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LEAVE TIME FOR: LOWS and HIGHS BLESSINGS CLOSING PRAYER

LEAVE TIME FOR: LOWS and HIGHS  BLESSINGS  CLOSING PRAYER PETER, Peter was a fisherman who was Peter is usually regarded as Peter was the leader of the early An early Christian document, the originally called called to be a by at the leader of the disciples. He church. He appointed Matthias as First of Clement, strongly Simon the start of his ministry. This took was singled out by Jesus to an apostle to replace Judas. Pe- suggests that Peter was martyred place at the Sea of found his Church. On the night ter allowed non-Jews to join the (killed for his faith) in Rome c AD64. according to the first three of his arrest, Jesus predicted church without first having to con- The Church History, a fourth-century , or in Judea according to that Peter would deny knowing vert to Judaism. He was arrested text, says Peter was executed by the of John. Peter's him three times before the and imprisoned by being crucified upside down. Re- original name was or cock crowed in the morning. I around AD44. An re- portedly, Peter requested this be- Simon, and he is also referred to This happened as Jesus pre- leased him from his chains and cause he did not consider himself in John's Gospel as "Simon, son dicted. he escaped. worthy of dying in the same way as of John". His brother Andrew was says that Peter went to Rome Jesus. Roman Catholics believe also a disciple. and founded a church, which be- Peter is buried in the catacombs came the Roman Catholic under the Vatican but there is some Church, but this is not directly theological disagreement as to the stated in the . Peter is con- location of Peter's last resting place. sidered to be the first . ANDREW Andrew, a fisherman, was the According to John's Gospel, Legends of the early church place The Bible does not describe how brother of Peter. Jesus called before Andrew joined Jesus's Andrew in the area around the Andrew died, but later accounts da- them both from their boats, telling disciples he was a follower of Black Sea, where he spread the ting from the fourth century to medi- them he would make them fishers , the Jewish teachings of Jesus. Church Histo- eval times say he was crucified on of men. This is recorded in prophet (a person who speaks ry says he preached in Scythia, a an X-shaped . This became Matthew, Mark and Luke's messages from God) who region covering eastern Europe known as the St Andrew's Cross. Gospels. baptized Jesus. and western Asia. The Catholic Encyclopedia says that his execution was ordered by Aegeas, the Roman governor of Patras in , and that Andrew was tied to the cross, not nailed. His remains were taken from Patras and moved several times, eventually being brought to Rome. In 1964 AD Pope Paul VI gave Andrew's head back to Patras. JAMES James was also known as James In the , Jesus Spanish tradition reported in the James is the only apostle whose (the Greater) the Greater. He was the elder nicknames James and John Catholic Encyclopedia says that martyrdom is recorded in the New brother of John. the "sons of thunder" for their James went to preach in Spain. Testament. Herod Agrippa I had him Matthew's Gospel also calls him tempers. beheaded with a sword. According "James the son of ". to Spanish tradition, James's re- mains were brought to the city of de Compostela in northern Spain. Christian pilgrims visit his there, which by the Middle Ages was the third most important Christian pilgrimage site after Rome and Jerusalem. The pilgrimage route is now a World Heritage Site.

JOHN John was James's brother. He is He is believed to be the author Not much is known for certain Tertullian, a second-century Chris- also called or of both the and about John's life after Jesus's tian writer, wrote that John was John the Divine. the , the death. An early Church father, plunged into boiling oil in Rome and last book in the Bible. John sat , wrote in Against Here- came out miraculously unhurt. Early next to Jesus at the sies c AD180 that John wrote his traditions say John did not die at all, with his head on Gospel at Ephesus, in modern- but ascended into heaven like the Jesus's breast, as recorded in day Turkey. John's official shrine Jewish prophets Enoch and , his Gospel. He referred to him- is found there. John spent time in although the be- self as "the disciple whom Je- exile on the island of Patmos, lieves that he died in around AD100 sus loved" rather than by according to a line in Revelation, "at a great age". name. John was present at the which he wrote there. A book crucifixion and afterwards took called The contains on the care of Jesus's mother further stories about him, but it is Mary. considered apocryphal (of doubt- ful accuracy, not part of official

PHILIP Philip is only mentioned in Philip was one of the disciples is often con- According to Polycrates, passing in Matthew, Mark and who took part in Jesus' miracle fused with Philip the Deacon, Philip was buried in Hieropolis, in Luke's Gospels. The Gospel of of the loaves and fishes. another member of the early modern-day Turkey, with two of his John goes into more detail about Church. Bishop Polycrates of daughters who had died of old age. him. He came from in Ephesus, writing in the late sec- This makes it likely that Philip died modern-day Jordan and was a ond century, claims Philip had naturally. However, the apocryphal follower of John the Baptist three daughters. Another docu- says that he was before joining Jesus. ment of similar age, the Dialogue crucified upside down in . of , mentions a Philip with four daughters, but this may be Philip the Deacon, or a confusion

Source: BBC—Religion & Ethics, November 30, 2012 BARTHOLOMEW Bartholomew may have been the John's Gospel describes Na- The 4th-century bishop , Bartholomew is said to have died at man John's Gospel calls thaniel as being from Cana in known as the "Father of Church Albanopolis in Armenia, where he Nathaniel, who joined Jesus at Galilee and a friend of Philip. History", records a legend that had converted the King Polymius to the same time as Philip. The Although initially prejudiced Bartholomew preached in India Christianity and was killed by the name Bartholomew means "son against anyone coming from and gave the Church there a king's brother Astyages in revenge. of Tolmai", so it is possible that Nazareth, Nathaniel let Philip treasured copy of the Gospel of Most legends say his skin was Nathaniel was his given name. take him to meet Jesus. Jesus Matthew written in Hebrew. In the flayed off his body and he was This is not accepted by all described Nathaniel as an Is- 2nd century, when St. Pantaenus crucified upside down. Others say Christian scholars, but Pope raelite with no guile, and of Alexandria travelled to India, he was beheaded. The Catholic Benedict XVI talks about them as proved his power by saying he he was shown the Gospel and Encyclopedia lists both but does not the same man, for example in a had seen him in the past un- told Bartholomew had been there give their original sources. sermon he gave in St Peter's der a fig tree. John's Gospel before him.

Square in October 2006. does not explain what the fig tree incident was, or if it was a figure of speech, but this con- vinced Nathaniel, who immedi- ately said that Jesus was the son of God. THOMAS Thomas is also called Didymus, We know most about Thomas Eusebius recorded that Thomas Thomas is supposed to have been meaning "the twin", and his full from John's Gospel. When preached in and Persia. martyred in India, but there is no name is sometimes given as Jesus planned to return to Ju- The apocryphal support for this, even in the apocry- Judas Thomas. The Gospels do dea, where he would be in records that he travelled from phal Acts of Thomas. not give details of his life before danger of being put to death, there to India, where he convert-

meeting Jesus. An apocryphal Thomas bravely spoke up "Let ed the king of Mylapore, near text called The Acts of Thomas us also go, so that we may die Madras (modern day Chennai), suggests that he was the twin with him." At the Last Supper, and performed further miracles. brother of Jesus and a carpenter Jesus announced that he was and stonemason by profession, going to prepare a place for but this is not widely accepted. his disciples to be with him. Thomas did not understand and asked how they would know the way there, to which Jesus replied with his famous words " the way, and the truth, and the life". Thomas's most famous moment, and the source of his other nickname, "", came af- ter Jesus was resurrected. When the other disciples told Thomas what they had seen, he refused to believe it until he saw Jesus and touched his crucifixion wounds for himself. Although Jesus rebuked Thomas for doubting, this event resulted in Thomas be- ing the first to acknowledge Jesus's divinity aloud with the words "My Lord and my God!"

MATTHEW Matthew is introduced as Levi in In Matthew's Gospel, the first The rest of Matthew's life is not Most sources agree that Matthew Mark and Luke's Gospels. It is of the Gospels to be written, recorded in the Bible. Irenaeus died a 's death, but there is possible Jesus named him the author himself is not often wrote that Matthew preached to disagreement about how he died. Matthew after recruiting him as a mentioned. After meeting Je- the Hebrews. Eusebius recorded The Catholic Encyclopedia mentions disciple. He is sometimes also sus in the customs house, that Matthew wrote and distribut- burning, stoning or beheading. called Matthew the Publican. Matthew invited him and his ed his Gospel in the Hebrew lan-

Jesus met Matthew in a customs disciples to his home for a guage wherever he travelled. He house in Capernaum, modern- meal. After this, he left home may have visited Ethiopia and day Israel. "Publican", in a Bibli- to follow Jesus. Persia. cal context, means a man who collected taxes on behalf of the . In Matthew's case, he would have worked for . These tax work- ers were figures of hatred among the Jews of Judea, so for Jesus to recruit one as a disciple was an unpopular move.

Source: BBC—Religion & Ethics, November 30, 2012 JAMES James is called "St. James the In the book of Corinthians, St Paul The second-century Jewish The early theologian Clement (the son of Less" to distinguish him from the records that Jesus appeared to James Christian Hegesippus, recorded of Alexandria, quoted in ) other Apostle James. He is called after his resurrection. When Paul came that James became known as Church History, wrote that "James the brother of the to Jerusalem after his conversion, he "James the Just" and was very James was thrown from the Lord" (Jesus) in the book of met Peter and James the brother of the pious, never drinking alcohol or roof of the temple in Jerusalem Galatians, but despite this appar- Lord. James appears to have been high- eating meat, and that he never and "beaten to death with a ent Biblical evidence he may not ly placed in the Jerusalem Church: bathed, shaved or anointed him- club by a fuller". have been Jesus's brother by Church History records that he was their self.

blood or even a brother-in-law first bishop. James supported Peter in from 's earlier marriage. the decision to let uncircumcised The Catholic Church considers non-Jews into the Church. James, and other men referred to as Jesus's "brethren", to be his close associates rather than rela- tives. This is partly because tradi- tion says that Jesus's mother Mary had no other children, and partly because at his crucifixion Jesus sent Mary to live with the apostle John, which would not have been necessary if she had had other sons to take care of her. LEBBAEUS, Lebbaeus is also referred to as The Armenian Apostolic Church honors According to tradition after Je- According to the Armenian also called Jude in some Gospels. Jude is him along with Bartholomew as its sus's death he preached the tradition, Saint Jude suffered Thaddaeus or clearly distinguished from Judas patron . In the Roman Catholic Gospel in Judea, Samaria, martyrdom about AD 65 in Jude Iscariot, another disciple and later Church he is the of desper- Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia Beirut, in the Roman province the betrayer of Jesus. Opinion is ate cases and lost causes. and Libya. He is also said to have of Syria, together with the divided on whether Jude the visited Beirut and Edessa. apostle , with apostle is the same as Jude, whom he is usually connected. brother of Jesus, who is mentioned in the Gospel of Mark

SIMON Simon is known as Simon the The says nothing about The apocryphal Acts of Simon According to his apocryphal Zealot to distinguish him from Simon apart from listing him as a and Jude describes the two disci- Acts, Simon was martyred in Simon Peter. His name is some- disciple. ples travelling to preach in Persia by being cut in half with times wrongly translated as "the Persia. a saw. Canaanite".

JUDAS Judas was the son of Simon Is- Judas is always the last to be mentioned Matthew's Gospel says that According to Matthew's Gos- ISCARIOT cariot. The origin of his surname in lists of the disciples. He was in charge Judas did not live to see Jesus's pel, after returning the bribe, may be a place name, Karioth in of the group's funds and the Gospels execution. After hearing of the Judas hanged himself. The Judea, making him "Judas of say that he had a habit of stealing the death sentence, he was over- priests, who did not want to Karioth". Another theory is that money for himself. Judas is most fa- come by remorse and tried to take the blood money back, Iscariot was derived from the mous for betraying Jesus, which result- return the bribe to the priests, used it to buy a potter's field Sicarii, a radical Jewish group of ed in Jesus's execution by crucifixion. ending up by throwing the money for use as a graveyard for the time that included some ter- Judas approached the Jewish authori- on the floor. strangers. The field became rorists who fought against Roman ties to make this offer and was paid thir- known as Hacedalma, mean- rule. "Sicarius" is Latin for mur- ty pieces of silver to reveal where Jesus ing "the field of blood". The derer or assassin. This gave rise was hiding and point him out to them. book of Acts seems to disa- to a minority theory that Judas, in After the Last Supper, Jesus and some gree with this, saying that keeping with his radical roots, of his followers went to the garden of Judas himself bought the field wanted to provoke a conflict so Gethsemane. Judas guided a group of with the money and "being that Jesus could drive out the soldiers there and identified Jesus by hanged, burst asunder in the Romans and become the ruler of greeting him and kissing him on the midst: and all his bowels the Jews on earth. This would cheek. John and Luke's Gospels say gushed out". mean that Judas was well- that entered into Judas to make intentioned but had completely him betray Jesus. The Gospels of Mat- misunderstood Jesus's message. thew and Mark do not mention this, giv- However, most Christians reject ing the impression that Judas did it pure- this idea. ly for the reward. An apocryphal says that Judas was acting under Jesus's instructions, having had secret knowledge revealed to him that the other disciples did not know. In this version, Judas betrayed Jesus in the knowledge that his death was necessary to redeem humanity. This idea is also rejected by most Christians. Although Jesus had to die, the general view is that Judas was acting selfishly and car- rying out God's plan without knowing it.

Source: BBC—Religion & Ethics, November 30, 2012

Photo identification: “The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci” (Manuscript) p. 232

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