The Twelve Apostle’s get little or no attention here I will be showing you who they are, how they were appointed and their mission and purpose.
Hopefully by the end of this article, you will have a greater insight about the Apostles their names and the authority that the Messiah gave them while on Earth.
You will also see how a person is appointed to be a disciple today and the authority that the Apostles were given.
What Does the Word Disciple Mean?
The word “Disciple”
Greek concordance number 3101
mathetes math-ay-tes’ from 3129; a learner, i.e. pupil:–disciple.
The very word disciple, indicates an ever learning disposition, we see this with the twelve disciples as all twelve were in training up until the time that the Messiah was sacrificed and resurrected.
Now let’s look to the word Apostle and what that means…
What Does The Word Apostle Mean?
Let’s first look at scripture which tell us that the Messiah chose Apostles, just to show their significance…
Acts 1:2
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
…Now the word “Apostle”
Greek concordance 652
apostolos ap-os’-tol-os from 649; a delegate; specially,
an ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ (“apostle”) (with miraculous powers):–apostle, messenger, he that is sent.
Here you can see that the word apostle means one that is “Sent”.
This would logically be a step up from a Disciple, because an Apostle is an official representative of the Most High. A person that is able to understand scriptures, as well as preach and teach them.
To summarise the words Disciple and Apostle can be used interchangeably, although an Apostle is clearly a higher status.
This is evident in scripture, where you would become an Apostle after being a Disciple.
Below we see that the Disciples were sent out to teach “all nations”, by the Messiah after his resurrection, see below:
Matthew 28:16-20
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Here we see the transition from Disciple to Apostle, as the eleven were appointed after the Messiah’s resurrection.
It was not until the Messiah resurrection that he sent them out to teach “all nations”, not just Israelite’s.
This goes to show that the Messiah’s death and resurrection was first to fulfill the sacrificial laws he gave Israel…
And after that was fulfilled all the Gentiles that believe are also given the opportunity to serve the Most High.
12 Apostles Names List
You can find below the twelve Disciple’s names listed, who the Messiah originally chose, before and after the replacement of Judas Iscariot…
So, this answers the question, who were the 13 disciples?
(1) Simon Peter (Simon bar Jonah) Mark 3:16
(2) Andrew (Peters brother)
(3) James (son of Zebedee Johns borther)
(4) James (son of Alphaeus) Acts 1:13
(5) John (James brother named sons of thunder by the Messiah i.e. Bo-aner’ges)
(6) Philip from the Bethsaida of Galilee (John 1:44,12:21)
(7) Bartholomew or Nathanael son of Talemai (John 21:2)
(8) Matthew or Levi son of Alphaeus (The tax collector) (Matthew 9:9, Mark 2:14, Luke 5:27)
(9) Thomas
(10) Thaddeus
(11) Simon
(12) Matthias (Replaced Judas Iscariot, after the Messiah left)
(13) Judas Iscariot
You can find a list of the 12 Disciples in three books of the bible, Matthew (Matthew 10), Mark and Luke.
12 Apostles Names And Their Meanings
Now we have the Disciple’s names, here we will look at the Apostles and the meaning of their names in the Hebrew language, some also say the Apostles Aramaic names, because is a form of Hebrew most of them are found in…
So, let’s begin:
1 (11). Simon, In Hebrew this is Shimon and it means to “listen” or “hearing”
2. Andrew, this name cannot be found in the Hebrew, just the Greek.
3 (4). James is the Hebrew name Yacob, which is Jacob in the English. It means “Supplanter.”
5. John is Yochanan in Hebrew. In English it became Iohanne. It means “God protects”, more accurately “Yah protects”.
6. Philip, can only be found in the Greek as Philippos and it means “Horse lover”.
7. Bartholomew in Hebrew means “Son of Talmey”. It comes from Hebrew word “Telem”, which means “Furrow.”
Nathanael written in Hebrew is a combination of two words, “give” and “al” or “el”, so the name would mean “Given to God.”
8 (12). Matthew in Hebrew is MattitYahu, it means “Gift of God”. Mattan means “Gift” and Yah means “God.”
9. Thomas in Hebrew would be Ta’om, or Toma, it means “Twin.” It became Thomas because a “s” is added on the end of all Greek Male names.
10. Thaddeus is speculated to be the Hebrew name Levaviyah, meaning “Heart of Yah”, or “Heart of God.”
13. Judas is the Hebrew word Judah or Yahudah, it means “Praise.”
How The 12th Replacement Apostle Was Chosen
Here is how the 12th Apostle was chosen to replace Judas who betrayed the Messiah, this shows that an Apostle is not always chosen by the Messiah, but the Holy Spirit can also choose:
Acts 1:15-26
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
We see that Matthias was chosen from those that were presented, which were two, Matthias and Joseph.
This all took place after the Messiah was taken up into heaven.
After reading the scriptures it is clear that the Apostleship of Judas was annulled the moment he betrayed the Messiah.
This point was reiterated by the Apostle, who tells us that Judas’ betrayal was the fulfilment of prophecy:
Acts 1:20
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
As you can see, Judas’ betrayal was the fulfilment of prophecy found in psalms:
Psalm 69:25
25 Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.
These scriptures show that one of the Disciples was always destine to betray the Messiah.
Judas Iscariot’s Betrayal
The Messiah always knew that Judas would betray him, and he made it clear:
John 6:70-71
70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.
This proves further that the Apostleship of Judas was to be short lived and would cease to exist after the Messiahs resurrection.
Even though Judas was not an Apostle for long we do know that Judas Iscariot played a major part in spreading the faith to Israelite’s before the Messiahs resurrection:
Matthew 10:5-8
5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Here we see the Messiah sent out the Twelve Apostles, which included Judas, to preach to Israel before his death and Resurrection.
Unfortunately evil is always going to be in the world, but it’s always our prayer that we’re not the ones that cause it as Judas did.
The Messiah expresses this fact about evil too:
Matthew 18:7
7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
The Gifts That The 12 Disciples Were Given
If we read the book of Matthew we see that as well as the disciples being taught by the Messiah, they were also given gifts.
These gifts were given to make them more effective in their teachings. These gifts included:
The power over unclean spirits, so they could cast them out of people, and the power to heal sicknesses:
Matthew 10:1
1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave jan spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
The scripture above confirms that the Apostles were given power by the Messiah who was given power to do so by the Most High (Matthew 28:18-20).
Another Honour or gift to the 12 Apostles is that they are to judge the 12 tribes of Isreal in the kingdom to come:
Matthew 19:28
28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Above you can see the Messiah bestowing the Apostles with the honour of being judges over Israel in the Most High’s kingdom.
Being Appointed As An Apostle
It is evident that the Messiah appoints a person as an Apostle…
Scriptures show evidence of him doing so. This is done through men he has already appointed (Acts 1:23-26) and also by the the Holy Spirit, most famously Paul’s Journey to Damascus:
Acts 9:17-18
17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
(Read Acts 9)
It is clear here that the Messiah can appoint men as Apostles and fill them with the Holy Spirit, and direct them to anoint others. That is what we see in the scriptures above as Ananias baptizes Saul (Paul).
Why Do The Apostles Have English Names?
The Apostle’s have English names because the scriptures have been transliterated from Hebrew to Greek, and then to English.
In doing so specific rules of foreign languages have been used during the translation.
For example, the Hebrew word for Thomas is Toma, but it became Thomas, because the Greeks add a “s” at the end of boys names.
In other cases the Greek language was unable to translate Hebrew names because they don’t have the same letters.
Another example is the name Judas, which is Yahudah, the Greeks have no letter that sounds like a “Y” so an “I”, was used, then later a “J” in the 16th century, which has a “Y” sound in some European languages but not English…
The short answer is that Hebrew names have been translated into English because of, the differences in languages, which has unfortunately corrupted these names.
Was The Apostle’s Creed Written By The Apostles?
The Apostles’ Creed is often quoted as being written by the Apostle’s, but do the scriptures talk about this Creed?
Apparently the apostles’ Creed is a statement of Christianity, which is confirmed when you read it. Keep in mind we do not teach Christianity here, only the true faith and scriptures.
Here’s a look at the Creed:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
When you read the Creed everything sounds okay, until it mentions the Roman Catholic Church.
The last two sentences of the prayer calls upon the reader to swear an allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church, the same church that doesn’t acknowledge the seventh day Sabbath and has no regards for the moral laws given by the Most High.
If you want to pray this prayer its would be advisable to leave out the last two sentences, everything else is biblically accurate.
That being said if you are a true Believer there’s no need to reference the Apostles Creed at all, because it is clearly a Christian concoction.
A Disciple’s Character
Here we can look at the character of one of the Apostles, oftentimes we may think that the Apostles were not human beings and deify them in a way that is unattainable.
But the truth is they were human beings like us. And also brilliant faithful men too.
Let’s look at the Messiah’s interaction with Peter to see the faithful and human side of an Apostle.
The Messiah famously said “get behind me Satan” to one of his Apostles:
Matthew 16:22-23
22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Here we see the Messiah telling Peter one of his faithful Apostles to get behind him and calling him Satan.
Some may stop there, but it is deeper than that, because just before calling Peter Satan he is called the “rock” and the foundation on which the Church will be built.
Matthew 16:15-18
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
The scriptures here show us why Peter was given this Honor. And we are told it is because of his faith in knowing that the Messiah was the son of the Most High. Something that could only have been revealed to him by the Most High.
The main point here is that anybody that stands in the way of the will of the Most High can become a Satan or an adversary, which is what the word Satan means.
Still further when we read on you see again that Peter is prophecied to deny the Messiah three times:
Matthew 26:33-34
33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
Of course Peter refutes that he would ever deny the Messiah...
But what actually happens?
Matthew 26:69-74
69 Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.
72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
73 And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.
74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
Here we see that after Peter said he would never deny the Messiah he does, just as the Messiah prophesied. He denies the Messiah three times before the Cock Crows.
The moral to all of this, is that the Most High is in control, even though we are faithful nothing is outside the Most High’s control.
All our character as believers is determined by our faith in the Most High.
Ultimately the Most High’s will is our character, which is why we pray “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
Conclusion
So we see that to be an Apostle means to be sent out to all nations. The word Disciple can also be used interchangeably with Apostle, because an Apostle is always learning.
Clearly the nation of Israel is very important. And there is also a requirement to preach to them.
The twelve Israelite Apostles were sent to teach the good news to all nations (Matthew 28:19).
You have probably noticed yourself, as mentioned previously that the attention that the Twelve Apostles get is not as much as they should.
Considering how to significant they were to spread the faith this is unfortunate, the Messiah tells us that they would judge the twelve tribes of Israel in the Kingdom to come.
If you asked me this is a very big responsibility which warrants at least some kind of of attention.
Hopefully this information has given you a better insight as to who the 12th Apostles were, what their names mean and their mission to spread the truth of the Most High’s existence.
You have information here that also show you the character of an Apostle, which when we look at it, everything relates back to faith, as the scriptures have always said.
Our belief in who the Messiah is, is everything it is this belief that establishes us as followers of the Most High. It also gives us character as we follow and obey his laws because of the mercy the Most High has given to us from the blood and sacrifice of the Messiah.
Shalom! And share this with someone that needs it.