Luke 6:14-16

Luke 6:14-16. THE LIST OF THE APOSTLES as here given presents no difficulties. The E. V. indicates an arrangement in pairs, but the word ‘and' must be inserted before nearly all the names, and thus this arrangement loses its support. The twelve are grouped here, as in all the catalogues, with the names of Peter, Philip and James the son of Alpheus, as first, fifth and ninth , and that of Judas Iscariot last. Between these the same names (or names of the same persons) occur: the three fishermen after Peter (here in the order of Matthew); after Philip in the order of Mark; between James the son of Alpheus and Judas Iscariot, we have here Simon who was called the Zealot. ‘Cananaean' (Matthew and Mark) probably means ‘Zealot.'

Judas the brother, or perhaps ‘son,' of James. This must be ‘Lebbeus,' or ‘Thaddeus' (Matthew; where the reading is doubtful (‘Thaddeus,' Mark), since that is the only person not already identified. He may have been a brother of the James just spoken of, or the son of some other James. We incline to the former view. Whether he was the author of the Epistle of Jude will be discussed there. See on Matthew 10:1-4, and against the view that James, Jude, and Simon were ‘brothers of our Lord,' see on Matthew 13:55.