Christmas is just around the corner! In honour of this festive time of year, we take a look at the 12 disciples of Jesus and who exactly they were. If you are looking for a traditional name and are expecting during December, these might be the perfect name choice for your little bundle of joy.
Peter (Originally called Simon)
Simon is the most well-known disciple from The Bible, and usually the first to be listed. Regarded as the leader of the disciples, Peter was a fisherman who Jesus asked to help found his church. When Peter was executed, he asked to be crucified upside down as he did not feel worthy of dying in the same manner as Jesus (the upside down cross is later used as a sign of the devil, but actually has nothing to do with Satan.)
Andrew is also a fisherman and Peter’s brother. He and his brother were called from their boats by Jesus to become his followers. He preached Jesus’ teachings in Scythia, and was later crucified on an X-shaped cross that became known as the St. Andrew’s cross.
James was also called “James the Greater.” He is John’s older brother and he went to preach in Spain. He was later beheaded by Herod Agrippa and his remains were brought to the city of Santiago de Compostela, which is not a pilgrimage site for many Christians.
He is James’ younger brother and called “John the Divine” because he wrote five of the books in the Bibl. He was the one to sit right next to Jesus at the Last Supper and he was present at his crucifixion. Afterwards, he took care of Jesus’s mother, Mary.
Philip the Apostle was born in Bethsaida just like Peter and Andrew. He was one of the disciples to take part in Jesus’s miracle of loaves and fishes. This Philip is not to be confused with Philip the Deacon, who is also a member of the early church.
Bartholomew was a friend of Phillip’s and was brought to see the greatness of Christ by him. He is said to have died in Armenia, where he had converted King Polymius to Christianity and was killed by the King’s brother.
Thomas is also known as “Doubting Thomas” because he was the disciple who was slowest to believe that Christ had resurrected from the dead. He only believed when he saw Jesus for himself and fully acknowledged Christ’s divinity.
Matthew is known for being the odd one out when it came to the disciples as most of them were fisherman by trade and he was a publican (or tax collector, in modern times). They were often hated for their job so it was a curious move on Jesus’ part to ask him to be a disciple.
James
James is known by the Catholic Church as “Saint James the Less.” Little is known about this James, but there is a theory that he was called “the Less” in order to differentiate him from the other James.
Thaddeus
Because Thaddeus is also called Judas, it must be made clear that he is not the one who betrayed Jesus. He preached after Jesus’s death in many lands and was later martyred.
Simon
Simon is known by the Catholic Church as Saint Simon and is the least known of all the twelve disciples (he is merely listed as a disciple, but no information is given about him.)
Judas Iscariot
Judas is infamously known for his act of betray of the Lord, which resulted in his crucifixion and is traditionally the last disciple to be named. He gave up Jesus’s hiding place to the Jewish authorities for thirty pieces of silver. However, he was wracked with guilt and returned the bribe, then hanged himself.
We hope this quick summary helps refresh your memory of these important Biblical figures and also gives you some baby name inspiration! (Although we’d probably stay away from Judas…)
