50 Fun Facts About The Twelve Disciples

The word 'apostle' comes from a Greek term originally meaning what?

Apóstolos combines 'from' and 'I send'; it carries a stronger sense of 'delegate' than plain messenger.

How many of the Twelve did Jesus send out in the Great Commission after the resurrection?

Judas Iscariot had died by then; Matthias was later chosen by lot to restore the number.

According to Mark 6, how did Jesus first send the Twelve out to the towns of Galilee?

They were told to take only a staff, wear sandals and not carry bread, bag or money.

What were the Twelve told to do if a town rejected them?

Some scholars read the gesture as a contemptuous threat; they were also told to take no bread, bag or money.

Which disciple does the Eastern Orthodox Church honour as Protokletos, 'the first called'?

In John's Gospel he was a follower of John the Baptist who heard him call Jesus the Lamb of God and then fetched his brother.

Whose disciple was the first-called apostle before he followed Jesus?

He and another unnamed follower, traditionally John, spent a day with Jesus after the Baptist pointed him out.

Which two brothers are identified in Matthew and Mark as the sons of Zebedee?

They were mending nets when called; Luke adds that they worked as a team with Simon and Andrew.

The tax collector called Matthew in his own Gospel is called what in Mark and Luke?

Tax collectors were seen as villains, prompting the Pharisees to ask why Jesus ate with such people.

In which town was the tax collector sitting at the 'receipt of custom' when Jesus called him?

He invited Jesus to a meal with his friends; Jesus replied that it is the sick, not the healthy, who need a doctor.

What does the Aramaic name Cephas, which Jesus gave Simon, mean?

The Greek equivalent is Petros; the name 'Simon Peter' appears 19 times in the New Testament.

In which Galilean town was the fisherman Simon Peter born?

It was also the home town of his brother Andrew and of Philip.

Under which emperor was Peter crucified in Rome, according to Christian tradition?

The apocryphal Acts of Peter say he was crucified head down at his own request.

According to the apocryphal Acts of Peter, how was Peter crucified?

Origen wrote that he asked to suffer that way; Catholic tradition treats him as the first bishop of Rome.

How many times did Peter deny knowing Jesus after the arrest?

All four Gospels record Jesus predicting it at the Last Supper: before the rooster crowed, Peter would disown him.

What sound reminded Peter of Jesus's prediction after his third denial?

Mark's version has Jesus say the rooster would crow twice.

Jesus promised Peter 'the keys of' what?

The passage in Matthew underlies the Catholic claim to a special position for Peter and his successors.

On what shape of cross is the first-called apostle said to have been crucified?

The crux decussata became the saltire of Scotland's flag; early texts actually describe a Latin cross.

In which Greek city is the first-called apostle said to have been martyred in AD 60?

A cathedral there still claims his relics, as do churches in Amalfi, Edinburgh and Warsaw.

Which apostle was the first to be martyred, executed 'by the sword' by Herod?

The Acts of the Apostles records the execution, usually dated to about AD 44 under Herod Agrippa.

Which Galician city claims the remains of the apostle who is Spain's patron saint?

He is Spain's patron saint, and the Camino pilgrimage routes converge on his shrine in Galicia.

Why is the son of Zebedee styled 'the Greater'?

It distinguishes him from James the Less, the son of Alphaeus, not a ranking of importance.

Which three apostles formed an inner circle present at the Transfiguration?

They were also the only apostles allowed in for the raising of Jairus's daughter.

Which apostle is generally listed as the youngest and traditionally the only one not martyred?

Church tradition identifies him with the Beloved Disciple and John of Patmos; modern scholars are divided.

Which bird is the traditional symbol of the apostle John in art?

It is said to stand for the soaring quality of the writings attributed to him, including the Fourth Gospel.

In every New Testament list of the apostles, which one always appears fifth?

He came from Bethsaida and was the one who brought Nathanael to Jesus.

Most scholars identify the apostle Bartholomew with which figure from John's Gospel?

His name means 'son of Tolmai' in Aramaic; Philip introduced Nathanael to Jesus.

Bartholomew is most often shown in art holding what gruesome attribute?

Tradition says he was skinned alive; the image became standard in the 16th century.

After preaching in India, where do popular traditions say Bartholomew went next?

Eusebius says he left a copy of a Gospel behind in India; the Armenian Church counts him as a patron saint.

What does the name Thomas, like his Greek nickname Didymus, mean?

He earned 'doubting' by refusing to believe the resurrection until he saw the wounds, then confessed 'My Lord and my God'.

In which modern Indian state is Thomas traditionally said to have landed in AD 52?

Tradition has him arriving at Muziris and martyred at Mylapore in AD 72; July 3 is Indian Christians' Day.

The son of Alphaeus among the Twelve is known in church tradition by which epithet?

He appears only four times in the New Testament, each time in a list of the Twelve.

Jude, also called Thaddaeus, is the Catholic patron saint of what?

He is usually shown with a club, and sometimes with a flame over his head for Pentecost.

Why did early English translators shorten Thaddaeus's name to Jude, per one suggestion?

Most languages other than English and French still call both men by the same name.

Which apostle's surname marks him as a former member of a Jewish political party?

Luke and Acts call him Zelotes; Matthew and Mark call him the Cananaean, from the Hebrew for zeal.

Which tool identifies the Zealot apostle in art, recalling the manner of his martyrdom?

Tradition says he was sawn in half in Persia; other accounts have him crucified in Samaria.

What is the usual explanation of the epithet 'Iscariot'?

It distinguishes him from the other men named Judas; in Mark's Gospel he is the only apostle called Judas.

For how many pieces of silver did Judas betray Jesus, according to Matthew?

The sum matches the price Zechariah receives for his labour in Zechariah 11; John's Gospel never mentions a fee.

What did Judas carry for the group, according to the Gospel of John?

John mentions no payment for the betrayal at all, unlike Matthew and Mark.

What did the chief priests buy with the silver Judas returned, according to Matthew?

It became known as the Field of Blood; Acts instead has Judas buy the field himself and fall headlong in it.

In which garden did Judas identify Jesus with a kiss?

The kiss led directly to the arrest by the Sanhedrin's police; Luke and John suggest Judas was possessed by Satan.

How was Matthias chosen to replace Judas among the Twelve?

About 120 disciples nominated him and Joseph Barsabbas; the lot fell to Matthias.

Who was the other candidate passed over when Matthias was chosen?

He was surnamed Justus; about 120 disciples were gathered when Peter proposed the replacement.

Roughly how many disciples were assembled when Peter proposed replacing Judas?

Acts 1 gives the number; the Eastern tradition also speaks of seventy apostles from Luke's Gospel.

An Eastern Christian tradition drawn from Luke counts how many apostles beyond the Twelve?

Paul also called himself an apostle, and named Andronicus and Junia as 'outstanding among the apostles'.

Which apostle-by-calling described himself as 'an apostle to the Gentiles' though not one of the Twelve?

He said the risen Jesus called him on the road to Damascus.

Which artist's Last Supper is considered the first work of High Renaissance art?

Jesus is shown predicting his betrayal at the meal, which all four Gospels describe.

What is the name of the structure on Mount Zion said to be the site of the Last Supper?

The disciples withdrew to an upper room there after the Ascension, according to Acts.

What did Jesus say he would make the fishermen he called beside the Sea of Galilee?

Simon and Andrew left their nets at once; James and John left their father in the boat.

Christian tradition holds that all of the Twelve except which one were martyred?

He is said to have outlived the rest and died of natural causes, though scholars dispute it.

Matthew's list of the Twelve ends with which name?

The list begins with Simon Peter and his brother Andrew; Thaddaeus is the name used for Jude.