The Life of Christ

Thomas

• His name means “ twin, ” indicating he was a twin brother.

• He asked Jesus one of the most significant questions in all the Gospels; that answer led to what has become one of the staples of our faith:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14:5-6).

• He earned the reputation of being “the doubter” (Jn. 11:16; Jn. 20:25).

• Near the end of his life he preached the Gospel in Persia, Parthia, and India. In Calamina, India (modern day Chennai), he was tortured by angry pagans, run through with spears, and thrown into the flames of an oven. 20

• Regarding his fruitfulness, the book, In the Steps of Saint Thomas, written by Rev. Herman D’Souza, states:

Thomas raised to life 29 from the dead; liberated 250 demon possessed; cured 330 lepers; gave sight to 250 who were blind, healed 120 paralytics, and provided speech to 20 who were dumb. He converted to the faith of Christ 17,490 Brahmins and 4,280 Untouchables. 21

James, son of Alphaeus

• Edersheim believes Alphaeus and Clopas are the same person, both names referring to the brother of Joseph.

Simon the Zealot

• He was a member of the Galilean Zealots, a religious party known for their zeal for the Law.

Judas of James (KJV).

• Most scholars assume it more properly reads, “brother of James.”

• Edersheim believes Judas, Simon, and James were all brothers, sons of Clopas.

• Historical records from the second century compiled by a man name Hegesippus state that Clopas was the brother of Joseph, Jesus’ step-father.

• If Edersheim’s theory is accurate, Judas, Simon, and James were also first cousins of Jesus.z

• Adding James and John as first cousins of Jesus brings the number to five.

Judas Iscariot

• He was the only apostle from Judea, which never received Jesus as well as Galilee.

•

He ended his life as a traitor.

• Iscariot is another title for Kerioth, a city of Moab; the etymology of the word literally means “ bandit ” or “ assassin. ”

Matthias (Replacement apostle to Judas)

20 Fox, The New Foxes Book of Martyrs, n.p. 21 Herman D’Souza , In the Steps of St. Thomas, Madras , Mylapore , ( January 2008), 19.

91