Our Christian “family heritage” ultimately goes back to Jesus Christ and his work, with the 12 Apostles carrying forth his message into the world. While it was more than these 12 that brought the message of Jesus into the world (for example, see Acts 8:4 and Acts 11:19-20 on how some unnamed believers were the ones who started sharing the gospel message with new people, and don’t forget that the Apostle Paul was not one of the 12 apostles), they definitely played a key role in church history and stand at the opening chapter in the story of our family. What do we know about the 12 and what they did?
What We Learn in the New Testament
The New Testament shows that Jesus selected 12 disciples and gives us their names (see Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16; and Acts 1:13). The order of the names differs a bit in the gospels, but detects a certain pattern in that Simon/Peter, Andrew, and James and John are the first four; Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, and Thomas are listed next, and the final four in each list are James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, Thaddeus (also called Jude, the son of James), and Judas Iscariot. We know the most about the first four (with three being in the inner circle, and Andrew being the one who introduced Peter to Jesus in John 1), less about the next four, and very little about the last four (with the exception of Judas Iscariot, but I think we have a suspicion as to why he is listed last). There was importance to there being 12 disciples, as that was the number of tribes of Israel, showing that God was bringing to fruition His promises to Abraham and his disciples. This is why Matthias replaced Judas in Acts 1:12-26; his importance stems from the fact that he brings the number back to 12 (they don’t really talk about him elsewhere in the book of Acts).
Other than their names,we don’t hear much about the 12 in the New Testament. We hear how some of them were called by Jesus and see some of their interactions with Jesus during his ministry. When we journey to the book of Acts (which recounts the first phase of church history), the focus seems to be on Peter and John. Acts 12:2 mentions when James, the brother of John, was put to death by Herod, but very little is mentioned about the rest of the Apostles. Even Peter and John fade in prominence, as the focus turns to the Apostle Paul in Acts 13. Peter speaks in Acts 15, but Paul and James, the brother of Jesus, play great roles in that conversation and it is James, not Peter, who Paul interacts with in Acts 21 when he comes to Jerusalem. Part of that reason might be because the Apostles seem to have scattered, with James the brother of Jesus leading the church in Jerusalem.
The rest of the New Testament does give a little insight into the Apostles. We see books written by Peter (1 and 2 Peter), John (Gospel of John, 1, 2, and 3, John, and Revelation), and Matthew. Peter is mentioned in Galatians, though not always on a positive note (Galatians 2:11-14) and the Corinthian letters. Overall, though, we don’t hear a lot about the disciples. This is a reminder that it was not the men, but their message that was important. The Bible is not a history book but a means to show us God’s unfolding plan of bringing salvation through Jesus.
What We Learn from Other Sources
There are stories about the 12 Apostles’ work and mission that have circulated throughout history. However, these stories can be difficult to navigate, and we must remember that, unlike the New Testament, they are not the inspired Word of God. They certainly contain some truth about what happened to these men, but they likely contain some historical embellishments, with a common point noted by historians that Christians in particular, often found connections back to particular apostles.
Some things that we can be pretty confident of is that Peter came to minister in Rome (and likely in the region to which he wrote 1 Peter) and that John had a long ministry that ultimately concluded in what was known as Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). It seems that Thomas brought the gospel to India, with many stories also saying that Bartholomew went to India (as well as other places such as Ethiopia and Mesopotamia). Another common belief is that Bartholomew ministered in Armenia, as he and Thaddeus/Jude are viewed highly by the Armenia Church. Thaddeus also is connected to ministry to a place called Edessa, and there are traditions that connect Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot as a team ministering in Persia and the Middle East (one tradition recorded in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs says that Simon reached Great Britain and was killed there). The church historian Eusebius says that Andrew went to the area known as Scythia, and he may have gone up to the Black Sea area since he is revered by the churches in Ukraine, Romania and Russia; his ministry was also in the Byzantium area as he is associated with the patriarch of Constantinople. Matthew often is said to have preached among the Jews in the Judea area before going to other countries, though there is some dispute about the other lands he travelled (Ethiopia is a common tradition). What happened to Philip can be difficult to figure out since there was also a Philip the Evangelist (and fallible historians may have confused the two), but it seems he may have ministered in Greece, Phrygia, and Syria. A similar confusion occurs around James the son of Alphaeus (as James was also a common name), but his ministry may have taken him to Syria or Egypt. And let us not forget Matthias, who it is said went to Ethiopia and/or the Cappadocian area.
There are also many stories of how these Apostles. Many died by crucifixion, literally following in the footsteps of Jesus and taking up their cross in following him. Perhaps the most notable death is that of Peter, who it is said asked to be crucified upside down as he did not think he was worthy to die the same death as his Lord. A similar tradition appears with Andrew’s death, as it is said that his cross was an “X” (St. Andrew’s cross) because he also did not deem himself worthy of dying the same way as his Savior. Tradition recounted others also dying, though in different ways, as their mission and message upset people.
What Their Lives and Examples Can Teach Us
As I said, it is difficult to know with complete confidence what happened to all the apostles (this recent book which I have not read yet, is one that tries to decipher through more of the details), but I think what we do (and don’t) know can teach and inspire us. I would like to highlight three ideas I drew from digging deeper into the legacy of the 12 Apostles.
(1) We are reminded that the gospel is meant to be proclaimed in all the earth and this has been happening from the very beginning. We see one strand of the gospel going to new places in the New Testament, but it was going to many different places in the first years and needs to continually be proclaimed in all nations.
(2) It is also a reminder that when we proclaim this truth, we may face opposition and hardship, but we should not be afraid of that because we have a Savior who died and rose again. While the stories of how the Apostles specifically died may be disputed, it cannot be disputed that they proclaimed the gospel at great peril to their lives and that many, if not all (except John), died for their faith.
(3) Finally, it is the message, not the messenger, that is most important. There are many people who have made significant contributions to church history who we may not remember or hear about. In fact, while these 12 are named and important, there are others who brought the gospel forward, and in one sense, stand in the gap between Jesus and the beginning of our particular faith family history. We will be forgotten, but those who believe in Christ have their lives changed for eternity. May we change eternity like these apostles — focused less on our legacy and more of Christ’s glory.
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