In the Bible, the Twelve Apostles were the foundational emissaries chosen by Jesus to hear, understand, and share his message of Good News with the world.

You might think, because of their importance to the spread of the gospel, that the apostles were the best and most perfect people Jesus could find. But in fact their stories are just as checkered as the rest of ours with sins and follies.

Why then did Jesus choose them? Who were they, and what did they do — both during Jesus’ ministry on earth and after he ascended to heaven? And what can we learn from their legacies today?

This article will answer all these questions and more, plus show you exactly where you can find each apostle’s stories in the Bible.

What Does ‘Apostle’ Mean?

The word “apostle” comes from the Greek apostolos, meaning a delegate or messenger — someone who is “sent off” with a mission to communicate on someone else’s behalf.

In the context of the New Testament, at its most technical, “apostle” specifically refers to the Twelve Apostles — sometimes simply called “The Twelve” — who Jesus chose as his principal representatives on earth. But it is occasionally used more broadly for anyone involved in the effort to spread the gospel. The word also has a variety of usages outside of the Bible, in other ancient Greek documents.

Why Twelve?

Like three and seven, twelve in an extremely important number in the Bible:

• There are twelve tribes of Israel in the Old Testament, one for each of Jacob’s sons (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin).
• There are twelve Minor Prophets with their own books (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi).
• There are twelve (kind of) judges in the book of that name (Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, and Samson).
• God commanded the Levites to place twelve loaves of bread in the temple sanctuary every Sabbath day (Leviticus 24:5-9).
• Solomon appointed twelve officers over all of Israel (1 Kings 4:7).
• There are 144,000 (twelve times twelve thousand) standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion in Revelation 14:1.

… and so on.

Since, at the time of Jesus, the twelve tribes were no longer as specifically delineated as they were at the height of Israel’s power, it’s likely that Jesus chose that number at least in part as a symbolic reference. In any case, units of twelve are clearly important divisions for God’s people.

Who Were the Twelve Apostles?

The list of the twelve apostles is given once in each of the three synoptic gospels: Matthew 10:2–4, Mark 3:16–19, and Luke 6:14–16. The gospel of John does not give a list but provides more detailed narratives of many of the apostles. The list is given again in Acts 1:13, with a replacement for Judas Iscariot added later in the chapter.

Here is a chart containing Bible passages for each of the Twelve Apostles wherever they appear in the four gospels and Acts. (Click here to download the chart as a clickable PDF.)

Here are each of the twelve apostles with more detail about their lives:

Simon Peter

Along with his brother Andrew, Simon was the first apostle to be called by Jesus. The two were fishing in their boats on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus asked them to abandon their nets and follow him, and he would make them “fishers of people” (Matt. 4:18–20; Luke 5:1–11).

Later given the surname (or title) Peter, which means “rock,” he was appointed by Jesus as the leader of the Twelve (Matt. 10:2). He walked (falteringly) on water at Jesus’ behest (Matt. 14:28-31), and was the first to confess Jesus as the Messiah (Matt. 16:13–20). Later, fearing for his own life, Peter denied Christ three times at the crucifixion, but was afterwards forgiven (Luke 22:54–62; John 21:15–19).

After the Ascension, Peter became the leader of the early church, preached at Pentecost (Acts 2:14–41), performed miraculous healing (Acts 3:1–10), and even opened the gospel to Gentiles (Acts 10). He is credited as the author of 1 Peter and 2 Peter in the Bible, though there has been speculation since the early church that parts of 2 Peter, at least, may have been written by someone else.

According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside-down in Rome (because he did not consider himself worthy of being crucified in the same method as his Savior), but the Bible doesn’t mention it so there’s no way to know for certain. Even today the Roman Catholic Church traces its lineage directly back to him.

Andrew

Andrew was originally a disciple of John the Baptist, and brought his brother Peter to Jesus (John 1:35–42; Matt. 4:18–20). In the gospels, Andrew was noted as being present at the feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:8-9), bringing Greek disciples (with Philip) to Jesus in Jerusalem (John 12:20-22), and asking Jesus about the destruction of the temple (Mark 13:3–4).

Aside from praying in the upper room in Acts 1:13 with the other apostles, nothing is known about Andrew after the Ascension.

James and John (Sons of Zebedee)

Like Peter and Andrew, James and John were brothers who Jesus called while they were fishing in the Galilee, and were given the unexplained but undeniably cool nickname “Boanerges,” which means “Sons of Thunder” (Matt. 4:21–22, Mark 3:17).

Also along with Peter, they made up Jesus’ “inner circle” of three leading apostles who were present with him at the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1–9, Luke 9:28-36) and in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before his death — despite none of them being able to stay awake with him (Matt. 26:36-46). The two brothers also fought over who could sit at Jesus’ right and left hands, earning the ire of the other apostles (Mark 10:35–41).

James’ death is the only one of the apostles recorded in the Bible: he was beheaded by Herod Agrippa I shortly before his death in 44 AD (Acts 12:1–2).

John — who was known as the “disciple Jesus loved” (John 13:23) and entrusted with his mother Mary’s care at the foot of the cross (John 19:26–27) — went on to accompany Peter in healing (Acts 3:1–10) and preaching (Acts 4:1–22). He is also wrote a gospel and three letters, and possibly Revelation — although there is some debate that John of Patmos could have been a different John than the apostle. In any case, tradition holds that he is the only apostle who was not martyred, but died a peaceful death of old age in Ephesus in the late first century.

Philip

Philip was from the same town as Andre and Peter, and was also personally called by Jesus in Galilee (John 1:43–44). He then brought Nathanael (Bartholomew) to Jesus (John 1:45–46). He later questioned Jesus at the feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:5–7) and asked Jesus to prove his identity by showing him the Father (John 14:8–9).

Nothing much is known of Philip after the Ascension; it seems that the “Philip the Evangelist” of Acts 8 must have been a different Philip (see Acts 6:1-6, 21:8).

Bartholomew (Nathanael)

Bartholomew presents a curious case. He is mentioned only in the apostolic lists of the synoptic gospels and Acts, with no other details given. Yet in John he is not mentioned at all, and is replaced by a man named Nathanael, who was brought to Jesus by Philip (John 1:45–51). It is assumed that this must be the same man, but no reason is given for the name change.

In any case, little else is known of Bartholomew/Nathanael, but extrabiblical tradition holds that he was later martyred in Armenia.

Thomas (Also Called Didymus)

Infamously known as “Doubting Thomas,” no account is given of this apostle’s calling. Though he expressed a willingness to die with Jesus (John 11:16), he later doubted Jesus’ resurrection until he saw and touched his wounds (John 20:24–29), earning him his ignoble sobriquet.

Nothing else is known of Thomas from the Bible, but a very strong tradition holds that he established a church in India before being martyred there. When European missionaries later traveled to India in the Middle Ages, they were amazed to find an active Christian community already there.

Matthew (Levi)

Matthew, also known as Levi, was a tax collector called by Jesus while at his tax booth (Matt. 9:9; Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27–28). He then hosted a dinner with other tax collectors and sinners in order to bring them to Jesus (Luke 5:29–32).

Despite traditionally being credited as the author of the Gospel of Matthew, nothing else is known about him.

James (Son of Alphaeus)

Aside from being included in all the apostle lists, nothing is known about him beyond his unfortunate appellation “James the Less” (Mark 15:40 KJV) — though it really only means “James the Younger.”

Thaddaeus (Also Called Judas Son of James, or Lebbaeus)

This apostle is called Thaddeus in Matthew 10:3 and Mark 3:18, Judas son of James in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13, and “Judas not Iscariot” in John 14:22. The latter is his only appearance outside the lists, in which he asks Jesus why he is revealing himself to the disciples but not to the whole world. A few manuscripts refer to him as “Lebbaeus who is surnamed Thaddeus,” as in Matt. 10:3 KJV.

Simon the Zealot

Simon is not named outside the apostolic lists — so we sadly never learn why he was nicknamed “the Zealot,” though it certainly seems like there’s a good story there!

Judas Iscariot

Judas Iscariot is of course the most notorious of the apostles. It was he who betrayed Jesus and handed him over to the authorities for his trial and execution. He seems to have been the treasurer of the apostles (John 12:6, 13:29), which perhaps foreshadowed the greed that would lead him to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Matt. 26:15).

After Jesus’ condemnation, however, Judas seems to have comprehended his error: he returned the money to the chief priests and confessed his betrayal of “an innocent man.” Then, overwhelmed with grief and regret, he went and hanged (Matt. 27:3-10) or perhaps impaled himself (Acts 1:18-19).

Why did Jesus invite this man — who he must have known from the beginning would betray him to his death (John 6:70-71) — to join his most trusted group of disciples? This is a question Christians have wrestled with since the beginning. Perhaps he hoped that Judas would overcome his battle with the devil and not give into his temptations (John 13:2, Luke 22:3); or he simply knew the prophecies must be fulfilled.

We may never know. But it is remarkable, and in keeping with Jesus’ consistent message of forgiveness and mercy, that he would invite Judas to join him for his Last Supper, despite knowing it was because of Judas that the supper would be his last.

Matthias (Judas’ Replacement)

After Judas’ death, the apostles determined it was necessary to replace him (reinforcing the importance of the number twelve). They cast lots for a couple of candidates and the victor was Matthias (Acts 1:20-26). After that, though, nothing more is heard of him.

Fate of the Twelve: Biblical and Extrabiblical Accounts

As I noted above, the deaths of only two of the apostles are recounted in Scripture. According to tradition, all the rest except one were martyred. The strength of evidence for these legends varies, so you can make your own call on their likelihood.

• Simon Peter: Crucified upside-down in Rome around 65 AD — very well-attested in the early church.
• Andrew: Martyred, possibly crucified, around 60 AD.
• James, Son of Zebedee: First to be martyred, he was killed with a sword by Herod Agrippa I in 44 AD (Acts 12:1-2).
• John, Son of Zebedee: Strong early tradition that he died peacefully of old age in Ephesus near the end of the first century.
• Philip: Martyred, possibly crucified, in Hieropolis in modern-day Turkey. (His tomb was discovered in 2011.)
• Bartholomew (Nathanael): Martyred, possibly either beheaded or flayed alive, in Armenia.
• Thomas (Didymus): Strong tradition that he preached in India as far south as modern-day Chennai and was martyred in that region.
• Matthew (Levi): Allegedly martyred, but details are scant.
• James (Son of Alphaeus): Martyred, perhaps stoned, probably in Syria.
• Thaddeus (Judas Son of James) and Simon the Zealot: Said to have traveled, preached, and been martyred together, though reported locations range from Persia to Georgia to Iberia.
• Judas Iscariot: Killed himself, either by hanging or possibly impaling himself (Matt. 27:3–10, Acts 1:18-19).

Why Wasn’t Paul One of the Twelve Apostles?

The man often referred to as “Paul the Apostle” wrote (or is traditionally credited with writing) 13 of the 28 books of the New Testament. So why wasn’t he one of the Twelve?

There are several reasons, but the simplest is that Jesus called all his earliest disciples from among his own people in the region around Galilee in what is today northern Israel. Although Paul (then called Saul) may have been in Jerusalem during or shortly after the crucifixion, he was originally from Tarsus on the southern coast of modern-day Turkey, and it’s unlikely he would have spent much time in the rural villages of Galilee.

Worse, as soon as he learned of the nascent Jesus movement, he began persecuting it, condoning the murder of Stephen (the first martyr of the church) and arresting new believers (Acts 8:1-3).

But God had something different in mind for Paul. Sometime around 34 AD — a few years after the Ascension — Jesus appeared to him as he was traveling to Damascus, struck him blind, and uttered those famous words that would change the course of history: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4).

As Paul later explained, “God had set me apart from birth and called me through his grace. He was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might preach about him to the Gentiles” (Galatians 1:15-16; see also Acts 9:15, Gal. 2:7-8). In other words, it was Paul’s worldliness — his Roman citizenship and Greek education together with his devout Jewish background — that made him uniquely positioned to become the “apostle to the Gentiles.”

Other Apostles in the New Testament

As I said above, although in the New Testament “apostle” is often a special title for the Twelve, it is also used for a few other people who are particularly dedicated to spreading the gospel. In addition to Paul, here are the other people called apostle in the Bible:

• Barnabas: An active evangelist and frequent companion of Paul (Acts 14:14).
• Andronicus and Junia: Two Jews imprisoned with Paul who were “prominent among the apostles.” Junia is the only woman referred to as an apostle in the Bible (Romans 16:7).
• James: Brother of Jesus and author of the Letter of James (Gal. 1:19).
• Silas (Silvanus) and Timothy: Frequent companions of Paul on his missionary journeys (1 Thess. 1:1, 2:6-7).
• Epaphroditus: A companion of Paul’s sent to the Philippian church. (Philippians 2:25 — often translated “messenger” in English but the original Greek uses “apostle”).
• Two Unnamed Apostles: As above, they are often called “messengers” in English but the Greek word is “apostle” (2 Corinthians 8:23).

Additionally, although not called “apostle” in Bible, Mary Magdalene was later given the title “apostle to the apostles” by Thomas Aquinas because of her role in telling them of the Resurrection (John 20:18).

Conclusion: The Legacy of the Apostles

The stories of the Twelve Apostles — and those who followed in their footsteps — remind us that God often calls unlikely people to carry out his most important work. These were not perfect men; they were fishermen, tax collectors, doubters, and even a betrayer. Yet through their successes, failures, flaws, and simple tenacity they became the first witnesses to Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and the foundation of the church that would follow.

Their lives challenge us to consider how we, too, are called to follow Christ and share his message with the world (Matt. 28:19-20). Whether by preaching, serving, writing, or simply telling others what we’ve seen and heard, we join their legacy every time (and in every way) we share the Gospel.

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