Simon was surnamed the Zealot for his rigid adherence to the Jewish law and to the Canaanite law. I realize that the brother of Jesus, James, was not an apostle but he was one of the early church leaders and the account of his death is horrific. Acts 1:20-26 reveals how this was done, and some scholars say it may have fulfilled a prophecy in Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8. What terrible destruction we can cause when we proudly act on our private interpretations of Scripture! On the various New Testament lists of the Twelve Apostles ( Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:13), the tenth and eleventh places are occupied by Simon the Zealot (also called Simon the "Cananean," the Aramaic word meaning "Zealot") and by Judas of James, also called Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus. A party called Zealots were famous in the war of the Jews against the Romans. Some scholars believe that Eleazar's victory at Beit-Horon imbued the Jewish people with a false sense of hope for liberation from Rome. Read them in the archive below. Apostolic Identity. Like many of the Zealots, it is probable Simon had initially followed Jesus for political reasons . Key verses regarding Simon the . By 69 CE, with the support of most Idumeans, Simon captured Jerusalem and reduced Eleazar and John to a powerless state confinement in the Temple and inner court. Nothing else is known about him. St. Jude Thaddeus is invoked in desperate situations because his New Testament letter stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them. I'm jealous, but . Anyone associated with a known Zealot would fall under the suspicion of Roman authorities. The apostle James is not the same James as Jesus brother so we need to establish that fact. According to the apocryphal book of Acts of Andrews, this apostle was martyred by crucifixion in the Greek city of Patras around 60 AD. All that is known about his death is that he was also was crucified. Simon the Zealot Also Known as: Simon the Cananaean; Simon the Canaanite; Simon Zelotes. Your email address will not be published. Simon was called by Jesus and was completely changed. Cambridge University Press, 1999. We have one tantalizing bit of information about him, which has led to ongoing debates among Bible scholars. Thanks for stopping by! Apparently Jude was in Persia on a missionary trip. Thus , both names for Simon mean the same thing; the first simply refers to his political background, the org/fathers/0524.htm>. Outnumbered and isolated by Ananus' troops surrounding the Temple, Eleazar control of the Temple was seriously threatened from the winter of 67 to the spring of 68. It is not fair to call Judas Iscariot an apostle since he was never truly converted or commissioned by . How did Jesus meet Simon Peter? Matthias was the apostle that was selected to replace Judas who hung himself. Your email address will not be published. It is unlikely that the Magi mentioned in the New Testament who were searching for the child King, Jesus, and the ones who crucified Jude were one and the same. In 66 CE, the Zealots instigated the First JewishRoman War when the high priest Eleazar b. Ananius refused to give sacrifice to the Roman Emperor and slaughtered Florus' Roman garrison in Jerusalem. Matthew, like most of the apostles late in their lives, became a missionary and was arrested in Ethiopia. Simon the Zealot is also referred to in the gospels as Simon the Canaanite or Simon the Cananaean. Simon is mentioned occasionally in early church writings, but centuries after the gospels were written, Saint Jerome and others mistranslated Simons title, believing that Matthew and Mark referred to him as Simon the Cananite or Simon the Cananaean. Tagged as: Christian Truth. They feared that appointing a Zealot to power would provoke Rome to attack and would diminish their own power. A second-century apocryphal text called Acts of Peter claimed that Peter was crucified upside down, at his request for he didnt feel worthy to die as Jesus did. There are two St. James among the original twelve apostles: St. James the Greater whose feast is on July 25, and St. James the Less, the Lesser, or the Minor, whose feast is on May 3 and shared with St. Philip. Saint Simon the Apostle, also called Simon the Zealot (flourished 1st century addied , Persia or Edessa, Greece? The New Testament calls him Simon the Canaanite and 2 other places call him Simon. Apparently, he became a missionary to Asia Minor. There are different records of Simon the Zealots death. Inspired by Eleazar and the Zealots' victory, rebellions arose in Galilee, only to be crushed in 67 by Roman forces. FAQ: Where Was The Apostle Paul In Prison In Rome? Judas the Betrayer. Others believe that he was crucified in Pella, Jordan. And after saying this he said to him, Follow me. (John 21:18-19). In this guide, well dig into the ambiguities surrounding this lesser-known biblical figure, address some common confusions, and look at how he may have died. Zealous defenders of the Law and of the national life of the Jewish people; name of a party opposing with relentless rigor any attempt to bring Judea under the dominion of idolatrous Rome, and especially of the aggressive and fanatical war party from the time of Herod until the fall of Jerusalem and Masada. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. Apostle Simon If you step out of this life without Christ, then you have sealed your own fate and eternally separated yourself from God. ( Matthew 27:3-5) It was too late. Richard T. Ritenbaugh It can be inferred, however, from the geopolitical scene of ancient Israel in the first century CE. Luke replaces the name Thaddeus with Judas son of James (Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13). At 14th level for the Zealot: "While you're raging, having 0 hit points doesn't knock you unconscious. Matthias He was the apostle chosen to replace Judas. There is coming a day when no man or woman can be joined together with Christ so why not decide this very hour for when He comes it will be too late. Jesus teachings (such as turning the other cheek and loving your enemies) were often the complete opposite of the ideology the Zealots embraced. From the onset of the war in 66 CE until the destruction of the temple in 70 CE, he fought vehemently against the Roman garrisons in Judea and against his fellow Jewish political opponents in order to establish an independent Jewish state at Jerusalem. Join in praying the St. Simon Novena. Quick Answer: What Apostle Began The Greek Church? Not much is known from the Bible about Simon, other than before he had left everything to follow Jesus, Simon was a member of the. Synonyms for Zealot in Free Thesaurus. Although there are various versions of his death, it is likely he served with zeal as a missionary in Persia and eventually died a martyr's death. He is represented as bearded man holding an oar, a boat, boat hook, a club, an axe or a book. 30 synonyms for Zealot: fanatic, enthusiast, extremist, militant, maniac, fiend, bigot, devotee . Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in his years of service as Your Apostle. His death sentence was meted out by the Roman Emperor Catus Decianus during his execution in May 61 AD at Caistor, modern-day Lincolnshire . One tradition records that he was stoned by cannibals in Aethiopia (Georgia). Both Peter and Andrew were fisher partners of the sons of Zebedee. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.) When he surrendered to Vespasian, he claimed Jewish messianic prophecies were about Vespasian becoming the emperor of Rome, and lo and behold Vespasian decided to let him live, taking him on as a slave. (Arabic) (Hindi). A party called Zealots were famous in the war of the Jews against the Romans. Because of this, we have no reason to disbelieve these accounts as the vast majority of them agree on the method of the apostles deaths. We have studied James, the brother of John, an apostle that was among our Lord's closest disciples. Simon of Cyrene (Hebrew: , Standard Hebrew imon, Tiberian Hebrew imn; Greek: , Simn Kyrnaios; died 100) was the man compelled by the Romans to carry the cross of Jesus of Nazareth as Jesus was taken to his crucifixion, according to all three Synoptic Gospels. Amen. This event has been called the Dispersion of the Apostles. Simon, the Zealot As the story goes, he ministered in Persia and was killed after refusing to sacrifice to the sun god. This mistake led to the idea that Simon was present at the wedding in Cana in John 2, where Jesus performed his first miracle and turned water into wine,andthat he was the same person as Simon, the brother of Jesus (Matthew 13:55). MacMahon. The Apostle Jude was crucified in Persia. Simon was born in Judea, and he was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. He died early in the church history while the New Testament was still being compiled. However he was imprisoned on the island of Patmos where he wrote the Book of Revelation. His remains are buried in a crypt in Rome. Apostles, Given that details of Simon are so spare, I will address a couple of issues related to Simon's zeal. He was present when Jesus performed miracles, such as walking on water (Matthew 14:22), healing lepers (Luke 5:12), feeding thousands with five loaves of bread and two fish (Matthew 15:32), raising people from the dead (Luke 7:11), and raising Lazarus from death after four days (John 11:1-44). Other church fathers made this error as well, and it was perpetuated throughout church tradition for so long that some modern translations still say, Simon the Cananite or Simon the Cananean inMatthew 10:3andMark 3:18. that he grew up in Galilee, the center of Zealotry. Perhaps surprisingly, one of Christ's own disciples, Simon, was a member of the Zealots prior to meeting Jesus. Many think that St. Simon was called the Zealot, before his coming to Christ, because he was one of that particular sect or party among the Jews called Zealots, from a singular zeal they possessed for the honor of God and the purity of religion. We are sent out as sheep among . Eleazar ben Simon (Hebrew: ) was a Zealot leader during the First Jewish-Roman War who fought against the armies of Cestius Gallus, Vespasian, and Titus Flavius. We know almost nothing about Simon the Zealot. Even so, I thought he should be mentioned. But heres what we know. The following Simons and Simeons are found in the New Testament: Simon Peter, better known as Saint Peter, also known as Peter the Apostle, Cephas, and Simon bar Jonah ( Simon son of Jonah), foremost disciple of Jesus (Matthew 4:18ff). the Zealot movement that wanted a revolutionary overthrow of the occuying Romans. Two of them are among Jesus Twelve ApostlesSimon the Zealot and Simon Peter. The name of Simon occurs in all the passages of the Gospel and Acts, in which a list of the Apostles is given. It was there that he was staked or impaled to the earth by spears and then beheaded. Second Timothy was the last letter ever written by Paul and in it he knew that the time of his death drew near as he wrote to Timothy For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. Copyright 2011-2023 Got Questions Ministries - All Rights Reserved. Although the Jewish defeat at Jerusalem cannot be entirely attributed to Eleazar ben Simon, his inability to establish unity with John of Gischala and Simon bar Giora resulted in a bitter civil war that weakened the Jewish resistance against Rome. It is possible that Judas Iscariot, another member of the Twelve and the one who went on to betray Jesus, was a former Zealot as well. There are nine people named Simon in the New Testament. More than 1,000 copies ofThe Golden Legendsurvive today, showing how deeply embedded this mistranslation was in the church. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. The church, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone cannot have other apostles any more than it can have another cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20) because no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Corintians 3:11). And I was delivered from the lions mouth. Saint Matthias from the workshop of Simone Martini, c. AD 80 Jerusalem, Judaea or in Colchis (modern-day Georgia). Simon the Zealot (Luke 6:15, Acts 1:13) is also called Simon the "Canaanite" (Matthew 10:4, Mark 3:18). They assumed he was from Canaa town within Galileeor possibly Canaan, an ancient region in the near east which was frequently mentioned in the Bible. One thing is sure that all the disciples suffered greatly for their witness and in most cases met cruel deaths (see also What happened to the 12 disciples after the ascension of Christ?). First, followers of Jesus are invited to proclaim the Kingdom of God in weakness rather than strength. Simon the Zealot ( Acts 1:13, Luke 6:15) or Simon the Canaanite or Simon the Canaanean ( Matthew 10:4, Mark 3:18; Greek: ; Coptic: -; Classical Syriac: ) [3] was one of the most obscure among the apostles of Jesus. Or, he may have simply been zealous for the Lawor even zealous for Jesus or his teachings. Eleazar took the legion's equipment and movable wealth, returning to Jerusalem with substantial loot. According to most historians, Philips death was exceedingly cruel. What does history show and/or the Bible reveal how the 12 Apostles died? Simon the Zealot, one of Jesus Christ 's twelve apostles, is a mystery character in the Bible. Despite his rejection from power, Eleazar remained in Jerusalem promoting the Zealot cause from his headquarters at the Temple. The knowledge of Peters death is widespread among secular and church historians. This apostle, in the catalogue of our Lord's chosen disciples, is styled "Simon the Canaanite," whence some are of the opinion that he was born at Cana in Galilee; and it is generally thought that he was the bridegroom mentioned by St. John, at whose marriage our blessed . Syrian Christian tradition postulates he was martyred in Mylapore on July 3, 72 AD. Saint Simon the Apostle. His relics reside at Saint Peter's in Rome, at Rheims, and at Toulouse, France. He wrote from prison, knowing that his execution was near. The cause of his death in unclear because of the existence of two versions: (1) He was crucified in Edessa, Turkey; (2) He was clubbed-to-death and his body was either sawed or axed in pieces after (together with Simon the Zealot). Since Eleazar was placed in command of a large army of Jews in the battle against Cestius' Legio, he had already risen to a position of power in the priesthood prior to his military success. Saint Bartholomew lived in the first century AD and was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. There, he died a natural death as an old man. His last thoughts must have been of His beloved Lord knowing that since He rescued him from eternal death by saving him, He would rescue him after his physical death and would be with the Lord forever. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword (Acts 12:12). [1] J.H. Although its worth noting, in theTalmud, Jewish rabbis advocated for peace as well, and the Zealots ignored them. The name Judas the Zealot ( Judas Zelotes) is mentioned in the Epistle of the Apostles (Epistula Apostolorum), written in the 2nd century. CONCLUSION: Simon was a freedom fighter - a zealot! Jesus saw this coming when He said, Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) Simon the Zealot (died 65 AD) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. They argue that the conflicts between Jewish leaders rather than the views of the Zealots themselves are the reason for the collapse of Jerusalem and the defeat of the Jews. Simon the Zealot - aka Simeon or Kananaios, or Kananite s or even Simon - another brother of Jesus?. He is an author of an epistle (letter) to the Churches of the East, in particular the Jewish converts, directed against the heresies of the Simonians, Nicolaites, and Gnostics. He did his graduate work at Moody Theological Seminary. simon the zealot cause of death. Yet when the revolt broke out in 66 CE, the Galilean zealots fled the Roman massacres and sought refuge in the last major Jewish stronghold: Jerusalem. St. Simon (Commonly Called the Zealot) John Kitto. Or even zealous for Jesus and his teachings. how did 12 apostles die, Jack Wellman is a father and grandfather and a Christian author and pastor of Heritage Evangelical Free Church in Udall, KS [https://modelchrist.org/] & also a Prison Minister. We think of Jesus' disciple, Simon "the Zealot" or "Canaanite", and of Josephus's account of Judas the Galilean in 6 CE apparently responsible for what became the Zealot party and a widespread "nationalist" movement against Roman rule. After the fall, he was somehow still alive and when they discovered this, his enemies circled him and beat him to death with clubs. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. All the remorse in the world could not undo the damage he had causedhe had condemned the Savior of the world, the King of kings, to a cruel, shameful, painful death by crucifixion! Matthew, Mark, and Luke all refer to him as Simon the Zealot (Zelotes in KJV). And that same hour, which was right fair weather, came so great thunder and lightning that the temple was smitten in three, and the two enchanters were turned into coals by the stroke of thunder. The period of early Christianity during the lifetimes of the apostles is called the Apostolic Age. Simon the Zealot is a most difficult disciple to trace the history of, as he appears to have travelled under various names - or perhaps just been confused with many other people? His apostolic symbol is a fish lying on a Bible, which indicates he was a former fisherman who became a fisher of men through preaching. Or he may have simply been zealous for the Mosaic Law. Eleazar found himself in a similar situation of helplessness. This Simon was also named "the Canaanite" ( Matthew 10:4 Mark 3:18 the King James Version) or "the Cananean" ( Matthew 10:4 Mark 3:18 the Revised Version (British and American)) or "Zelotes" ( Luke . Even though theBook of Actsand the epistles never describe Simon the Zealots ministry, as one of the Twelve, he wouldve been one of the most important leaders of the early church. The word we translate as apostle (apstolos) literally means one who is sent.. Like many of the apostles, it's hard to conclude exactly which tradition (if any) can be trusted: In the fifth century, Moses of Chorene wrote that Simon the Zealot was martyred in the Kingdom of Iberia. During the summer of 67, Eleazar ben Simon and his Zealots attempted to dismantle the moderate government of Ananus by imprisoning officials who remained from the procurator period before the revolt and spreading the fear that the moderate Temple aristocracy would undermine the Jewish nationalist cause. Peter, who refused to renounce his faith, was crucified, at his request, upside down. God loves each of us as if there were only one of us"- Augustine. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. . After Jesus' death, Simon and Jude Thaddeus became an evangelizing team, and they were both martyred in Beirut in 65 . We will now examine the historical evidence of how these men died. The lack of verses mentioning Simon the zealot probably indicates that Jesus had little if any problems with him. Its unclear when the group formally became known as the Zealots. Regarding this Simon's name, "Zealot," there are possibilities. Churchgists.com covers prayers, spiritual meaning, bible verses and dreams interpretation. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. Bible Verses, Quotes, Christian Answers, Songs and More. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. You follow Me. Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. As time passed, the perception of Eleazar ben Simon and the Zealots shifted from the tyrannical despot whom Josephus portrays to a dedicated leader with flawed tactics. Matthew and Mark give him the titlekananaios, which most scholars believe comes from the Aramaic wordqanan, meaning zealous one.. He is the second James on the New Testament lists of apostles (Mt 10:3; Mk 3:18; Lk 6:15; Acts 1:13). According to Josephus, John sent a party to the Zealot stronghold in the Temple to offer a sacrifice before the coming festival of Passover. James the Less was martyred in a fashion similar to James, the half-brother of Jesus, who was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple and then beaten to death. Now this may seem like not a very big thingJesus we surmise simply chose a variety of people as his disciples. 10 - Simon the Zealot - bishop of Jerusalem after James; died of old age. Paul was not ashamed how he lived his life as his death neared. Although his early victory at the battle of Beit-Horon invigorated the Jewish revolt, Eleazar's rejection of moderate politics during an era of precarious Jewish-Roman relations and his inability to establish a united and stable Jewish resistance led to the violent collapse of Jerusalem in 70 CE and another six centuries of Roman rule, until conquest of the region during the Islamic conquests. However, Moses of Chorene writes that he was martyred at Weriosphora in Caucasian Iberia. This post is also available in: If you like what you're reading, you can get free daily updates through the RSS feed here. The apostle was murdered in Rome by Emperor Nero around 64 AD, after the Great Fire of Rome. Finally, two of Jesus' disciples were named Simon: Simon Peter and Simon the Zealot. And is not Galilee a hotbed of these messianic and nationalist rebels? 10:4; Mark 3:18; and Luke 6:15).Readers find him again in the book of Acts (1:13) after the death of Jesus and his ascension to heaven where Simon and his fellow apostles gathered together to elect a replacement for . After John was arrested by Herod the Great, Simon joined the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and informed them of John's arrest. And yet something we know is that Simon by his radical background would as members of a sect called the Zealots.. Listen to the heartbreaking last words of Paul as he awaited his execution in 2 Timothy 4:16-18: At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. Simon and Jude, Apostles. We remember him October 28 in Roman Church, andJune 19 in Eastern Church. [citation needed], Yet only until later that year did Eleazar and John seize control of the entire city. Judas was apparently killed as a result of his actions.. It was actually politically risky for Jesus to recruit Simon as one of His disciples. Nothing is known of Eleazar's fate after this betrayal, except for the fact that Josephus mentioned him as still commanding the Zealots when they rejoined John in his fight against Simon bar Giora. The apostle Simon is not Simon Peter (Andrews brother) but Simon the Zealot. [citation needed], The Zealot control of Jerusalem was confined to the inner court of the city and the Temple itself. He blames the defeat of Jewish War on "unrepresentative and over-zealous fanatics" including Eleazar. Bible Study, What we do know is that he died sometime in the first century, possibly around 80 AD in Herapolis (Turkey). He was beaten to death with a club, then beheaded post-mortem in 1st century Persia. He was one of the original followers of Christ. Itcouldmean he belonged to a Jewish sect known as the Zealots. The circumstances of Saint Patrick's death are understandably a little muddy. It's thought that he became a missionary to Africa and died of old age. Again, not very much is known about the method of Thomas execution but that maybe due to the fact that he was a missionary in India and was establishing a church there when he was stabbed with a spear and died from the wound. Simon as a Member of the Zealot Party . Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men. At once they left their nets and followed him. In any case, the gospel writers used this description to distinguishthisSimon from Simon Peterand the other Simons in the New Testament. Later, during Domitians persecution in the middle 90s, he was exiled to the island of Patmos. When Jesus cleanses the temple in the Gospel of John, his disciples recallPsalm 69:10, implying that Jesus was motivated by zeal: His disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for your house will consume me.. May it not be held against them. One wonders how Simon felt about Matthew, who would have been considered a traitor by the Jews because he was a tax-collector for Rome. We know that Judas was probably a Zealot by his surname, Iscariot.
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