LEAVE TIME FOR: LOWS and HIGHS BLESSINGS CLOSING PRAYER
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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 disciple by Jesus at the leader of the disciples. He church. He appointed Matthias as First Epistle 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 Galilee 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 Gospels, or in Judea according to that Peter would deny knowing vert to Judaism. He was arrested text, says Peter was executed by the Gospel of John. Peter's him three times before the and imprisoned by Herod Agrippa being crucified upside down. Re- original name was Simeon or cock crowed in the morning. I around AD44. An angel 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. Christian tradition 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 Bible. Peter is con- location of Peter's last resting place. sidered to be the first Pope. 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 John the Baptist, 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 cross. 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 Greece, 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 Gospel of Mark, 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 Zebedee". to Spanish tradition, James's re- mains were brought to the city of Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. Christian pilgrims visit his shrine 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 John the Evangelist or of both the Gospel of John and about John's life after Jesus's tian writer, wrote that John was John the Divine. the Book of Revelation, the death. An early Church father, plunged into boiling oil in Rome and last book in the Bible. John sat Irenaeus, 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, Last Supper 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 Elijah, his Gospel. He referred to him- is found there. John spent time in although the Catholic Church 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 Acts of John 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 Philip the Apostle is often con- According to Bishop 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 Bethsaida 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- Acts of Philip says that he was before joining Jesus. ment of similar age, the Dialogue crucified upside down in Hierapolis. of Caius, 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 Eusebius, 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 Syria and Persia. martyred in India, but there is no name is sometimes given as Jesus planned to return to Ju- The apocryphal Acts of Thomas 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 "I am the way, and the truth, and the life". Thomas's most famous moment, and the source of his other nickname, "Doubting Thomas", 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.