PHILIP means, “Lover of horses.”  He was a native of Bethsaida, which was also “the city of Andrew and Peter,”John 1:44.  He readily heeded the call of Jesus to follow Him (John 1:43).  Philip was the one who brought Nathanael to Jesus (John 1:45-46).  Philips statement in John 1:45 leads us to conclude that Philip knew our Lord previous to this time, for he adds this statement concerning our Lord, “the son of Joseph.”

 

Responding to Nathanael’s argument, “can any good thing come out of Nazareth,” Philip replied with the greatest counter, other than one’s own testimony, and that is experimental proof, in other words, “come and see,” John 1:46.

 

In an interesting twist from John 1:43, stating that Jesus found Philip, this may imply that Jesus was previously seeking him.

 

It was to Philip that Jesus put the question concerning the crowd faint with hunger, from “[5] Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat? [6] And this He said to prove,” or to test and train Philip (John 6:5-6).  This took place in Bethsaida, and since Philip was from there, it could be that Jesus wanted Philip to believe in being able to provide this food so that when the miracle happened, Philip could better witness to these people, since he was familiar with them and possibly knew many personally.

 

In John 12:20-21, we have some Greeks coming and asking Philip, and not one of the other disciples, if they can see Jesus.  Most likely this is because of Philip’s name being of Greek origin.  However, Philip’s belief in Christ still wavered when we read of his statement in John 14:8, “show us the Father.”  As he had led Nathanael and the Greeks to “see” Jesus, so now Jesus reveals to Philip, as long as he had been with Jesus, what he had not seen, namely, “he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father,” John 14:9.

 

Not recorded in the Word of God, according to early Church tradition, as a result of Philip’s preaching the crowd released Bartholomew from his cross.  But Philip insisted that they not release him, and Philip died on the cross.  Another legend has it that he was martyred by beheading in the city of Hierapolis.

 

 

BARTHOLOMEW or Nathanael.  Bartholomew is most likely the same personage as Nathanael [see John 21:2]):  According to the “Genealogies of the Twelve Apostles” (Budge, “Contendings of the Apostles,” II, page 50), “Bartholomew was of the house of Naphtali.” From the 9th century onward, Bartholomew has generally been identified as being Nathanael.  This is mainly because in the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) Philip and Bartholomew are always mentioned together; while Nathanael is never mentioned.  In the Gospel of John, on the other hand, Philip and Nathanael are similarly mentioned together, but nothing is ever said of Bartholomew.

 

Bartholomew means, “A son that suspends the waters.” Nathanael means, “God has given,” and he was from Cana in Galilee (see John 21:2).  Nathanael is the one who asked Philip if any good thing could come out of Nazareth (John 1:46).  He is surprised when he does meet Jesus when our Lord states, “Behold and Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”  John 1:47.  Then our Lord tells him that before Philip found him under the fig tree, Jesus knew where he was, which brings Nathanael’s confession of Jesus being his Lord (John 1:48-49).

 

Not recorded in The Bible, early Church tradition has it that Bartholomew was said to have been martyred for having converted Polymius, Kiing of Armenia, to Christianity.  Another tradition has it that he was executed in Albanapolis in Armenia.  According to popular hagiography, the apostle was flayed alive and beheaded, in Albanapolis, Armenia. According to other accounts he was crucified upside down like Peter.

 

 

THOMAS means, “Twin.” He was also called “Didymus,” John 11:16; 20:24, which is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name.  From the circumstance that in the lists of the Apostles, Thomas is always mentioned along with Matthew, who was the son of Alphaeus (see Mark 3:18), and that these two are always followed in the lists by James, who was also the son of Alphaeus, it has been supposed that these three, Matthew, Thomas, and James, were brothers.  Most likely there are two fathers who were named Alphaeus.

 

Thomas will always be known and associated with the title as “Doubting Thomas,” John 20:25, even though he also corrected that, “And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God,” John 20:28.  Even though it was Thomas alone who was willing to “die,” John 11:16, for our Lord and opposed the other disciples which sought to dissuade Jesus from going to Bethany (see John 11:8), it seems one mistake in life brands all of us.  The reason the other disciples couldn’t agree may have been, is that it was believed it was too close to Jerusalem (see John 11:18), where the Jews sought to “stone” Jesus (see John 11:8).

 

Since Thomas is named next to Peter among the seven on the Sea of Galilee, it is possible that he was also a fisherman like Peter (John 21:2).  Thomas can be seen as one who loved his Lord and coupled with his known labeled “doubting” side, did not want to lose sight of Him, as in this statement in John 14:5: “Thomas saith unto Him Lord, we know not whither Thou goest, and how can we know the way?”  However, after his experience of seeing his risen Lord, his exclamation of, “My Lord and my God,” John 20:28, clearly places him beyond any future “doubting” stages in his life; for sometimes faith that has overcome “doubt” is harder to be overcome than that of those who have never doubted.

 

Not recorded in God’s Word, according to “The Acts of Thomas,” he was martyred in Mylapore, India, where he was stabbed with spears.  Syrian Christian tradition specifies Thomas was martyred in Mylapore on July 3, A.D. 72, noting that he was killed with a spear.

 

 

MATTHEW / LEVI (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27) means, “Gift of Yahweh” or “Gift of Jehovah,” or more simply, “Gift of God.” The fact that Jesus changed his name from Levi to Matthew (Mat. 9:9) is typical of our Lord when a person changes their direction in life (Abram to Abraham; Jacob to Israel; etcetera).

 

Author of the Gospel of Matthew, Mark calls him “the son of Alphaeus,” Mark 2:14; although this cannot have been the Alpheus who was the father of James the Less; for if this James and Matthew had been brothers this fact would doubtless have been mentioned, as is the case with Peter and Andrew and also with the sons of Zebedee.

 

His “publican” name (Mat. 10:3), or the name he is known as when he was a Tax collector, was Levi.  As a Tax Collector (Mat. 10:3) his service area was in Capernaum, in the territory of Herod Antipas.  He set up shop and collected dues at Capernaum, on the Sea of Galilee.  There is good reason for this location as it was the route by which traffic passed between Damascus and the Phoenician seaports.  He also could monitor traffic which crossed the Sea of Galilee and traffic passing along the great Damascus Road, which ran along the shore between Bethsaida, Julius and Capernaum.  Thus, this gave him access to most of the population in the area.

 

There was no hesitation when Jesus called him to the Lord’s service (Mat. 9:9), Luke 5:28 stating that he “left all.” What is interesting, is that Christ called him when he was at work, “at the receipt of custom,” Matthew 9:9.  Thus, Matthew follows the same line as Peter and Andrew, James and John, who left immediately their fishing places of work.  However, Matthew abandons his work without a replacement, whereas the other four left with “hired servants,” Mark 1:20, to continue the work.  The fact that we never hear of any employer trouble over this may be due to the fact that the Jews hated tax collectors anyway and would not have reported him, and the Romans had many a volunteer greedy enough to replace him.

 

Matthew was also one who desired others to know of our Lord, for that very same day he invited “Jesus [Who] sat at meat in [Matthew’s] the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down [also],” Matthew 9:10 (see also Luke 5:29).  It is this endearment that most likely is the reason our Lord calls whom He calls to be apostles.  The fact that Matthew invited Jesus and His disciples to dinner at his house (Mat. 9:10) indicates that he was called after at least 6 of the already called disciples of Jesus.

 

Matthew appears to have been a man of wealth, for he made a great feast in his own house (Luke 5:29) with many guests.  However, he is known for his humility, for he puts himself after Thomas in his list of the Apostles; whereas Mark (Mark 3:18) and Luke (Luke 6:15) put Matthew before Thomas.  Matthew talks of Jesus sitting down in “the house,” Matthew 9:10, without telling whose house it was, whereas Mark mentions it was Levi’s house (Mark 2:14-15).  By contrast, this humility could have come later, as he wrote his Gospel twenty years after the resurrection of Christ.

 

As a tax collector, Matthew would have most likely been taught the art of short-hand.  This could be why we have such a long discourse of the “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew, Chapters 5-7; and other extensive coverings of other events that the other Gospel writers simply only slightly cover, or cover with less detail.

 

Not recorded in God’s Word, Matthew is said to have been crucified in Alexandria, Egypt.  However, no one knows for sure where or how he died.  Various accounts say he was beheaded, stoned, burned, or even stabbed.  And one account even suggests that he died of natural causes like John.  Nothing can be verified of any of the accounts.

 

 

JAMES THE SON OF ALPHAEUS, is also called “James the Less,” Mark 15:40, probably because he was of small stature and or because the other James, “James the Elder,” is more prominent.

 

According to First Corinthians 15:7, this James had a separate and private interview with our risen Lord.  As Matthew, or Levi, is also called the “son of Alphaeus,” Mark 2:14, it is possible that Matthew and James the Less were brothers.  However, these are most likely two separate fathers.  According to the “Genealogies of the Apostles” (compare with Budge, “Contendings of the Apostles,” II, page 50), James the Less was of the house of Gad.

 

The James that is generally identified with James the Less, is also identified as being the brother of Joses, who was the son of Mary (Mat. 27:56; Mark 15:40; Mark being more specific), a cousin to our Lord’s mother, Mary.

 

The problem starts in John 19:25, where this Mary is called the wife of Cleophas (the “King James Version”) or Clopas (“Revised Version”), which would give him a different father than that of Alphaeus.  That should make the conjecturing stop right there.  However, some have applied the phrase “[Jesus’] His mother’s sister” in John 19:25, to Mary the wife of Clopas, instead of to a separate person, and as such, many have thus attempted to identify “James the son of Alpheus,” with “James the brother of our Lord.”  This is a rabbit trail I have chased and it will only end in un-Biblical assumptions if accepted.  Some Bible commentators have gone down this road, even going as far as to claim “James the son of Alphaeus” to be our Lord’s brother and author of the Book of James (see “Easton’s Bible Distionary,” as an example).

 

Not recorded in the Bible, Church tradition has it that while preaching in Jerusalem, James was stoned to death by the Jews, and was buried there beside the Temple.

 

 

LEHHAEUS (Mat. 10:3) is his formal name, or Thaddaeus (Mat. 10:3; Mark 3:18) is his “surname.”  The name corresponds to Judas, the son (“Revised Version”), or brother (“King James Version”), of James, given in the lists of Luke 6:16 & Acts 1:13.  Luke lists him [Luke 6:16] as “Judas the brother of James,” which should be translated as the “Syriac” and “Arabic” versions call him, “the son of James,” or, he is “the brother of James,” “the son of Alphaeus;” either way this is Luke’s Thaddaeus.

 

Exploring Luke 6:16 a little more, it would appear that agreeing with most Bible commentators, Judas, better, Lebbaeus, is the son of someone named James.  To assume this is James the Less is to cause very many conjectures.  The translation is the same in Acts 1:13, therefore I conclude that this is a James who was a father we do not have any other information on.

 

We can thank Jerome for the better understanding of Lebbaeus as being the Judas of Luke 6:16 (see “Hennecks,” op. cit., 473-474).

 

According to the “Genealogies of the Twelve Apostles” (compare Budge, “Contendings of the Apostles,” II, page 50), Thaddaeus was of the house of Joseph.  However, according to the “Book of the Bee,” he was of the tribe of Judah.

 

Lebbaeus means, “a man of heart;” or “a man of praising;” or “a man of confessing.” Identified as the Judas of John 14:22, this would be the apostle that asked, “Lord, how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not unto the world?” An interesting question that gives us some insight in that, “How can Jesus hide His glory from anyone, even if they are disobedient?”

 

Not recorded in The Bible, tradition teaches that Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows.  Or, that while founding the Church at Edessa, he was crucified there as a martyr.  Another legend suggests that his execution was by an ax or club, from which these weapons are often depicted in various artworks of Thaddeus.

 

 

SIMON THE CANAANITE (Mat. 10:4; Mark 3:18 / Simon called Zelotes (Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13).

 

Simon means, “that hears,” or “that obeys.” This Simon was designated, “the Canaanite,” Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:18, and although Simon, like the majority of the apostles, was probably a Galilean, the designation “the Canaanite,” is regarded as of political, rather than of geographical significance.

 

The Zealots were a faction, headed by “Judas of Galilee,” who “in the days of the enrollment” (see Luke 2:1-2; Acts 5:37), bitterly opposed the threatened increase of taxation at the census of Quirinius, and as such, these Zealots would have hastened by the sword the fulfillment of any Messianic prophecy.

 

Thus, the title, “the Canaanite,” is derived from the “Syriac” word “Kanean,” or “Kaneniah,” which was the name of a Jewish sect.  The “Revised Version” has it as “Cananaean” in the margin, which it also lists as, “or Zealot.”  Since he is also called “Zelotes,” we can conclude that this was indeed a political title.

 

This Simon has been identified by some Bible commentators with the Simon, the brother of Jesus, in Matthew 13:55 & Mark 6:3.  However, this is mostly unfounded as it was Jesus’ family who requested an audience with Him (Mat. 12:47).  As such, had Simon been our Lord’s brother, the Biblical record would most likely have been clearer upon that point, instead of showing the family instead of him as asking for a meeting with our Lord.

 

 

JUDAS (ISCARIOT) was definitely, the “son of Simon,” John 6:71; 13:2 & 26.  Judas is the Greek form of the Hebrew name, Judah, which occurs in the “Septuagint (LXX),” and the New Testament Greek manuscripts.

 

Judas is always placed last in the list of the Apostles because of his betrayal.  He is also often referred to as Judas Iscariot, the title given later to him in each and every Gospel once he betrayed Jesus (Mat. 10:4; 26:25; 27:3; Mark 3:19; 14:10; Luke 6:16; 22:3 & 48; John 6:71; 12:4; 13:2; 18:2 & 5; Acts 1:16).

 

According to Luke 22:3 and Acts 1:16, Judas was able to “betray” our Lord because “Satan” entered into him.  After he betrayed our Lord, he went and “hanged himself,” Matthew 27:5, while according to Acts 1:18, “he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.”  This would be after he had “hanged himself” of course; his method of “hanging” not being very secure.

 

He is known as a “thief,” if we see John 12:5-6, and compare it also to Matthew 26:7-13 & Mark 14:3-8.  He is known for his covetousness by his protest against the breaking of the box of ointment for our Lord’s anointing (John 12:4-6), and betraying his Lord for money (Mat. 26:14-16; Mark 14:10-11; Luke 22:3-6; John 13:2).  He did however have some form of repentance by attempting to return the money to the priests; Matthew 27:3, stating specifically that he “repented himself.”  Also, the fact that he hanged himself (Mat. 27:5; Acts 1:18), shows he had much remorse.  The silence of any Biblical Salvational reference to Judas’ repentance shows us that it was not the type of repentance our Lord was looking for.

 

Our Lord certainly gave him many opportunities to overcome his covetousness, since he was the Treasurer of the disciples (John 12:6; 13:29); a position of very much temptation.  However, of all the apostles, Judas is one of the two disciples who had futuristic prophecies of his betrayal, both in the Old Testament, and by our Lord Himself (Psa. 41:9; 109:8; Zec. 11:12-13; Mat. 26:21-25; Mark 14:18-21; Luke 22:21-23; John 6:64; 13:18-26; 17:12; Acts 1:16& 20).  Our Lord even goes so far as to state: “good were it for that man if he had never been born.” Matthew 14:21.

 

The other disciple with prophecies concerning him is Matthias, where Acts 1:20 states: “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein:  and his bishoprick let another take.” Matthias thus takes the place of Judas.  However, this is taken from Psalm 69:25, which if you go to, we find we are missing, “and his bishoprick let another take.” Sad to say, but what else do we have missing from God’s Word that did not make it down through the ages.  No wonder our Lord gave us more insight with the New Testamentwriters, especially when they quote the Old Testament.

 

Many teach that our Lord did not chose Judas as to be one among the twelve.  And that Jesus only chose the other eleven.  However, according to John 6:70, we have this clear understanding: “Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?” Bible commentators need to be more careful.

 

Not recorded in God’s Word, the most widespread tradition is that after evangelizing in Egypt, Simon joined Jude in Persia and Armenia, or in Beirut, Lebanon, where both were martyred in 65 A.D.  This version is the one found in, “The Golden Legend.” Another has it that he may have suffered crucifixion when he is said to have been the Bishop of Jerusalem.  Still another tradition also claims he died peacefully at Edessa.  Yet another tradition says he visited Roman Britain.  In this account, in his second mission to Britain, he arrived during the first year of Boadicea's rebellion (60 A.D.).  He was crucified May 10, 61 A.D. by the Roman Catus Decianus, at Caistor, modern-day Lincolnshire, Britain.

 

According to Matthew 27:5, Judas “hanged himself,” because he could not deal with the fact that he had betrayed his Master.  The Book of Acts gives us more detail in Chapter 1, verses 18-19.  Here is my Acts 1:18 Note:  Some have suggested that the Greek word in Matthew 27:5 translated as “hanged,” should be translated as “impaled,” as if falling upon a sword.  That Greek word is “apagchomai,” and literally means, “to strangle.”  Its “Septuagint” equivalent word is found in Second Samuel 17:23, and also means “to strangle.” The conclusion for explaining the supposed discrepancy between here and Matthew 27:5’s account, is that Judas jumped off one of the many rocks found in this “potters field,” that are still present today, and in places are from 10 to 25 feet high, and as such could have caused his bowels to burst out.  In other words, Acts 1:18 is not telling us his method of death, but what happened after he “hanged himself,” from Matthew’s account.

 

 

MATTHIAS means, “Gift of God,” or, “The gift of the Lord.” Different variations of the name can make it mean, “Given of Yah [i.e., God].”  This Matthias is the chosen one by “lot” that replaced Judas Iscariot (see Acts 1:26).

 

According to Acts 1:15, a little less than 120 people could have been selected from in order to fill the position.  However, only two were qualified.  The reason he and the other was able to be selected is because he was one “of those which companied with Jesus’ disciples all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among them.” Acts 1:21.  In fact, this was declared as a prerequisite and necessary qualification in order to replace Judas, with Peter stating that one also had to witness the resurrection in order to be qualified (see Acts 1:22).

 

According to Eusebius (“H. E.” i. page 12) and Epiphanius (“i.” page 20), Matthias had to have been of one of the 70 disciples (Luke 10:1 & 17) our Lord sent out to proselytize.  This would make perfect sense since he met the requirements mentioned above.

 

Getting back to Acts 1:15, what is very interesting is that Peter is the one who is in charge of the fledgling Church at this time.  We learn later on how James, our Lord’s brother, not an apostle, later becomes in charge.  We know this from the proceedings at the assembly meeting in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13), and later when the gathering is assembled to hear of Paul’s travels and accomplishments (Acts 21:18).  And since I have mentioned Paul, he is also considered to be an apostle, as he also met the requirements mentioned above and calls himself one (Rom. 1:1; 11:13; 1Co. 1:1; 9:1-2; 15:9; 2Co. 1:1; Gal. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:1; 1Ti. 1:1; 2:7).

 

Not recorded in the Word of God, one tradition teaches that he died at “Sebastopolis,” and was buried there, near the “Temple of the Sun.” Alternatively, another tradition maintains that Matthias was stoned at Jerusalem by the local populace, and then beheaded.  However, according to the historian Hippolytus of Rome, Matthias died of old age in Jerusalem.

 

 

AGES OF THE APOSTLES / DISCIPLES

 

 

Upon this subject matter there are those who have something to say, and then there are those who have to say something.

 

No specific text or texts state the ages of the Disciples.  However, we have a few clues from Scripture which can help us with this question.

 

It has been established in Jewish tradition that a young man would begin following a Rabbi between the ages of 12 to 30 (This information provided by historian Rob J. Hyndman).  Thus, we take note that the Disciples called Jesus, “Rabbi,” John 1:38 & 49; 3:26; 6:25.  However, one would usually begin their ministry before the age of 20.  That would make most of the Disciples teenagers.

 

By contrast, upon our Lord’s return to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax (a didrachma, or half a sacred shekel, see Exo. 30:15), which every Israelite of twenty years old and upwards had to pay, came to Peter and reminded him that Jesus had not paid it (Mat. 17:24-27).  Our Lord instructed Peter to go and catch a fish in the lake and take from its mouth the exact amount needed for the tax, viz., a “stater,” or two half-shekels.  “That take,” said our Lord, “and give unto them for Me and thee.” This discourse provides us proof that for sure Peter, and possibly even more of the Disciples of our Lord, were some over 20 years of age.  See my Bible Commentary on Matthew 17:24 & 17:25-26.

 

In Jewish history and tradition, a Rabbi would begin to take upon himself students at or after the age of 30 (according to historian David Paul Kirkpatrick), but not before.  This not only establishes that Jesus was “about thirty years of age,” Luke 3:23, but that all of His chosen Disciples would definitely be younger than Himself.  In John 13:33, Jesuscalls His Disciples, “little children,” although this term can be used of grown men, but not mature upon the subject that the teacher may be speaking.  Whereas, in John 21:5, the literal translation states: “Children, have ye aught to eat?” In today’s language we would say, “Boys, do you have anything to eat?” The point is, Jesus is definitely addressing them as being younger than Himself, and that not just in knowledge.

 

Finally, the fact that Jesus is always concerned about “little children,” and that mostly it was children that followed Him, is an indicator of where we should focus our evangelistic crusades towards.

 

 

APOSTLES WHO OWNED A HOUSE

 

 

That we can possibly establish the Apostle John as being the youngest can be evidenced by the fact that he lived until about 96 A.D. (when the Book of Revelation was written; although some of the others, being martyred, exempts us from establishing their ages based upon how long they would have lived).  96 A.D. would be 65 years after the death of Jesus.  People in those days rarely, if ever, lived to be 80 years old (information provided by historian Rob J. Hyndman), and at the least, this would make John to be about at the least 77, and at the most 85; but more likely 80.  However, just because tradition holds that John was the youngest, the Bible is unclear to that presumption.  Martyrdom of the Disciples has held their ages from us.

 

Matthew 17:24-27, may also provide us with a definitive clue.  In this passage, Jesus and Peter pay the “temple tax.” This tax was required to be paid by every man aged 20 years and older (see Exodus 30:13-14).  However, the other Disciples do not seem to have had to pay the “temple tax.”  Therefore, it is possible that they were still in their teenage years.  Also, “a piece of money,” Matthew 17:27, according to “Thayer’s Greek Definitions,” is “a silver stater equal to four Attic or two Alexandrian drachmas, a Jewish shekel.”  Also, according to historian David Paul Kirkpatrick, this would only be enough money to pay for two men.  In other words, Jesus and Peter.

 

Speaking of Peter, he was married and owned a “house” Matthew 8:14, which our Lord went to, only to find Peter’smother-in-law to be sick.  The age of marriage I will discuss later.  To own a “house,” one was usually 17 or older.  Therefore, for Peter to be 20 or older would not be unreasonable.  However, Peter is not the only one spoken of as owning a “house.” In John 19:27, we learn of Jesus giving the care of His mother over to John, who owned a house (see DG:57; 3SP:160-161).  Therefore, John may have been closer to the age of Peter then we think, possibly 22 at this time (being 19 when starting his ministry with our Lord), and as such, not necessarily the youngest.  Lastly, there is Matthew, who also owned a house (See Luke 5:29).  Others may have also owned a “house,” but these are the only ones we find record of.

 

 

APOSTLES OCCUPATIONS

 

 

Some may argue that a few of the Disciples already had well established jobs, such as being fisherman, which would include Peter, Andrew, James and John, and the tax-collector Matthew.  However, Jewish schooling of those days normally ended at 12 years of age, and males began working at the age of 12 (information provided by historian Rob J. Hyndman), or 13.  This would have given them plenty of time to still be very young when joining with Jesus.  No information can be found in history to provide us with an age for a tax collector; while 13 was normal for fishermen to become employed, even if it was their fathers business, they would still become paid employees.  Even Jesus, after His loss for three days in the Temple by His parents, being 12 at the time, may have become employed as a carpenter upon becoming 13 years old.  The fact that the Rabbi’s were even listening to Him, indicates that they considered a 12-year-old to be of adequate age to teach.

 

 

APOSTLES CALLING OF OUR LORD MASTER

 

 

It is not well expressed in our English Versions, when attempting to translate the Greek word for “Master,” which is “didaskalos,” when the Disciples referred to, or called our Lord, “Master,” what the Greek expressed better is that they were really calling Him “School-Master.”  Other translations attempt to bring in this understanding of the Greek better by translating the word as, “Teacher.”  Either way, it wasn’t until later on in their relationship with Jesus, that “Master” began to take upon itself a more Divine nature to it (check the contextual evidence around the word in your own studies).  An example would be Matthew 23:12, where the Greek word for “Master” changes to “kathegetes.”  I mention this because that would make most of the Disciples 13 to 18 years old when they began calling our Lord, “School-Master.”

 

However, in Luke, Chapter 11, our Lord is asked specifically by one of the Disciples, “Lord, teach us to pray,” verse 1.  And still speaking directly to His Disciples, Christ states in verse 11, “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone?”  Here we can correctly denote that some were already fathers, possibly for sure, Peter.  According to Jewish custom at the time [see “McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia,” s.v. “Marriage”], eighteen was considered the proper time for Jewish men to be already married, because 17 was generally when they married.  In a side note, the “Talmud” “forbade marriage in the case of a man under thirteen years and a day.”

 

Another thing to understand about the Greek and the times of Jesus, is that being called a “Disciple” really meant, “learner,” or “pupil.” A great example would be a literal translation of Matthew 10:24, which would read, “A pupil is not above his school-master.” Again, this makes most of the Disciples around 13-18 years of age.  Other examples would be Mark 4:34: “Privately to His Own pupils He expounded all things,” and Mark 9:31:  He taught His pupils and said unto them,” and even better, Luke 11:1: “Professor [or School-Master], teach us to pray, even as John also taught his students,” and lastly, John 12:16: “These things His pupils did not understand.”

 

Finally, on the subject of Jewish schools of the time, the “Jewish Encyclopedia,” in, s.v. “Education,” states “that schools for boys six or seven years old were held in all cities,” and then describes what it calls, “district schools,” which were “intended only for youths sixteen or seventeen years of age who could provide for themselves away from home.” This seems to be the best summation of what the true age of most of the Disciples were.

 

 

APOSTLES NICKNAMES

 

 

Still others may argue the fact that Jesus never gave Andrew a nickname, which is a fraternal designation, and therefore may mean that he was older than most of the others.  However, that would eliminate the “temple tax” (see above) concept where Peter and Jesus would have had to pay; while also, Jesus did not nickname Philip.  Contrariwise, others still may argue that since Andrew was the first one called, this makes him older.  Good luck with that argument.

 

Since Jewish men received a wife only after the age of 18 (according to historian David Paul Kirkpatrick), Peter may have been the oldest, for he was married (Matthew 8:14-15; Mark 1:30-31; Luke 4:38-39; and possibly 1Co. 9:5), while even his brother Andrew was not (or at least no mention of any of the others being married is recorded).  However, Christ’s Words about those that had left children for His sake in Matthew 19:29; Mark 10:29; & Luke 18:29, may infer that one or two or more of His Disciples may have been married.

 

In Matthew 20:20 & Mark 10:35, we have a mother coming to ask of Jesus who He should have sit at His right and left hand.  It would hardly be appropriate for an adult man, in that culture, to have his mother be asking such a thing, let alone, any such thing, if these men were already married.

 

 

APOSTLES-DISCIPLES THAT WERE MARRIED

 

 

Peter dwelt with his family at Capernaum (meaning he was married; Matthew 8:14; Mark 1:30; 1Co. 9:5).  This may explain why Peter may not have been a follower of John The Baptist as was his brother Andrew (John 1:35-41), since living in the wilderness would not play out well with a family.  The fact that First Corinthians 9:5 specifically mentions “other apostles” along with Peter as being married has brought about many conjectures.

 

Some may argue that Paul was not one of the Apostles.  However, according to Romans 1:1; First Corinthians 1:1; Second Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; First Timothy 1:1; and Second Timothy 1:1, Paul considered himself to be “an apostle.”

 

Since he was present at the stoning of Stephen, which took place in 31 or 32 A.D., although never mentioned in Scripture, to be a member of the Sanhedrin one had to be married.  We know that he was a member of the Sanhedrin because Acts 26:10 states that he “cast” a “vote,” which only a member of such a Klan can do.   Just when Paul was no longer married in his life we are not told, nor are we told that he was not married; or his wife died, etcetera.

 

However, here is a note from my favorite Bible Commentator: “If Paul could remain single, and recommend the same to others, that he and they might be wholly the Lord’s, why not those who would be wholly His, and wish to make a sure thing of avoiding the cares, trials, and bitter anguish, so frequent in the experiences of those who choose the married life, remain as he was?  And more, if he chose to remain so, and could recommend it to others, eighteen centuries since, would not to remain as he was, be a commendable course for those who are waiting for the Coming of the Son of Man, unless evidences were unquestionable that they were bettering their condition, and making Heaven more sure by so doing?  When so much is at stake, why not be on the sure side every time?” RH, March 24, 1868.

 

According to Acts 21:8, Philip the Evangelist was married, for he had four daughters.  However, this personage is not to be confused with the apostle Philip as some have done.  Which is why I have included him because of the confusion.

 

In regards to Judas Iscariot, according to Psalm 109:8-9: “(8) let another take his office. (9) Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.”  Psalm 109:8, is quoted by Peter when speaking of Judas (Acts 1:20).  Thus, we can know from verse 9, that Judas was married.