The 12 Apostles of Jesus: Who They Were and What Happened to Them

When Jesus began His ministry on earth, He chose 12 men to be His companions in the work He had to do. We know them as the 12 Apostles. Jesus shared His life with them, transformed their hearts, and equipped them to impact the nations in His name and with the power of God.

Let’s look at the names of the 12 Apostles or disciples of Jesus.

Who were the 12 disciples of Jesus?

Simon, son of Jonah (Peter)

Peter is probably the most well-known of the 12 apostles. His name appears first on the list of disciples (Matthew 10:2-4, among others). He had an impulsive character and sometimes spoke without filtering his words, something that proved to be good on some occasions and disastrous on others (see Matthew 14:22-33 and Matthew 16:21-23 as examples).

He was the brother of Andrew, another of the disciples, and before meeting Jesus, they worked together with their father as fishermen. Peter was married (Mark 1:29-31). He was one of Jesus' closest disciples, whom Jesus chose to witness His Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-13) and other special moments of His life.

Although many remember Peter as the disciple who denied Jesus, the truth is that his ministry after the resurrection of the Lord was very powerful. In Acts 2:14-41, we read about his first sermon filled with the Holy Spirit. That day, three thousand people received the message of salvation and were baptized, thus beginning the expansion of the church.

Peter's life is a great testimony of God's forgiveness for His children. Peter is credited with authoring the two apostolic letters in the New Testament that bear his name, the 1st and 2nd Epistle of the Apostle Peter.

According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside down during the persecution of Nero. It seems that he himself requested to be placed in this position because he did not feel worthy of dying in the same manner as the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Catholicism, Peter is considered the first Pope. It is believed that his body is buried beneath St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

See more about the history of the apostle Simon Peter.

Andrew, son of Jonah (brother of Simon)

Before following Jesus, Andrew worked as a fisherman alongside his brother Simon (Peter). Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist before meeting Jesus (John 1:35-40), which shows the sincere longing of his heart to know God. Andrew bore witness to Jesus from the very beginning. In fact, he testified to his brother Peter as soon as he knew that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah (John 1:40-42).

A curious fact about Andrew: for the miracle of feeding more than 5,000 people, it was he who found the boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish and alerted Jesus (see John 6:8-12). However, he could not understand how such a small amount could help so many people...

According to tradition, Andrew died in Patras, Greece, tied to a cross in the shape of an X, with his head down. His ministry in Greece had been very fruitful. The wife of a governor was healed and converted to Christianity, but the governor became very angry and ordered Andrew's arrest, condemning him to die on the cross. They did not nail him, but instead tied him up so that his death would be slower and more agonizing.

Apparently, Andrew continued preaching the gospel from the cross until his death. The cross in the shape of an X is known as St. Andrew's cross.

James, son of Zebedee

James was the brother of John, another of the disciples. Apparently, they were very close and worked as fishermen with their father (Mark 1:19-20). Jesus nicknamed them Boanerges (or sons of thunder, Mark 3:17), perhaps implying that they had a strong character. The two of them, along with Peter and on some occasions Andrew, formed Jesus' inner circle: the disciples with whom Jesus shared his most special moments.

For example, in Mark 1:29, we see Jesus going with James and John to visit the other pair of apostle brothers, Peter and Andrew. During this visit, Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law. On another occasion, James along with Peter and John witnessed the resurrection of a girl, the daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:35-42).

Of the 12 disciples, James was the first to die as a martyr in the year 44 A.D., a fact recorded in the Bible in Acts 12:1-2. King Herod ordered his death by the sword.

According to historians, after his death, his body was transported to Santiago de Compostela (Spain). According to tradition, James had evangelized that region, and that is why his body was buried in the place where today stands the Cathedral of Santiago.

John, son of Zebedee

John is known as the beloved disciple. He was the brother of James and, like Peter and Andrew, had a special friendship with Jesus. John was with Jesus until the end; he was apparently the only one of the 12 who was present during the crucifixion. At that moment, Jesus gave him a very important task: to care for his mother Mary (John 19:25-27). Such was the trust between them!

John shared memorable moments with Jesus. Some of them were the Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-13), his anguish in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46), and the crucifixion (John 19:25-27).

During the last years of his life, John lived in exile on the island of Patmos as punishment for testifying about Jesus. There, he wrote the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible (Revelation 1:1-9).

John is credited with the authorship of the Gospel of John, the apostolic letters 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, and the Book of Revelation.

Of the 12 apostles, John was the only one who almost certainly died of old age from natural causes. Even so, he was heavily persecuted for his faith and it is believed that at one point in his life, he survived an attempt to be boiled in oil.

Philip

Jesus called Philip after calling Peter, Andrew, James, and John. Philip immediately went to speak with his friend Nathanael. He said to him: "We have found Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph, the one of whom Moses wrote in the law, and whom the prophets wrote about" (John 1:43-48).

We see that Philip knew the Scriptures and longed for the coming of the promised Messiah. He saw something different in Jesus that filled him with hope, and he did not hesitate to go share the good news with his friend.

Philip was from Bethsaida (John 12:21). We know little about him, but the Gospel of John mentions him on several occasions. For example, just before Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed more than 5,000 people, Philip and Jesus had the following conversation:

When Jesus lifted up his eyes and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread so that these people may eat?" He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. "Even with eight months' wages we would not have enough bread to give each one a bite," Philip answered. (John 6:5-7)

Apparently, Philip had not yet realized the immense power of Jesus. Philip showed a sincere heart and a missionary spirit. He not only immediately shared with Nathanael his encounter with Jesus, but on another occasion, some Greeks approached him and said they wished to see Jesus. Philip spoke with Andrew, and together they went to Jesus (John 12:20-22).

It is not certain how Philip died. Some say he died of natural causes, while others claim he was crucified, hanged, or decapitated in Hierapolis, Turkey, where he had been preaching the Gospel.

Bartholomew (Nathanael)

There is some confusion about his name. It is believed that his real name was Nathanael, but many people knew him as Bartholomew (which means "son of Talmai"). We know that Philip was his friend and the one who brought him to Jesus (John 1:45). We also know that Nathanael had certain prejudices about Nazareth. When Philip told him that Jesus was from Nazareth, Nathanael replied, "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" (John 1:46).

However, his encounter with Jesus cleared all his doubts. Nathanael became one of Jesus' disciples, whom he recognized as Rabbi, the Son of God, and the King of Israel (John 1:47-51).

There is some confusion about how he died, but the general belief is that he also suffered martyrdom. According to tradition, he founded the church in Armenia and died as a martyr in India or Armenia, where he was flayed alive and then beheaded.

Thomas (nicknamed Didymus or the Twin)

Thomas was known as Didymus (the twin). He is remembered for his reaction of disbelief after the resurrection of Jesus. His words, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it" (John 20:25), are often used to demonstrate his supposed lack of faith.

However, there were times when Thomas showed courage and determination. For example, he was the only disciple who encouraged Jesus to go and see what had happened with Lazarus (John 11:11-16). He also showed a great desire to follow Jesus' way to the end (John 14:5).

According to tradition, Thomas evangelized in Syria, Babylon, India, and China. It is surprising to see that there are very specific details about his death. According to historians, Thomas was killed by a spear on July 3, 72 AD, in India.

Matthew (Levi)

Matthew (Levi) was a tax collector, and his profession earned him the dislike of many. Tax collectors were known for their trickery (or bad practices) in overcharging people and their lack of compassion toward debtors.

Even so, Jesus called Matthew to follow him, and Matthew did not hesitate: he got up from his table and followed the Master (Matthew 9:9). It is believed that this same Matthew was the author of the Gospel according to Matthew, the first book of the New Testament.

According to tradition, Matthew evangelized first in Judea, then in Ethiopia, Persia, and Antioch. There is no clarity about how, when, or where he died. Some say he was martyred, probably in Ethiopia, but others think he may have died of natural causes.

James, son of Alphaeus

Very little is known about this disciple. We do know that his father was named Alphaeus, a detail mentioned in all four lists of the apostles (Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:13-16; Acts 1:13). It is believed that his mother was named Mary (Matthew 27:56).

Catholic tradition considers him a relative of Jesus, either his cousin or his brother. He may have preached in Palestine and Egypt, where it is thought he was crucified. Others believe he was stoned in Jerusalem.

Thaddeus (Judas Thaddeus)

This is another of the disciples about whom very little is known. We know his first and last name: Judas Thaddeus. Some translations also give him the name Lebbaeus.

There is only one biblical passage in which this disciple speaks: John 14:21-24. With his question to Jesus, Judas Thaddeus seems to show great interest in everyone receiving the manifestation of the Lord.

Judas (not Iscariot) asked him, "Why, Lord, are you going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?"
Jesus answered, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them."
(John 14:22-23)

According to tradition, Judas Thaddeus evangelized from Turkey to Arabia, Mesopotamia, and Persia. It is believed that he was stoned to death or killed with a mace.

Simon the Zealot

From Simon, we only know his name and that he had been a Zealot previously. The Zealots were fanatic, nationalist Jews who fought for the purity of their faith. They had an intense hatred for the Romans.

This leads us to believe that Simon embraced his faith in Christ with great fervor. Jesus came into his life, transformed him, and Simon lived for him and by him until the end of his days.

It is possible that he evangelized in Asia Minor and died as a martyr, but the information about him is quite unclear.

Judas Iscariot

Apart from Peter, this is probably the best known disciple. Judas was the disciple who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and then went and hanged himself out of remorse (Matthew 26:15 and 27:1-5).

It is not known how Judas became one of the disciples. We do know that he was the treasurer of the group and that he sometimes benefited financially from that position by stealing from the stock market (John 12:4-6).

Judas was the first of the apostles to die, but he did not die a martyr. Judas hanged himself after betraying Jesus (Matthew 27:1-5).

Bible Passages with the List of the 12 Disciples of Jesus

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
(Matthew 10:2-4)

These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (whom he called Peter); James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee (whom he called Boanerges, which means: Sons of Thunder); Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
(Mark 3:16-19)

When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he called Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon, who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became the traitor.
(Luke 6:13-16)

When they arrived, they went up to the room where they were staying. There were Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
(Acts 1:13)

Other articles that might be of interest:

• The 36 Miracles of Jesus in the Bible (with explanations of the most famous ones)
• Bible Characters: List of 71 People In The Bible And Their History
• Understanding Peter's Denial: Why He Denied Jesus Three Times (Bible Study)