Appendix

The name "Simon" is the Hebrew often rendered "Simeon" (שִׁמְעוֹן), a tribe of Israel.

The name "Peter" is Greek (Πέτρος) and means "a rock," or "a stone." In John 1:42 his name is transliterated into Greek, "Cephas" (Κηφᾶς), from the Aramaic for "rock" (כְּף).

Note that it was Jesus who gave Simon the name Peter.

"Andrew" is a Greek name (Ἀνδρέας) meaning "manly."

Compare John 1:40, "One of the two who heard John [the baptist] speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother."

"Philip" is a Greek name (Φίλιππος) meaning "lover of horses," a name typical of Greek wealthy elites.

Compare John 6:5-7, "Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, 'Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?' He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, 'Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.'"

The Greek "Bar Tholomew" (Βαρθολομαῖος) transliterates the Hebrew (בַּר and תַּלְמַי), which is typically rendered "Son of Talmai." Famously, one of the sons of Anak was a Talmai, as was a king of Geshur whose daughter became David's wife and the mother of Absalom.

The Greek (Θωμᾶς) transliterates the Hebrew word (תְּאוֹמִים) for "a twin."

Compare Genesis 25:24, "When [Rebekah's] days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb."

The Greek (Μαθθαῖος, also spelled Ματταθίας) transliterates the Hebrew "Mattithiah" (מַתַּתְיָה), which means "a gift from the Lord."

Tax collectors were not popular in ancient Judaea, but John did not bid them stop in repentance, and Jesus ate with them.

As noted above, the English rendering, "James," obscures what is actually "Jacob" (Ἰάκωβος), a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew (יַעֲקֹב).

The Greek "Alphaeus" (Ἀλφαῖος) transliterates the Hebrew "Heleph" (חֵלֶף), which means "in exchange" or "in repayment."

Numbers 18:21, 31
To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting....
And you may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward in return for your service in the tent of meeting.

All three Gospels capture all the names alike with only this exception. Luke omits "Thaddaeus" while Matthew and Mark omit "Judas son of James." The two names must therefore refer to the same man.

The name "Thaddaeus" (Θαδδαῖος) seems to have Hebrew origins, but its origin cannot be certain.

Perhaps the uncertainty of its origin or interpretation led Luke to seek a more conventional name in its place. Luke does name him both here and in Acts 1:13, as noted above.

The English "Zealot" is a translation of the Hebrew. The Greek (Καναναῖος) actually transliterates the Hebrew word (קַנָּא) for "jealous."

Compare Exodus 34:14, "You shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God...."

The English rendering, "Judas," obscures what is actually "Judah." The Gospel writer Matthew earlier uses the same name in the genealogy of Christ, where it clearly refers to the tribe of Judah.

Matthew 1:2-3
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar....

This name is also underneath the English rendering, "Jude."

Matthew 13:55
"Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?"

Jude 1
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James....

The Greek (Ἰούδας) transliterates the Hebrew "Judah" (יְהוּדָה), a tribe of Israel.