The Apostles

Little is known of Jesus’ early life, and we are given very few personal details. Instead, the gospel writers decided to focus exclusively on what Jesus said and did, with minimal interpretation or commentary—leaving us to draw our own conclusions.

One thing Jesus did early in his ministry was gather twelve Apostles to assist him—ordinary men, who were minding their own business and unaware that they were about to become more famous than they could ever imagine.

Gospel accounts vary, but in the Gospel of Matthew we are told that Simon and Andrew were fisherman on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus called out to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matt.4:19) We are told that the two didn’t hesitate: “At once, they left their nets and followed him.” (Matt.4:20) Jesus then came to another set of brothers, John and James, who were also fisherman, working with their father. “He called to them and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.” (Matt.4: 21) These two sets of brothers—Simon and Andrew, James and John—tended to be the core of the Apostles, and were present at all major events. 

Jesus would designate Simon as the head Apostle, naming him “Peter” which is the Greek translation for “rock.” (It would be “Kepha” in the original Aramaic language.)  Jesus told Simon, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” (Matt 16:18) Once again, we are given an unlikely hero, because Simon Peter tended to have a temper, tended to argue with Jesus, and famously ran away when Jesus needed him most.  Yet the nickname was borne out, because Peter redeemed himself—courageously leading the church in the early days until he also was crucified.

One of the apostles, Matthew, was a tax collector, and it is important to remember that tax collectors were hated with the heat of a thousand suns, since they collected taxes on behalf of the Roman oppressors and tended to cheat their fellow countrymen while they were at it.  Yet, we are told: “. . .he saw a man named Matthew, sitting at the customs post. He said to him, ‘Follow me,’ and he got up and followed him.” (Matt. 9:9)

It’s interesting, isn’t it? That an itinerant preacher with no worldly goods spoke to these men and they left their lives and families without a backward glance. It is a good example of what the Gospel writers did in reciting this history: this is what happened; make of it what you will.

The scriptures provide few details about the other Apostles listed in Matt. 10:1-4: Philip, Nathaniel, Bartholomew, Thomas, James the lesser (called this to avoid confusion with John’s brother, James the greater), Thaddeus and Judas Isacriot. And rounding up the twelve, we are given another unlikely hero—Simon the Zealot, in that the Zealots were the terrorist faction of the day; ultra-religious Jews that regularly took-up arms against the Romans. 

The Apostles earned their immense fame mainly from what they did after the Resurrection—and indeed, their behavior lends credence to the truth of the Resurrection itself: they went from eleven terrified men (eleven because Judas Iscariot had committed suicide), hiding in an attic for fear the Romans would come after them, too—to men who went forth to the four corners of the known world, fearlessly preaching the Gospel. All but one wound-up getting tortured to death for their trouble, and yet they never faltered. So; something happened to change their minds, there in that attic. As the Gospel writers invite—you may draw your own conclusions.

Fun fact: St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome was thus named because—according to tradition—Peter was buried beneath its high altar after his crucifixion in 64 AD. No one knew if this was actually the case, though—it seemed unlikely that anyone could collect his body, if Peter was crucified as an enemy of Rome. Then in 1939, excavations beneath St. Peter’s Basilica unearthed a complex network of catacombs beneath the structure, including a burial casket of bones labeled “Petros Eni”—Peter is here. Forensic examination showed the bones belonged to a robust man of 60-70 years, which was consistent with Peter at the time of his death.