Supplemental – The Apostles

Everybody “knows” that there were twelve Apostles. In fact there were thirteen as Matthias replaced Judas.

1. Simon Peter; 2. Andrew; 3. James, the son of Zebedee; 4. John; 5. Philip; 6. Bartholomew; 7. Thomas; 8. Matthew; 9. James, son of Alphaeus; 10. Jude Thaddaeus; 11. Simon the Canaanite; 12. Judas Iscariot; 13. Matthias.

Simon Peter is one of the best known Apostles (after Paul who was not one of the inner circle). Jesus changed his personality from something as unstable as water to something more like a rock. The first time they met Jesus said: “You are Simon, the son of Jona: from now on you will be called Cephas (which is interpreted being a stone)” (John 1:42)

This does not mean that Jesus wanted to build his Church on Peter but upon Himself, as Peter (I Peter 2:4-9) and Paul (I Cor. 3:11) tell us. Simon Peter was born in a house in Kfar-Nachum, at present known by Christians as Capernaum. From the first day Jesus visited Capernaum, this house has been known as “the home of Simon Peter and Andrew” (Mark 1:29).Here, Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law and many other sick people (Mark 1:33). Here, too, the miracle of the healing of the paralytic occurred (Mark 2:1-12). He also spent some nights there (Mark 1:35). He returned to this house many times, including after his journeys around the Lake and after the election of the twelve Apostles (Mark 3:19). Peter’s brother, Andrew, introduced him to Christ when he was a young man. They were both fishermen of the Sea of Galilee. 

When Andrew told Peter that he had found the Messiah he left his work and went to see for himself, but he came back.

Later on Jesus came back to the shores of Galilee and he invited Peter to follow him: “Follow me and I will make you to become a fisher of men” (Matt.4:19). Peter and Andrew left their work and family and followed him. It is known that Peter was married and that his mother-in-law was living with him and his wife. Peter was not a modest man, on the contrary. He was the apostles’ spokesman until Paul outshines him. With John and Paul he was among the Apostle best liked by the early Christians. In the list of the Apostles his name always comes first. He was very impulsive, very often acting before thinking; however his character was not as firm as it seemed. After shouting his loyalty to Jesus, he denied knowing him the night Jesus was put to death, only to change his mind again soon after. He was a combination of courage and cowardice, of great strength and instability. Christ spoke more often to Peter that to any other Apostles, both to blame him and to praise him. He was also the only one who dared to reprove Jesus. His character was brought under control later on and, after Pentecost, he was the image of faithfulness to Christ. Peter was a great sinner. Peter cursed Him but he repented, Judas sold Jesus but he did not repent. From the start Peter took a prominent position in the church, as told in the Book of the “Acts”. The first part of this book is in fact the “Acts” of Peter” and the second part, the “Acts” of Paul”. It shows the transition of Christianity from a Jewish sect to a universal church, with Peter as the main actor at first until Paul took over. Paul is known as the Apostle of the Gentiles. It was Peter who proposed to replace Judas by Matthias, it was him who spoke to the people on the day of Pentecost, and it was again him who performed a miracle healing the lame man. In Galatians 2:9 Paul describes Peter, James and John as the pillars of the church. Peter also took the public defense of the Gospel when the Jewish authorities attacked the Apostles. In addition, he maintained church discipline in the congregation when required. The common people had great faith in the miraculous healing power of Peter or even of his shadow. He was delegated by the Apostles to go to Samaria to control the local spiritual renewal introduced there by Philip. He also went on missionary duties in Lydda, Joppa and Caesarea before defending the inclusion of the Gentiles before the Apostolic Council. From that point the Book of the “Acts” switches to Paul who even criticizes Peter in his Epistles for his behavior in Antioch; there, Peter was afraid of the Jews who wanted to separate the Jewish from the Gentile Christians. Peter changed his mind when faced by Paul. Peter went also to Corinth after Paul had founded a church in this town. There are strong historical proofs that Peter founded the See of Antioch, the capital of the East at that time, before he went to Rome. St. Gregory the Great even goes to say that Peter was the Bishop of that city for seven years from 33 to 40 CE. As the Apostles preferred to preach to the Jews, their countrymen, they started their missionary work in Mesopotamia where many rich Jews from the lost tribes were living and St. Peter went to Babylon around 44 CE. However there are some doubts about this as Rome was also called “Babylon” by the early Christians. However there is little doubt that   Peter spent some time in Babylon as the Eastern Churches proclaim and where he wrote his first Epistle. Some references to Peter going to Britain and Gaul exist. In Gaul he became the Patron Saint of Chartres where he liked to preach in the “Grottes des Druides”, the oldest known Druid site in Gaul, on which the oldest cathedral of France is built. His presence in Trier (Trèves), Germany, is also well documented. However   Peter is best known for his stay in Rome. It is, nevertheless, not proved that he founded the church at Rome. In the Book of the “Acts”,   Paul tells us that Peter left Jerusalem in 43 CE, but he does not say where he went, and he is mentioned again in 49 at the Council of Jerusalem. Where did he go in between? No canonical book offers any answer. Eusebius, however, says that he came to Rome in 44 CE during Claudius’ reign (HE II,14,61). It is also believed that Rome was evangelized between 43 to 49. In 50 CE Claudius expelled all the Jews who were becoming nervous by the growing influence of Christianism. Paul met some converted Jews expelled from Rome to Corinth in 51. In 57 and 60 Paul addressed some important gathering of Christians in Rome. It is probable that Peter was in Babylon from 44 to 49 CE and not in Rome since the “Acts” do not mention his name. It now looks more or less certain that Peter was not in Rome before Paul wrote the Book of Romans for the Christian community there. But the early tradition that Peter died as a martyr, and was buried in Rome, although not proved, is very probable. The Gospel of   John tells us that Peter was crucified, head down, in Rome by Nero on the Vatican Hill in 64 CE (John 21:18) after being tortured for about nine months in the dreadful Mamertine prison. His body was they embalmed in the Jewish manner and buried in the Vatican. A small church was erected above his tomb. Peter did not write much personally and he relied on   Mark who is considered as his ghostwriter after being his translator, when he preached in Rome. From this experience Mark collected a lot of information on Jesus. Although they were not first hand information, his source was very reliable and well informed. For this reason Mark was able to write a credible Gospel after Peter’s death, even if he never met Jesus. Later on Matthew and Luke relied on Mark’s Gospel to speak about Jesus’ life and, if only for this, we can say that the source of our Gospels is Peter. An excavation made recently under the church of   Peter in Rome has led to the discovery of his grave. It was in fact empty but some bones found nearby have been identified as those of   Peter and the Catholic Church, through the Pope Paul VI, agreed. It is now thought that when Constantine had the first   Peter church built, he had the precious bones moved to a safer place a few feet away. Capernaum the hometown of Peter remained completely Jewish until the middle of the fourth century. Count Joseph, a Christian Governor of Tiberias, was authorized by the Emperor Constantine The Great, just a few years before his death (337 CE), to build a church on the traditional site of Peter’s house. The actual construction work of a modest church started in 352. A beautiful octagonal Byzantine basilica that was not only a place of worship, but also a memorial replaced it later on (middle of the fifth century). Excavations have shown that under the basilica there were the well-kept remains of many small very old buildings (they are thought to be from the first century CE). Peter’s house was venerated by the first generations of Jewish Christians.

Andrew accepted that Jesus was Christ and, leaving John the Baptist, he then followed Jesus. John, the future Apostle, was also a follower of John the Baptist and he probably followed Jesus at that time too.  Later on Andrew introduced his brothers Simon, Peter, and Philip to Jesus. Jesus took Peter, Andrew, Philip and John back to Nazareth with him after spending forty days in the wilderness after his baptism. They went with him to a wedding ceremony in Ca’na of Galilee, six miles from Nazareth, and saw him perform his first miracle. They then went on a preaching tour in Galilee and from there to Jerusalem, where they saw Him Cleanse the Temple. Finally they went back to Galilee, fishing for an unknown period of time.  One day Jesus came back to the coasts of Galilee and saw Peter and Andrew and told both of them: “Follow me and I will make you to become fishers of men”. Andrew was the first Apostle chosen by Jesus, he was a kind of successor to John the Baptist. In the same way that John the Baptist introduced Jesus to the nation, Andrew introduced Jesus to individuals.

Andrew had about two and one half years of instruction while following Jesus. He was present at the feeding of the five thousand by the Sea of Galilee, and it was him who introduced to Jesus the boy who had the five loaves and the two fishes. He was also present at the feast of the Passover where he also introduced many people to Jesus. He was present with Peter on the Mount of Olives. His name is in the Book of the “Acts” and this is the last reference to his name in the New Testament. However he was present in Jerusalem for a long time. We do not know when he left, and if he did it on his own decision to preach elsewhere or driven out by the repression. According to Eusebius Andrew went to Scythia in Southern Russia, near the Black Sea. He became the patron Saint of Russia. Another tradition has Andrew preaching in Greece, or in Macedonia, where he was imprisoned and crucified in Patras around 69 CE on an “X-shaped” cross now known as “St. Andrew’s Cross”. He was buried near by. Still another tradition has him preaching in Ephesus in Asia Minor, where   John is also assumed to have written his Gospel as consequence of a revelation given to Andrew. These three traditions seem at first contradictory but all three could have happened too. At the time of the Emperor Justinian some relics of Andrew have been located in Constantinople where Constancius, the son of the Emperor Constantine, had removed   Andrew’s body from Greece. These relics were stolen from Constantinople in 1210 and taken to Amalfi, Italy. In 1462 the Pope Pius II had the head transferred to   Peter church in Rome. In 1964 the Pope gave it back to the Greek Orthodox Church in Patras, Greece, where   Andrew was martyred. A fool destroyed the gold reliquary to steal the skull. After recovery it is now kept in a silver reliquary. A Christian called   Regulus has taken some of his bones to Scotland in the fourth or fifth century. They were buried in the place called now   Andrews.   Andrew is the Saint patron of Scotland and the “  Andrew’s cross” is its symbol. He is also the patron saint of the Russian, Romanian and Greek Christians.

James, The Son of Zebedee – Of the three men who formed the inner-ring of the disciples, Peter, James and John, we know the least about James. Very little is written about him in the Scriptures.

His death is recorded, however, as he was the first Apostle to die as a martyr. James was the oldest brother of John, the beloved disciple. He was a partner with John, Andrew and Peter in the fishing trade along with his father Zebedee. He was also known as “James the Elder or “James the Great”. Together they owned several boats and employed hired fishermen so they must have been affluent. There are also some indications that James was Jesus’s first cousin and that they had known each other from childhood. James was asked to follow Jesus at the same time as his brother John and the two other brothers, Simon called Peter and Andrew. At that time the Christ was walking along the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:18,21,22). It is known that John had been a disciple of John the Baptist whom he left to follow Jesus. No such evidence is to be found for James. 

James was present at the healing of Peter’s mother at Capernaum.After that he became one of the Apostles and a prominent one too. With Peter and John he also witnessed the raising of Jairus’ daughter, the miraculous draught of fishes at the Sea of Tiberias and the transfiguration and the agony in the garden of Gethsemane. As we know it was Peter who was the main responsible Apostle for the dissemination of the word of God as recorded in the Gospel. John outlived all the apostles up to around the year 100 CE. He died of natural death after writing five books and preaching successfully in Asia Minor.

On the other hand James was executed when the Church was still very young. Once, when Jesus’ preaching was heavily contested, James and John asked him to destroy these people with the fire from Heaven. Jesus rebuked them, and from then on they were known as “Boanerges” or “sons of Thunder”. Their mother asked Jesus to let them sit on both his sides when He came into His glory but here again Jesus rebuked this ambition as ungodly (Mark 10:42-45). James was one of the four disciples who questioned Jesus when he delivered His address on the Mount of Olives. He was present when the risen Christ appeared for the third time to the disciples. King Herod Agrippa I murdered James with a sword about the year 44 CE (”Acts” 12:1,2). Like for all the other Apostles, many legends deal with James. According to the “Acts of   James in India” and the “Martyrdom of   James” he preached in India with   Peter as well as to the twelve Jewish tribes scattered all other the world. According to Eusebius James was led to the final judgement seat in Jerusalem and, when the judge requested Peter’s testimony, he admitted that James was a Christian. He begged James to forgive him and both were beheaded together. The artists of the 14th and 15th century used James as the theme of many paintings making him very popular. In Spain the legend goes says that James’s father, Zebedee, was a noble. No Spanish was ready to accept a simple fisherman as a patron Saint. It is also thought that James came to Spain to try to convert the population but he was not very successful. He was told by the Virgin Mary to build a chapel and that all the region of Saragosa would become Christian. He did as required by Mary and the church he built is known as “Our Lady of the Pillar”. James went back to Judea to preach and perform miracles but he was soon arrested and beheaded. His disciples took his body and, being afraid to bury it on the spot took it to Joppa, put it on a ship that sailed to Iria Flavia (now Padron), Galicia, and Spain. His body caused many people, including the local Queen, to become Christians. She also built a beautiful church to receive the sacred remains. After the invasion of Spain by the Moslems, the body of the Apostle was lost until the year 800 when its location was revealed to a holy friar. The remains were then taken to Compostela that became a well-known pilgrimage place due to the many miracles performed by the relic. James became the patron saint of Spain and Compostela.  It is very unlikely that James visited Spain during his lifetime due, in part, to the fact that he died young. A very old tradition has it that he preached there; however, it is more probable that his body relics or bones have been carried in Spain in the 7th century. They were the reason for the creation of the town of Santiago de Compostela where many pilgrims, even now, are going every year. Some more proofs of the authenticity of his relics were found in 1879 in the Cathedral of Santiago (St. James) de Compostela, first built in 899 CE, destroyed by the Moors in 997, and rebuilt in 1078 on the same site. Tests were made on the old bones with the agreement of the Catholic Church and they were finally identified as those of   James. He was executed by Herod Agrippa I in 44 CE and his original grave was in or near Jerusalem. In 70 CE the Romans occupied Judea and it is probable that it was then that the remains of   James were taken to Galicia, Spain. Other less credible legends say that the relics were removed earlier from Jerusalem. The discovery of the relics of   James in Santiago de Compostela happened in the first quarter of the ninth century during the reign of Alphonso II (791-842). The relics could have arrived in Spain at the beginning of the ninth century or before the Arab invasion of 711 as it is difficult to believe that they arrived during the Arab occupation. The first story seems more likely and, in this case, the relics must have transited through Sinai and the town of Menas. Still another legend has it that he is buried in   James cathedral in Jerusalem although it seems more probable that it is Jesus’ brother, James, who is buried there. What seems certain is that James lived fourteen more years after the resurrection of Jesus. Considering that it was easy to travel in these days, nothing prevented James to have been to Spain to preach to the Jews living there. It is more unlikely that he preached to the Gentiles, as Paul had not yet opened that way. As the Book of “Acts” does not mention James in relation to Spain it is difficult to believe that he ever went there.

John was one of the sons of Zebedee, a fisherman of Galilee, and of Salome, who was probably a sister of Mary, Jesus’ mother. He grew up in Galilee and was in a fishing partnership with his brother James and with Andrew and Peter. With Andrew he was a disciple of John the Baptist (John 1:34-40). He went with Jesus on his first tour of Galilee and, later on, left the fishing business to become a disciple of Christ.

He was with Jesus at the wedding in Ca’na (John 2:1-11) and also in Jerusalem in His early ministry. He owned a house in Jerusalem. With Peter and James he was a witness to the raising of Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:37) and at the transfiguration (Matt.17). He was near to Jesus too at the agony of Gethsemane as he was one of his closest disciples. With his brother James they were called “Sons of Thunder” after they asked Jesus to destroy a Samaritan village that refused to give hospitality them (Mark 3:17). At the Last Supper he sat next to Jesus (John 13:23). He was present at Jesus’ trial, being known to the high priests as he had been his father fishing business’ representative in Jerusalem. He was present at the crucifixion where Jesus asked him to take care of Mary (John 19:26).

He was also present with Peter when Jesus was buried, and he was there too when they saw that the tomb was empty, three days later (John 20:8), He was with Peter at the gate of the Temple when a lame man was healed (”Acts” 3:10). He went to Samaria to impart the Holy Spirit to the new converts (”Acts” 8:12). With Peter and James, the lord’s brother, they were called “pillars” of the Church. He is also known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 12:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7,20). From his Gospel we know that he lived a long time after Jesus’ death, he was in fact the last Apostle to die peacefully around 100 CE whereas his brother James was the first to die. He reached a prominent position in the worldwide Christianity. Before the destruction of Jerusalem he moved to Ephesus in Asia Minor and became the pastor of the local church. He died in this town. Mary stayed with John in Jerusalem and later on moved with him to Ephesus where she died. While living in Ephesus John was exiled to Patmos, a penal colony off the coast of Turkey. Some historians say that he wrote his Gospel there while a prisoner; although this seems to be a legend, Patmos has been an important pilgrimage until the seventh century when Islam took over. After being released, John went back to Ephesus and resumed his responsibilities as head of the churches that had been founded by Paul in Asia. The Scriptures record of John ends with the seven letters to the Seven Churches (See Revelations) and   Augustine’s mention that John preached to the Parthians (Eastern Turkey near the borders of Russia and Iran). Another legend has it that John was in Rome with Peter, and that he was tortured. It is also said that there was an attempt to poison him there but when he took the cup the poison disappeared in the form of a serpent. This explains the Roman Catholic symbol for John, a cup with a serpent coming out of it. John died on 26 September around 100 CE. The disciples of   John built a chapel above his tomb. Pilgrims visited it in such a large number that a bigger church had to be build by Emperor Justinian and his wife in the sixth century. It was built in the shape of a cross, was 130 meters long and had three naves. The tomb of the Apostle was under the big dome and the dust from this room was supposed to have healing powers. A Temple in memory of Mary was built on a hill near-by. The bones of the Apostle have disappeared as well as all his relics and nobody knows where they are.

Philip despite his Greek name was a Jew whose name means “Lover of Horses”. After Alexander the Great conquered Judea he left behind a lasting Greek influence especially in Northern Galilee. Philip, the Apostle, was probably named this way in honor of the Tetrarch of the province of Ituraea, Philip, who made Bethsaida the capital of the province ten years before the Apostle’s birth in that city. Philip was from the tribe of Zebulon.

When Jesus met Philip he said to him “follow me” (John 1:43) and he did after telling his friend Nathaniel that he had found the Messiah (John 1:45). He later on introduced some Greeks to Jesus (John 12:20-33). He was present at the feeding of the five thousand and at the Last Supper (John 6:5-7). It is strange that Philip is only mentioned in John’s Gospel but they were both from Galilee and friends. After the Ascension, it is believed that he preached the Gospel in Scythia for twenty years, and then at Hierapolis in Phrygia, where he saw that the people were worshipping the God Mars under the shape of a serpent or dragon. He succeeded to expel these false gods but the local priests had him crucified and stoned when he was 87 years old. 

His four daughters went on preaching in the same town. A Gnostic Gospel of Philip, written after John’s Gospel, has been found in Nagi Hammadi. There are also some Apocryphal “Acts” of Philip that praise virginity. The tomb of Philip has never been found. A legend has it that   Philip visited France but there is no real historical baking to this story. Some scholars believe that it is possible that the Gauls of France emigrated from Galatia in Turkey from which Hierapolis was a city. This does not mean that   Philip went to France following the Gauls from Galatia. It is more possible that some traditions confused Gaul and Galatia since the two names are related and similar. But of course it is also possible that   Philip followed the immigrants from Galatia to France even if there is no proof that this happened.  

Philip is the only Apostle who is supposed, in one way or the other, to have been to France. According to some legends Mary Magdalene, the sisters Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus went to Marseilles, France where their tombs are still shown to-day. There is no doubt that many ancient religious writers mentioned the presence of   Philip in France. But this is not really proven. On the other hand it is most probable that   Philip died at Hierapolis, a town that is close to the two biblical cities of Laodicea and Colossae. The church history of the Byzantine era mentions a large Christian activity in these three towns when the new religion spread in Asia Minor. It must be remembered that Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians from the church of that town. Moreover in Laodicea there did   Paul found an important church. In addition Hierapolis is close to Ephesus where   John, Philip’s friend, lived. That Philip went to live near his old friend in his later days is quite understandable. Pope John the Third (560-572) had the body of   Philip taken from Hierapolis and put into the church of the Holy Apostles Philip and James (as it was called then) in Rome. The bones of these two Apostles, as well as those from some others are still on display today in this church, called at present “Church of the Holy Apostles”.

Bartholomew - whose name means “son of Talmai” according to some scholars- is mentioned as one of the twelve Apostles (Matt.10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14; “Acts” 1:13). He could have been the only Apostle of noble birth (in 2 Sam.3:3) as it is mentioned that a Talmai was King of Geshur. Others said that his name meant that he was the son of Ptolemy whose families were kings of Egypt). However there is no more mention of him in the New Testament. According to some sources he was from the house of Naphtali. He has also been identified with Nathanael, whom Philip presented to Jesus (John 1:45).

 In the other Gospels he is always mentioned with Philip. In some apocryphal books, such as the Gospel of   Bartholomew, he is said to have been preaching in India. Other sources have him preach in the oasis of Al Bahnasa, among the Parthians, in Phrygia in Asia Minor, in Persia and in Egypt. The “Acts of Philip” tell us that both Philip and Bartholomew preached in Hierapolis. Philip was martyred by being pierced through the thighs and hung upside down. Bartholomew escaped martyrdom in that place and went eastward to Armenia with a copy in Hebrew of Matthew’s Gospel. That Gospel was found later on by the converted Stoic philosopher, Pantaenus, who brought it, back to Alexandria.

He preached sixteen years in Armenia (or six only from another source) with   Thaddaeus who was there from 43 to 66 CE and the local church claims him as his founder. Another tradition has him martyred in 68 CE in Albania known now as Derbend in the Dagestan, Azerbaijan. This place is very near Armenia so that the two stories are not incompatible between them. According to a legend he died after being put in a sack and thrown into the sea. Another story sees him curing the king’s daughter and converting the Court.The local priests, and the king’s brother, did not appreciate it and had him arrested, beaten, and flayed alive and crucified, probably upside down. Still another tradition has him beheaded. His remains are said to have been taken to Daras in Mesopotamia in 508 CE and, later on, in the island of Lipari in Sicily where a church was built over his tomb. From Sicily they were transferred in 809 CE to Benevento in Italy and, finally, to the Isle of Tiber at Rome in 983 where another church “Bartholomew-on-Tiber” was built in his honor. The remains of the saint are still there except one arm that was given to the Canterbury Cathedral in England.

Thomas was also known as Didymas, which means “twin”, even if there is no trace that he had a twin brother or sister. He was a fisherman from Galilee. The few direct references in the Bible to his person make him a questioner, or a doubter, and even now he is known this way. His character contained some conflicting elements; he possessed little natural buoyancy of spirit and was inclined to look at life with coolness or despondency. 

However he was a man of courage and unselfish. The Gospel of John alone describes him in detail, although the others mention his election as an Apostle (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; “Acts” 1:13). The Gospel of John tells us that Thomas was the only disciple to agree, when Jesus decided to go to Bethany to help Lazarus, despite the hostile Jews. He even went so far as suggesting that all of them should go (John 11:16). On the eve of the Passion he put in doubt the future death of Jesus (John 14:5). Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared to the Apostles for the first time after the crucifixion. Later on, hearing of the resurrection he refused to believe it before seeing Jesus with his own eyes (John 20:25). He remained eight days with the other Apostles until Jesus appeared again and showed him his wounds. Thomas believed Jesus’ resurrection although he was reproved for his previous doubts (John 20:24-29). John mentions that Thomas was present when Jesus manifested himself again while the disciples were fishing on the sea of Tiberias. Thomas was a person intends to gloom and doubt, but one who would believe without restriction once convinced. Many legends are linked to Thomas. He has been identified with Jude, James’ son; as a twin brother of the Messiah, and as having a twin sister called Lysia. But there are no proofs of these stories. On the other hand we know quite a lot about his missionary activities. It is known that he visited Babylon with Judas Thaddaeus and that his main zone of influence was with the little known Eastern Church movement.”The Holy Apostolic and Catholic Church of the East”, as it was called, was founded by the Apostles Peter, Thomas, Thaddeus and Mari of the Seventy. In the beginning of Christianity there was only one Church and the Bishops maNagied their areas of responsibility. There were also Chief Bishops called Patriarchs. The main Christian towns of the time were Babylon, Alexandria, Antioch, Rome and Constantinople. Only Babylon was outside the Roman Empire of the West. For this reason the Patriarch of Babylon, the first one being   Thomas, was known as the Patriarch of the East. Some claim that Babylon is the oldest Patriarchate.

The church of the East is known under different names: Assyrian Church, Nestorian Church, Chaldean Syrian Church, etc. and traces its origin to the Apostles. One chapel built in Resaieh by the Three wise Men on their return from Bethlehem is still in use today. After founding churches and ordaining priests in the Middle East,   Thomas, the Patriarch of the East, visited Parthia and India to preach, baptise and convert people. He founded many churches and ordained local clergymen. He arrived in India, probably in Malabar in the South, around 49 or 52 CE. The Apocryphal “Acts” of Judas-Thomas written by Bardesanes (154-222) tells us of all the miracles accomplished by the saint. He endured various persecutions and was martyred on the eastern coast of India. While preaching to the people, the Brahmins instigated some men to stone him and he fell. As he was lying down a Brahmin struck him with a lance. Another legend says that he was killed at the request of the local king by a Brahmin’s lance while he was praying in a cave on a mountain. After his death he was buried in Mylapore, India (now a suburb of Madras), but a disciple transported his body in great secrecy to Edessa, Mesopotamia, before 200 CE. Later on the relics have been moved by the crusaders, first to the island of Chios, and then to Ortona, Italy, where they rest in a big cathedral. The Turks sacked Ortona but it seems that the relics were saved. Of course not all the bones of the saint are in Ortona and many churches claim to have some, but the truth is difficult to establish. There is no doubt that he was an important evangelist and a great builder of churches. The Christian tradition in South India more or less disappeared about one hundred years after the death of   Thomas by lack of religious leadership. However some communities survived and are still alive today.

Matthew, also known as Levi, was the brother of James the Less whose father was Alphaeus (Mark 2:14). He was a custom officer (Matt.10:3), or “portitores”, working for the “publicani” who had the concession for the tax collection in Capernaum in the territory ruled by Antipas. He had a reasonable education and must have spoken Aramaic, Greek and Latin. The tax collectors were not, of course, well liked by the Jews but, as a group, they were receptive to Jesus’ message (Matt.11:19; Luke 17:34; 15:1). The people saw them as collaborators of Rome acting against the Jews. Matthew became an Apostle after Peter, James and John who were also from Capernaum (Matt.9:11; 14:18; Mark 5:37).He was not a follower of John the Baptist as most of the other Apostles. In his Gospel he recalls that the first thing he did after becoming a disciple was to invite Jesus to his home for a feast. Most of his guests were tax collectors and sinners, the only ones who would accept his invitation. Jesus was criticized for accepting this invitation but answered that only sick people needed a doctor (Matthew 9:11-12). As most Apostles Matthew seems to have evangelized in many countries; Irenaeus said that he preached the Gospel among the Jews without clarifying if it was in Judea, abroad, or both. Clement of Alexandria wrote that he spent fifteen years of his life this way and that he also went to Ethiopia, Macedonia, Syria, Persia and also probably to Parthia. It is not clear if he suffered martyrdom or if he died naturally. Clement of Alexandria said that he died of a natural death in 90 CE after living as a vegetarian.

Other sources, on the other hand, says that the he was condemned to death. In this case he would have died from the sword or the spear.The Apocryphal “Acts of Andrew and Matthew” claims that he was prepared to be eaten by cannibals but that he was saved at the last moment by Andrew. He then set himself to convert the cannibals and, although their king tried to burn him to death, he escaped a second time. The best guess is that he died in Egypt of martyrdom after his return from Ethiopia, Africa. The remains of   Matthew are in the cathedral of San Matteo in Salerno, Italy. According to Jerome, Matthew published his Gospel in Judea; it was first written in Hebrew or in Aramaic according to other sources, whereas the other Gospels were written in Greek. It was translated later in Greek. On the other hand Eusebius, quoting Papias who lived in 100 CE, said that Matthew composed the Oracles of the Lord in Aramaic. 

They were then also translated into Greek. Matthew explains clearly the way in which Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of the Old Testament. This is probably due to the fact that Matthew’s Gospel and preaching were directed mainly to the Jews converted to Christianity rather that to the Gentiles. He became interested in them when the Orthodox Jews attacked him. What is certain is that Matthew was a gifted writer and probably the best educated among the Apostles.

James, the son of Alphaeus, is also called the “Less” or the “Younger”. He was Matthew Levi’s brother and the son of a Mary who could have been the wife of one Clopas, or Cleophas who may have been another or a second name for Alphaeus. He was a native of Capernaum on the Northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus preached very often and in many places. We do not know how Jesus met these two brothers but, probably, they heard him preaching and approached him. They could also have been Jesus’ cousins. The Jews must have hated Matthew, as a tax collector of Herod Antipas. After Jesus called James Matthew threw a big feast for his friends, most of them not very friendly with the Jews. Jesus was the guest of honor and afterwards the local Pharisees heavily criticized him for eating with the “tax collectors and sinners”, some words synonymous for corrupted people. We do not know if James was present. James and Matthew are thought to have been from the Gad Tribe, one of the ten Northern tribes taken captive in the eighth century BC by the Assyrians. Due to the second name of Matthew, Levi, it is more probable that they were from this tribe, the priestly tribe Levi. As Matthew had betrayed his priestly origin by becoming a tax collector for the Romans, it must be possible that James disagrees with his choice of a job. A story says that James was himself a Zealot (a revolutionary group that fought the Romans) but he left them because he disagreed on their violent methods. If he was an ascetic is still to be shown. Many early Christians were called James. We have already met James the Elder, or the Great, the son of Zebedee and the brother of John. He was the first Apostle to be killed, or better beheaded, by Herod Antipas. James the Less or the Younger was the brother of Matthew Levi and the son of Alphaeus and Mary but we do not know which Mary it was. We also have James the father of the Apostle named Judas or  Thaddeaus, and known these days as   Jude. He must not be mixed with Judas Iscariot.

This James could be the brother of John. Jesus had also a brother called James who was one of his disciples but not one of the twelve Apostles. This large number of James confuses our story and it is difficult to say with certainty what each one did. Very often the Roman Catholics and the Armenian Orthodox assimilate James the Less with Jesus’ brother, James, but the Scriptures do not confirm this. It is only an attempt to prove that Mary remained a virgin forever and that Jesus’ brother, James, was in fact his cousin.

Another legend says that James was only Jesus’ half brother by Joseph’s previous marriage. All this aims only to make Mary a demigod who, of course, could not have had sexual relations and even less, children.

As we know James the Less’ mother was called Mary and it is difficult to believe that she could have been the Virgin Mary’s sister since two sisters are never called by the same name.In conclusion the four James mentioned before are four different persons. Jesus’ brother, James, did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah until the resurrection, and the special appearance made to him later on. Afterwards he believed and became a leader of the church, in fact the head of the Church of Jerusalem according to the “Acts”. This put him at a higher rank that even Peter and John. James the Less, the Apostle, and James, Jesus’ brother are then different people. Jesus’ brother was not an Apostle but their spokesman. James the Less’ mother was a faithful Christian. She went to the cross with Jesus’ mother. It is not known if it is his mother who brought James the Less to Jesus or James who led his mother to the new religion. If it is true that James the Less was a Zealot in his youth he changed his mind soon to follow Christ. Eusebius says that James the Less led the life of a Nazarene both before and after he became an Apostle. This means that he led a very frugal life, never eating meat, never shaved and rarely washed, but prayed most of his time. For these reasons he is also known as James the Just. However this description does not seem correct and fit better James, Jesus’ brother. On the other hand James the Less looked very much like Jesus and this explains why it had been necessary for Judas to point Jesus out to the Romans looking for him. If his mother Mary was a cousin of the Virgin Mary, then the resemblance could be explained.

Simon was also called the Canaite, or Zealot in the New Testament. He was born in Ca’na of Galilee. According to Origen and to the “Gospel of the Ebionite” of the second century, Simon became a disciple with Andrew and Peter, the sons of Zebedee, Thaddaeus and Judas Iscariot, at the Sea of Tiberias. Simon, according to the Armenian tradition, went to Armenia and preached there as well as Thaddaeus, Bartholomew, Andrew and Matthias. He is thought to have preached in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Cyrene, Africa, Carthage, Mauritania and Lybia. Some even say that he went to Britain from Spain, first in 44 CE, to preach and perform miracles. One can also assume that he visited Glastonbury with Joseph of Arimathea. This was the consequence of the Claudian edict of 44 CE that expelled the Christian leaders from Rome. During his second and last visit to Britain around 60 CE he suffered martyrdom by crucifixion in the Eastern part of the country, probably near Caistor, Lincolnshire.

According to that source he was buried there on 10 May, 61 CE. Still others said that he went to Persia with   Jude and that both of them were assassinated there in an unknown town called Suanir.   Simon was a Zealot, that is a member of the extreme and violent Jewish nationalist party that tried to throw the hated Romans out of Judea by revolution and guerrilla warfare. This party was responsible for the revolt of 68-70 CE that brought down the walls of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. Their last stand was in 71 CE that led to the suicide of hundred of Jews after a long siege in Masada, a fortress overlooking the Dead Sea built by Herod the Great. Simon left the Zealots because he thought that the super idealism of Jesus was better that the nationalist fanatism of the Zealots. Simon, however, always thought that Jesus, the Messiah, would restore the Kingdom of Israel and triumph over the Romans. 

This notion could have been implanted in him when he saw Jesus changing water into wine at Cana of Galilee. He could have thought then, that the spiritualpower, able to perform these divine miracles, would win over the sword, and then resolve the future of Israel in the way he wanted. Simon gave up this concept when Jesus, after the Resurrection, announced that the Apostles were not to know the time of the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel. Simon participated in the Pentecostal day of evangelism in which the task of international evangelization began. The bodies of   Simon and   Jude were first buried together in Persia. Most of their bones are now in   Peter church in Rome as well as in the church of   Saturninus in Tolosa, Spain, and   Sernin, Toulouse, France. According to one source a Persian Bishop to the head of a convent in Trier who gave it to the   Norbet Monastery Church in Cologne, Germany gave one arm of Simon. This church was completely destroyed during the Second World War.

Jude Thaddeus and is also variously called Jude of James, Jude Thaddaeus , Judas Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus. He is sometimes identified with Jude, brother of Jesus, but is clearly distinguished from Judas Iscariot, another disciple and later the betrayer of Jesus. The Armenian Apostolic Church honors Thaddeus along with Saint Bartholomew as its patron saints. In the Roman Catholic Church he is the patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes. He is also often shown in icons with a flame around his head. This represents his presence at Pentecost, when he received the Holy Spirit with the other apostles. Occasionally he is represented holding an axe or halberd, as he was brought to death by one of these weapons. In some instances he may be shown with a scroll or a book (the Epistle of Jude) or holding a carpenter’s rule. “Jude of James” is only mentioned twice in the New Testament: in the lists of apostles in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13. The name by which Luke calls the Apostle, “Jude of James” is ambiguous as to the relationship of Jude to this James. Though such a construction commonly connotates a relationship of father and son, it has been traditionally interpreted as “Jude, brother of James” (See King James Version), though Protestants (for instance, the New International Version translation) usually identify him as “Jude son of James”. The Gospel of John also once mentions a disciple called “Judas not Iscariot” (John 14:22). This is generally accepted to be the same person as the apostle Jude, though some scholars see the identification as uncertain. In the comparable apostle-lists of Matthew 10:3 and Mark 3:18, Jude is omitted, but there is a Thaddeus (or in some manuscripts of Matthew 10:3, “Lebbaeus who was surnamed Thaddaeus”) listed in his place. This has led many Christians since early times to harmonize the lists by positing a “Jude Thaddeus”, known by either name.

Many modern Biblical scholars reject this theory, holding that Jude and Thaddeus did not represent the same person. Scholars have proposed alternate theories to explain the discrepancy: an unrecorded replacement of one for the other during the ministry of Jesus to apostasy or death; the possibility that “twelve” was a symbolic number and an estimation; or simply that the names were not recorded perfectly by the early church.  However many conservative Christian writers argue that, because the name “Judas” was so tarnished by Judas Iscariot, it was natural for Mark and Matthew to refer to him by his alternate name. Thaddeus the apostle is generally seen as a different person from Thaddeus of Edessa, one of the Seventy Disciples.  In some Latin manuscripts of Matthew 10:3, he is called Judas the Zealot. Opinion is divided on whether Jude the apostle is the same as Jude, brother of Jesus, who is mentioned in Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55-57, and is the traditional author of the Epistle of Jude. Generally Catholics believe the two Judes are the same person, while Protestants do not.

Identifying the apostle Jude with the writer of the epistle is problematic, not least because in verse 17 there is a reference to “the apostles” implying the writer does not include himself.Tradition holds that Saint Jude preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia and Libya. He is also said to have visited Beirut and Edessa, though the emissary of latter mission is also identified as Thaddeus of Edessa, one of the Seventy. Jude is reported as suffering martyrdom together with Simon the Zealot in Persia. The 14th century writer Nicephorus Callistus makes Jude the bridegroom at the wedding at Ca’na. The legend reports that   Jude was born into a Jewish family in Paneas, a town in Galilee later rebuilt by the Romans and renamed Caesarea Philippi.

In all probability he spoke both Greek and Aramaic, like almost all of his contemporaries in that area, and was a farmer by trade. According to the legend,   Jude was a son of Clopas and his wife Mary, a cousin of the Virgin Mary. Tradition has it that Jude’s father, Clopas, was murdered because of his forthright and outspoken devotion to the risen Christ. After Mary’s death, miracles were attributed to her intercession. According to the Armenian tradition, Saint Jude suffered martyrdom about CE 65 in Beirut, Lebanon together with the apostle Simon the Zealot, with whom he is usually connected. Their acts and martyrdom were recorded in an Acts of Simon and Jude that was among the collection of passions and legends traditionally associated with the legendary Abdias, bishop of Babylon, and said to have been translated into Latin by his disciple Tropaeus Africanus, according to the Golden Legend account of the saints. Saints Simon and Jude are venerated together in the Roman Catholic Church on October 28. Sometime after his death, Saint Jude’s body was brought from Beirut, Lebanon to Rome and placed in a crypt in   Peter’s Basilica which is visited by many devotees. According to popular tradition, the remains of   Jude were preserved in an Armenian monastery on an island in the northern part of Issyk-Kul lake in Kyrgyzstan at least until mid-15th century. Later legend either denounce remains as being preserved there or moved to yet more desolate stronghold in the Pamir mountains. Recent discovery of the ruins of what could be that monastery may put an end to the dispute.   Jude Thaddeus is invoked in desperate situations because his New Testament letter stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them. Therefore, he is the patron saint of desperate cases. (The epithet is also commonly rendered as “patron saint of lost causes”.) However, there is another reckoning to this epithet. Many Christians have unfortunately reckoned him as Judas Iscariot and thus avoided veneration. Therefore he was also called the “Forgotten Saint“. Because veneration was avoided, only people in the most desperate circumstances would call upon him.

Matthias – This disciple remains a mystery. He was not one of the original twelve but he was chosen later to replace Judas Iscariot. His election is not documented and the absence of comment in the Scriptures on his eventual Ministry does not help to clear the matter. Many scholars think that Paul should have been chosen. However Paul’s conversion took place a long time after Matthias’ election and his Ministry started even later.

Moreover Paul could not have been chosen as an apostle as he did not meet Jesus. Peter stated the rule clearly when Matthias was elected (”Acts” 1:26). Later the Apostle John said that the New Jerusalem had “twelve foundations and in them the names of the Apostles” (Rev.21:14). This tends to confirm the importance of Matthias. It has been said that the twelfth Apostle was James, Jesus’ brother, but this is not believable as James was converted only after the Resurrection and he could not have been a witness of Jesus’ teaching. Clement of Alexandria identified Matthias with Zaccheus but this too is difficult to believe, as Zaccheus did not meet the conditions required being an Apostles.  Eusebius, on the other hand, said that Matthias was one of the Seventy early followers sent out by Jesus (Luke 10:1) and this is possible. He also accompanied the Apostles on many occasions. He probably was a disciple of John the Baptist. In these roles Matthias could have shown his qualities and come to the attention of the remaining eleven Apostles who elected him after Judas’ betrayal and the ascension of Jesus. He was present in Jerusalem on the day of the Pentecost.

As a Jew he started his Ministry preaching to the Jews living in foreign lands. Matthias is one of the five Apostles -Thaddaeus, Bartholomew, Simon, Andrew and Matthias- credited by the Armenian to have evangelized Armenia. A source says that Matthias was imprisoned, and blinded, by the Ethiopian cannibals and rescued by Andrew. At that time there must have been two Ethiopia, the nation we know to day in Africa, and another where Matthias was blinded that was a province of Mesopotamia or Armenia. According to the “Martyrdom of   Matthias” he was sent to Damascus and died at Phaleaon, a city of Judea. Another source still says that he preached in Jerusalem and was buried there after being stoned to death by the Jews. But there are other legends about his death:

•  Matthias suffered martyrdom by the Jews either by lance or by the axe.
• Roman Catholic tradition indicates that he preached and suffered martyrdom in Judea.
• He was martyred in Colchis.

He was martyred in Sebastopol in 64 (or in 51) CE and buried there. His body is said to have been buried in Jerusalem and, later on, taken to Rome by Queen Helena, except for some bones that went to Trier in Germany.

Other Apostles

John Mark (Mark the Evangelist)   – The scholars have always thought that Mark wrote his Gospel on the base of recollections of the Apostle Peter and given to him before Peter’s death. That would date it around 68 CE and Jesus died in 33 CE. This would mean that Mark’s Gospel, the first Gospel, would have been written 35 years after the death of Christ. The details would have had to be transmitted by words of mouth or by lost records (such as the famous “Q” document which existence is known, but was never found over a long period of time with all the possible consequences on the accuracy of the text. However if Mark’s Gospel was written in 50 CE as the Dead Sea scrolls show, then the conclusions are different.Mark’s Gospel would then have been written at the most 17 years after Jesus’ death, and even probably before. In these conditions there were still enough living witnesses to verify the accuracy of the story, adding quite a lot to its credibility. John Mark was an important person among the early Christians. He had a Roman name (Mark or Marcus) and a Jewish name (John or Jonah). It is thought that his father was Roman and his mother Jewish. His home was in Jerusalem (”Acts” 12:12) and he is assumed to come from a rich family. The family moved to Jerusalem from Cyrenaica, a Roman colony in North Africa, probably after his father death. The name of his father is not known but his mother was called Mary. He also had a cousin called Barnabas (Col.4:10) who was also rich (”Acts” 4:36). He is first mentioned in the “Acts” in 44 CE. At that time he was already a believer and his mother too. He probably was led to Christ by Simon Peter who called him “his spiritual Son” (I Peter 5:13). After a long experience in the Jerusalem church, he was chosen to accompany Paul and Barnabas to Antioch and then to Cyprus, the home of Barnabas. They decided to go to Turkey but Mark soon decided to come back to Antioch. A tradition says that he was afraid of the dangers of this journey. It is also possible that he did not quite agree with Paul’s doctrine of salvation by grace, through faith alone. This would mean that Mark was still a devout Jew at that time and, as such, could not accept the doctrine of faith for salvation. Later on even Barnabas had the same doubts as Mark on this doctrine. Paul refused to take Mark on a second missionary tour in Turkey two years later; Barnabas and Mark decided to go to Cyprus instead. Barnabas died in Cyprus around 58 CE (I Cor.9:5). Eleven years later the difference of opinion between Paul and Mark was settled in Rome, and Mark was one of the few Jewish Christians who stood firmly behind Paul. It is believed that he wrote his Gospel at the request of   Peter while he was in Rome. It is possible that Mark visited Colossae. He also went to Babylon with   Peter before returning to Turkey. After the death of Peter and Paul in Rome in 64 CE there was a strong tradition that John Mark went back to Alexandria, a Greco-Roman city in Egypt with a large Jewish population, where he had been before. Eusebius wrote that Anianus, a convert of   Mark, followed him as bishop of Alexandria confirming in this way that Mark spent a few years in that city. It is not clear when he came in that city but it must be between 48 and 61 CE. He was martyred and buried there in 68 CE. Mark was probably younger that the apostles but this did not prevent him to be very useful during the apostolic age. He traveled to many lands to preach, and he was very successful at converting people to Christianism. In addition the fact that he wrote the first Gospel (by date) makes him somebody special for all the Christians.

Barnabas born Joseph, was an early Christian convert, one of the earliest disciples in Jerusalem. Like almost all Christians at the time, Barnabas was Jewish, specifically a Levite. Termed an apostle, he and Paul undertook missionary journeys together and defended Gentile converts against the demands of stricter church leaders. They gained many converts in Antioch (c 43-44) and traveled together making more converts (c 45-47), and participated in the Council of Jerusalem (c 50). Barnabas and Paul successfully evangelized among the “God-fearing” gentiles who attended synagogues in various Hellenized cities of Anatolia. Barnabas’ story appears in Acts of the Apostles, and Paul mentions him in some of his epistles. Tertullian named him as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, but this and other attributions are conjecture. Clement of Alexandria ascribed an early Christian epistle to Barnabas (Epistle of Barnabas), but that is highly improbable. He is traditionally identified as the founder of the Cypriot Church, martyred at Salamis (61CE ). The feast day of St Barnabas is celebrated on June 1. He is known to have been a good preacher and he traveled in many countries to teach the Gospel to the local people. In “Acts” 9:27 we are told that he introduced the newly converted Saul to the Apostles as a friend. Barnabas was sent to Antioch because the Jerusalem church had learned that people there were preaching to the Gentiles. He also went to Tarsus to look for Saul who was already known for his ability to preach to the Gentiles (”Acts” 26:17). Saul and Barnabas went back first to Antioch and then to Jerusalem. Then they returned again to Antioch where they were ordained by the church for missionary work. From that time they had the title and dignity of the Apostles. Their first missionary journey was to Cyprus and Asia Minor. They went back again to Antioch and there was some disagreement between Barnabas and Paul because Barnabas wanted to take his sister’ son, John Mark, with them on another missionary journey (”Acts” 15:36). Their disagreement was so strong that they both went their own way. Barnabas went to Cyprus with John Mark, and from that time he is not mentioned anymore in the Scriptures. A first tradition says that he went to Milan and became the first bishop of this town. It is more probable that the Jews in Cyprus killed him after he went back there and that his disciple Mark buried his body in an empty sepulchre outside Salamis. The tomb was forgotten until 477 CE when the then bishop of Constania (Salamis), Anthemios, was told the exact location in a dream. He opened the tomb and found the remains of the saint with a copy of   Mark’s Gospel in Barnabas handwriting on his chest. Anthemios built a church near by in honor of the saint and the remains were kept there as well as his own body after his death. This discovery helped to secure the independence of the Cyprus church from the church of Antioch. Both tombs are now empty and the destination of the holy remains is unknown. According to the Roman Catholic tradition the remains of   Barnabas have been scattered. His head is said to be in the church of   Sernin in Toulouse, France after having been moved from Cyprus to Milan. The tradition maintains that the Church of Cyprus was founded.

Luke – The legends tell us that Luke was one of the Seventy disciples sent preaching by Jesus; they also say that he was one of the Greeks who asked Philip to be introduced to Jesus; he could also have been a companion of Cleopas. However there are no confirmation of these legends. Luke was born of Greek origin in the city of Antioch. It seems more probable that Luke was not a participant to the Ministry of Jesus. Luke is described by Paul as “uncircumcised” which meant that he was a Gentile (Col.4:14). He may or may not have been a Jewish proselyte. His first appearance with Paul at Troas (”Acts” 16:10-12) is compatible with this idea. He was a man of culture as the quality of his writings shows. He was in fact part of the cultivated Hellenic circles. His home is uncertain although there are some indications that he was from Antioch or, at least, that he had some family there. According to other sources Luke lived in Alexandria and in Achaia and he died in this last town or in Bithynia. We know for certain that he lived many years in Philippi, remaining after Paul and Silas has left (”Acts” 16:40). He was still there when Paul came back on his third tour to Jerusalem (”Acts” 20:3-5). He first met Paul in Galatia, or at Troas, before he went to Macedonia but his home, if any, was Philippi. However his later years were spent with Paul away from Philippi (going to Jerusalem and to Rome and staying there). Paul called him his “beloved physician” (Col. 4:14) because he took care of his health and prolonged his life by curing him of many serious illnesses. He was a medical missionary and practised medicine in Rome and also, probably, in Malta (”Acts” 28:9f). He was Paul’s only companion when Paul went to prison for the second time in Rome. Luke was also a painter and he illustrated his Gospel. According to a tradition that goes back to Irenaeus, Luke is the author of the third Gospel and he could also have written the “Acts”. His Gospel has been described as the most beautiful book ever written. These two books constitute the earliest history of the Christian Church. He wrote his Gospel in Greece. According to one tradition Luke was not married and died peacefully in Boeotia (or Bithynia) at the age of 84. Another says that he was crucified with   Andrew at Patras or at Elaea in Peloponnesus. In 356-357 Constantius II had his remains removed from Thebes in Boeotia to Constantinople and placed in the Church of the Apostles that was built soon after. Later his head was taken to Rome and buried in   Peter Basilica.

Lazarus (Lazaros in Greek, or Eleazar in Hebrew) means “God has helped”. This name was very common among the Jews and two different persons with that name are mentioned in the New Testament. The home of Lazarus was in Bethany (John 11:1). He was the brother of Martha and Mary Magdalene (John 11:1,2; Luke 10:38-41) and all three were well loved by Jesus (John 11:5) who visited them very often (Luke 10:38-41; John 11). They must have been a rich family if we consider the number of their friends and the money they spent to anoint Jesus. In the absence of Jesus, Lazarus became sick, died, and was buried. Four days later Jesus brought him back to life (John 11:3.14.17.43.44). As a result many Jews believed in Jesus but some others informed the Pharisees and a Council was assembled to organize the Lord’s death (John 11:45-53). Later, six days before Passover, at a gathering in Bethany givento thank the Lord, Mary anointed Jesus’ feet (John 12:1-3). Many people came to see Jesus but also the raised Lazarus. They believed in Jesus and followed Him to assist to his entry in Jerusalem (John 12:9.11.17.18). In Cyprus there is an ancient tradition that Lazarus moved there from Jerusalem in 60 or 63 CE (but probably much earlier). He settled in Citium (or Kittium) where he was the bishop for thirty years. Lazarus died in Citium and his tomb still exists today. However his body was removed to Constantinople in 800 CE and later on to Marseilles, France, from where it has disappeared. There is also a tradition that says that Lazarus went to Marseilles to preach. There Lazarus had to hide in a grotto under the fourth century lower church of   Victor where he lived, preached, and finally died of a natural death in 44 or 45 CE. He could also have been the bishop of Marseilles for seven years. Mary and Martha were with him on all his journeys. Mary lived near Marseilles on a high mountain and Martha founded a convent for women and was buried at Tarascon. There are still many monuments, liturgies, relics and traditions to his memory in Marseilles, Lyons, Aix,   Maxim, La Sainte Baume, etc. that witness his importance to the region. The two traditions of Marseilles and Cyprus are, of course, incompatible between them. Historians are in favor of the Cyprus tradition but they are no real proof one way or the other.

Seventy Disciples –  The Seventy Disciples or Seventy-two Disciples were early followers of Jesus mentioned in the Gospel of Luke 10:1-24. According to Luke, the only gospel in which they appear, Jesus appointed them and sent them out in pairs to spread his message. In Western Christianity it is usual to refer to them as Disciples while in Eastern Christianity they are usually referred to as Apostles. Using the original Greek words, both titles are descriptive as an apostle is one sent on a mission whereas a disciple is a student, but the two traditions differ on the scope of the word apostle.