Mark 3:18

iv. Andrew a brother of St Peter (Matthew 4:18), and like him a native of Bethsaida, and a former disciple of the Baptist (John 1:40). By his means his brother Simon was brought to Jesus (John 1:41). In the lists of the Apostles given by St Matthew and St Luke he appears second; but in St Mark and Acts 1:13, fourth. We have three notices of him in the Gospels, (i) On the occasion of the feeding of the Five Thousand it is he who points out the little lad with the five barley loaves and the two fishes; (ii) when certain Greeks desired to see Jesus, it was he in conjunction with Philip who introduced them to the Lord (John 12:22); (iii) together with Peter, James, and John he inquired privately of our Lord respecting His future coming (Mark 13:3).

(b) Groupii

v. Philip He also was a native of Bethsaida and one of the earliest disciples (John 1:43). To him first of the whole circle of the Apostles were spoken the solemn words "Follow Me." It was to him the question was put "to prove him," "Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" (John 6:5-9); together with his friend and fellow townsman, St Andrew, he brought the inquiring Greeks to the Saviour (John 12:20-22); it was he who asked "Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us" (John 14:8).

vi. Bartholomew i. e. Bar-Tolmai, the "Son of Tolmai," and probably identical with Nathanael = "gift of God" For (i) St John twice mentions Nathanael, never Bartholomew (John 1:45; John 21:2); (ii) the other Evangelists all speak of Bartholomew, never of Nathanael; (iii) Philip first brought Nathanael to Jesus, and Bartholomew is mentioned by each of the Synoptic Evangelists immediately after Philip; (iv) St John couples Philip with Nathanael precisely in the same way that Simon is coupled with his brother Andrew. Respecting him, at least under the name Nathanael, we learn from the Gospels little more than (a) his birth-place, Cana of Galilee (John 21:2); (b) his simple, guileless character (John 1:47); and (c) that he was one of the seven, to whom our Lord shewed Himself by the lake of Gennesaret after His resurrection (John 21:2).

vii. Matthew or Levi, whose call has just been described. See above, on Mark 2:14.

viii. Thomas or Didymus= a twin(John 11:16; John 21:2), whose character was marked by a deep attachment to his Master and a readiness even to die with Him (John 11:16), but at the same time by a tendency to misgiving and despondency, which made him ever ready to take the darker view of things, and to distrust other evidence than that of sight (John 14:5; John 20:25).

(c) Groupiii

ix. James or "James the Less" (see note below, Mark 15:40), the son of Alphæus, so called to distinguish him from James, the son of Zebedee, mentioned above. He is probably a distinct person from James the Lord's brother (Galatians 1:19), and author of the Epistle, which bears his name.

x. Thaddæus i. e. Judas, a brother, or possibly a son of James, bishop of Jerusalem (Acts 1:13). He was surnamed Thaddæusand Lebbæus(Matthew 10:3), which some interpret as = "cordatusor animosus" = "a man of energy and courage." He is the author of the Epistle which bears his name. Once only in the Gospels do we find any act or saying of his recorded, viz., in John 14:22, "Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?"

xi. Simon the Cananite, or Cananœan(Matthew 10:4), in Greek Zelotes(Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13). The spelling of the English Version here is misleading. The word does not signify a native of Canaan, or of Cana, but comes from a Chaldee or Syriac word Kaneanor Kaneniah, by which the Jewish sect or faction of "the Zealots" was designated. To this sect Simon had probably belonged before his call.