I like to read the Bible from cover to cover. When I finish, I start again and enjoy it so much that I’ve been doing this for many years. Each time I read the four Gospels, I wonder which of the disciples are the original twelve. They are often called by their name, surname, nicknames, etc. and it makes it difficult to tell which are the original twelve disciples.
Some may consider those inconsistencies which they deem lies and say that the Bible is full of lies which disproves that Jesus Is the Son of God, but is that really true? I have felt led to take on this really big Biblical Research Project to analyze and determine who the original twelve disciples are and to see if there are any significant inconsistencies.
In order to do this research, I will use the New King James Version [NKJV] of the Bible and internet resources, as needed. There are times when the Bible has both the words “he” and “him” within the same verse. I will put who is speaking and who is being spoken to within brackets, if it isn’t clear from the context of the sentence. I will also put my analysis, evaluation, insights and opinions, within brackets, as well, to let you know when I am sharing this information.
If you would like to look at this Biblical Research Project in its entirety, it will be posted on Biblical Proof! at https://BiblicalProof.blogspot.com/ and Do Biblical Inconsistencies Really Matter? at https://Biblicalinconsistencies.blogspot.com
I want you to know how I started this long Biblical Research Project. I had just finished reading the four Gospels and had the lingering feeling that it would be nice to know which were the original twelve disciples, since I’ve wondered this for years. I got an old spiral notebook and started at Acts, because that’s what I was starting to read at the time I felt led to do this research. As I came across the name of any Bible disciples, whether the original twelve or not, I put their name on the top of a separate page. I divided the page in half. The right half of the page said: Acts on… and the left side of the page said: Gospels… I figured that I would go back and read the four Gospels again after I had finished reading the rest of the New Testament, which is exactly what I did.
Each time I saw Peter mentioned in the New Testament, I went to his page in the spiral notebook and listed every time he was mentioned by name. I wrote down the Book of the Bible and verses like this Acts 1:13, 15, Acts 2:14, 37, 38, etc. Sometimes, I wanted to note, for my own information, that Acts 1:15-25 was all spoken by Peter although his name is only mentioned in verse 15, so I circled only the times his name was actually mentioned. Also, at a certain point, I decided to double check my figures against searches on BibleGateway.com/. In order to stay consistent with their figures, I ended up counting a person’s name twice if it was listed twice within the same verse, but there were only a few times that happened.
I’ve been trying to be prayerful about how to relay my findings, since I am using tables to record some of the information, along with Bible verses and internet sources. I will show the final table of the original twelve disciples at the end, but I will highlight and note what I find out about the ones in question here. Otherwise, if I just show you a complete table in the beginning, you won’t have any idea of any possible inconsistencies related to the original disciples.
Also, I know that both Stephen and Saul/Paul aren’t one of the twelve disciples, but kept a page for them out of curiosity. I wondered if either of them were mentioned by name in the Gospels.
[Using the data from my spiral notebook and Bible Gateway.com/, I will know that any disciple not mentioned in the four Gospels is not one of the original twelve disciples. That is because the four Gospels have the names of the twelve disciples listed in the passages, although some of them are called different things in some of the Gospels. These will be shared with you after I give you the data from this table. Additionally, you should note if you ever do searches of this type, you have to be very specific. A search for James, will pull up verses for James, the brother of John, James the son of Zebedee (which are the same person), James son of Alphaeus, James the less, James the son of Mary, etc. So, you have to be specific or read all the verses making tally marks as you go. I used both strategies, depending on what I was searching for. ]
[I will highlight in yellow those who will not be added to the other tables, because the focus of this Biblical Research Project is to identify the original twelve disciples. ]
Name | Gospel Matthew | Gospel of Mark | Gospel of Luke | Gospel of John | Book of Acts | Rest of New Testament | a.k.a. Also known as |
Simon Peter Andrew’s brother | 23 | 19 | 26 | 25 | 56 | 7 | |
James John’s brother | 4 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
Andrew Simon Peter’s brother | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | ||
Philip | 2 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 17 | ||
Thomas | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | ||
Bartholomew | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
Matthew | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | |||
James Son of Alphaeus | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
Simon the Zealot | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
Judas Son of James | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||
Judas Iscariot | 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 | |||
John Brother of James | 5 | 10 | 7 | *See note below | 11 | 6 | |
Joses/Joseph | 1 | 3 | 23 | 5 | Barnabas | ||
Stephen | 6 | ||||||
Saul/Paul | 159 | 39 | |||||
John surname Mark | 5 | 4 | Cousin of Barnabas | ||||
James-brother of Jesus? | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
Luke | 3 | ||||||
Timothy | 6 | 19 | |||||
Lebbaeus surnamed Thaddaeus | 1 | 1 | |||||
Nathanael | 7 |
[Even though I will be eliminating the five highlighted disciples from the list, I still need to do more research to determine which of the fifteen remaining names belong to the twelve original disciples.]
The following are the primary Bible passages, where I got some of the initial information on the twelve original disciples:
Matthew 4:17-22 says: From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He [Jesus] said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He [Jesus] saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He [Jesus] called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
Matthew 9:8-9 goes on to say: Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men. As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He [Jesus] said to him [Matthew] “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
Matthew 10:2-4 further says: Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Phillip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him [Jesus].
Mark 1:16-20 says: And as He [Jesus] walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. When He [Jesus] had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He [Jesus] called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.
Mark 2:13-15 goes on to say: Then He [Jesus] went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to Him, “Follow Me.” So he [Levi] arose and followed Him [Jesus]. Now it happened, as He [Jesus] was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.
Mark 3:14-16 further says: Then He [Jesus] appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: 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 [Jesus]. And they went into a house.
Luke 5:1-11 says: So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him [Jesus] to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He [Jesus] got into one of the boats which was Simon’s and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.
Luke 5:27-29 goes on to say: After these things He [Jesus] went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he [Levi] left all, rose up, and followed Him [Jesus]. Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.
Luke 6:12-16 further says: Now it came to pass in those days that He [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who became a traitor.
John 1:32-51 says: “And John [the Baptist] bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him [Jesus]. “I did not know Him, but He [God the Father] who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ “And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” Again, the next day, John [the Baptist] stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he [John the Baptist] said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “Where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the “Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). And he [Andrew] brought him [Peter] to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him [Peter], He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah [footnote says John]. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone). The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He[Jesus] found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote-Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” Nathanael said to Him [Jesus], “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” And He [Jesus] said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
John 21:1-2 goes on to say: After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called the twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together
Acts 1: 13 says: And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.
Note Luke 10:1 says: After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go
Luke 10:17 goes on to say: Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
[These two Bible passages are very significant! Jesus didn’t just appoint twelve disciples, He appointed seventy more. So, many of these people listed in the tables below were disciples of Jesus Christ, but just not one of the original twelve disciples.]
Disciples who are Listed in the Gospels and in Acts to see if They are One of the Original Twelve Disciples
Disciples listed in: | Matthew | Mark | Luke | John | Acts on... |
1 | Simon, who is called Peter, | Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; | Simon, whom He also named Peter | Andrew’s own brother Simon | Peter |
2 | Andrew Peter’s brother | Andrew | Andrew Peter’s brother | Andrew, Simon Peter's brother | Andrew |
3 | James the son of Zebedee, John’s brother | James the son of Zebedee and brother of John, called Boanerges, “Sons of Thunder” | James | James | |
4 | John the son of Zebedee, James’ brother | John the son of Zebedee and brother of James, called Boanerges, “Sons of Thunder” | John | ? | John |
5 | Phillip | Philip | Philip | Jn 1:43 He[Jesus] found Philip | Philip |
6 | Bartholomew Mt 10:3 | Bartholomew Mk 3:18 | Bartholomew Lk 6:14 | ? | Bartholomew Acts:1:13 |
7 | Thomas Mt 10:3 | Thomas Mk 3:18 | Thomas Lk 6:14 | Thomas only in Jn 11:16, 14:5, 20:24-29, 21:2 | Thomas Acts 1:13 |
8 #4 Mk 2:14-15 Levi son of Alphaeus at tax collector’s office & Mt 10:3 James son of Alphaeus | Matthew the tax collector Mt 9:9,10:3 | Matthew Mk 3:18, | Matthew #5 Lk 5:27-Levi, Lk 6:15- Matthew | ? | Matthew Acts 1:13 |
9 | James the son of Alphaeus Mt 10:3 | James the son of Alphaeus Mk 3:18 | James the son of Alphaeus Lk 6:15 | #3 James son of Alphaeus not mentioned in John | James the son of Alphaeus Acts 1:13, 15:13-22, 21:18-25 1 Cor 15:7 Gala 2:9? 2:12? James 1:1-5:20 |
10 | Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus Mt 10:3 | Thaddaeus Mark 3:18 | ? | ? | |
11 | Simon the Canaanite Mt 10:4 | Simon the Cananite Mk 3:4 | #8 Simon the Zealot Lk 6:14 | ? | Simon the Zealot Acts 1:13 |
12 | Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him [Jesus] | Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him [Jesus] | Judas Iscariot who became a traitor | Judas Iscariot only on Jn 6:70-71, 12:4, 13:2, 26-30 son of Simon, 18:2-5 | Acts 1: 16-19 Judas committed suicide |
? Ones in Question | Mt 13:55 Jesus’ mother Mary, brothers James, Joses, Simon, Judas | # 4 Mk 2:14 Levi son of Alphaeus #6 Joses/Joseph aka Barnabas, Joseph aka Barsabas surnamed Justus | #1 Judas the son of James Lk 6:16 | #2 Jn 1:45-49 Philip found Nathanael Jn 21:2 Jn 14:22 says Judas, but not Iscariot | Judas the son of James Acts 1:13, 15:22, 27, 31-34 #7Joses/Joseph named Barnabas by apostles 4:36-37, 9:22-27, 11:21-30, 12:25, 13:1-2, 7, 13-52, 14:1-5, 12, 14, 20, 28, 15:1-5, 12-39, 1 Cor 9:6, Gal 2:1, 9-13, Cols 4:10 Mark cousin of Barnabas, John whose surname was Mark only in Acts on... |
[Judas the son of James Lk 6:16 #1 Well, Acts 1:13 cleared this up and says: And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. Luke 6:16 also has as a continuation of the list of the original twelve disciples: Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor. John 14:22 also says: Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”The only problem is, at this point, I don’t have a slot for him. The only slot I might even have available is #10 where it says: Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus, because he was mentioned as one of the original twelve disciples in both the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. So, I need to do further research on those names, as well, although I might not do it immediately.]
[I am coming back to re-address this further. I utilized internet resources to find out more about Lebbaeus Thaddaeus to see if there is a connection to Judas the son of James. I found the following information that seemed credible on:
Got Questions. Your Questions. Biblical Answers. at https://www.gotquestions.org/Thaddeus-in-the-Bible.html ]
“Question: "Who was Thaddeus in the Bible?"
Answer: Thaddeus was one of the original twelve disciples chosen by Jesus Christ. Thaddeus, whose name is also spelled Thaddaeus, is somewhat of a mystery apostle. For one, Thaddeus is hardly mentioned in the Bible. To complicate matters, Scripture refers to Thaddeus by a few different names.
Jerome, a fourth-century Bible scholar, dubbed Thaddeus “Trinomious,” which means “the man with three names.” In both the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, the apostle is listed as Thaddeus (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18). In the King James Version of Matthew 10:3, he is called “Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus.” Luke, however, replaces the name Thaddeus with “Judas son of James” in both Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13. And when the apostle John mentions Thaddeus, he calls him “Judas (not Iscariot)” (John 14:22).
Judas was a popular name in New Testament times. It means, “Jehovah leads.” Bible scholars suggest that Judas was likely the name given to Thaddeus at birth, while Lebbaeus and Thaddeus were nicknames. Lebbaeus translates as “heart-child,” and Thaddeus means “breast-child,” so it’s possible these were terms of endearment given him by family members. John MacArthur proposes in his book Twelve Ordinary Men that these nicknames suggest Thaddeus was a gentle soul with a tender, childlike heart.
The only recorded words of Thaddeus are in John 14. Jesus and the twelve disciples were gathered together in the Upper Room for the Last Supper. The Lord was speaking to them about the troubling matter of His impending death. The apostles had questions and concerns. Jesus promised to give them the Holy Spirit to help them and to dwell within them. Then He said, “Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” (John 14:19–21).
Confused, Thaddeus asked Jesus, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?” (John 14:22, NLT). Thaddeus’s question reveals a few things about the man. First, he felt comfortable enough in his relationship with Jesus to interrupt Him with a question. Second, Thaddeus wanted to know why Jesus would treat the disciples differently from the world. And third, like most first-century Jews, Thaddeus was expecting a Messiah who would reveal Himself in power to the world.
The answer Jesus gave Thaddeus was simple: “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me” (John 14:23–24). Our love for God is expressed through obedience to His teaching. Love and obedience are inseparable for Christians. Those who love and obey God are His children. These children receive the Holy Spirit, who reveals Christ to them, but Christ remains hidden to the world
Nothing more is revealed about Thaddeus in the Bible. We know Thaddeus, like the other disciples, left his former life to follow and serve Jesus Christ faithfully, enduring hardship and persecution. Some scholars believe Thaddeus wrote the book of Jude, although the more widely accepted view is that Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, penned the book. Extrabiblical literature says that, after Pentecost, Thaddeus took the gospel message north, where he performed miracles, preached, and founded a church in Edessa, an area in modern Turkey.”
[I also checked this out on BibleHub.com which has commentary by a variety of Bible Scholars: The Choice of the Twelve by G. A. Chadwick at https://biblehub.com/library/chadwick/the_gospel_of_st_mark/chapter_3_7-19_the_choice_of.htm had this to say:
“A mere comparison of the lists refutes the notion that any one Evangelist has worked up the materials of another, so diverse are they, and yet so easily reconciled. Matthew in one is Levi in another. Thaddaeus, Jude, and Lebbaeus, are interchangeable. The order of the Twelve differs in all the four lists, and yet there are such agreement, even in this respect, as to prove that all the Evangelists were writing about what they understood.”
[I knew that Judas the son of James was one of the original twelve disciples according to the information I shared earlier. These provided the additional Biblical evidence I needed in order to determine that Lebbaeus surnamed Thaddeus was another name for Judas the son of James. It was worth the wait!]
[#2 Jn 1:45-49 where Philip found Nathanael and brought him to Jesus and in Jn 21:2 which says: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. So the question I have, are Nathanael and Bartholomew the same person? I looked this up at BibleHub.com/ and copied this portion from Ambassadors for Christ by Alexander Maclaren at: https://biblehub.com/library/maclaren/expositions_of_holy_scripture_d/ambassadors_for_christ.htm
“In the second quartet, Bartholomew is probably Nathanael; and, if so, his conjunction with Philip is an interesting coincidence with John i.45, which tells that Philip brought him to Jesus.”]
[I thought pursuing this research through the connection of Philip with Bartholomew and Nathanael seemed like a credible way to research this further. I looked up Philip in BibleGateway.com to see if Philip and Bartholomew are listed together or Philip and Nathanael are or all three of them are listed in the Gospels together. I could have looked it up in my Bible, but it’s sometimes helpful to see the verses together. I found this at: https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=Philip&version=NKJV This is what I found, but I have only included the related passages:
· “Matthew 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
· Mark 3:18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Canan
· Luke 6:14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;
· John 1:45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
· John 1:46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
· John 1:48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
· Acts 1:13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.”
[By evaluating this thoroughly utilizing several internet resources, the connection with Philip, and my notebook where I have recorded each time a disciple or possible disciple is named throughout the New Testament, I feel pretty confident that Batholomew and Nathanael are the same disciple.]
[#3 James the son of Alphaeus is not mentioned in the book of John. Is he one of the twelve original disciples even if it isn’t mentioned in John?]
[I got on BibleGateway.com and looked up James the son of Alphaeus. This is what they had related to this topic.]
Matthew 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
Mark 3:18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;
Luke 6:15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot;
Acts 1:13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.
[There were three Gospel writers who referred to James the Son of Alphaeus, but John didn’t. Is that significant? Well, upon extensive research, John doesn’t mention nine of the disciples by name, including himself and his brother, James, both sons of Zebedee. Does that mean that the John and James were not disciples, because they aren’t mentioned in the Gospel of John? No, not at all!]
[First of all, John writes about himself in the third person and never mentions his name as evidenced by: John 19:35 when recording about his eyewitness testimony about Jesus’ crucifixion: And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”]
[At times, there are differences in what is reported in the Gospels primarily due to writing style, with some Gospel writers writing with more detail and some with fewer details. There are those, like John, who don’t add to what has already been adequately recorded, but add when they have pertinent information that hasn’t been sufficiently recorded. This is evidenced by what John wrote in the Gospel of John 21:24-25 which says: “This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.” There is more than adequate information in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke and Acts to adequately verify that James the son of Alphaeus was one of the twelve original disciples.]
[Although there are some inconsistencies, they are minor. You will find out if you watch this brief video by J. Warner Wallace, a L.A. Cold-Case Detective, who tells that witnesses rarely report things exactly the same way. Were the Gospels Written by Eye Witnesses? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siOcvLyKuEk (3 minutes 27 seconds) In my opinion, this video is really worth watching, because it clarifies so many things about the inconsistencies in the Gospel recordings, but they were still valid witnesses.]
[# 4 Mk 2:14 Levi son of Alphaeus and Mt 10:3 James son of Alphaeus In doing some of this research, it appears that there may be two sons of Alphaeus who are disciples. In order to verify with the passages side by side, I went to BibleGateway.com and looked up Alphaeus. This is what I got:]
Matthew 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
Mark 2:14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
Mark 3:18
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;
Luke 6:15
Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot;
Acts 1:13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.
[It does appear that there are two sons of Alphaeus, but I have to check it out further.]
[#5 My goal is two-fold. I need to look up Levi to see if there is any connection to James the son of Alphaeus. Additionally, I need to find out if Levi and Matthew are the same person, since both have tax collector connections. Again, I went to BibleGateway.com/ and looked up Levi. I am including only the passages that pertain to my scope of analysis.]
Mark 2:14 As He passed by, He[Jesus] saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He [Jesus] said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
Mark 2:15 Now it happened, as He [Jesus] was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.
Luke 5:27 After these things He [Jesus] went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.”
Luke 5:29
Then Levi gave Him [Jesus] a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.
[Now, I need to compare on BibleGateway.com/ and see if it says some of the same things about Matthew or if it has them both mentioned together. Again, I’m only including the related passages.]
Matthew 9:9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
Matthew 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
[I decided to put the rest of this passage here, so I can compare the text in this list of disciples side-by-side to see if it also lists Levi.]
Matthew 10:2-4 says: Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Phillip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him [Jesus].
[Levi is not mentioned in this same passage with Matthew.]
Mark 3:18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;
[Again, I need to see if both Matthew and Levi are mentioned in this passage in Mark that names the twelve disciples.]
Mark 3:14-16 further says: Then He [Jesus] appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: 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 [Jesus]. And they went into a house.
[Levi and Matthew were not mentioned in the same passage.]
Luke 5:27 After these things He [Jesus] went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.”
Luke 6:15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot;
[I need to compare the whole passage in Luke that states the names of the twelve disciples.]
Luke 6:12-16 further says: No it came to pass in those days that He [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who became a traitor.
[Levi and Matthew are not mentioned together in this passage either.]
Acts 1:13
And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.
[Matthew and Levi weren’t mentioned together in the passage in Acts where the remaining eleven disciples were gathered in the upper room to pick a disciple to replace Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.]
[Now, I want to compare the passages I shared with you from BibleGateway.org to see if there are two or more passages that are speaking of the same event or situation and one has Matthew and the other has Levi.]
Matthew 9:9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He [Jesus] said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
Mark 2:14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He [Jesus] said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
Luke 5:27 After these things He [Jesus] went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.”
[These three Bible verses in Matthew, Mark, and Luke are all but identical. Mark and Luke list Levi and Matthew lists Matthew as the person that Jesus found at the tax office and said, “Follow Me.” This is pretty conclusive evidence that Matthew and Levi are the same person. I think I hit the jackpot on this one! Matthew has to be the son of Alphaeus, if Levi is the son of Alphaeus. That means that James the son of Alphaeus is the brother of Matthew, tax collector also known as Levi, son of Alphaeus.]
[#6 Acts 1:23 Joseph called Barsabas & Acts 4:36 Joses/ Joseph aka Barnabas
I wondered if Barsabas and Barnabas are the same disciple or whether either of them are one of the twelve original disciples.
Acts 4:36 says: And Joses [aka Joseph], who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, 37 having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Acts 15:22 says: Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.
Acts 15:25-27 further clarify this: it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Salas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth.
[Acts 15:22 and 25-27 seem to clear this up some. The apostles and elders selected two: Judas who was also named Barsabas and Silas to join up with Paul and Barnabas. So Barnabas and Barsabas are not the same disciple. Additionally, if Judas who was also named Barsabas was voted on in Acts 1:23 to join the remaining eleven disciples, but wasn’t selected, he couldn’t have been one of the original twelve disciples.]
[This brings us to #7Joses/Joseph named Barnabas by apostles Could Barnabas be one of the original twelve disciples?]
Acts 4:36-37 says: And Joses/Joseph, who was also name Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having lands, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
[Knowing his name is Joses/Joseph leads me to my spiral notebook where I have recorded the times that name has been recorded and the verses related to it.]
Matthew 13:54-56 says: When He [Jesus] had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses/Joseph, Simon, and Judas? “And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?”
Matthew 27:55-56 says: And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses/Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Mark 6:3 says: “Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joses/Joseph, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him [Jesus].
Mark 15:40-41 speaks of those who had watched Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross from afar: There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses/Joseph, and Salome, who also followed Him [Jesus] and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem. [This isn’t saying that James the Less and of Joses/Joseph and Salome were there with the women watching, although they may have been. It is really saying Mary, the mother of James the Less and of Joses/Joseph and Salome, so you can distinguish her from the other Mary’s watching at the crucifixion of Jesus.]
Mark 15:46-47 says: Then he brought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him [Jesus] in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses/Joseph observed where He [Jesus] was laid.
Acts 4:36-37 says: And Joses/Joseph, who was also name Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having lands, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Acts 9:26-27 says: And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him [Saul] and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he [Saul] had seen the Lord on the road, and that He [Jesus] had spoken to him [Saul], and how he [Saul] preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. [This portion about Barnabas is footnoted back to Acts 4:36 which says: And Joses/Joseph, who was also name Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus,]
Acts 11:22 says: Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch.
Acts 11:25 says: Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul.
Acts 11:30 says: This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. [There are many verses about Barnabas, but I’m trying to pick the ones that are most significant in this analysis of whether Barnabas was one of the original twelve disciples.]
[This is significant for you to understand why the remainder of these passages about Barnabas will refer to Paul instead of Saul, who is the same person. Acts 13:9 says: Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him,]
Acts 13:43 says: Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
Acts 15:12 says: Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.
[Up until 5 seconds ago, I would have thought that all of this attested to Barnabas’ being the brother of Jesus. Then, when I went to 1 Corinthians 9:3-6, I had to change my opinion, if I am truly analyzing this correctly. Just to make sure, I looked at this same passage on BibleGateway.org and checked about ten different versions of the Bible to make sure I wasn’t misinterpreting this. All-in-all, although they used some different wording for portions of the passage, the text in question was the same.]
1 Corinthians 9:3-6 where Paul says: My defense to those who examine me is this: Do we have no right to eat and drink? Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas [Peter]? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working?
[The reference notation for the brothers of the Lord is “And His brothers James, Joses/Joseph, Simon, and Judas?”]
[With that said, in 1 Corinthians 9:3-6, Paul is talking about how he and Barnabas don’t get to take with them a believing wife like the other apostles, Jesus’ brothers and Peter do. With analyzing the wording of this passage, Paul didn’t say like Barnabas’ brothers, or Jesus’ other brothers do. The way ‘the brothers of the Lord’ is phrased, is in distinct contrast to “is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working?” which lets me know that Barnabas is not Jesus’ half brother.]
[In Matthew 13:55 which says: Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His [Jesus’] brothers James, Joses/Joseph, Simon, and Judas?”, they are referring to a different Joses/Joseph not the one who is referred to as Barnabas. Joseph is a pretty common name. According to Bible Gateway.com/ Joseph is used 240 times throughout the Bible and 25 of those times is in the New Testament.]
[Additionally, in doing this research, I found that Joses/Joseph, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles, was first mentioned in the Bible in Acts 4:36. As I mentioned earlier in this Biblical Research Project, those who weren’t mentioned in the Gospels would be eliminated as possible original disciples, because the Gospels mention their names, although in different ways.]
[There could be some who would wonder why I just now determined that Joses/Joseph named Barnabas by the apostles wasn’t one of the original disciples. Well, the thing is, if Joses/Joseph named Barnabas by the apostles was one of Jesus’ half-brothers, he could have been mentioned in the Gospels. As it turned out, the Joses/Joseph that was Jesus’ half-brother and mentioned in the Gospels is someone else. I had to thoroughly research this to determine if Barnabas was Jesus' half-brother, before determining if he was one of the original twelve disciples.]
#8 Simon the Cananite and Simon the Zealot are not mentioned in all four of the Gospels, but he is listed in Acts. Is that significant and are they the same person?
Matthew 10:4 includes this in the list of the original twelve disciples: Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
Mark 3:18 again says as a continuation of verses that lists the twelve original disciples: Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananaite;
Luke 6:15 is part of another list of the twelve original disciples: Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot;
Acts 1:13 says: And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.
In that there isn’t much in the Bible about Simon the Cananite/Zealot, I found this information at: Only One Hope called the Facts About the Apostle Simon the Zealot at: https://onlyonehope.com/simon-the-zealot/
Simon the Zealot is one of the greatest cases of the changing power of Christ. He was a Zealot for much of his life, which meant he was extremely legalistic and held a deep-set hatred towards the Romans and any who had dealings with them. Simon was called by Jesus and was completely changed. Jesus’ power removed the seeded hatred from his heart and instilled compassion, love, and zeal for Christ within him. Simon retained the moniker “the Zealot” because of his unwavering faith in Jesus, rather than for his formerly hateful ways. There is not much else told about Simon within the Bible. It is most commonly assumed that he was crucified as a martyr for God. His symbol in the Catholic church is a fish resting on a Bible. This is to represent his initial beginnings as a fisherman who grew to become a fisher of men through the saving grace of Jesus.
[Is it significant that Simon the Cananite/Zealot wasn’t mentioned in the Gospel of John, although he is mentioned in three other Gospels and Acts? Remember, the Apostle John doesn’t waste time and space rehashing things that have already been adequately recorded in the Bible. John 20:30-31 is another passage which tips you off to how John feels about this: And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. [So, it isn’t significant that John did not list Simon the Cananite/Zealot as one of the twelve original disciples. In my opinion, he wouldn’t have wasted the space to write it again, when there were so many other things he would have preferred to share about Jesus, our Savior!]
Table of Twelve Disciples and Number of Times Mentioned in the Bible plus Aliases
Name | Gospel Matthew | Gospel of Mark | Gospel of Luke | Gospel of John | Book of Acts | Rest of New Testament | a.k.a. Also known as |
Simon Peter Andrew’s brother | 23 | 19 | 26 | 25 | 56 | 7 | Barjona, Bar-Jonah, Cephas |
James John’s brother | 4 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Boanerges-Sons of Thunder, Sons of Zebedee |
Andrew Simon Peter’s brother | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | ||
Philip | 2 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 17 | ||
Thomas | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | TheTwin | |
Bartholomew | 1 | 1 | 1 | Nathanael 7 | 1 | Bartholomew and Nathanael | |
Matthew | 2 | 2 | 3 | Levi | 1 | Levi, Son of Alphaeus, brother of James Son of Alphaeus | |
James Son of Alphaeus | 1 | 1 | 1 | Is one of the 12 disciples | 3 | 4 | Brother of Matthew/ Levi son of Alphaeus |
Simon the Zealot | 1 | 1 | 1 | Is one of the 12 disciples | 1 | Simon the Canaanite, Simon the Zealot | |
Judas Iscariot | 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 | |||
John son of Zebedee | 5 | 10 | 7 | Talks of himself in 3rd Person | 11 | 6 | Boanerges-Sons of Thunder, Sons of Zebedee, brother of James |
Judas son of James | 1 Lebbaeussurnamed Thaddaeus | 1 Thaddaeus | 1 Judas son of James | 1 Judas not Iscariot | 4 Judas the son of James | Lebbaeus, Thaddaeus, Judas son of James |
Table Listing the Twelve Original Disciples
Disciples listed in: | Matthew | Mark | Luke | John | Acts |
1 | Simon, who is called Peter, | Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; | Simon, whom He also named Peter | Andrew’s own brother Simon/Peter | Peter |
2 | Andrew Peter’s brother | Andrew | Andrew Peter’s brother | Andrew, Simon Peter's brother | Andrew |
3 | James the son of Zebedee, John’s brother | James the son of Zebedee and brother of John, called Boanerges, “Sons of Thunder” | James | John 21:2 Sons of Zebedee [James & John] | James |
4 | John the son of Zebedee, James’ brother | John the son of Zebedee and brother of James, called Boanerges, “Sons of Thunder” | John | Jn 21:25 John writes about himself in 3rd person *See examples below this table | John |
5 | Phillip | Philip | Philip | Jn 1:43 He[Jesus] found Philip | Philip |
6 | Bartholomew Mt 10:3 | Bartholomew Mk 3:18 | Bartholomew Lk 6:14 | Jn 1:45 Philip found Nathanael aka Bartholomew | Bartholomew Acts:1:13 |
7 | Thomas Mt 10:3 | Thomas Mk 3:18 | Thomas Lk 6:14 | Thomas only on Jn 11:16, 14:5, 20:24-29, 21:2 | Thomas Acts 1:13 |
8 | Matthew the tax collector Mt 9:9,10:3 | Matthew Mk 3:18, | Matthew Lk 5:27-Levi, 6:14 | Matthew/ Levi son of Alphaeus, brother of James | Matthew Acts 1:13 |
9 | James the son of Alphaeus Mt 10:3 | James the son of Alphaeus Mk 3:18 | James the son of Alphaeus Lk 6:15 | James the son of Alphaeus Is one of the 12 disciples | James the son of Alphaeus Acts 1:13, 15:13-22, 21:18-25 1 Cor 15:7 Gala 2:9, 2:12, James 1:1-5:20 |
10 | Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus Mt 10:3 Aka Judas son of James | Thaddaeus Mark 3:18 aka Judas son of James | Luke 6:16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who became a traitor | Judas not Iscariot Jn 14:22 | Acts 1:13 Judas the son of James |
11 | Simon the Canaanite Mt 10:4 | Simon the Cananite Mk 3:4 | Simon the Zealot Lk 6:14 | Simon the Cananite/ Zealot is one of the 12 original Disciples | Simon the Zealot Acts 1:13 |
12 | Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him [Jesus] | Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him [Jesus] | Judas Iscariot who became a traitor | Judas Iscariot only on Jn 6:70-71, 12:4, 13:2, 26-30 son of Simon, 18:2-5 | Acts 1: 16-19 Judas committed suicide |
[*See note below Info: The Apostle John speaks of himself in third person. In fact, in the whole Gospel of John, he doesn’t mention his own name once. Here are some examples:]
John 13:23 says: Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples whom Jesus Loved. [Well, the person he is talking about who Jesus loves is himself.]
John 18:15-16 says: And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in. [The other disciple John is talking about is himself.]
John 19:26-27 says: 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. [The disciple John is talking about having Jesus’ mother move in with him is himself.]
John 19:32-37 says: Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His [Jesus’] side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.” [The Apostle John was talking about himself, saying that he saw the soldier pierce Jesus’ side after He had died and that he, John, knows it’s true, and is telling the truth.]
John 20:3-10 says: Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He [Jesus] must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. [The other disciple John is talking about is himself.]
John 21:7 says: Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. [The disciple whom Jesus loves is the Apostle John, but that’s how he talks about himself.
John 21:20 says: Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His [Jesus’] breast at the supper [last supper], and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” [John is saying that he is the one whom Jesus loves.]
John 21:24 says: This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. [Again, the Apostle John is talking about himself in the third person.]
[As you see, there were not any inconsistencies that were significant and that it most definitely did not disprove that Jesus Is the Son of God! Don’t let people confuse you and tell you that the Bible is full of inconsistencies and lies. Again, most inconsistencies in the Bible are a mere difference in writing style with some providing more detail and some with fewer. Others only add to what hasn’t already been adequately recorded.]
Remember John 3:16-21 says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not comes to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. “But he who does the truth come to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
