"He chose twelve, whom also he named apostles."
Luke 6:13 · King James Bible
Chosen after a night of prayer
'And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles' (Luke 6:12–13).The twelve
1. Simon Peter — brother of Andrew, fisherman of Bethsaida. First to confess Jesus as the Christ. Denied him three times; restored three times. Preached at Pentecost. Wrote 1–2 Peter. Crucified in Rome upside down (traditional).2. Andrew — Peter's brother. Fisherman. Was first a disciple of John the Baptist, then followed Jesus and brought Peter. Traditionally preached in Scythia and Greece. Crucified on an X-shaped cross.
3. James son of Zebedee — brother of John. One of the inner three (with Peter and John). Called a 'Son of Thunder.' Killed by Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:2) — the first apostolic martyr, c. AD 44.
4. John the Evangelist — brother of James, son of Zebedee. Called the disciple whom Jesus loved. Wrote the Gospel of John, 1–2–3 John, and Revelation. Cared for Mary the mother of the Lord after the crucifixion. Died in old age at Ephesus.
5. Philip — from Bethsaida. Brought Nathanael to Jesus. Asked, 'Lord, shew us the Father' (John 14:8). Tradition: preached in Phrygia, martyred at Hierapolis.
6. Bartholomew (Nathanael) — under the fig tree when Philip called him. Jesus said, 'Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile' (John 1:47). Tradition: preached in Armenia and India, flayed alive.
7. Matthew (Levi) — tax collector at Capernaum. Left everything and followed. Wrote the Gospel of Matthew. Tradition: preached in Ethiopia or Persia.
8. Thomas (called Didymus) — 'unless I shall see… I will not believe' (John 20:25); then, 'My Lord and my God' (John 20:28). Tradition: preached in Parthia and India, martyred there.
9. James son of Alphaeus — 'James the less' (Mark 15:40). Sometimes identified with James the brother of the Lord (though scholars debate). Little recorded of him.
10. Thaddaeus (Jude, son of James) — asked Jesus, 'Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?' (John 14:22). May be the author of the epistle of Jude.
11. Simon the Zealot — a former revolutionary. Tradition: preached in Persia, martyred there.
12. Judas Iscariot — the treasurer; the betrayer; hanged himself. Replaced after the ascension by Matthias (Acts 1:26).