The apostles were the first disciples of Jesus Christ. They were chosen by him to spread the gospel and to lead the church. The names of the apostles are listed in the Bible, but their original Aramaic names are not. In this article, we will explore the meaning of the Aramaic names of the apostles and how they reflect their roles within the church.
The Twelve Apostles were originally known by their Aramaic names.
- Simon Peter – Shim’on
- Andrew – Andreas
- James son of Alphaeus– Ya’akov ben Halfi
- John – Yohanan
- Philip – Philipos
- Bartholomew – Son of Talmai
- Thomas– Ta’oma’
- Matthew – Matityahu
- James – Ya’aqov
- Thaddeus – Lebbaeus
- Simon the Zealot– Shim’on
- Judas Iscariot – Skaryota
The Twelve Apostles were the disciples of Jesus Christ. They were chosen by Him to spread the gospel and to lead His church. The apostles were Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot. Judas was later replaced by Matthias.
The book of Acts recounts the growth of the early church. The book begins with Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Messiah, followed by Pentecost and the sending out of disciples to preach. It continues until Paul’s imprisonment in Rome and his conversion on his release. The book of Acts ends with Paul’s farewell sermon on Mars’ Hill. In the early Church, this work was read as a single biblical volume for almost a millennium and was known simply as the Acts of the Apostles.
According to the Christian tradition and the Book of Acts, the Apostles were not initially disciples of Jesus Christ as in the Synoptic Gospels: they became followers after Jesus’ death. The term “apostle” is mentioned only in the Acts of the Apostles; it does not appear in the Gospel of Luke, where a number of individuals are addressed as “Rabbi”, “Teacher”, or simply “disciple”.
In Acts , the Apostles are presented as having been empowered to perform various kinds of miraculous signs and wonders, including healing the sick and raising from the dead. The book also claims that Jesus appeared to them after his resurrection.
12 apostles’ names and their meanings
There are twelve apostles in the Bible and their names are very important.
Each apostle has a meaning and a story behind its selection. Here is a list of the apostles and their meanings:
- Simon Peter means “Rock” and “Stone”.
- Andrew means “manly”.
- James son of Alphaeus means
- John means follow
- Philip means friend of horses
- Bartholomew means farmer
- Thomas means twin
- Matthew means gift from lord
- James means heal
- Thaddeus means heart
- Simon the Zealot means jealous
- Judas Iscariot means to praise the lord
