The Twelve Apostles
The four canonical lists of the twelve apostles shown side by side — Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:14-16, and Acts 1:13 — with names exactly as they appear in each text. Differences in name and order between the lists are preserved, not harmonized. Traditional identifications (from church fathers, not stated in the biblical text) are labeled with ⚑ to distinguish them from textual content.
| # | Matthew | Mark | Luke | Acts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simon, who is called Peter | Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter) | Simon, whom he named Peter | Peter | Also called Cephas(John 1:42) Simon Bar-Jonah(Matthew 16:17) Simon son of John(John 21:15-17) Fisherman from Bethsaida (John 1:44), later living in Capernaum (Mark 1:29). Spokesman for the twelve. Wrote 1 and 2 Peter per their superscriptions. |
| 2 | Andrew his brother | Andrew | Andrew his brother | Andrew | Simon Peter's brother. John 1:35-40 identifies Andrew as a former disciple of John the Baptist. Listed first in Acts 1:13 as a group (Peter, John, James, Andrew). |
| 3 | James the son of Zebedee | James the son of Zebedee | James | James | Also called Boanerges (Son of Thunder)(Mark 3:17) Brother of John the apostle; both sons of Zebedee and Salome (possibly Mary's sister, per John 19:25). First apostle martyred: killed by Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:2), c. 44 AD. |
| 4 | John his brother | John | John | John | Also called Boanerges (Son of Thunder)(Mark 3:17) ⚑John the apostle is the author of the Gospel of John, the three Johannine letters, and Revelationtraditional attribution — the texts do not name their author; 'John' in Revelation (1:1, 1:9) is not further identified in the text Brother of James. With Peter and James, part of the inner circle present at the Transfiguration (Mark 9:2) and Gethsemane (Mark 14:33). Active with Peter in Acts 3-4. |
| 5 | Philip | Philip | Philip | Philip | ⚑Philip the apostle is the same person as Philip the Evangelist (Acts 6:5; 8:5-40)traditional identification — not stated by NT text; the NT presents them as distinct figures From Bethsaida, same city as Peter and Andrew (John 1:44). John's gospel names Philip in several episodes: the feeding of the 5000 (John 6:5-7), Greeks seeking Jesus (John 12:21-22), and the Last Supper ('show us the Father,' John 14:8-9). |
| 6 | Bartholomew | Bartholomew | Bartholomew | Bartholomew | ⚑Bartholomew is the same person as Nathanael (John 1:45-51; 21:2)traditional identification — not stated by NT text; 'Bartholomew' does not appear in John, and 'Nathanael' does not appear in the synoptic lists; the equation is inferred by patristic writers Bartholomew means 'son of Tolmai' — a patronymic, not a personal name; his personal name is not given in the synoptic lists. |
| 7 | Thomas | Thomas | Thomas | Thomas | Also called Didymus(John 11:16; 20:24; 21:2) Named Didymus ('Twin') in John. John's gospel records Thomas's doubt about the Resurrection (20:24-25) and subsequent confession 'My Lord and my God!' (20:28) — the only direct address of Jesus as God in the canonical gospels. |
| 8 | Matthew the tax collector | Matthew | Matthew | Matthew | Also called Levi(Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27) ⚑Matthew the apostle is the author of the Gospel of Matthewtraditional attribution — the Gospel of Matthew is anonymous; no internal text identifies its author; the attribution comes from patristic tradition (e.g., Papias, c. 130 AD) A tax collector (telōnēs) at the time of his calling. Matthew's own gospel calls him 'the tax collector' (10:3), the only apostle identified by former occupation in the lists. |
| 9 | James the son of Alphaeus | James the son of Alphaeus | James the son of Alphaeus | James the son of Alphaeus | ⚑James son of Alphaeus is 'James the Less' (Mark 15:40)traditional identification — not stated by NT text; Mark 15:40 mentions 'James the Less, son of Mary,' but does not identify him as the apostle or as son of Alphaeus ⚑Alphaeus (father of James) is the same Alphaeus who is Levi/Matthew's father (Mark 2:14)traditional identification — not stated by NT text; having the same father's name does not establish identity Distinguished from James son of Zebedee by his father's name. Appears consistently in the same position in all four lists but otherwise has no individual episode in the canonical gospels. |
| 10 | Thaddaeus | Thaddaeus | Judas son of James | Judas son of James | ⚑Thaddaeus (Matthew/Mark) and Judas son of James (Luke/Acts) are the same persontraditional identification — not stated by NT text; the names are different and no text equates them; the identification resolves the divergence but the NT does not make it ⚑This apostle is the author of the letter of Judetraditional attribution — Jude 1:1 says 'Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,' not 'apostle'; and 'brother of James' is not the same as 'son of James' This row represents a genuine divergence in the canonical lists. Matthew and Mark use 'Thaddaeus'; Luke and Acts use 'Judas son of James.' Both traditions show a 10th apostle in the same list position. Whether they refer to the same person is a traditional inference not supported by explicit NT statement. John 14:22 records 'Judas (not Iscariot)' asking Jesus a question; this may refer to this figure. |
| 11 | Simon the Cananaean | Simon the Cananaean | Simon who was called the Zealot | Simon the Zealot | ⚑'Cananaean' (Matthew/Mark) and 'Zealot' (Luke/Acts) refer to the same group or political affiliation, so both names describe the same personwidely held interpretation — 'Cananaean' is likely an Aramaic term (qan'an) meaning 'zealous one'; the Greek zealōtēs in Luke/Acts may translate the same underlying term; but the NT texts themselves do not make this connection explicit Distinguished from Simon Peter by his epithet. The term 'Cananaean' does not refer to Canaan (Canaanite) but comes from Aramaic qan'an. Luke renders the same term into Greek as 'Zealot.' This is the most likely reading, though the NT texts do not explain the term in Matthew or Mark. |
| 12 | Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him | Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him | Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor | absent (had died; Acts 1:16-20 recounts his death) | ⚑'Iscariot' means 'man of Kerioth,' referring to a town in Judeawidely held interpretation — the derivation is debated; the NT does not explain the term All four lists identify him as the betrayer. He is absent from Acts 1:13 because he had died. Acts 1:18-19 and Matthew 27:3-10 give differing accounts of his death that are difficult to harmonize; this site presents both as they stand. Matthias was chosen as his replacement (Acts 1:26). |
Each column shows the name exactly as it appears in that text. Differences in name or order between the lists are preserved, not harmonized. Where the same apostle appears with different names across lists (e.g., Thaddaeus vs. Judas son of James), this is displayed as a single row with a note.
⚑ Traditional identification — claims not stated by the biblical text itself. These come from patristic tradition (church fathers, c. 100–400 AD) and are labeled to distinguish them from textual statements.
Judas Iscariot is absent from Acts 1:13 because he had already died. Matthias was chosen as his replacement (Acts 1:26) but is not listed here as he was not one of the original twelve.
Four canonical lists: Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:14-16, Acts 1:13.
Position numbers follow the order in each gospel list.