Before you learn about who the twelve apostles are, hear about their names and deeds, you should understand the definition of the word "apostle".
Who were the twelve disciples, the apostles of Jesus Christ?
Many contemporaries do not know that the word "apostle" means "sent". At the time when Jesus Christ walked on our sinful earth, twelve people from the common people were called His disciples. As eyewitnesses said, "the twelve disciples followed Him and learned from Him." Two days after his death by crucifixion, he sent the disciples to be his witnesses. It was then that they were called the twelve apostles. For reference: in the time of Jesus, in society, the terms "disciple" and "apostle" were similar and interchangeable.
The Twelve Apostles: Names
The Twelve Apostles are the closest disciples of Jesus Christ, chosen by Him for the annunciation of the imminent Kingdom of God and the dispensation of the Church. Everyone should know the names of the apostles.
Andrew was nicknamed in the legend the First-Called, as he was previously a disciple of John the Baptist and was called by the Lord a little earlier than his brother on the Jordan. Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter.
Simon is the son of Jonin, nicknamed Peter. Named PeterSimon Jesus after confession as His Son of God in the city of Caesarea Philippi.
Simon the Zealot, or, as he is also called, the Zealot, originally from the Galilean city of Cannes, according to legend, was the groom at his wedding, where Jesus was with his Mother, where, as it became known to everyone, He turned the water into wine.
Jacob is the son of Zebedee and Salome, the brother of John, who, in turn, was an evangelist. The first martyr among the apostles, Herod himself put him to death by beheading.
Jacob is the youngest son of Alpheus. The Lord Himself decided that James and the twelve apostles would be together. After the resurrection of Christ, he spread the faith first in Judea, then joined the company on the journey of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called to Edessa. He also preached the gospel in Gaza, Elefheropolis, and other Mediterranean cities, after which he went to Egypt.
John is the brother of James the Elder, nicknamed the Theologian, concurrently the author of the fourth Gospel and the last chapter of the Bible, telling about the end of the world, the Apocalypse.
Philip is exactly the apostle who brought Nathanael 9 Bartholomew to Jesus, according to one of the twelve, “of the same city with Andrew and Peter.”
Bartholomew is an apostle, about whom Jesus Christ very accurately expressed himself, calling him a true Israeli, in whom there is no guile.
Thomas - became famous for the fact that the Lord himself proved his resurrection to him by offering to put his hand on His wounds.
Matthew - also known by the Hebrew name Levi. He is the direct author of the Gospel. At least twelve apostlesare also related to the writing of the Gospel, Matthew is considered its main author.
Judas, brother of James the Younger, the one who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree.
Paul and the seventy apostles
Also rank among the apostles is Paul, miraculously called by the Lord himself. In addition to all of the above apostles and Paul, they talk about 70 disciples of the Lord. They were not constant witnesses of the miracles of the Son of God, nothing is written about them in the Gospel, but their names are heard on the day of the Seventy Apostles. Their mention is only symbolic, the people who own the names were only the first followers of the teachings of Christ, and also the first who bore the missionary burden, spreading His teachings.
The Gospel Writers
The holy apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are known to worldly people as evangelists. These are the followers of Christ who wrote the Holy Scriptures. The Apostles Peter and Paul are called the Chief Apostles. There is such a practice as equating or enrolling with the apostles the saints who spread and preached Christianity among the pagans, such as Prince Vladimir, Emperor Constantine and his mother Helen.
Who were the apostles?
The twelve apostles of Christ, or simply His disciples, were ordinary people, among whom were people of completely different professions, and completely different from each other, well, except that they were all spiritualrich - this feature united them. The Gospel very clearly shows the doubts of these twelve young men, their struggle with themselves, with their thoughts. And they can be understood, because they actually had to look at the world from a completely different angle. But after the twelve apostles witnessed the ascension of Jesus into heaven after the crucifixion, their doubts immediately disappeared. The Holy Spirit, the realization of the existence of divine power, made them pious, strong-willed people. Gathering their will into a fist, the apostles were ready to revolt the whole world.
Apostle Thomas
The Apostle Thomas deserves special mention. In the cozy city of Pansada, one of the fishermen, the future apostle, heard about Jesus, a man who tells everyone about the One God. Of course, curiosity and interest make you come and look at Him. After listening to His sermon, he is so delighted that he begins to relentlessly follow Him and His disciples. Jesus Christ, seeing such zeal, invites the young man to follow him. So a simple fisherman became an apostle.
This young man, a young fisherman, was called Judas, then he was given a new name - Thomas. True, this is one of the versions. Who exactly Thomas looked like is not known for certain, but they say that he looked like the Son of God himself.
The Character of Thomas
The Apostle Thomas was a determined guy, bold and impulsive. One day Jesus told Thomas that he was going to where the Romans would capture him. The apostles, of course, began to dissuade their teacher, no one wanted Jesus to be captured, the apostles understoodthat is a very risky undertaking. Then Thomas said to everyone: "Let's go and die with him." The well-known phrase “Thomas the unbeliever” does not particularly suit him, as we can see, he was still some kind of “believer”.
Interesting facts about Thomas
The Apostle Thomas refused to touch the wounds of Jesus Christ and put his fingers to them when He wanted to prove that He had risen from the dead. Horrified by his audacity, Thomas only exclaims in extreme amazement: "The Lord is my God." It is worth noting that this is the only place in the gospel where Jesus is called God.
Draw
After Jesus resurrected, having atoned for all the earthly sins of mankind, the apostles decided to cast lots, which was to determine who and to what land would go to preach and bring people love and faith in the Lord and the Kingdom of God. Foma got India. Many dangers and misfortunes befell Thomas in this country, many ancient legends about his adventures have been preserved, which now can neither be refuted nor confirmed. The Church decided to give Thomas a special day - the second Sunday after the celebration of the ascension of Christ. Now it's Thomas' memorial day.
Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called
After John the Baptist began to preach on the banks of the Jordan, Andrew, along with John, followed the prophet, hoping in his faith and spiritual strength to find answers to their immature minds. Many even believed that the Baptist John himself was the Messiah, but he patiently, over and over again, refuted such assumptions of his flock. John said thatsent to earth to prepare the way for Him. And when Jesus came to John to be baptized, the prophet said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." Hearing these words, Andrew and John followed Jesus. On the same day, the future apostle Andrew the First-Called approached his brother Peter and said: “We have found the Messiah.”
The Day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul among Western Christians
These two apostles received special honor due to the fact that after the ascension of Christ they preached His faith throughout the world.
The celebration of the day of the holy apostles Peter and Paul was first legalized in Rome, whose bishops, according to the Western Church, are considered successors Peter, and then were already distributed in other Christian countries. Peter was engaged in fishing (like Thomas) and was called to the apostles along with his brother. He received a mission, the most important in his life - he became the "founder" of the Church of Christ, and only then he will be handed the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Peter was the first apostle to whom Christ appeared after the resurrection. Like most of the brethren, the apostles Peter and Paul began preaching after the ascension of Jesus.
Result
All the deeds that Jesus did were not accidental, and the choice of all these young talented boys was not accidental either, even the betrayal of Judas was a planned and integral part of redemption through the death of Christ. The faith of the apostles in the Messiah was sincere and unshakable, although doubt and fear tormented many. In the end, it is only through their work that we have the opportunity to learn about the prophet, the Son of GodJesus Christ.
