Jesus' Apostles

Peter the Apostle, (Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ and one of the first leaders of the early Christian Church. He appears repeatedly and prominently in all four New Testament gospels as well as the Acts of the Apostles. Catholic tradition accredits Peter as the first bishop of Rome‍—‌or pope‍—‌and also as the first bishop of Antioch.

The ancient Christian churches all venerate Peter as a major saint and as the founder of the Church of Antioch and the Church of Rome, but they differ in their attitudes regarding the authority of his successors.

Peter was impetuous, always speaking his mind and acting on impulse. In the Book of Acts, his decisiveness transformed him into someone the early Christians constantly relied upon.

Andrew was Simon Peter’s brother. Like his brother, he was a fisherman. Andrew was the first disciple Jesus called, and while Peter gets all the credit for recognizing Jesus as the Messiah (Mattew 16:13–20), Andrew not only brought Peter to Jesus, but he told him Jesus was the Messiah.
Whenever he and Peter are mentioned together, Andrew is always mentioned second, indicating that Andrew was either younger or less important.

James was one of Jesus’ three main disciples, along with his brother John and Peter. Like many of the disciples, James was a fisherman before Jesus called him. Mark tells us that Jesus nicknamed James and John “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). Unfortunately, he doesn’t tell us what the nickname means or where it comes from. This has led many to assume it referred to their speech, temperaments, or ambition.

John son of Zebedee was the third disciple considered to be part of Jesus’ “inner circle” with his brother James and Peter. Like James, Peter, John was a fisherman. Like his brother James, John was given the nickname “son of thunder” (Mark 3:17).
Tradition says that John is “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” John is never mentioned by name in the Gospel of John and “the disciple whom Jesus loved” appears to be one of the most prominent disciples (sitting next to Jesus at the Passover meal).

Even though there are two important believers named Philip in the New Testament, it’s a little surprising that the early church mixed them up. In Acts, Philip the Evangelist is clearly distinguished from the Twelve. One of the few details the Bible gives us about Philip the Apostle is that like Peter and Andrew, he comes from Bethsaida, (John 1:44). Later, when some Greek men from Bethsaida want to see Jesus, they come to Philip first, presumably because they knew he was from the same town or possibly because he spoke the best Greek.

Bartholomew is one of the most obscure apostles, with his name only appearing in the four lists of Jesus’ 12 main disciples without any titles or descriptions. He is closely associated with Philip (aside from the list in Acts 1:13).

Bartholomew’s name most likely comes from the Aramaic name, Bar-Talmai, meaning “son of Talmai.” If that’s the case, it stands to reason that Bartholomew would’ve been known by another name. Most would argue that this other name is Nathanael, since Nathanael appears to be an apostle in the Gospel of John and is closely associated with Philip. Supporting this is the fact that Philip calls him to meet Jesus and Bartholomew doesn’t appear in John.