This week we continue our study of the dispersal of the apostles after Pentecost. This week, we also have a rather unusual situation, simply put two for one? Well, not exactly what we’re looking at here would be Simon and Jude who both were two of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. They’re known for their work as  missionaries often in Persia. It is written that Simon was often called the zealot and was considered to have been a former Jewish nationalist revolutionary. Jude is sometimes confused with Judas Iscariot but was likely a relative of Jesus. Now Jude, he is relieved to have been a brother of Saint James the greater making him a cousin of Christ, the epistle Jude in the New Testament is traditionally attributed to him and here again we run into the word tradition which states that Simon and Jude traveled together on a mission to spread the gospel. Tradition holds that they ministered in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and ancient Persia, which is now the modern Iran.We wish to be very careful here how we put all this and remind you that we’re trying our best to be as accurate as we possibly can. Records indicate that the two of them together suffered martyrdom in Persia after being arrested because they refused to deny Christ, and of course they would not worship pagan deities. 

Now let’s focused for a moment on the apostle Simon. He was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. There seems to be a debate as to whether or not the name, zealot distinguishes him as a person who opposed the Roman occupation or was it because he was so zealous about the gospel and his dedication to Jesus Christ. Either way that’s a pretty good description and one he could be proud of. We always run across little bits and pieces as we do the research for these blogs and one that caught my eye was that Simon is mentioned in the New Testament only in the list of the 12 apostles such as in Matthew 10:4, mark 3:18, Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13. Remember the wedding in Cana, according to tradition, Simon was the groom at the wedding in Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine. There are those who believe having witnessed such a miracle only solidified his commitment to follow Jesus Christ. Now we will return to the subject of his preaching and Martyrdom. It is written and tradition states that he preached the gospel in various places, including Egypt, North Africa and Persia, it is also written that different descriptions of his death included crucifixion or being sawed in half. I guess we can wrap this up on Simon by saying that he still remains one of the more mysterious disciples of Christ with much of his story coming from non-biblical tradition rather than direct spiritual accounts. One thing that is obvious here is that the power of God through Jesus Christ enabled Simon to become a powerful voice for Jesus Christ and his ministry.

Jude and Thaddeus, two different men are the same person? Well, the answer seems to be that. Yes Jude and Thaddeus are widely believed to be the same person, one of the original 12 apostles of Jesus. And there is some evidence that has raised some debate as to the identification of such due to inconsistencies in the gospel accounts. But we will not get into that. What we look at is the evidence for Jude and Thaddeus being the same person. In Matthew and Mark in the gospels Thaddeus is included as a disciple. The name is used there, however in the corresponding list in the gospel of Luke and Acts, it’s Judas son of James, however, many of the early Christians and scholars have concluded that these are the same individual. Remember Judas Iscariot the apostle that betrayed Jesus, well again the scholars believed that the names Jude, or Thaddeus, which, by the way is an Aramaic word meaning “heart” or “courageous” but they used these to distinguish this disciple from the one who had betrayed Jesus. Now there are more explanations, but I think I’ll just try to conclude this by simply bringing it down to this… the linking of the name, Jude and Thaddeus was used to distinguish this apostle from Judas Iscariot. To kinda wrap it up if we can and not be too confused… the Jude who traveled with Simon to Peugeot was Saint Jude sometimes known as Jude Thaddeus, also known as the apostle Jude. After Christ’s Ascension Jude traveled to Mesopotamia while Simon went to Egypt and they eventually met and joined forces in Persia. As to be expected, their preaching in Persia was met with intense opposition from local rulers and priests, who then released charmed serpents against them. However, it is written the apostles performed miracles with the serpents, turning them on their masters, leading to the conversion of many Persians and their king, and it was here in Persia, just as Simon was, Jude was also martyred.

Please join us next week as we follow The Few as they take the Good News to The Many.

Life is Good

jk