25 Details About the Twelve Disciples -- A to Z Quiz

Answer: Greece

The delegation was from Greece. John 12:20-22, in the NKJV, states: "Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. 'Sir,' they said, 'we would like to see Jesus.' Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus." One wag suggests that Andrew became the first foreign missionary when he led the delegation to a meeting with Christ.

Scripture goes on to quote Jesus as stating to the delegation: "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

Christ goes on to predict His death on the Cross with Verse 27 and 28 stating: "'Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.' Then a voice came from heaven, saying, 'I have both glorified it and will glorify it again'."

Answer: Matthew

The answer is Matthew, who was also a tax collector. The Beatitudes can be found in Matthew 5:1-12. However, the rest of Chapter 5 as well as all of Chapters 6 and 7 are devoted to a series of teachings by Jesus that are known as the Sermon on the Mount. The Beatitudes and the related series of teachings by Jesus are also found in the sixth chapter of Luke, but the report is no where near as comprehensive as Matthew's. (Luke also has some details in Chapter 11. However, the reports are believed to have come from similar messages given by Jesus in different locations.)

As a result, many theologians suspect Matthew knew some form of shorthand when he took notes during Christ's delivery of the Beatitudes as well as the Sermon on the Mount and other meaty sermons. In fact, the Web site Remannatreport.com says knowing a form of shorthand would've been part of the "job description" for a tax collector like Matthew. Several other Christian Web sites express a similar point of view.

"...as a tax collector, Matthew would have been used to writing in a form of shorthand which was used at the time," states the Web site UKapolgetics. "This was very rapid, and one may well imagine Matthew using shorthand to record things which Jesus said, such as in the 'Sermon on the Mount'."

Answer: Judas Iscariot

With Matthew being a former tax collector, one would think this would be a natural job for him. However, according to John 12:6 and 13:29, the treasurer, or the one who had "the money box", for Christ's ministry was none other than Judas Iscariot.

However, he wasn't good at his job. According to John 12:6, Judas "was a thief" and he used to take what was put in the treasury.

Answer: Peter

Peter, of course, is the correct answer. His denial is told in the four Gospels.

According to Scripture, Peter wept bitterly after he denied knowing Christ on three different occasions just prior to His crucifixion. Peter's denials are reported in 26th chapter of the Matthew, the 14th chapter of Mark, the 22nd chapter of Luke and the 13th chapter of John. After the third denial, a rooster crowed, just as Jesus predicted.

Matthew 26:75, in the NKJV, states: "And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, 'Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.' So he went out and wept bitterly."

In Mark 14:31, Peter had boldly proclaimed he would NEVER deny Christ. Scripture quotes Peter as saying: "But he spoke more vehemently. 'If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!'"

Answer: James

Out of the Twelve Disciples, James was the first to be executed. (Judas Iscariot was the first to die, but he committed suicide, as per Matthew 27:3-9.) Details of James' death are contained in Acts 12:1-2 where it states Herod "killed James the brother of John with the sword." In other words, James was beheaded.

Verse 3 goes on to state that Herod had Peter arrested when he saw people were pleased with the execution of James. Peter, however, would avoid execution when he made a miraculous escape from prison, as per Acts 12:1-19.

Answer: Peter

According to Scripture, Jesus instructed Peter to go fishing and after he caught his first fish to look in its mouth. Peter was told he would find a coin inside the fish's mouth and the money should be used to pay the obligatory temple tax.

Matthew 17:24-27 explains things this way: "When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, 'Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?' He said, 'Yes.' And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, 'What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?' Peter said to Him, 'From strangers.' Jesus said to him, 'Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.'"

The account of the temple tax found in the fish's mouth is found in only the Gospel of Matthew.

Answer: Philip

Philip is the correct answer. Many theologians suspect he could have also spoken some Greek. John 12:20-22 tells of a delegation from Greece approaching Philip to request a meeting with Jesus. It is believed the Greeks met with Philip because they could converse with him in their own language. It's all speculation, of course, but interesting none the less. As pointed out in the answer to Question #1, Philip, after meeting with the Greek delegation, contacted Andrew and Andrew proceeded to lead the Greek gathering to meet with Christ. Incidentally, Andrew also had a Greek name.

Out of the twelve disciples, only Philip and Andrew had Greek names.

Answer: Simon

Simon is the correct answer. John 13 tells of Jesus sharing the Last Supper with His disciples before the crucifixion and predicting one of the Twelve would betray Him. The disciples all wondered who it would be. The question is answered in John 13:26: "Jesus answered, 'It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.' And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon."

This is the only mention of Judas' father in Scripture, however.

Answer: Peter

It seemed a number of disciples were guilty of acting without thinking things through. However, the most impulsive of the lot had to be Peter.

If there ever was an impulsive person in the New Testament, it was Peter. Be it jumping out of a boat to walk on water only to quickly lose his faith and sink or defiantly proclaiming he would never deny Christ, Peter is front and center in the New Testament when it comes to impulsiveness. Scripture suggests he often spoke without thinking. The account of Peter walking on the water, for an ever-so-brief amount of time, is found in the 14th chapter of Matthew. The account of Peter proclaiming he would never deny Christ and his about-face is found in the 26th chapter of Matthew.

Another example of Peter's impulsiveness is found in the 21st chapter of John, Scripture telling of Jesus, after His resurrection, appearing to seven disciples fishing on the Sea of Galilee. John 21:7 in the NKJV says Peter "plunged" into the water to meet Christ. (The NIV says he "jumped" into the water.) However, the other disciples, according to Scripture, stayed in their little boat and headed to shore to meet Jesus.

Yet another indication of Peter acting without thinking can be found in the thirteenth chapter of the of John. The passages tells of Jesus pouring water into a basin and preparing to wash the feet of the Twelve Disciples. When Christ started washing the disciples' feet, Scripture reports Peter was adamantly opposed. In John 13:8, Jesus responds by telling Peter that "unless I wash you, you have no part with Me." When Jesus made this statement, Peter replies in Verse 9, by saying: "Then Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"

Verses 10-11 go on to quote Jesus' reply to Peter: "'He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you'. For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, 'You are not all clean'."

Answer: Andrew

The correct answer is Andrew. Prior to becoming one of the Twelve Disciples of Jesus, Andrew served as a disciple of John the Baptist, as per John 1:40.

Details about John the Baptist appear in Matthew 3:1-17, Luke 3:1-20, and John 1:19-34. He preached a message of repentance and told the people he had been sent to prepare the way for the long-promised Messiah. He had harsh words for the church leaders of the day (the Sadducees and the Pharisees), calling them "a brood of vipers." John also baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.

Many evangelical Christians regard John as the last of the Old Testament prophets.

Answer: Judas Iscariot

Judas Iscariot, of course, is the correct answer. He agreed to a request of the Pharisees to turn Jesus over to them for the reward of 30 pieces of silver. Just as he led a major delegation to where Christ was, Judas kissed Him, indicating He was the One who was to be arrested.

It was the most infamous kiss in history.

Details of Judas Iscariot agreeing to betray Christ are documented in Matthew 26:14-16, Mark 14:10-11 and Luke 22:3-6. The actual betrayal is reported in Matthew 26:47-56, Mark 14:43-51, Luke 22:47-53 and John 18:1-11.

Matthew 27:5 tells of Judas committing suicide by hanging himself.

Whenever a list of names of the Twelve Disciples appears in Scripture, Judas Iscariot is last.

Answer: John

John is the correct answer. In five different places in the Gospel of John, reference is made to the "the disciple whom Jesus loved." (See John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20.) Many scholars speculate John, the writer of the Gospel, didn't want to have his name front and center and to retain some anonymity, used the refrain "the disciple Jesus loved.".

One of the more touching incidents when the term is used is when Jesus is dying in agony on the cross and he looks down and sees his mother and makes arrangements for her to be taken care of by the "disciple He loved." John 19:25-27, in the NKJV, states: "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, 'Woman, behold your son!' Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother!' And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home."

It must be pointed out some modern day theologians are of the opinion the "disciple Jesus loved" was someone totally different than John. They're entitled to their opinions. However, I am on the side of tradition, and believe the disciple Jesus loved was none other than John.

Answer: Peter

Peter is the correct answer. The account of Malchus having his ear severed by Peter can be found in Matthew 26:51, Mark 14:7, Luke 22:50 and John 18:10. (Peter is identified in only John 18:10. In the other references, it simply tells of the severing of Malchus' ear.)

I find it highly fascinating that Luke, the physician, is the only one to report about the healing of Malchus' severed ear. After the ear was cut, Jesus tells Peter to put away the sword. After Jesus touches Malchus in the area of the wound, his ear is restored to normal.

Luke 22:49-51 gives this account of the miraculous restoration of Malchus' ear: "When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, 'Lord, shall we strike with the sword?' And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus answered and said, 'Permit even this.' And He touched his ear and healed him."

Malchus, however, is not identified by name in Luke's Gospel. He is identified in only John.

Answer: True

Nathanael is the correct answer. John 1:49, in the NKJV, quotes Nathanael as telling Jesus, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" The declaration is made months, perhaps years before Peter made his declaration in Matthew 16:16 that Christ is "the Son of the living God." Similar declarations by Peter are also recorded in Mark 8:29 and Luke 9:20.

Many theologians believe Bartholomew and Nathanael are the same person. When a list of the names of the disciples is given in Matthew, Mark and Luke, it contains the name Bartholomew, but not Nathanael. (The name Bartholomew is also mentioned in Acts.) However, in John there is mention of Nathanael, but no mention of Bartholomew. In Biblical times, it was common for people to have two names. For example, there's Peter who was also called Simon, and there's Matthew who was also called Levi, etc.

Answer: John

The correct answer is John. According to Scripture, John, "the disciple Jesus loved", was the only one of the Twelve to stay at the crucifixion scene. By this time, Judas Iscariot had killed himself and the other ten disciples had basically gone into hiding.

John 19:26-27 states John was at the crucifixion scene and while dying in agony, Jesus made arrangements for John to take care of his mother Mary.

As reported in the answer to Question 12, some modern-day theologians question if John was really the "disciple Jesus loved." However, going by tradition, John can be the only correct answer to the question.

Answer: Judas Iscariot

According to the 12th chapter of John, Judas became upset when he saw Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, anointing Jesus with the perfume, or costly oil. John 12:3, in the NKJV Bible, states: "Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil."

Verses 4 and 5 go on to state Judas Iscariot was indignant at the display of affection, stating the perfume could have been sold and given to the poor. However, John, the writer of the Gospel, states in the next verse that Judas didn't care about the poor and was putting on a false front.

Going by the account of in Matthew 26:6-13, the display of affection by Mary took place at the home of Simon the Leper. There is no smoking gun, but some theologians believe Simon the Leper was the father of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. According to Scripture, Simon lived in Bethany, the same community as Mary, Martha and Lazarus. There is also speculation Simon was cleansed of leprosy by Jesus, hence his name Simon the Leper.

Answer: Matthew and James the Lesser

Matthew and James the Lesser is the correct answer. I find it interesting Matthew is credited with writing one of the four Gospels, yet there isn't a single quote from him in Scripture. (Matthew also went by the name Levi.) Luke 5:27-29 tells of Jesus meeting Matthew/Levi "sitting at a tax office" and issuing the directive to "Follow Me." Scripture goes on to tell of Matthew/Levi throwing a gala feast for Christ at his house. However, there isn't a single quote from Matthew.

James the Lesser, similar to Matthew, is not quoted in Scripture. And little is known about him as he is mentioned in passing reference. According to Mark 15:40, his mother's name was Mary, making things confusing since other women in the Gospels are called Mary. Two of the notable Marys are Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

Here are the names of the Twelve Disciples in alphabetical order:
1.) Andrew
2.) Bartholomew / Nathanael
3.) James, the Elder
4.) James, the Lesser or Younger
5.) John
6.) Judas Iscariot
7.) Jude / Thaddaeus, also known as Judas, the son of James
8.) Matthew / Levi
9.) Peter or Simon Peter
10.) Philip
11.) Simon the Zealot, also known as the Canaanite
12.) Thomas

Answer: Nathanael

The correct answer is Nathanael. Scripture reports about Philip telling Nathanael he had found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, but Nathanael is not impressed because Jesus is from Nazareth.

Verse 46 states: "And Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' Philip said to him, 'Come and see'."

Nathanael took up Philip on the offer and the rest, as they say, is history.

Answer: Peter, James and John

According to Scripture, Peter, James and John fell asleep on three different occasions while Jesus was praying.

Here's how Matthew 26:36-45, in the NKJV, explains things: "Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, 'Sit here while I go and pray over there.' And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, 'My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.' He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, 'O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.' Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, 'What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.' Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, 'O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.' And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, 'Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.'"

Scripture goes on to tell of the arrest of Jesus, His crucifixion, His resurrection and His ascension to heaven.

Answer: Thomas

The correct answer is Thomas. In John 11:16 and John 20:24 in the NKJV, Thomas is described as the Twin. In the NIV, it describes Thomas as Didymus, which also means twin.

However, there are no details about Thomas' twin. Thomas is quoted on three different occasions in the Gospel of John, but in the three other Gospels there are no quotes from him. His name appears in only a list of the names of the disciples in Matthew, Mark and Luke.

Answer: Thomas

Thomas, of course, is remembered for having major doubts about initial reports from others about seeing the resurrected Christ after the crucifixion. His doubts, however, disappeared forever, when according to John 20:24-29, Jesus appeared before Thomas and the other disciples while they were meeting in a locked room.

John 20:24-29, in the NKJV, explains things this way: "Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, 'We have seen the Lord.' So he said to them, 'Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.'

"And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, 'Peace to you!' 27 Then He said to Thomas, 'Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.' And Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!'

"Jesus said to him, 'Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed'."

Answer: John

John is the correct answer. In John 20:4, it tells of John, "the disciple Jesus loved" winning the foot race.

John 20:1-4 in the NJKJV explains things this way: "Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!' So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first."

The passage has caused some theologians to speculate John was somewhat younger than Peter. They have also speculated Peter was big and burly, and wasn't anywhere near as nimble as John.

As reported in the answer to Questions 12 and 15, some modern-day theologians question if John was really the "disciple Jesus loved." However, going by tradition, John can be the only correct answer to the question.

Answer: Peter

Out of the Twelve Disciples, Peter is the only one reported to be married. We know Peter, also known as Simon, was married because Scripture says Jesus healed his mother-in-law. Luke 4:38-39, in the NKJV Bible, states: "Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house. But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them." However, no name is given for Peter's mother-in-law.

It is possible other disciples were married as well. However, going by Scripture Peter is the only one that we can be certain in stating he was married.

Answer: There is no way of knowing

There is no way of knowing as their ages are not listed in the four Gospels. In fact, not a single person, with the exception of Jesus, has their age listed in the entire New Testament.

It is stated Christ was 30 at the time of the start of His ministry. With His ministry lasting for three years, He would've been 33 years old at the time of the crucifixion.

To be as precise as possible, there are some people who claim Anna, a prophetess in the New Testament has her age listed in Scripture. Others interpret the passage differently.

Here's what Luke 2:36-38 says about Anna: "Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem."

Some people interpret the verse to mean Anna was 84 years old. Some people, however, believe the verse simply states Anna had been a widow for 84 years and as a result there is no way of knowing her age.

Answer: James and John

James and John are the correct answers. Not much is known about Zebedee as he is mentioned in passing reference. According to Matthew 4:21, he was a fisherman, just like his sons James and John. Theologians believe his wife's name was Salome.

Jesus also called James and John 'Boanerges', which means sons of thunder. Mark 3:16-19, in the NKJV Bible, gives a list of the names of the Twelve Disciples in which James and John are identified as both sons of Zebedee and Boanerges: "Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, 'Sons of Thunder'; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him."

The term Boanerges can be found in only this passage in Mark in the entire Bible, using the KJV, NKJV or the NIV.