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The Twelve Apostles. Luk_6:13-16
v. 13. And when it was day, He called unto Him His disciples; and of them He chose twelve, whom also He named apostles:
v. 14. Simon (whom He also named Peter) and Andrew, his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
v. 15. Matthew and Thomas, James, the son of Alphaeus, and Simon, called Zelotes,
v. 16. and Judas, the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.
Having prepared Himself for this important step by an all-night vigil and prayer, Jesus now carried out His plan. He called all His disciples to Him, and from their total number He selected twelve, to whom He gave the honoring title apostles, those sent forth. Their principal work was to continuing going forth in His name and spreading the glorious Gospel of His redemption. A few notices concerning the work of these men, taken from Scripture and history, may prove of interest. Simon, who later became a true Peter or rock-man, was actively engaged in missionary work in the East and West. He is said to have suffered martyrdom in Rome under Nero, by being crucified. His brother Andrew did his principal work in Scythia, north of the Black Sea, where he also suffered death by crucifixion. James, the son of Zebedee, was the first martyr from the ranks of the apostles, dying by the sword of Herod, Act_12:2. His brother John was the beloved disciple of the Lord. He died at an advanced age in the midst of his congregation at Ephesus. Philip is said to have proclaimed the Gospel in Phrygia, where he suffered martyrdom by crucifixion. Bartholomew, or Nathanael, worked in India and suffered a like fate. Matthew Levi is said to have been the first apostle of the Ethiopians. He was put to death in a frightful manner by nails driven through his body. Thomas Didymus, the Doubter, brought the Gospel-message into the far East, into Media, Persia, and India, where he also died as a martyr. James, the son of Alphaeus, also known as the Younger, Mar_15:40, is probably to be distinguished from James, the brother of the Lord, the author of the Epistle of James. Simon of Cana, called Zelotes, is said to have journeyed as far as the British Isles and there suffered martyrdom. Judas, the son of James, to be distinguished from the brother of James of the same name, was known also as Lebbaeus or Thaddaeus. His field of activity was Arabia. The last apostle, Judas of Kerioth, was the traitor.