The lives of the twelve apostles of Jesus the Christ

Preface

"P HE object of this book is to bring before the student of the Bible a history or sketch of the lives of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus the Christ. The material found in these sketches is taken from the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and in some instances a few Epistles. Legends and traditions of the early Christian Church regarding the various Apostles have been used not because they are important and trustworthy, but because they show to some extent the missionary labors of the Twelve after the Ascension of the Lord. To bring out the personality and character of the twelve men who surrounded Jesus is the sole object in putting tog-ether the various passages of Scripture regarding them.

. Otto L. Schreiber.

September 25, 1912.

Chapter I. The Sources

ALL the information we possess of the lives of the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ is that which is recorded in the four Gospels and the first few chapters of the Book of Acts. The other books of the New Testament contain no information as to the relation between Jesus and His Apostles, or to their activities during His earthly career. A few Old Testament prophecies furnish a little information as to the behavior of the Apostles on certain occasions. Tradition has, in the case of each Apostle, added to the Scripture narrative a story of subsequent activity and fate.

As it was the aim of the Evangelists to give us a history or biography of the Christ ; which, however, contains relatively but meagre accounts of His life and work, it must be expected that they can afford us only glimpses of the Twelve. Moreover, the Apostles were not their subject when writing their Gospels. The Christ was their subject. The sole aim of the Evangelists was to present to future times an account of what they knew of the Christ. They were so eager and determined on gazing steadfastly at the Sun of Righteousness, and in His brilliancy and splendor, they lost sight of the satellites. Such was indeed the case, and, while a few more references are made to some of the more prominent of the Twelve than to others, we have no such material as allows any more than a fragmentary account of anyone.

The life of Christ would be incomplete without the lives of His twelve Apostles. They are inseparably connected with the life of Jesus. Attention has been called to the numerous occasions on which the Apostles figure in the Gospels, so as to produce the impression that the Twelve are so prominent in them, because they are their ultimate authors. 1 But this supposition is unsubstantial. The Apostles may occupy an important place in the Gospels, yet they are never magnified ; it is Jesus alone Who is magnified. The Apostles stood in a certain relation to Jesus, and so the references made to them correspond exactly to the position they held. The Gospels are so much occupied with them simply because Jesus Himself was constantly occupied with them.

When Jesus was performing the work on earth which His Father in Heaven had sent Him to do, 2 He worked with much diligence, zeal, earnestness, and patriotic love, teaching in the synagogues in Galilee, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 3 The

1 Not one of the four Evangelists took a deeper interest in the Twelve than any of the rest. The Apostles hold substantially the same place in all the Gospels. Attempts have been made to characterize the Gospel of St. Mark as pre-eminently the Gospel of the Disciples. This characterization would do injustice to the rest of the Gospels, which are equally Gospels of the disciples.

THE SOUECES. 11

result was that a great multitude of people followed Him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem and from beyond the Jordan. 1 Many who were eager to be healed by Him, and hear Him speak words of eternal life and truth, became believers or disciples, in the sense that they were adherents or followers.

Then, as now, such a remarkable Person — a Person Who was not only man as we are in everything except sin, but also true God — had a large multitude of followers. The number of His disciples or adherents grew day by day, so that at last it was inconvenient, impracticable, and an impediment to Himself and His journeys — much more so during the last half year of His public Ministry — to have them all constantly with Him. So, according to St. Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus called unto Him all His disciples or followers, and of them He chose Twelve, whom He would, whom also He named Apostles, that they might be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sickness and to cast out devils. 2 Without doubt, from the great multitude of these disciples, Jesus also appointed other seventy, whom He sent two by two before His face into every city and place, whithersoever He Himself would come. 3 Indeed, Jesus desired His disciples to follow Him, but it was impossible and inconvenient that all who believed could continue to follow Him wherever He went, in the literal sense. Jesus thought it sufficient to have twelve constant and close companions who might hear and see whatever He said and did, ministering to His daily needs and witnessing His work.

THE TWELVE APOSTLES OF JESUS CHEIST.

The twelve Apostles whom Jesus chose from the great mass of disciples that they might be with Him constantly are arranged in the Synoptical Gospels and in the Acts according to the following: lists :

First Group.

Simon Peter Simon Peter

Peter

Andrew

James Andrew

James

James

John James

John

John

Andrew John

Second Group.

Andrew

Philip

Philip Philip

Philip

Bartholomew

Bartholomew Bartholomew

Thomas

Thomas

Matthew Matthew

Bartholomew

Matthew

Thomas Thomas

Third Group.

Matthew

James of Alphaeus

James of Alphaeus James of Alphaeus

James of Alphaeus

Lebbaeus, Thaddaeus

Thaddaeus Simon Zelotes

Simon Zelotes

Simon the Canaanite

Simon the Canaanite Judas of James

Judas of James

Judas Iscariot

Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot

A careful study of these four lists will reveal that the twelve names are arranged into three groups of four. In each group the same names are always found, but the order of names varies, except the first name of each of the three groups, which in all cases is the same — the first, fifth and ninth place being occupied in all by Simon Peter, Philip, and James of Alphaeus, respectively. As might be expected, the first group contains the names of those who are best known to us, the second the next best, and the last those least known of all. The Evangelists do not give the names of the Apostles according to their rank, selection or first meeting with Jesus. The Twelve chosen from the multitude of believers were all chosen on a certain occasion, whereas the specific call to follow Jesus occurred at various times. Of the Twelve only seven are recorded in the sacred narrative as called bv

THE SOURCES. 13

Jesus — Andrew, John, Peter, Philip, Bartholomew (Nathanael), James and Matthew. Of these seven, again, the first five are recorded as having been brought to Jesus in two days. The call of James occurred while he was fishing on the Sea of Galilee with his brother John and his companions, Andrew and Peter. Matthew was called while Jesus was on one of His journeys from Capernaum to the Galilean Sea.

The apostolic roll, according to alphabetical arrangement, together with their characteristic epithets found in the various Gospels, was as follows :

i. Andrew .... Simon Peter's brother.

2. Bartholomew Nathanael, An Israelite without guile.

3. James Son of Alphaeus.

4. James . . . . Son of Zebedee | Sons of thundeT} Boanerges

5. John James' brother >

6. Judas Iscariot The man of Kerioth. The traitor.

7. Lebbaeus . . . Surnamed Thaddaeus, Judas of James, The

trinomius.

8. Matthew . . . Levi, The publican.

9. Philip The diligent searcher.

10. Simon Peter Son of Jona, Cephas (a stone, rock).

11. Simon The Canaanite, Zelotes, The Zealot.

12. Thomas . . . The doubter, the melancholy. Called Didymus.

From a survey of this group it is apparent that there were two sets of brothers — Andrew and Peter, James and John. Two of the Twelve bore Greek names — Andrew, meaning man, and Philip, meaning lover of horses. A further survey will show that three names were borne each by two different disciples — Simon, by Peter and the Canaanite ; James by one of Zebedee's sons, and by a son of Alphaeus, usually designated as James the Major and James the Minor ; and Judas, by the disciple that was called Lebbaeus, surnamed Thaddaeus, and by Iscariot, whom all the Evangelists brand as the traitor.

From the time that Jesus met His first five disciples who were destined eventually to become five of His Apostles, until the day of His Ascension, we can clearly distinguish three periods in the accounts of the Apostles' association with Him; firstly, the period of friendship; secondly, the period of discipleship; and thirdly, the period of apostleship. We must always remember that, while Jesus chose the Twelve as His Apostles all at once, on a certain occasion, all the disciples were called at various times. Therefore these three periods do not apply to the history of all the Apostles, but only to those few who first became acquainted with Him.

THE PEEIOD OF FRIENDSHIP. 15

Chapter II. The Period Of Friendship

IT is evident from the Gospel narrative that several of the Apostles had been on the most intimate terms with their Master before He selected them as His Apostles. We learn that, in fact, the most prominent of the Twelve passed through two stages of relationship to their Lord before He selected them to become Apostles. The most prominent were first called to become disciples in the most general sense of the term. Their relation to Him was hardly anything more than that of friends, attending Him on several occasions, but acting as sort of apprentices, learners or beginners in a new kind of work, in contrast to their Teacher, the Christ. They found a new Master and undertook to learn from him as apprentices. They were entering upon an indefinite period of apprenticeship or friendship. After a while, however, they were summoned to leave their usual occupation and become the personal companions of Jesus. This period of friendship began shortly after the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to Bethabara, beyond the Jordan, to John the Baptist to find out who he was. 1 About the same time when this delegation went to inquire about John, Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness of the devil. 2 After the Temptation our Lord returned to Bethabara, in Peraea, oh the banks of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 3 This is the scene where the friendship of Jesus ijohn i : 19, 28. 2 Luke 4 : 1, 2. 3 John 1 : 29.

and His first few disciples sprang up, and from this time forth these few disciples were engaged, attending Him as His apprentices.

John the Baptist was a remarkable man for the age in which he lived. He spent his youth in the desert as a hermit, living on locusts and wild honey, while he clothed himself with camel's hair and with a girdle of a skin about his loins. 1 When he stepped forth from his retreat he appeared in Peraea, at Bethabara, near the Jordan, preparing the way for Him, Who was to come after him, but Who was preferred before him. It was his office, as he himself acknowledged, to be the forerunner of the Messiah. 2 Therefore, when John appeared in the wilderness at Peraea with the words of prophecy, "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand," 3 multitudes came out to hear him. All classes and conditions of men came to him and were seemingly fearful of the judgment of God, which he proclaimed. 4 We are not to suppose that all who flocked to hear John, repented and prepared themselves for the coming of the Kingdom. Some, even as today, came and listened and returned home unmoved in their hearts. On the other hand, those who were stirred in their inmost being at what he said, those who repented and confessed their sins, and showed a willingness on their part to bring forth good fruits, were baptized by him. Some of those who were baptized, we conclude, were determined to hear John still more and thus united themselves in a group of disciples who followed him. Some of the men upon whom John made a

THE PERIOD OF FRIENDSHIP. 17

deep impression were Andrew, John, Peter, Philip and Nathanael, all from Galilee.

During this period of discipleship with John, the Baptist freely discussed with them the subject of the long-promised Messiah. He who was called to be His forerunner knew whereof he spoke, and so he frequently alluded to One. Who was greater than he, and Who should come after himself. With reference to the Greater One, John called himself a mere voice crying in the wilderness, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." 1 And with reference to his Baptism he said, "I baptize with water; but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.'" 2 These conversations of the Baptist awakened in the breast of his disciples a desire to see the Coming One. This One Who was preferred before him and coming after him was none other than He, Who a few days later made His appearance at the very spot where John was baptizing and preparing the hearts and minds of his disciples — the King of Israel, the Messiah, the Lamb of God.

Once before Jesus and John had met — at the Baptism of Jesus. 3 We cannot tell whether this second meeting in Peraea happened by arrangement between His forerunner and Himself at the time of the Christ's Baptism. but nothing seems more clear to us than that it was natural for the Christ to go to the scene of the Baptist's activity. For by so doing His forerunner could best fulfill his important duty. If He were near enough to be pointed out by him, his work would be more effectual. Accordingly, seeing- Jesus coming unto him one day, John said in the hearing of some of his disciples, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." 1 No doubt at first his disciples did not catch the meaning of this remarkable expression. On the next day, when John was standing with two of his disciples on the same soil ready to bear fruit, he fixed a steadfast gaze on the Lord and said again in the hearing of these two disciples, "Behold the Lamb of God." 2 The desire to see the Lamb of God, which John had awakened in the breast of his disciples, had now been fulfilled. This remarkable expression doubtless suggested to his hearers that this was the Messiah. Having the Lamb of God pointed out to them, the. two disciples — Andrew and John — followed Him. 3 They did not follow the Messiah because commanded by their master, but they simply followed the dictates of feelings that John had awakened in their breasts when he spoke to them of Jesus, both on the present and on former occasions.

These two disciples of John being asked by the Messiah what they sought, answered, "Rabbi, where dwellest thou?" Being told to come and see, they went and remained with Him that day. 4 What passed on that day between Jesus and His new friends we know not. We can, however, from the incidents of a few hours later, infer that Jesus proved to them to be what the Baptist had declared — the Messiah. Not a single word is recorded of the discussion which brought them to this conclusion, but the true explanation is to be found partly in the testimony of the Baptist, partly and pre-eminently in

THE PERIOD OF FRIENDSHIP. 19

the impression produced on them by the personality of Jesus. Was He not quite different from all other men? Did He not distinguish Himself from all other men, in character, words, language and deeds? Before they quitted the house where they staid over night, they were convinced that they had found the Messiah. The result of this first day of intercourse was that the two disciples of John became followers of Jesus, and entered into the workshop of Jesus as apprentices.

Those who had been scholars for a few hours soon became teachers and leaders. The tidings they had learned were too good to keep to themselves. Moreover, the labors of the Baptist were to bring greater results than merely that of these two. Henceforth, every day his labors should bring forth new fruits. Andrew, one of the new acquaintances of Jesus, had a brother named Simon who had also been a disciple of John. He could not bear to keep the good news that he had heard to himself but went out to find first his own brother. He succeeded, and said unto him, "We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ." 1 We can imagine the two approaching the Master. Jesus, upon seeing the brother, reading his character and knowing its possibilities, bestowed upon him the name by which he is now known to the whole world — Peter. Immediately when Jesus beheld him, He uttered the solemn declaration, "Thou art Simon, the son of Jona : thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a stone." 2 — Peter. It is not quite certain whether John also went out to seek his brother. The language employed in the case of Andrew, "He first findeth his own brother Simon," seems ^ohn i : 41. 2 John 1 : 42.

to indicate that John also went and searched for his brother. Probably he was not successful in finding him. At any rate, we are not told that James, the brother of John, was brought to Jesus. This ended the first day of friendship. Jesus had won three new friends. One by one, not all, however, left the company of the Baptist and followed Him Who was greater than he.

The following day, for some reasons unknown, Jesus intended to return to Galilee, 1 His three friends following Him. He could not have gone very far before He became acquainted with two more men. One He met on His journey; the other was brought to Him by the one He met. Both had probably been disciples of John. We must remember that on the first day Jesus had remained in the vicinity of John's preaching station, and early in the morning of the following day, as Jesus was leaving this place, ready to depart for Galilee, He met Philip, who hailed from Galilee, in the same vicinity. On starting, therefore, for Galilee, Jesus saw Philip and called him to follow Him. 2 Moreover, the instant obedience rendered, suggests that Philip had already been told of the close proximity of Jesus the Messiah, probably by his friends and fellow-townsmen, Andrew and Peter, and believed that Jesus was the Messiah. The information which the fourth Evangelist gives us concerning the residence of Philip, as being the same as that of Andrew and Peter, 3 seems to suggest that these two were somewhat instrumental in making clear the way for Philip to be called by Jesus.

Philip's next act after following Jesus was to seek his

THE PERIOD OF FRIENDSHIP. 21

friend, Nathanael, and inform him of his new Friend, Whom he recognized as Him, of "whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph." 1 After his call Philip must have been somewhat in advance of the rest, or he must have stepped aside from the road leading into Galilee, to find his acquaintance, Nathanael, who was a native of Cana, in Galilee. 2 We possess more notices of Nathanael as introductory matter, and more interesting at the same time, than of any other thus far mentioned. Nathanael has generally been identified with Bartholomew. Bartholomew signifies in Aramaic, "Son of Tolmai." Thus the full name of Philip's acquaintance would be Nathanael, the son of Tolmai. Nathanael was a man of great moral excellence. In the language of the Gospel, he is described as "an Israelite, in whom there is no guile." Upon being informed by Philip that He, whom Moses and the Prophets had as their subject in their writings, was nigh, Nathanael, at first hesitating whether He who was to come, and described by Philip as "Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph," asked incredulously, "Can there any good thingcome out of Nazareth?" 3 Philip, in reply, used the same words which Jesus had used the day before in the case of Andrew and John, "Come and see." And the result was the same. Nathanael came and saw quite differently from what he had expected to see. Immediately upon seeing him, Jesus exclaimed, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile !" i Nathanael, full of astonishment, questioned Jesus, "Whence knowest thou me?" The answer of Jesus was characteristic, "Before that

22 THE TWELVE APOSTLES 0¥ JESUS CHRIST.

Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee." It was as much as if He had said, "Before Philip called thee, I saw into thy heart, and knew how thou wast engaged in spiritual exercises, and therefore, I pronounce thee an Israelite." The knowledge which Jesus displayed of his character and of his inmost soul convinced him that He was, indeed, what Philip had declared Him to be, and forthwith he exclaimed, "Thou art the Son of God, Thou art the King of Israel." What a happy day for Nathanael to meet the King of that realm whereof he was declared to be a citizen.

These were the first five believers in Jesus. All were natives of Galilee. Two of them were brothers — Andrew and Peter. Two of them found two others, Andrew sought his brother Peter,and brought him to Jesus ; Philip hastily looked for his friend Nathanael and ushered him into the presence of the Messiah. Thus from the very first, the Apostles proved to be Home Missionaries. They were engaged in bringing others to Jesus. The Evangelists give us few notices of these five, but we can easily conclude from the scant information that they were all pious men. They belonged to that motley band described at different times by the Evangelists as "Who was waiting for the Consolation of Israel," and they patiently waited for Him Who was to come in answer to the Prophet's promises. Furthermore, the statement is made that they were "Disciples of John the Baptist," who himself was a God-sent man. He was more than a Prophet ; he was the one appointed to go directly before the Lamb of God and point Him out to sinners. John was a pious man, faithful in his office as a servant of God. To be in his company, as the five new friends of Jesus had been,

THE PERIOD OF FRIENDSHIP. 23

would help to make them spiritually earnest men. If the disciples were anything like their master, they were men "who hungered and thirsted after righteousness."

Thus, the first period in the histor}^ of the Apostles was begun — the period of friendship. During this period the five were simply believers in Jesus as the Messiah. At the same time, during this period, they were where Jesus was, when convenient. We must bear in mind that during this period of friendship no permanent bonds united Jesus to His five friends whom He had gathered around Him. They resumed, when necessary, as they did on a much later occasion, their work as fishermen. 1 Still they were His companions on several occasions. Some of these occasions are mentioned by St. John in his Gospel. It was only three days after this first meeting of Jesus and His friends, when there was a marriage at Cana of Galilee. Both Jesus was called and His disciples to the marriage. 2 How many of His disciples accepted the invitation and accompanied Him to Cana and witnessed His first miracle is not certain; if not all, at any rate, the majority. After the wedding Jesus went to Capernaum with His mother and brethren and new friends, but they did not remain there very long. About this time the Jews' Passover was drawing nigh. Jesus went to Jerusalem on this occasion, and, entering the Temple, at once purged His Father's House of those defilers, who made an house of merchandise out of it. 3 As in the case of the Marriage of Cana, so here, the same uncertainty arises in connection with the number of the disciples who witnessed the purging of the Temple of the traffickers. Two other instances are recorded as having taken place during this 1 John 21 : iff. { John 2 : 1-2. s John 2 : i3ff.

period — His visit to the scene where John was baptizing — namely, in Aenon, near to Salim, in Judaea, 1 and His return from Judaea through Samaria to Galilee, stopping at Sychar, in Samaria, imparting words and drawing water of eternal life. 2 On the former occasion the disciples were engaged in baptizing 3 — their first recorded work. On the latter occasion they had departed for the city of Sychar to attend to His bodily wants. 4 It would seem as if, after these four recorded incidents, the disciples returned to their usual occupation, and our Lord retired for a while from public life.

The behavior of Jesus on these occasions had no other effect than to produce faith in His followers. Their creed, after having been with Jesus during this first period, and after having witnessed His first miracle and work was something like this, "O God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we believe in Jesus, the Divine Prophet, the Divine King of Israel, and long-promised and expected Messiah of the Prophets." Was not the first miracle at Cana something new ? We read, "Jesus manifested forth His glory ; and His disciples believed on Him." 5 Whoever purged the Temple so thoroughly and with such authority? His disciples remembered that it was written, "The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up." 6

THE PERIOD OF DISCIPLESHIP. 25

Chapter III. The Period Of Discipleship

THE period of friendship did not last long — at the most two months. It soon ripened into the period of discipleship. After a short interval of retirement from public life, our Lord resumed His labors, mainly in Galilee, and continued them without interruption until His death. Shortly before our Lord began His Galilean Ministry another event occurred in Judaea. John the Baptist, who played an important part in the preparation of the Kingdom of God and in directing the first few disciples to Jesus, had been imprisoned by Herod. 1 He had very little prospect of being released and of continuing the work for which he had been sent. Xo doubt Jesus regarded this imprisonment as the end of the Baptist's career : He felt determined to do more than He had yet done, and to continue the good work which John had begun. To accomplish this Jesus developed a ministry of His own.

During the period of friendship Jesus had labored and worked miracles in each of the provinces of the Holy Land, west of the Jordan, in Judaea, Samaria and Galilee. During the next period He was publicly engaged only in Galilee. The scene was the coast of the Galilean Sea, 2 mainly at Capernaum. 3 For various reasons Jesus had changed His residence from Nazareth to Capernaum. Although Jesus had taught in His home synagogue, and performed mighty works on the streets of the town of 1 Mark r 14. l Matt. 11 : 20-24. i Matt. 4 : 13.

26 THE TWELVE APOSTLES OF JESUS CHBIST.

His youth, yet the Nazarenes were astonished, and said. "Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary ? Are not His sisters married in our town? Whence then hath this man all these things?" l They were offended in Him; they scorned Him. Those with authority in the synagogue were rilled with wrath and rose up, and thrust Him out of the city, and led Him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, and would fain have cast Him down headlong had He not passed through the midst of them and went His way. But Jesus Himself declared in the synagogue, when He noticed their attitude, that no prophet was accepted in his own country. 2 So out He must go. Nazareth was no more the chosen place of His Ministry. "He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." 3

On the other hand, our Lord chose Capernaum as the centre of His activity because of its location and importance. It was His desire to bring under His influence as many of the inhabitants of His beloved Galilee as possible. There was no better centre from which to operate and extend His influence than Capernaum. It was an important town of Galilee. Situated on the "Great Road" leading from Damascus to the Mediterranean Sea, it was an important custom station. Many other great roads converged here. The town was not only important but also quite large and in close proximity to many others of the same size and to the Galilean Sea. The inhabitants of Capernaum were not like the other people of the land at that time. They were intensely Jewish, and, therefore, not influenced by heathenish customs or tastes. All this 1 Matt. 13 : 54-57. 2 Luke 4: 24. s Matt 13: 58.