The Kerygma Blog · Reference
Who were the 12 apostles? A quick-reference guide.
Each of the Twelve in plain English — names, callings, what we know about their ministries, and the traditions of how each one died. Plus the question of "apostles" outside the Twelve. Drawing from the Gospels, Acts, and well-attested early church tradition.
The Twelve, named in the Gospels
The four Gospels list the Twelve in slightly different orders, but the names are largely consistent. Here they are with the historical and traditional details:
1. Simon Peter
Brother of Andrew. Galilean fisherman. Called early in all four Gospels. Walked on water (briefly), denied Christ three times, restored on the beach in John 21. Leader of the Jerusalem church in Acts. Wrote 1–2 Peter. Tradition: martyred under Nero in Rome around AD 64–67, crucified upside-down at his own request.
2. Andrew
Peter's brother. Originally a disciple of John the Baptist (John 1:35–40) and the one who first brings Peter to Jesus. Tradition: martyred in Greece on a saltire — the "X-shaped cross" we still call St Andrew's cross.
3. James (son of Zebedee)
Older brother of John. Also called "James the Greater" to distinguish him from the other James. Part of the inner three (Peter, James, John) at the Transfiguration and Gethsemane. The first apostle martyred — beheaded by Herod Agrippa I in AD 44 (Acts 12:2).
4. John (son of Zebedee)
James's younger brother. Author (by tradition) of the Gospel of John, 1–3 John, and Revelation. The "disciple whom Jesus loved." Lived the longest — exiled to Patmos (where he wrote Revelation), died of natural causes in Ephesus around AD 95–100, the only one of the Twelve traditionally not martyred.
5. Philip
From Bethsaida, the same town as Peter and Andrew. Brings Nathanael (Bartholomew) to Jesus in John 1. Asks Jesus the famous question, "Lord, show us the Father" (John 14:8). Tradition: martyred in Hierapolis (Phrygia, Asia Minor).
6. Bartholomew (Nathanael)
Probably the same person as Nathanael in John's Gospel — most scholars accept the identification. "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" (John 1:47). Tradition: martyred in Armenia, traditionally flayed alive, the gruesome detail Michelangelo gives in his Last Judgement fresco.
7. Matthew (Levi)
The tax collector called from his booth (Matthew 9:9). Author of the first Gospel by tradition. Tradition: ministered in Persia or Ethiopia, martyred — though the details are inconsistent across sources.
8. Thomas (Didymus, "the twin")
The doubter who became the bold confessor: "My Lord and my God!" after seeing the risen Christ (John 20:28). Tradition: travelled the furthest of any apostle — to India, where the Mar Thoma church traces its founding to him. Martyred near modern Chennai.
9. James (son of Alphaeus)
"James the Lesser" or "the Younger" to distinguish him from James son of Zebedee. Sometimes (debatably) identified with James "the brother of the Lord" who led the Jerusalem church. Tradition: martyred in Egypt or Syria.
10. Thaddaeus (Jude / Lebbaeus)
Listed in different Gospels under different names — Matthew calls him Thaddaeus, Luke calls him Judas son of James. Probably the author of the short letter of Jude. Tradition: martyred in Persia or Syria, often with Simon the Zealot.
11. Simon the Zealot
"Zealot" suggests former membership in the Zealot political movement — striking choice for a band that also included a tax collector. Tradition: martyred in Persia, often paired with Jude.
12. Judas Iscariot
The treasurer who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver and afterward took his own life (Matthew 27:5; Acts 1:18 gives a different physical account). Replaced after Pentecost.
The replacement: Matthias
In Acts 1, before Pentecost, the eleven choose Matthias by lot from among those who had followed Jesus from his baptism through the resurrection. He's mentioned only in this passage — virtually nothing else is recorded about him. Tradition places his ministry in Cappadocia or Ethiopia.
The thirteenth: Paul
Saul of Tarsus — Pharisee, persecutor of the church, knocked from his horse on the Damascus road in Acts 9. Insists on his apostolic authority despite not being one of the Twelve (Galatians 1, 2 Corinthians 11–12). Wrote thirteen of the New Testament letters. Martyred in Rome under Nero, traditionally beheaded (as a Roman citizen he was spared crucifixion) around AD 64–67.
"Apostles" outside the Twelve
The New Testament uses apostolos ("sent one") more broadly than just the Twelve. Barnabas (Acts 14:14), James the brother of the Lord (Galatians 1:19), Andronicus and Junia (Romans 16:7), and possibly others are called apostles. The Twelve are a special category — eyewitnesses of the resurrection commissioned directly by Jesus during his earthly ministry — but the word itself has a wider use in the early church.
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