    A fisherman and the brother of John; Jesus called the two brothers Boanerges, sons of thunder (Mark 3:17). He was put to death by Herod Agrippa I, the only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the New Testament.

  4. John, son of Zebedee Mark 1:19–20

    James's brother, part of Jesus's inner circle with Peter and James. Christian tradition identifies him with the beloved disciple of John's Gospel and links him to the Gospel and letters of John, an identification scholars discuss.

  5. Philip John 1:43–46

    From Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Peter. In John's Gospel he brings Nathanael to Jesus and asks Jesus to show the disciples the Father (John 14:8).

  6. Bartholomew (often identified with Nathanael) John 1:45–51

    Bartholomew appears only in the lists. He is often identified with Nathanael, whom John's Gospel pairs with Philip, though the Bible does not say so directly.

  7. Thomas John 20:24–29

    Also called Didymus, meaning twin. He doubted the resurrection until he saw Jesus himself, then responded with a strong confession of faith.

  8. Matthew (Levi) Matthew 9:9–13

    A tax collector called by Jesus from his booth; Mark and Luke call him Levi (Mark 2:14, Luke 5:27). Christian tradition names him as the author of the Gospel of Matthew.

  9. James, son of Alphaeus Mark 3:18

    Named in all four lists but otherwise not described. Some traditions identify him with James the Less (Mark 15:40), though this is uncertain.

  10. Thaddaeus / Judas son of James John 14:22

    Matthew and Mark list Thaddaeus, while Luke and Acts list Judas son of James in the same position, and most interpreters take them as one man with two names. John 14:22 records a question from this Judas, carefully distinguished from Iscariot.

  11. Simon the Zealot Luke 6:15

    Called the Zealot; in the Greek of Matthew and Mark his title is Cananaean, from an Aramaic word for zeal. It may describe his religious zeal or a link with a nationalist movement.

  12. Judas Iscariot Matthew 26:14–16

    The keeper of the group's money, who agreed to hand Jesus over to the chief priests for thirty silver coins. Matthew 27:3-5 and Acts 1:18 describe his death in different ways.

Judas's replacement

  1. Matthias Acts 1:15–26

    Chosen by lot after prayer to take Judas's place, from among those who had followed Jesus from his baptism to his ascension. He is not mentioned again in the New Testament.

The four lists side by side

The lists follow the same pattern: Peter always comes first, Philip always fifth and James son of Alphaeus always ninth, which suggests three groups of four. Judas Iscariot comes last in the Gospels and is missing from Acts, where he has already died.

  • Matthew 10:2-4: Peter, Andrew, James son of Zebedee, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas Iscariot
  • Mark 3:16-19: Peter, James son of Zebedee, John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas Iscariot
  • Luke 6:14-16: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas son of James, Judas Iscariot
  • Acts 1:13: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas son of James (Matthias added in Acts 1:26)

What happened to the apostles?

The New Testament records the deaths of only two of the Twelve: James son of Zebedee (Acts 12:2) and Judas Iscariot. Everything else comes from later Christian tradition, not from the biblical text, and the details vary between sources.

According to these traditions, Peter was martyred in Rome, Andrew was crucified in Greece, Thomas traveled as far as India, and John lived to old age in Ephesus. Others are linked with missions in places such as Armenia, Persia and Ethiopia, but the evidence is thin.

Key verses

“And calling His twelve disciples to Him, Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits, so that they could drive them out and heal every disease and sickness.”

Matthew 10:1BSB

“When daylight came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated as apostles:”

Luke 6:13BSB

“Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.”

Acts 1:26BSB

Verse text: Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain.

Keep reading

Frequently asked questions

What are the names of the 12 apostles?

According to Matthew 10:2-4 they were Peter, Andrew, James son of Zebedee, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot. Luke and Acts give Judas son of James where Matthew and Mark have Thaddaeus.

Why do the lists of apostles differ?

The four lists differ in order and in one name: Thaddaeus in Matthew and Mark, Judas son of James in Luke and Acts. Most interpreters think these are two names for the same person, which was common at the time. Some manuscripts of Matthew read Lebbaeus instead of Thaddaeus.

Who replaced Judas as an apostle?

Matthias. In Acts 1:15-26 Peter proposes choosing someone who had been with Jesus from his baptism to his ascension. Two men, Joseph called Barsabbas and Matthias, were put forward, and after prayer the lot fell to Matthias.

What is the difference between a disciple and an apostle?

A disciple is a learner or follower, and the Gospels speak of many disciples of Jesus. An apostle is one who is sent; the word is used especially for the Twelve, and later also for others such as Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:14).

Was Paul one of the twelve apostles?

No. Paul was not one of the Twelve, and Matthias had already replaced Judas before Paul's conversion. Paul still called himself an apostle because he believed the risen Jesus had sent him (1 Corinthians 15:8-9).

How did the apostles die?

The Bible records only the deaths of James son of Zebedee (Acts 12:2) and Judas Iscariot. Accounts of the others' deaths, such as Peter's crucifixion in Rome, come from later tradition and vary in reliability.

Bible text is quoted from the Berean Standard Bible (public domain); retellings and notes are our own. How we write: editorial policy. Spotted an error? Report a mistake.