Here is a brief overview of Jesus' twelve disciples. Additional information may be found in Fox's Book of Martyres.
| Disciple |
Family |
Occupation |
Summary |
Death |
| Peter |
given name, Simon
changed to, Cephas
native of Bethsaida
son of John
brother of Andrew
|
fisherman; partner with John and James |
present at the Transfiguration
present at Gethsemane
denied Christ three times
first disciple to preach the gospel
first disciple to perform a miracle
first disciple to speak before the Sanhedrin
first disciple to preach to the Gentiles
first disciple to raise the dead
|
traditionally martyred at Rome in A.D. 67 |
| Andrew |
native of Bethsaida
son of John
brother of Peter
|
fisherman |
brought word to Jesus of Greeks who wanted to see him
|
traditionally martyred in Greece |
| James |
son of Zebedee
son of Salome
brother of John
|
fisherman; partner with Peter and John |
present at the Transfiguration
present at Gethsemane
Jesus called him a "Son of Thunder"
|
martyred by Herod Agrippa I (c. A.D. 44) |
| John |
son of Zebedee
son of Salome
brother of James
|
fisherman; partner with Peter and
James
|
present at the Transfiguration
present at Gethsemane
Jesus called him a "Son of Thunder"
the disciple whom "Jesus loved"
companion of Peter
cared for Mary, the Lord's mother
leader in Jerusalem church
later moved to Ephesus
exiled to isle of Patmos
|
traditionally not martyred |
| Philip |
native of Bethsaida
|
|
told Nathanael of Jesus
brought word to Jesus of Greeks who wanted to see Him
|
unclear |
| Bartholomew |
from Cana
probably Nathanael of John's Gospel
|
|
Jesus saw him under a fig tree
|
traditionally martyred in Armenia |
Thomas
|
probably from Galilee
also called Didymus
|
|
asked Jesus hot to know the way
doubted Jesus' resurrection
traditionally preached in India
|
unclear |
| Matthew |
son of Alphaeus
also known as Levi
|
tax collector |
held a great feast for Jesus in his house
|
unclear |
| James |
son of Alphaeus
son of Mary
known as "the small" or "Younger"
brother of Joseph
|
|
|
unclear |
Judas
(not Iscariot)
|
son of James
also called Thaddaeus
perhaps a Zealot
traditionally preached in Armenia
|
|
|
traditionally martyred in Persia with Simon the Zealot |
| Simon the Zealot |
|
|
|
traditionally martyred in Persia with Judas |
| Judas Iscariot |
|
|
betrayer of Christ
called by Jesus "devil" and "son of perdition"
treasurer for the apostolic band
|
committed suicide |
