12 apostles of Jesus Christ: biographies of the disciples of the Messiah

Disciples of Jesus Christ

Apostles (translated from Greek as “messenger”) are disciples of Jesus Christ who were next to Him and are direct witnesses of His life, who were chosen to preach the Gospel. The number 12 was not chosen by chance, but according to the number of tribes of Israel. This number was considered special, signifying the completeness of God's people. So the Savior chooses 12 apostles who laid the foundation for the New Testament people - Christians.

“And calling His twelve disciples, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal every disease and every disease. The names of the twelve Apostles are these: the first Simon, called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James the Zebedee and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican, James Alphaeus and Levbeus, called Thaddeus, Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.” (Matt.10:1-4)

Orthodox icon "Cathedral of the 12 Apostles"

Biographies

The Apostles are the central figures in Christianity, since they gave birth to the Church.

They were the closest followers of Jesus and were the first to spread the Good News of the Death and Resurrection. Their activities are described in sufficient detail in the book of Acts in the New Testament, from which their work in spreading the Word of God becomes known.

Icon of Jesus Christ and 12 Apostles

Moreover, the 12 followers were ordinary people, they were fishermen, tax collectors and just people who longed for change.

About the saints recognized as equal to the apostles:

• Icon of Equal-to-the-Apostles Helen
• Relics of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga
• Life of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Cosmas of Aetolia

Studying the Holy Scriptures, we can say with confidence that Peter was a leader; his hot temperament won him a leadership position among the group. And John is called the favorite disciple of Jesus, who enjoyed special favor. He is the only one who died a natural death.

It is worth considering in detail the biography of each of the twelve:

• Simon Peter was an ordinary fisherman when Jesus gave him the name Peter after being called. He plays a key role in the birth of the Church and is called the shepherd of the sheep. Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law and allowed him to walk on water. Peter is known for his renunciation and bitter repentance. According to legend, he was crucified in Rome upside down, because he said that he was unworthy to be crucified as the Savior.
• Andrei is the brother of Peter, who in Russia is called the First Called and is considered the patron saint of the country. He was the first to follow the Savior, after the words of John the Baptist about the Lamb of God. He was crucified on a cross in the shape of the letter X.
• Bartholomew - or Nathanael - was born in Cana of Galilee. This is what Jesus said about “a Jew in whom there is no guile.” After Pentecost, according to legend, he went to India, where he preached the Crucified Lord and where he brought a copy of the Gospel of Matthew.
• John is a former follower of John the Baptist, author of one of the Gospels and the book of Revelation. For a long time he remained in exile on the island of Patmos, where he saw visions of the end of the world. He is nicknamed the Theologian because the Gospel of John contains many direct words from Jesus. The youngest and most beloved disciple of Christ. He alone was present and took Mary, the mother of the Savior, to him. He was also the only one to die a natural death from old age.
• Jacob Alfeev is the brother of the publican Matthew. This name is mentioned only 4 times in the Gospels.
• Jacob Zebedee - fisherman, brother of John the Theologian. Was present on the Mount of Transfiguration. Was the first person killed for his faith by King Herod (Acts 12:1–2).
• Judas Iscariot is a traitor who hanged himself after realizing what he had done. Later, Judas's place among the disciples was taken by Matthew by lot.
• Judas Thaddeus or Jacoblev was the son of Joseph the Betrothed. He is considered the patron saint of the Armenian Church.
• Matthew or Levi was a publican before meeting the Savior. He was considered a student, but it is unknown whether he later became a missionary. Author of the first Gospel.
• Philip - originally from Bethsaida, also transferred from John the Baptist.
• Simon Zealot is the most unknown member of the group. Found in every list of their names and nowhere else. According to legend, he was the groom at a wedding in Cana of Galilee.
• Thomas - nicknamed the Unbeliever because he doubted the Resurrection. Nevertheless, he was the first to call Christ Lord and was ready to go to death.

It is impossible not to mention Paul, despite the fact that he was not a follower of Christ initially, the fruit of his Christian missionary activity is incredibly enormous. He was called the apostle of the pagans because he preached mainly to them.

Jesus with his disciples at the Last Supper

The essence of the ministry of the apostles

The apostles were not just preachers of a new faith, but also guardians of the Word of God. The Apostles compiled the Gospel and the Epistles of the Apostles, the entire New Testament corpus of texts. It is in it that the doctrinal theses are explained and the moral principles of the life of a Christian are given. They organized the Church of Christ and spread Christian doctrine among non-Jewish peoples. By their example of ascetic life, the apostles are an example of how to love your neighbor and honor God.

The essence of apostolic ministry is to convey to people the Good News, the faith of Christ. Their whole life was devoted to preaching.

How many apostles were there? In addition to the closest 12 apostles and the Apostle Paul, 70 more apostles were chosen from among the followers of Jesus Christ. But they were not constantly with the Savior and were not eyewitnesses of His life. Their names are not mentioned in the Gospel; a complete list was compiled in the 5th – 6th centuries.

Gospel of the Calling of the Apostles

Matthew, 9 parts, 4:18-23.

Why are people in such a hurry these days?

To see the successful result of your work as soon as possible. And success comes and goes, and leaves behind a trace of sadness.

Why are the sons of men in such a hurry nowadays?

To reap the fruits of your labors as soon as possible. And the fruits come and pass, and leave behind a trace of bitterness.

And when death comes, the people of our day see themselves completely belonging only to the past, they see the successes they have achieved forgotten, the reaped fruits decayed. With their death, the last traces of their labors and their harvest also die. Those who come for them sow in the same haste, in the same haste they reap and consume the fruits, and with the same emptiness they leave this life.

This is a human way - but not God's. Seeing the difference between man's way and God's way, people said: “God is slow and reachable.” God is slow - He may be slow for one generation, but He is not slow throughout the entire line of life of all generations. Often He sows in one generation and reaps in another. And the generation in which God sows considers God to be very slow, while the generation in which He reaps considers Him to be very swift. Isn’t every harvest faster in our human affairs than plowing, sowing, weeding, uprooting and tensely waiting for the fruit to ripen? But God is neither slow nor quick. He has His own measure, and He does not deviate from this measure. The ant looks and sees only an anthill; the farmer looks and sees the whole field.

If Christ had acted humanly, He would have chosen not twelve fishermen as apostles, but twelve kings of the earth. If only He would immediately see the success of His work and reap the fruits of His labors, He could, by His irresistible power, baptize the twelve most powerful kings on earth and make them His followers and apostles. Just imagine how the name of Christ would instantly be published throughout the world! How quickly His teaching would spread throughout the whole earth! How quickly, according to the royal decrees, the idols would have been destroyed, and the temples would have been turned into Christian churches! How the sacrifice of animals to the gods would cease, and the smoking of blood would be replaced by the smoking of incense! With what ease would the Church of the Living and One God be established in the entire human race! Without any suffering, Christ could then sit on the one and only royal throne, from which he would rule through twelve obedient kings, as through His viceroys, over all the peoples of the earth and the whole world - from east to west and from north to south. Then the stiff-necked Jews, without any difficulty, would recognize the King Christ as their expected Messiah and would worship Him.

But think about what would ultimately happen to such an earthly kingdom, created in haste by the strength and genius of one man? The same thing would happen as with all earthly kingdoms before and after the coming of Christ. Together with its founder, it would end up on its deathbed, and the world would again find itself in the same place from where it started. Or, even more clearly, the same thing would have happened with the huge oak tree that a certain giant tore out in the mountains and transplanted into the valley. While the giant stands near the transplanted oak tree and supports it with his strong hand, the oak tree also stands; but as soon as the giant leaves the oak tree, the winds will blow and the oak tree will collapse to the ground. And people, gathered near the fallen oak, will wonder how such a powerful oak succumbed to the winds, while the low hazel bushes around it won and remained standing? And people will shake their heads and say: “Truly, the low hazel bushes, slowly growing from the seed, stand stronger and resist the winds with more ease than the largest oak tree, when the hand of a giant transplants it and then abandons it.” The deeper the root of a tree descends into the underground darkness, the stronger, more stable and more durable the tree is.

How wise it is that Christ began from below and not from above! How wise it is that He began the building of His Kingdom not with kings, but with fishermen! How good and saving it is for us, living two thousand years after His work on earth, that during His earthly life He did not see the final result of His work and did not reap the fruits of His labor! He did not want, like a giant, to immediately transplant a huge tree into the ground, but he wanted, like a simple farmer, to bury the seed of the tree in the underground darkness and go home. So He did. Not only into the darkness of ordinary Galilean fishermen, but into the darkness all the way to Adam, the Lord buried the seed of the Tree of Life and left.

And the Tree grew slowly, very slowly. Raging winds rocked it, trying to break it, but they couldn’t. The enemies cut down the Tree at the root, but the root sent out more and more shoots; and the more it was chopped, the more persistently and quickly it grew. The enemy's force dug deep underground, deeper than the catacombs, to pull out the root; but the more she pulled it, the stronger the root became, the more violently the shoots appeared. Therefore, the Tree of Christ, grown in God's way, and not in man's way, and today, two thousand years later, blooms, becomes covered with leaves, and brings sweet fruits to people and angels, and shines with freshness and beauty, as if it was planted no more than a hundred years ago.

If our Lord Jesus Christ had acted as people act, He, indeed, would have become glorified among people much faster, but we would not have been saved. But He did not come for human glory - the sound of a pipe that plays today, but tomorrow will be thrown into the fire - He came not for human glory, but for the salvation of people. He came to the people not as a giant at a theatrical performance to show His strength and skill and to receive applause, but as a Friend and Physician came to us in the hospital to visit us, talk to us privately and offer us advice and medicine. Therefore, it is good for humanity from the beginning to the end of time that the Lord acted in God's way and chose not twelve great kings, but twelve small fishermen as His apostles. And today’s Gospel reading tells how He chose them.

Passing near the Sea of ​​Galilee, He saw two brothers: Simon, called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting nets into the sea, for they were fishermen.

The evangelist explains to us earlier why the Lord ended up on the Sea of ​​Galilee. Hearing that John the Baptist had been taken into custody, He left Judea and retired to Galilee, to the despised region of the land of Israel. Foreseeing the bloody end of His great warrior and Forerunner, He, by His removal, as if by retreat, was preparing victory over the enemy. And if He is already in Galilee, isn’t it natural for Him to settle in Nazareth, in His homeland, where most of His earthly life passed? But what kind of prophet is accepted in his own country? He came to Nazareth, but there they wanted to throw Him down from the top of the mountain. Again moving away from the premature atrocity of men, He finally settled by the Sea of ​​Galilee, within the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali, among the most abandoned and despised, among people in darkness

and
in the land and shadow of death
. In this great darkness He will for the first time bury the seed of the fruitful tree of His Gospel.

Evangelist John writes that Andrew was the first to follow the Lord, and even in Judea. Andrew had previously been a disciple of John the Baptist, and when John pointed to Christ as his strongest, Andrew left his first teacher and followed Christ. Immediately after that, Andrew found his brother Simon and said to him: we have found the Messiah, which means: Christ; and brought him to Jesus

.
Even then, Christ called Simon Peter, or the rock, the solid rock of faith (John 1:35-42). In this case, doesn’t what the Evangelist John wrote contradict what the Evangelist Matthew talks about in today’s Gospel, that is, that Christ called these two brothers only on the Sea of ​​Galilee? According to the Gospel of John, Christ was first followed by Andrew and then Peter, while according to the Gospel of Matthew it appears that Christ found and called them at the same time, with Peter mentioned first. Isn't this an obvious contradiction? No: not at all. It is obvious, however, as St. John Chrysostom interprets this, that two different events are described here. The first, which happened in Judea when the Baptist was free, and the second, which happened later in Galilee, at the time when the Baptist was thrown into prison and when our Lord Jesus Christ settled in Capernaum, on the shore of the Sea of ​​Galilee. John describes an earlier meeting of Christ with Peter and Andrew, and Matthew a later one. This is clear from what Matthew says about Simon, called Peter
, which means: the Lord previously called Simon Peter.
This earlier, and first, meeting of Peter with Christ took place in Judea, when Andrew led his brother to Christ. John describes this first meeting in the following words:
(Andrew)
brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, the son of Jonah; you will be called Cephas, which means: stone (Peter) .
The Evangelist Matthew, now describing the repeated meeting of the sons of Jonah with the Lord, knows about this, and therefore says: Simon, called Peter
.
He mentions Peter before Andrei because Peter was temperamentally more lively than his brother, and from the very beginning stood out stronger than him. The fact that John and Matthew described two different events, and not the same thing, is clear to anyone who has read both of these Gospels. If Matthew describes the decisive calling of Peter and Andrew to apostolic service - follow me
- then John, rather, talks about the meeting and acquaintance of these brothers with Christ, the reason for which was the words of the Forerunner:
behold the Lamb of God
. It is clear that after this meeting they parted with Christ and went to Galilee in another way or at another time, where the Lord again found them while they were engaged in their fishing business.

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they immediately left their nets and followed Him.

The Lord knows their hearts: like children, these fishermen believe in God and obey the laws of God.
They are accustomed not to lead and order, but only to work and obey. They are not proud of anything, their hearts are filled with humility and obedience to the will of God. But, although they are simple fishermen, their souls hunger and thirst for as much truth and righteousness as possible. We see that Andrei once already left his fishing nets and followed John the Baptist, becoming his disciple. And as soon as John pointed to Christ as his strongest, Andrew left John and followed Christ. These are living souls seeking more and more of the truth of God and the Kingdom of God. That is why Christ commands them: follow me
.
God does the same with all of us. He does not want to force us onto the path of salvation, but first gives us the opportunity ourselves, freely and with the help of our prudence, to choose salvation or destruction. However, when God, who sees our hearts, notices that our hearts are inclined towards the path of good, towards the path of salvation, then He decisively draws us onto this path. When our hearts completely deviate towards the path of destruction and evil, God leaves us, and Satan becomes our master. So it was with Judas the traitor. When his heart was completely inclined towards evil and chose the dark path of destruction, Christ no longer tried to turn him away from that path; on the contrary, seeing that Satan had entered Judas, the Lord said to him: whatever you are doing, do it quickly
.
Thus, neither in the case of Peter and Andrew, nor in the case of Judas, the Lord in any way limits the freedom of human self-determination, but only after people have decided in their hearts about the choice of good or evil, He decisively says: Peter and Andrew - go follow Me
, and Judas -
whatever you do, do it quickly
.

And I will make you fishers of men.

This means: just as until now you have caught fish with your nets from the depths and darkness of the waters of the sea, so from now on you will use Me and My Gospel to catch people from the depths and darkness of the evil of this world. Everything good will remain in these networks, and everything bad will either not be able to enter these networks or will fall out of them.

Hearing the call of Christ, Peter and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed Him.

. Do you see how the hearts of these two brothers have already decided on the choice of good? They don’t ask: “Where are you calling us? What will we eat? And who will feed our families? It was as if they had been waiting all their lives, listening: when would this call sound? Innocently, like children, they cast all their worries on God, leave everything and follow the call of Christ.

From there, going further, He saw two other brothers, James Zebedee and John his brother, in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and called them. And they immediately left the boat and their father and followed Him.

And again - not two kings, but two fishermen!
Without a royal crown on his head, but with a royal heart in his chest. This is how the Lord gathers pearls in the darkness. Thus He chooses the small and foolish, in order to put to shame the great and wise; and the Lord chooses the poor to shame the rich. Look how poor James and John are: they and their father mend their nets! But their souls are rich in greed and thirst for God; their hearts are turned to goodness and are waiting. Therefore, as soon as Christ called them, they immediately left their occupation, and the boat, and their father, and the nets and followed Him
.

In the internal sense, a fisherman means a catcher of spiritual goods, a net means a soul, a sea means this world, a boat means a body. Throwing nets into the sea, these fishermen are looking for spiritual blessings, spiritual food, or the Kingdom of God, stretching and plunging their souls into the depths of this world in order to catch these blessings somewhere. Repairing the nets means their work to correct their soul. The fact that the first two left their nets and followed Christ means that they left their old and sinful souls and followed Christ, so that they could be renewed, reborn and find a new soul and a new spirit. And this also means that now they will seek and catch spiritual blessings not with the efforts of their own soul, but with Christ, not with their own strength, but with the power of God, not with their own mind, but with Divine revelation. And the fact that the other two left the boat and their father means that they left their sinful body and their bodily father in order to henceforth take care of the salvation of the soul and go to meet their Heavenly Father as adopted by the grace of God.

And Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every disease among the people.

After thirty years of solitary life, our Lord Jesus Christ now begins His Divine ministry, and begins with zeal and determination.
This is indicated by the words: I walked throughout Galilee
. His ministry consisted of interpreting the old, preaching the new, and confirming both with miracles, healing people. The law was given through Moses and the prophets, and it was witnessed by many miracles, so that people would believe that this law was from God. But the interpreters of the law, having darkened their souls with sin, completely darkened the meaning of this law. That is why this Old Testament law became dead and, as it were, non-existent. Now our Lord Jesus Christ, most pure and sinless, reveals Himself as the only true Lawyer and true Interpreter of that first law. He interprets its meaning and reveals its spirit, closed to sinners. Now He is the Interpreter of the Spirit, as the Spirit will later be His Interpreter. He does not reject the Old Testament law of God - how can He reject it when He Himself gave it? But based on its true spiritual and prophetic meaning, He now gives a new law of salvation, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom. The Old Testament law is like good and fertile land, which people have so neglected that its face is completely hidden under thorns and thistles sown by people, that is, by false interpreters. So that everyone turned his eyes and his heart away from this desolate land. Now the Lord is plowing this land and sowing new seed. And people look at Him with fear and surprise. And just as the Old Testament law was witnessed by many Divine miracles, so our Lord Jesus Christ, as the Lawgiver, witnessed this new law by many miracles. Those miracles were performed not for an idle and vain show of their power, but in order to bring true benefit to people. All of them consist of healing physical and mental illnesses and human infirmities. For the Lord visited us not as a sorcerer, but as a Friend and Physician.

All of you who hunger and thirst for the truth and love of God, vainly catching this truth and love with your souls, like nets, in the sea of ​​this world, hear the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ. For He calls you, as He once called the fishermen by the Sea of ​​Galilee: follow Me

.
And, having heard this voice, do not hesitate a moment, but immediately leave all your old efforts and all your old loves and follow Him. He is your only Friend and Physician; all others who are outside of Him are either ignoramuses or charlatans. He calls you neither as kings, nor as shepherds, nor as rich, nor as poor, nor as learned, nor as uneducated, but as people filled with sickness and disease. The cause of our illnesses and infirmities is sin. Therefore, fall down to our Lord Jesus Christ and cry out to Him, as once so many sick and weak people did: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner
! Forgive me, Lord, forgive my countless sins. Cleanse me with Your power, nourish me with Your life-giving bread, enter deeply into me, like fresh and clean air into a stuffy room, and I will be healthy, and I will be healthy and alive! May the Lord be glorified in this way in the strength of our soul and the purity of our body, with the Father and the Holy Spirit - the Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity, with the help and prayers of the holy apostles of Christ, now and ever, at all times and forever. Amen.

***

From the collection of works of St. Nicholas of Serbia (Velimirovich), published by the Sretensky Monastery publishing house. You can purchase the publication in the Sretenie store.

Names of the holy apostles

Each of the apostles of Jesus Christ received a corresponding mission and assignment to a specific region. It was there that they preached, traveled, and converted people to the New Testament faith. Accordingly, often one or another disciple of Christ is revered precisely in the region where he preached.

• Andrew the First-Called. He was assigned to Asia Minor, also visited the Crimea and the territory of modern Kyiv, where he left a prophecy about the great city. He traveled throughout the territory of present-day Rus', therefore he is especially revered in our country.
  Many people know about the St. Andrew's flag, which consists of two diagonally intersecting lines. This symbol appeared in connection with Andrew, who was crucified precisely on a cross of two diagonal beams.
• Bartholomew. He was one of the first disciples of the Savior and brought the Gospel to Indian territory. He traveled through Asia Minor, in Armenia, where he was first crucified upside down, and then his skin was removed.
• John. The only one of all who died a natural death, although this fact does not make his feat any less significant. After all, it was he who not only left one of the Gospels, but also became the author of the Revelation, mystical and mysterious - the basis of the Christian eschatological teaching about the end of times. By the way, the Mother of God also lived in the house of John’s parents after the Resurrection of Christ. The follower of the Savior himself also rested there in Ephesus.
• Jacob Alfeev. Before accepting his ascetic feat, he was a tax collector. However, after he joined Christ, began discipleship, and then preaching; according to one version, he was eventually stoned; according to another version, he was crucified during a trip to Egypt.
• Jacob Zavedeev. He preached on the territory of Spain, and died by the sword on the territory of Jerusalem on the orders of King Herod, who carried out active persecution of early Christians.
  Also sometimes named after James the Elder, he is the first martyr for faith in Christ, only his death is described in the canonical text of the New Testament.
• Judas Thaddeus. He traveled throughout the Middle East, was crucified, and should not be confused with Judas Iscariot.

• Matthew, or Levi. Also, before his own ascetic activity, he was a tax collector (this fact is mentioned as noteworthy, since publicans then, in fact, as now, did not enjoy special honor in society and were more considered saboteurs and negative people), but then he accepted the apostolic feat.
• Peter. He is one of the supreme ones and is revered in a special way. Not only did he accept martyrdom, but he himself asked to be crucified upside down, since he considered himself unworthy to receive a departure from the earthly world identical to the one with which Christ departed.
• Philip. Philip is described as a disciple from the city of Bethsaida, and the evangelists connect him with Andrew and Peter, who were from the same city. He was also among those around John the Baptist when the latter first pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God.
• Simon Zelot. He preached throughout Egypt and the Middle East. He also spread the teaching in Abkhazia, where he was crucified on the cross.
• Thomas. The same one who continued not to believe in the Resurrection until he himself saw the Risen Savior.
  He preached in Persia and India, where he was pierced by spears.
• Matthias. He was taken to become one of the 12 and replace Judas Iscariot. He preached in the territory of Macedonia, Colchis and Judea, where he was stoned in the best traditions of communication between the pagans and the apostles.

This list does not include Judas Iscariot, who, as is known, committed treason, because it was he who pointed Christ out to the authorities and became the reason for His arrest. Initially, he was present among the closest disciples, but, as you might guess, he was eventually expelled, that is, he is not an apostle.

After all, quite logically educated people could imagine how the pagans and representatives of Judaism, who had recently crucified the Messiah, would treat them.

Christ Himself previously instructed and spoke about the difficult life of the apostles that lay ahead after the Son of Man departed to Heaven.

He talked about how difficult it would be for everyone, and how everyone would be judged, and despised, and driven out of the cities.

However, the Savior himself commanded his disciples to continue preaching and travel to different cities in order to spread the good news of the New Testament.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=DVUN-9-y52c

Twelve Apostles: names

The twelve apostles are the closest disciples of Jesus Christ, chosen by Him to proclaim the imminent Kingdom of God and the establishment of the Church. Everyone should know the names of the apostles.

Andrew was nicknamed the First-Called in legend, since he was previously a disciple of John the Baptist and was called by the Lord a little earlier than his brother on the Jordan. Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter.

Simon is the son of Jonah, nicknamed Peter. Jesus gave Simon the name Peter after confessing Him as the Son of God in the city of Caesarea Philippi.

Simon the Canaanite, or, as he is also called, the Zealot, originally from the Galilean city of Cannae, according to legend, was the groom at his wedding, which included Jesus with his Mother, where, as everyone knew, He turned water into wine.

We advise you to study Prayer for grandchildren

Jacob is the son of Zebedee and Salome, the brother of John, who, in turn, was an evangelist. The first martyr among the apostles, Herod himself put him to death by beheading.

Jacob is the youngest son of Alpheus. The Lord himself decided that James and the twelve apostles would be together. After the resurrection of Christ, he spread the faith first in Judea, then joined the pilgrimage of St. to Apostle Andrew the First-Called in Edessa. He also preached the gospel in Gaza, Eleferopolis and other cities in the Mediterranean, after which he went to Egypt.

John is the brother of James the Elder, nicknamed the Theologian, and also the author of the fourth Gospel and the last chapter of the Bible, telling about the end of the world - the Apocalypse.

Philip is precisely the apostle who brought Nathanael 9 Bartholomew to Jesus, according to one of the twelve, “of the same city with Andrew and Peter.”

Bartholomew is an apostle about whom Jesus Christ very accurately expressed himself, calling him a true Israeli, in whom there is no guile.

Thomas - became famous for the fact that the Lord himself proved his resurrection to him by offering to put his hand on His wounds.

Matthew - also known by his Hebrew name Levi. He is the direct author of the Gospel. Although the twelve apostles are also involved in writing the Gospel, Matthew is considered its main author.

Judas, the brother of James the Younger, the one who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree.

Prayers

Troparion to the Apostle and Evangelist Mark, tone 3

Holy Apostle and Evangelista Marco,/ pray to the Merciful God,/ may forgiveness of sins// be granted to our souls.

Translation: Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark, pray to the merciful God that He will grant forgiveness of sins to our souls.

Troparion to the Apostle and Evangelist Mark, tone 3

Having learned from the supreme Peter,/ you were an apostle of Christ/ and, like the sun of the countries, you became a blessing to Alexandria, blessed:/ by you Egypt was freed from delusion,/ by your gospel enlightened everything with honor,/ like a light, a pillar of the church./ For this reason We honor your memory, we brightly celebrate,/ Marco, God-Glass,/ pray to God with the good news,// that forgiveness of sins may be granted to our souls.

Translation: Having learned from Supreme Peter, you were an apostle of Christ and, like the sun, you shone to all ends of the world, becoming an adornment of the Alexandrian Church, blessed one: with you Egypt was freed from error, with your gospel teaching, like a light, you enlightened everything, a pillar of the Church. Therefore, honoring your memory, we joyfully celebrate, Mark the God-speaking (preaching God), pray to the preached God that He will grant forgiveness of sins to our souls.

When is the Feast of the 12 Apostles celebrated?

The Council of the Twelve Apostles is celebrated on July 13 (June 30, old style), the day after the celebration of the Day of Peter and Paul , about which you can read more in the material of the Federal News Agency .

The holiday in honor of the twelve first disciples of Christ has been celebrated in Christianity since the 4th century.

Ikos 11.

Until his last hour, to teach the love of the Lord and the word of God, Apostle Marco, aspiring to Egypt after the murder of his teachers, directed his steps, enlightening the hearts of the faithful and the minds of God You instruct and teach us in all things and cheerfully call on us:

Rejoice, you are going to Egypt to improve the temple you built:

Rejoice, in Alexandria you used the center of Greek teaching in a noble repository for the glory of Christ.

Rejoice, having brought the Jews, carried away by Greek learning, to Christian knowledge:

Rejoice, founder of a Christian school in Alexandria.

Rejoice, thou who glorified this school with famous teachers and fathers of the Church:

Rejoice, in your concern for the service of the church, you composed the rite of the Divine Liturgy.

Rejoice, having traveled from Alexandria to Africa, Libya and another language:

Rejoice, in Egypt your sermons were consumed like milk by Christian mothers.

Rejoice, holy Apostle Marco, preacher of the Gospel of Christ.

John the Evangelist (also John the Beloved)

Traditional Christian opinion suggests that John the Evangelist died of natural causes on the island of Patmos, where he lived in exile. However, according to Latter-day Saint beliefs, we rely on section 7 of the Doctrine and Covenants:

And the Lord said to me: John, my beloved, what do you desire? For if you ask, whatever you desire will be given to you.

And I said to Him: Lord, give me power over death, so that I can live and lead souls to You.

And the Lord said to me: Truly, truly, I say to you, because you have willed this, you will remain until I come in My glory, and you will prophesy before nations, tribes, tongues and peoples.

So it's entirely possible that John is just wandering around preaching the gospel as we speak.

Sermon of the Apostles

All the forerunners of Jesus Christ were Israelis. It was not the wealthy and highly educated, not the mighty of this world, who were called to the apostolic mission, but the simplest people, ordinary fishermen. The Savior called them to another special fishing:

After the descent of the Holy Spirit, God's messengers selflessly carried the gospel message according to their lot. The routes of their missionary travels were laid from the Roman Empire to all parts of the world.

Apostle Andrew the First-Called traveled the longest way. Passing through the preaching of the countries of Bithynia and Propontis, the cities of Thrace and Macedonia, the Scythian and Thessalian lands, through the territory of Hellas and Achaia, he reached the Dnieper Mountains, where he erected a cross.

After some time, the city of Kyiv arose in this place. Then he climbed higher along the Dnieper River to Slavic settlements - the city of Novgorod was subsequently founded there. Then he returned to Rome through the lands of the Varangians. Saint Andrew stands at the foundation of the Church of Constantinople, and also at the very origins of the Russian Church. Therefore, he is also called the Apostle of Holy Rus'.

Andrew's elder brother is Simon, named Savior Peter:

It is known that he preached in the Mediterranean countries, in Jerusalem and in Rome itself. The Apostle Mark, being a faithful companion and collaborator of Saint Peter, preached the teachings of Christ on the coasts of the Adriatic Sea. Italian Venice, where his honest remains are kept, honors him as its preacher.

John the Theologian spread the good news in Ephesus and other cities in Asia Minor. During Christian persecution he was exiled to the island of Patmos, and upon his return he returned to Ephesus.

For the first eight years, the Apostle Matthew carried out his evangelical ministry in Palestine, subsequently he went around the Syrian state and Persia with the gospel, and preached in the territory of Media, Parthia and Ethiopia.

The Apostle Jacob of Zebedee carried out his ministry in Jerusalem. He was the first among the proclaimers of the Word of God who suffered as a martyr for His Teacher.

Interesting fact

Only the suffering death of the Apostle James is described on the pages of Holy Scripture. For openly preaching about the True Messiah - Jesus Christ - the king of Jerusalem, Herod Agrippa, sentenced him to death.

Judas Jacob spread the faith of Christ in Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia in Asia; his missionary work in Persia and Armenia was especially successful.

Little and unclear information has been preserved about the works of other faithful disciples called to apostolic service: in Greece, Arabia and Egypt, the Apostle Philip spread the Gospel teaching, and Saints Bartholomew and Thomas - in the lands of Parthia and India, the Apostle Simon the Zealot - in Judea, Egypt, Libya, Saint James Alpheus - in Judea, Syria and Egypt.

The Apostle of the 70, Matthias, was given the lot to be one of the twelve chosen messengers of the Lord instead of the traitor Judas. Very little is known about the preaching works of this saint, but, undoubtedly, he worked on an equal basis with other preachers, preaching the gospel in Egypt and Ethiopia.

Saint Paul (aka Saul) is also called the 13th Apostle. He enlightened the Palestinian, Phoenician, Syrian, Cappadocian peoples with the teachings of Christ, and also preached in the territories of Galatia, Caria, Mysia, Lycaonia, Pamphylia, Lydia, in the lands of Lycia and Phrygia, the states of Macedonia and Italy, preached the gospel in Cyprus and Lesbos, on the territory of the islands Samothrace, Patmos, Rhodes, Samos, and Melitus, as well as in Italian Sicily.

We advise you to study How to be baptized correctly in church in front of an icon

The Apostle Paul calls his companion and assistant Luke a doctor. It is known that Luke was a good painter. It is he who is considered the first icon painter of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Apostle Luke worked in countries such as Libya, Egypt, Thebaid and Thebes.

James, called the brother of the Lord, was chosen and elevated by the Savior Himself as the First Bishop of Jerusalem. According to Holy Tradition, it was he who compiled the first rite of the Divine Liturgy.

Peter and Paul - the chief apostles

A special place among the apostles is occupied by the Apostle Paul (at birth he was given the name Saul, that is, “small, humble.” Although he was not one of the 12 disciples (like the apostles Luke and Mark) and was not a witness to the life of the Savior. Moreover , he was a zealous admirer of the Jewish Law and as such participated in the persecution of the first Christians. Saul, although very young (about 13 years old), was present at the stoning of the first martyr Stephen. According to one version, Saul did not directly participate in the execution, and guarded the things of Stephen. These events from the life of the Apostle Paul are described in the book “The Acts of the Holy Apostles.”

But after Jesus Christ Himself appeared to him, the former persecutor of Christians believed in the Lord. Saul was baptized and devoted his entire life to preaching the Gospel, converting thousands of people to the true faith

His apostolic epistles are an important part of the New Testament and are heard more often than other epistles at the Divine Liturgy. Paul endured many sufferings for his faith and was arrested several times

He suffered martyrdom during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero - he was beheaded.

A special place in the Orthodox Church is occupied by the supreme (in terms of primacy of order and works) apostles Peter and Paul. These are two completely different people, united by a common cause - preaching the Gospel and unshakable faith in Jesus Christ.

The 12 apostles of Jesus Christ are an example of true and unshakable faith. They continued to share the Good News after the Savior's crucifixion. They became the first Christian martyrs who were not afraid of suffering, but confessed their Teacher to the very end.

List of the Twelve Apostles

Twelve Apostles (mosaic of the Baptistery of the Orthodox, Ravenna, 5th century)

1. Andrew (Greek: Ανδρέας, Hebrew: אנדראס הקדוש‏‎), brother of the Apostle Peter, fisherman from Bethsaida, disciple of John the Baptist.
2. Peter (Greek: Πέτρος, Hebrew: פטרוס‏‎), aka Simon Ionin (Hebrew: שמעון‏‎ - Aramaic: ͫ ͡ ͥ ͘ ͢ ͟ ͐ ͦ ͐ Shimon Bar-Yona
   - son of Jonah), also called
   Cephas
   (Heb. ‏ כיפא - “Stone Rock”), brother of the Apostle Andrew.
3. John (son of Zebedee), (Greek Ιωάννης, Hebrew ‏יוחנן בן זבדי‎‎, Yochanan Ben-Zavedi
   ), also called the Theologian, brother of the Apostle James. The brothers were called by Jesus “Sons of Thunder” (Boanerges). According to church tradition, he is identified with the Evangelist John.
4. Jacob Zebedee (son of Zebedee), (Greek Ιάκωβος του Ζεβεδαίου, Hebrew ‏יעקב בן זבדי‏‎, Jacob Ben-Zavedi
   ), brother of the Apostle John.
5. Philip of Bethsaida (Greek Φίλιππος, Hebrew ‏פיליפ מבית צידה‏‎, Philip Mi Beit-Tsaeda
   ).
6. Bartholomew (Greek: Βαρθολομαίος, Aram: ͑תͬ͘͠͡͝ ͚ͫ͐͠͝ son of Talmai
   , Hebrew: ‏ברתולומאוס‏‎) aka
   Nathanael
   (Heb: ‏נתנאל ‏‎ Netanel
   
   - “Gift of God”), a native of Cana of Galilee, about whom Jesus Christ said that this is true an Israelite in whom there is no guile.
7. Matthew, publican, (Greek Ματθαίος, Hebrew ‏מתתיהו (מתי) לוי‏‎, Matityahu (Mati) Levi
   ), aka
   Levi Alfeev
   (unification based on parallelism), evangelist.
8. Thomas, (Greek Θωμάς, Hebrew ‏תומא יהודה‏‎, Toma Yehuda
   ), called
   Didymos/Theom (Twin)
   .
9. Jacob Alpheus (son of Alpheus), (Greek Ιάκωβος του Αλφαίου, Hebrew ‏יעקב בן-חלפי‏‎, Yaakov ben Halfai
   ), brother of Thaddeus.
10. Judah Thaddeus (son of Alpheus), (Greek Ιούδας ο Θαδδαίος, Hebrew יהודה בן יעקב‎, Yehuda Ben-Yaakov
    ), aka Judah Jacoblev or
    Levvey
    , brother of the Apostle James Alpheus.
11. Simon the Zealot, aka Simon the Zealot (Greek: Σίμων ο Ζηλωτής, Hebrew: שמעון הקנאי‎, Shimon Ha-Kanai
    ).
12. Judas Iscariot, (Greek: Ιούδας ο Ισκαριώτης, Hebrew: יהודה בן שמעון‏‎, Yehuda Ben-Shimon,
    Hebrew: איש קריות‏ ‎,
    ish-keriyot
    -
    Ish
    (man) from the settlement
    of Kariyot
    ), who betrayed Jesus Christ. After the Ascension of Jesus Christ, Matthias became one of the twelve apostles instead.

According to Tradition, all the apostles are from twelve

, with the exception of John and Judas Iscariot, died a martyr's death. The Apostle John is the only one who died of his own death due to old age.

Paul, aka Saul of Tarsus (Hebrew: שאול התרסי‏‎, Shaul Ha-Tarsi

), called after the ascension of Jesus Christ.
He is not one of the twelve apostles, but is one of the most revered ( primary
) apostles of Christianity. Paul, like the vast majority of the twelve apostles, died a martyr.

When the apostles drew lots between Matthias and Joseph Barsabas to choose a new apostle instead of the fallen Judas Iscariot, Matthias was chosen among the twelve apostles.

Peter

Photo: Azbyka.ru

This name, which translates as stone, was given to him by the Savior. At birth the apostle's name was Simon.

He was a simple fisherman in Capernaum. Christ stayed at his house twice, curing Simon's mother-in-law, who was suffering from fever.

The Lord allowed Peter to follow him on the water for some time. Peter was the first to sincerely believe that Jesus is the true Son of God. However, he became the first to renounce his Teacher when he was arrested after the Last Supper in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Peter repented of his deed almost immediately. Therefore, he was forgiven by the Lord, who is always ready to accept lost souls if they realize their mistakes, sincerely repent of them, and truly believe in the Almighty. Moreover, the Lord even ended up placing him in charge over his other followers.