New Testament Names of Disciples Inside Words Quiz

Answer: Andrew

Andrew, the brother of Peter is the correct answer. According to Scripture, Andrew and Peter, as well as Philip, another disciple, all came from Bethsaida, a fishing community on the Sea of Galilee.

Prior to becoming disciples, Peter and Andrew were fishermen. In Mark 1:17, when Jesus extended an invitation to the brothers to become disciples, He is quoted as saying "follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."

Peter was outgoing and bombastic where as Andrew was quiet and reserved, going by accounts given in the four Gospels.

Answer: James

James, the brother of John, is the correct answer. They are also referred to as the sons of Zebedee in Scripture. Not much is known about Zebedee is 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.

James, along with James and Peter, were part of the Inner Circle, people who had an extra close relationship with Christ. For example, the three men were taken by Jesus to the Mount of Transfiguration, as documented in Mark 9:2-13.

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 his 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.

Answer: Peter

Peter, always brash and bold, was the 'shop foreman' of the disciples. While other disciples would meditate about something Jesus said, Peter would act, often without thinking things through.

Accounts in the Gospels tell of Peter doing everything from attempting to walk on water to boldly proclaiming he would never deny Christ. Peter, it seemed, would always encounter failure. But the book of Acts tells of a different Peter. After the crucifixion of Jesus, followed by His resurrection and ascension, Peter became an unstoppable leader in the early church, Scripture states. He even raised Dorcas, also known as Tabitha, from the dead, as per Acts 9:36-43.

Other miracles were performed in the name of Jesus by the impulsive fisherman, Scripture states. Acts 5:14-16, tells of people being healed by simply having Peter's shadow fall on them. The account, in the NKJV, reads this way: "And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed."

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 20:26-29, in the NKJV Bible, states: "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!' 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: Simon

Simon is the correct answer. In the NKJV he is known as Simon the Cananite (as per Matthew 10:4) but in other versions of the Bible, such as the NIV, he is known as Simon the Zealot. He is called Simon the Cananite, or Simon the Zealot in Scripture, it is believed, to distinguish him from Simon Peter. However, not much is known about him as he is mentioned in only passing reference.

Answer: Matthias

Judas Iscariot, one of the original twelve disciples, hanged himself after betraying Jesus prior to the crucifixion, and Matthias was selected to replace him. Judas Iscariot's suicide is reported in Matthew 27:5. Meanwhile, the selection of Matthias is reported in Acts 1:12-26. He was selected over Joseph, called Barsabas, according to Scripture.

However, little is known about Matthias as his name appears in only the first chapter of Acts and no where else in Scripture.

Answer: Philip

Philip came from Bethasaida, also the home of Peter and his brother Andrew. Bethsaida was a fishing community on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Philip's occupation is not given in Scripture, but it is assumed by many he was a fisherman, just like Peter and Andrew.

Some interesting trivia about Philip. Whenever his name is included in a list of the disciples in the New Testament, his name always appears fifth. The lists of the disciples' names can be found in Matthew 10:2-5, Mark 3:16-19 and Luke 6:14-16. The Gospel of John does not contain a complete list of the disciple's names.

A list of the names of the disciples also appears in Acts 1:13 and wouldn't you know it: Philip's name is fifth on the list!

Answer: John

John is the correct answer. He was brother of James and the son of Zebedee. Some scholars believe his mother was Salome. Tradition holds he wrote five books in the New Testament. The books are the Gospel of John, 1 John 2 John, 3 John and Revelation. Some modern-day theologians, however, believe John of Patmos, who wrote Revelation, was not John the disciple.

According to Scripture, all the disciples fled when Jesus was crucified, with the exception of John. In the Gospel he is credited with writing, John describes himself as the disciple "Jesus loved." John 19: 26-27 tells of Jesus on the cross and looking at His mother as well as the disciple he loved. The verses in the NKJV state: "When Jesus saw his mother(here, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, 'Woman, here is your son,' and to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.' From that time on, this disciple took her into his home."

Answer: Levi

Levi, who was also known as Matthew, is the correct answer. In the order the books appear, Matthew wrote the first Gospel of the New Testament. The traditional belief is the writer is the same person who served as one of Jesus' twelve disciples. If this was the case, he was a Jewish tax collector. Matthew quotes more passages from the Old Testament than any New Testament writer, according to notes in the NKJV Study Bible.

There is another Levi in Scripture. He was the son of Jacob and Leah and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Levi is perhaps best known for going on a killing spree with his brother Simeon after Shechem defiled their sister Dinah, as per the 34th chapter of Genesis.

Answer: Judas

According to Scripture, Judas Iscariot, one of the original Twelve Disciples, betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

Matthew 26:14-16, in the NKJV, states: "Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, 'What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?' And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him."

After Jesus was arrested, Judas was filled with remorse and hanged himself. Matthew 27:3-5, states: "Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, 'I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.' And they said, 'What is that to us? You see to it!' Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself."

According to John 6:71, Judas was the son of Simon. Whenever a list of names of the twelve disciples appears in Scripture, Judas is last. According to John 12:6, Judas was in charge of the money collected for Christ's ministry, "but because he was a thief... he used to help himself to what was put into it."