ONE OF THE TWELVE

Simon the Zealot

“Simon called Zelotes”

Also called Simon the Canaanite · Simon Zelotes

VERSES THAT NAME HIM

RECORDS WITH JESUS

NAMED BESIDE HIM

13

SOURCES OUTSIDE SCRIPTURE on how it ends

HIS LIFE IN FOUR PARTS

How much does Scripture tell?

Known only by his name in the lists, and the word that marks it. Scripture gives no years for his life, so the ring is divided by how much is recorded: 4 records of what he did or what was said to him, one bead each. The last part is tradition and is drawn dashed. Choose a part to read it.

II · THE GOSPELS, IN THE HARMONY’S ORDER

With Jesus

  • Chosen as one of the Twelve Mark 3:13–19
  • Sent out with the Twelve Matthew 10:1–5

CHAPTER BY CHAPTER

Where is he named?

One square for each chapter of the books that name Simon: 4 verses in 4 chapters. The darker the square, the more verses in it name him. Choose a chapter to read what happens there.

THE GOSPELS AND ACTS

MATTHEW 10

1 verse name him

Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

WHAT HAPPENS HERE

  • Sent out with the Twelve

No verse in John names him.

CHAPTER I · BEFORE THE CALL

Two names for one word

Home, trade and family · nothing recorded

HOME, TRADE AND FAMILY

Scripture gives no home, trade or family for him

Scripture gives his name and his epithet, and nothing he said or did.

Scripture does not say where he came from, where he went or how he died.

HOW EACH LIST NAMES HIM

  • Simon the Canaanite Matthew 10:4
  • Simon the Canaanite Mark 3:18
  • Simon called Zelotes Luke 6:15
  • Simon Zelotes Acts 1:13

CHAPTER II · WITH JESUS

In the lists

The Gospels, in the harmony’s order · 2 records

SCRIPTURE · MARK 3:13–19

Chosen as one of the Twelve

And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,

NAMED WITH HIM

Peter, Andrew, James son of Zebedee, John son of Zebedee, Philip, Bartholomew and 7 more

IN THE HARMONY

§53 · After a night of prayer Jesus selects Twelve apostles

TOLD IN 2 BOOKS

Mark 3:13–19·Luke 6:12–16

SCRIPTURE · MATTHEW 10:1–5

Sent out with the Twelve

Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

NAMED WITH HIM

Peter, Andrew, James son of Zebedee, John son of Zebedee, Philip, Bartholomew and 7 more

IN THE HARMONY

§70 · The third tour of Galilee after instructing the Twelve and sending them forth by twos

PASSAGE

Matthew 10:1–5

CHAPTER III · THE CHURCH IN ACTS

One verse in Acts

Acts and the letters · 2 records

SCRIPTURE · ACTS 1:13

In the upper room

And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.

He is named with the other apostles in the upper room after the ascension.

NAMED WITH HIM

Peter, Andrew, James son of Zebedee, John son of Zebedee, Philip, Bartholomew and 5 more

WHERE

Jerusalem

PASSAGE

Acts 1:13

FROM THE TEXT · ACTS 1:13

Never named again

And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.

The last verse that names him is Acts 1:13. After that Acts speaks of “the eleven” and “the twelve” as a body (Acts 2:14; 6:2) but never names him again.

WHERE

Jerusalem

PASSAGE

Acts 1:13·Acts 2:14·Acts 6:2

CHAPTER IV · AFTER SCRIPTURE

After Scripture

Tradition, by who said it and when · 2 sources

SCRIPTURE FIRST

What Scripture says of his end

Scripture does not mention him after Acts 1:13 and records nothing of his death.

From the text Acts 1:13

THEN TRADITION · 2 SOURCES, EARLIEST FIRST

  • 6th c. Jacobus de Voragine, The Golden Legend Later tradition
  • c. 1260 Jacobus de Voragine, The Golden Legend Later tradition

Each is labelled with who said it and when; none is blended into Scripture.

THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM

Who was with him?

Every record of Simon in Scripture, in story order (the Gospels in the order of Robertson's harmony, then Acts and the letters). A person counts as "with him" only where a verse of that record names them both. 13 people in all.

named in the passage from first to last mention Point at a column to see what happens; click it to keep it (click again to let go); choose a name to follow that person.

II · WITH JESUS

Chosen as one of the Twelve

And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,

NAMED WITH HIM HERE

  • Peter Mark 3:16
  • Andrew Mark 3:18
  • James son of Zebedee Mark 3:17
  • John son of Zebedee Mark 3:17
  • Philip Mark 3:18
  • Bartholomew Mark 3:18
  • Thomas Mark 3:18
  • Matthew Mark 3:18
  • James son of Alphaeus Mark 3:18
  • Thaddaeus Mark 3:18
  • Judas Iscariot Mark 3:19
  • Zebedee Mark 3:17
  • Alphaeus Mark 3:18

SIDE BY SIDE

One moment, several accounts

2 moments of his story told by more than one book, each in its own words in the King James Version. His names are marked; switch on "only here" to underline the words that just one account has.

ELEVENTH

Matthew

Matthew 10:2–4

10:2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

10:3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;

10:4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

ELEVENTH

Mark

Mark 3:16–19

3:16 And Simon he surnamed Peter;

3:17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:

3:18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,

3:19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.

TENTH

Luke

Luke 6:14–16

6:14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,

6:15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphæus, and Simon called Zelotes,

6:16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.

TENTH

Acts

Acts 1:13

1:13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.

NEAR AND FAR

Where was he?

3 places named in his story, with what happened there and how far each lies from Jerusalem. Tradition's places are dashed, with who placed him there and when. Choose a card or a pin.

Scroll to zoom · drag to move · the map stays on his places Land outline: the Atlas (Natural Earth)

OPEN QUESTIONS

What readers still ask

4 questions the reviewed sources leave open for Simon, with the answers given and who gives them, and 3 things Scripture does not say, in italic. Choose one.

VIEWS, WITH WHO HOLDS THEM · THIS PAGE

Is Simon the Zealot the same man as Simon the Lord's brother, or Symeon son of Clopas? (Earliest source first.)

Different men

Hegesippus (about AD 170) and Eusebius (about AD 325), who never call Symeon an apostle; A. C. McGiffert (1890)

Hegesippus tells of Symeon son of Clopas, second bishop of Jerusalem, martyred under Trajan “at the age of one hundred and twenty years”; Eusebius, retelling it, says he “suffered a death similar to that of our Lord”, and calls him “a cousin, as they say, of the Saviour”. Neither calls him one of the Twelve. McGiffert holds that the Lord's brothers were not apostles, since they did not believe in him.

Early church John 7:5 Eusebius (trans. A. C. McGiffert, 1890·A. C. McGiffert, 1890

A kinsman of the Lord

Jacobus de Voragine, The Golden Legend (about 1260); noted by C. M. Kerr (ISBE, 1915)

The Golden Legend makes Simon and Jude brothers of James the Less and sons of “Mary Cleophas”; Kerr notes that Simon “has been identified with Simon the brother of Jesus”.

Later tradition Mark 6:3 Jacobus de Voragine (Caxton's English of 1483, 1900·C. M. Kerr, 1915

Nathanael

C. M. Kerr (ISBE, 1915), drawing on Ethiopic texts translated by Budge

Kerr argues that Simon may be Nathanael, citing an Ethiopic “Preaching of Simon, son of Cleopas”, whose heading calls him “Judas, which is interpreted Nathanael”.

Scholars C. M. Kerr, 1915

Rooted in Scripture. Open for discovery.

A place to read slowly, ask deeply, and follow the connections. Scripture, study and the voices of Christian history, brought together for a lifetime of learning.

SPEND TIME IN THE WORD

  • Open the reader
  • Books & reading progress
  • Compare Scripture editions
  • Find a passage

FOLLOW YOUR QUESTIONS

  • Study collections
  • People & places
  • Faith & apologetics
  • Stories of faith

A library with a paper trail.

Meet the authors. Explore the collection. Trace each work to its source.

Download the code.

Open source on GitHub.