The Apostles: Luke the Evangelist
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…
The Apostles: Joseph of Arimathea
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…
The Apostles: Thaddeus of Edessa
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…
The Apostles: Apollos
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…
The Apostles: Philemon
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…
The Apostles: Titus
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…
The Apostles: Cleopas
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…
The Apostles: Barnabas
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…
The Disciples: Matthais, the 13th Disciple
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…
The Disciples: Judas Iscariot
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…
The Disciples: Thomas
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…
The Disciples: Matthew Levi
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…
The Disciples: James the Less
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. …
The Disciples: Philip
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…
The Disciples: Andrew
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,…
The Disciples: James
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…
The Disciples: John
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…
The Disciples: Simon Peter
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…