Rebel to Redeemed…Sharing HIS Kind of Love
The name Luke means light. Scholars believe he originated from the Greek city of Antioch. Luke wrote both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. Some historians believe he also contributed to the book of Hebrews. He is believed to have been a disciple of Paul. In Colossians 4:14, Paul refers to Luke as a physician. It is […]
Read more
Joseph of Arimathea is best known for his role of burying Jesus body. The name Joseph means he will add. The exact location of Arimathea is unknown. However, Luke 23:51 tells us it was a “town of Judea”. Let’s take a look at what scripture tells us about him: He was rich Matthew 27:57 He was a disciple of […]
Read more
The name Thaddeus is of Aramaic origin and means heart or God’s gift. Edessa is located in Upper Mesopotamia in Greece and under Roman rule during the time of the early church. Based on early Christian writings, Thaddeus was a Jew who came to Jerusalem for a festival and heard John the Baptist preaching. He was baptized by John the […]
Read more
The name Apollos is Greek and means destroyer. He described as being a devout Jew born in Alexandria. We first meet Apollos in Acts 18. He is described as being “well-versed in the scriptures…he spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.” The narrative goes on to explain that […]
Read more
The name Philemon is of Greek origin and means loving. In the New Testament, Philemon is a Christian in Asia minor who Paul writes a letter to. This letter makes up the book of Philemon in the Bible. His wife is Apphia, which means increasing. Philemon is considered to have been wealthy and possibly appointed as Bishop of Gaza, the […]
Read more
Titus was a companion to Paul and mentioned in the Epistle of Titus. Titus is believed to have been Greek, and a Gentile, from Antioch. The name Titus means pleasing. He served as Paul’s secretary and interpreter and may have even been converted by Paul. Early Church tradition states when Paul came to the Island of Crete to preach, he […]
Read more
The earlier Christian writer Hegesippus wrote that based on interview he conducted, Cleopas to be the brother of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. The name Cleopas means “glory to the father”. The only mention of him is found at the end of Luke. Cleopas and another unnamed man are walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus when a newly resurrected Jesus […]
Read more
Barnabas accompanied Paul on his earlier missionary journey’s. The name Barnabas means son of encouragement or son of consolation. According to Acts 4:36 his other name was Joseph and he was a Jew from the Levite clan and originated from Cyprus. We are told a little about his character in the scriptures. “He was a good man, full of the […]
Read more
Judas Iscariot has betrayed Jesus, who has been crucified and risen from the grave. Judas was remorseful for his actions and killed himself. Jesus has ascended to heaven and the disciples gather in the upper room waiting for the Holy Spirit to descend. Here were are introduced to two followers of Jesus, who have been following him since his baptism […]
Read more
Judas Iscariot is the most reviled of the 12 disciples, after all he was the one who betrayed Jesus. The name Judas is Hebrew and means praise or the praised one, while Iscariot is Greek and means man from Kerioth. Today the name means traitor. We are told early in the gospel accounts that Judas betrayed Jesus. “Judas Iscariot, who also […]
Read more
The disciple Thomas is commonly known as doubt Thomas, but we’ll get to that in a moment. In the first three gospels {and book of Acts}, Thomas is only mentioned as one of the disciples of Jesus and nothing else is mentioned about him. The name Thomas is Hebrew and means twin. The name Didymus is Greek and means twin. […]
Read more
Matthew once again is a disciple we do not know much about. Many scholars believe he is also the tax collector Levi and as with Simon Peter and Judas Thaddeus, his name is interchangeable. The name Matthew means gift of God, while Levi means joined and attached. “And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, […]
Read more
James the Less is often referred in this way, because there were two James in the apostle. The other was James, the son of Zebedee, who is often referred to as James the greater. We know very little about James the less, but let’s explore the little we are told. In the list of Jesus disciples, we discover […]
Read more
Philip is a Greek name meaning friend and friend of horses. Many believe the disciple Philip may have spoken Greek. We first meet Philip right after Jesus has called Andrew and Simon Peter to follow him. It is possible that Philip was one of two {the unnamed} disciple who was following John the Baptist. When John the Baptist saw Jesus […]
Read more
Andrew was a brother of Simon Peter. The brothers were from the village of Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. The Greek culture and language were very significant in the area. His name is Greek, instead of the traditional Hebrew, of the Jews. The name Andrew means manly, brave, manhood and valour. Peter and Andrew were both fishermen by trade, […]
Read more
James was the brother of John. He was the son of Zebedee and his mother is believed to be Salome. The name James is a version of Jacob, meaning to supplant. James is always listed first, leading to the belief he was the older of the two. James and John, along with their father, were fishermen. The men were fishing […]
Read more
After Peter, we probably know more about John than any of the other disciples. Many believe John and his brother, were followers of John the Baptist. However, these followers are never mentioned by name. {John 1:35-39} Scripture first shows Jesus interaction with John and his brother on the sea shore. Actually, Jesus came upon Peter and Andrew first and “going […]
Read more
We have been looking at the life of Jesus through the eyes of the witnesses of his birth and death. However, what about his life? Other, than his mother, those who knew him best were his inner circle, the twelve disciples. But who were these men? What do we know about them and what happened to them after Jesus ascension […]
Read more