Who was Simon the Zealot?<\\/h3>\\n \ Simon the Zealot is lesser known than some of the other early church leaders. We don\\u2019t know when he was born, if he was married, or had children. There\\u2019s considerable dispute on his identity. Some suspect he\\u2019s the \\u201cSimon\\u201d mentioned as Jesus\\u2019 brother in Mark 6:3:<\\/p>\\n \ Isn\\u2019t this the carpenter? Isn\\u2019t this Mary\\u2019s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren\\u2019t His sisters here with us?\\u201d<\\/em> And they took offense at Him. (NIV) \\n<\\/span><\\/p>\\n This theory, however, isn\\u2019t certain. Others associate him with Simeon of Jerusalem<\\/a>,\\u00a0 but this is as uncertain as whether or not he was the brother of Jesus. His name and title also don\\u2019t tell us much about him. He is identified as \\u201cSimon the Zealot\\u201d to distinguish him from the Apostle (Simon) Peter, but what exactly \\u201czealot\\u201d means is up for debate. Some sources say he was \\u201czealous for the law<\\/a>,\\u201d which he practiced before his apostolic call. Others say he might have belonged to a militant group<\\/a> (some suspect Peter also belonged), and still others think it\\u2019s a reference to his origins, meaning he was from Cana<\\/a>.<\\/p>\\n

{"id":816,"date":"2024-06-19T12:00:52","date_gmt":"2024-06-19T16:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/leadershiponfire\/?p=816"},"modified":"2024-05-21T20:32:41","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T00:32:41","slug":"meet-the-apostle-simon-the-zealot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/leadershiponfire\/2024\/06\/meet-the-apostle-simon-the-zealot\/","title":{"rendered":"Meeting the Apostle Simon the Zealot"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Learning about the lives and work of the twelve apostles reveals much to us about leadership present in the early church. It is also a study in the way that God chooses us. God isn\u2019t about having the perfect resume. He knows when He calls us what we can do for Him, even if we don\u2019t see it in ourselves. We\u2019ve reached the halfway point of six apostles, and now we are going to learn about one most never consider: Simon the Zealot.<\/p>\n

Contrary to popular misconception, Simon the Zealot isn\u2019t the same as Simon Peter<\/a>. Simon the Zealot had his own call and ministry. Both are definitely worth examination.<\/p>\n

"Simon

St. Simon by Peter Paul Rubens \u2013 https:\/\/www.museodelprado.es\/en\/the-collection\/art-work\/saint-simon\/0679cee8-ea16-47dc-81f8-179530faaa68, Public Domain, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=14822135<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Who was Simon the Zealot?<\/h3>\n \ Simon the Zealot is lesser known than some of the other early church leaders. We don\u2019t know when he was born, if he was married, or had children. There\u2019s considerable dispute on his identity. Some suspect he\u2019s the \u201cSimon\u201d mentioned as Jesus\u2019 brother in Mark 6:3:<\/p>\n \ Isn\u2019t this the carpenter? Isn\u2019t this Mary\u2019s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren\u2019t His sisters here with us?\u201d<\/em> And they took offense at Him. (NIV) \n<\/span><\/p>\n This theory, however, isn\u2019t certain. Others associate him with Simeon of Jerusalem<\/a>,\u00a0 but this is as uncertain as whether or not he was the brother of Jesus. His name and title also don\u2019t tell us much about him. He is identified as \u201cSimon the Zealot\u201d to distinguish him from the Apostle (Simon) Peter, but what exactly \u201czealot\u201d means is up for debate. Some sources say he was \u201czealous for the law<\/a>,\u201d which he practiced before his apostolic call. Others say he might have belonged to a militant group<\/a> (some suspect Peter also belonged), and still others think it\u2019s a reference to his origins, meaning he was from Cana<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Simon the Zealot\u2019s walk with Jesus<\/h3>\n ** We have no specific stories about Simon the Zealot in the New Testament. He is mentioned along with the other twelve in every passage:<\/p>\n \nSending out the twelve:<\/strong> Along with the others, Simon the Zealot was sent out to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and drive out demons (Matthew 10:1-8<\/a>, Mark 3:13-19<\/a>, Luke 6:12-16<\/a>).<\/li>\nThe Last Supper:<\/strong> Along with the other twelve, Simon the Zealot was present at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:17<\/a>, Mark 14:12<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nSimon the Zealot after the resurrection<\/h3>\n There\u2019s one other mention of the Apostle Simon the Zealot in the New Testament, found in Acts 1:12-14<\/a>, speaking of the election of Matthias to replace Judas:<\/p>\n Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day\u2019s walk from the city.<\/span> When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.<\/span> They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.<\/span> <\/em>(NIV)<\/p>\n It\u2019s obvious that while we might not have any specific interaction between Simon and Jesus, he was relevant enough to be mentioned. Like the others, he healed the sick, raised the dead, cleansed lepers, and drove out demons. He also performed necessary administrative tasks.<\/p>\n Later accounts<\/h3>\n There is more about the Apostle Simon the Zealot\u2019s ministry outside of the Bible than found within its pages. In total, there are nine different legends<\/a> about his ministry work:<\/p>\n \nHe ministered throughout Egypt and then joined with the Apostle Jude Thaddaeus, working together as a missionary team. The two worked in Persia, Armenia, and Lebanon, where they were both martyred in Beiruit in 65 AD.<\/li>\nHe was crucified, as was Simeon of Jerusalem (assuming they were the same person).<\/li>\nHe ministered in Georgia, died in Abkhazia, and was buried in Nicopsia (with remains transferred to Anakopia).<\/li>\nHe ministered in the Middle East and Africa and was later crucified in Samaria.<\/li>\nHe was martyred (sawn in half) in Sunair, Persia (modern-day Iran).<\/li>\nHe was martyred at Weriosphora in Caucasian Iberia (modern-day Georgia).<\/li>\nHe died peacefully at Edessa (modern-day Turkey).<\/li>\nHe ministered in Roman Britain, arriving in 44 AD. He was crucified at Lincolnshire, Britain in 61 AD.<\/li>\nHe was involved in the first Jewish-Roman War<\/a> (66-73 AD)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n* ***With nine different theories, it\u2019s impossible to be certain which one or ones are accurate. Regardless, he must have ministered \u2013 and done so well \u2013 for so many different stories to exist!<\/p>\n An additional fact: Muslims believe Simon the Zealot ministered among Berber communities<\/a> in North Africa.<\/p>\n The Apostle Simon the Zealot is of interest in apocryphal writings:<\/p>\n \nThe Epistle of the Apostles<\/em><\/a> lists him as Judas Zelotes, as one involved in its authorship<\/li>\nThe Arabic Infancy Gospel<\/em><\/a> claims Jesus healed Simon from a snakebite as a child and proclaimed him as a future disciple<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n* The veracity of both are in debate.<\/p>\n Summary<\/h3>\n *******The Apostle Simon the Zealot is not mentioned much in the New Testament. We know he was an apostle and he walked with Jesus. Perhaps that\u2019s all we need to know to take assurance in the fact that not everyone called of God is front and center all the time. Not every apostle was Peter, or Andrew, or even Philip, and that\u2019s all right. It\u2019s fine that Simon the Zealot was better known after the New Testament \u2013 so much so, people of diverse populations want to claim him as the founder of faith in their areas. Maybe it\u2019s not always about being front and center in the beginning, but about the diligence involved to work to the end.<\/p>\n When morning came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated apostles:<\/span> Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,<\/span> Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot,<\/span> Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor<\/span>.<\/span><\/span> <\/em>(Luke 6:13-1<\/a>6, NIV)<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Learning about the lives and work of the twelve apostles reveals much to us about leadership present in the early church. It is also a study in the way that God chooses us. God isn\u2019t about having the perfect resume. He knows when He calls us what we can do for Him, even if we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5168,"featured_media":819,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[134,209,137,399,35,32],"tags":[624,581,621,566,578],"class_list":["post-816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-education","category-bible-history","category-bible-study","category-church-history","category-leadership","category-ministry","tag-apostle-simon-the-zealot","tag-early-church-history","tag-st-simon-the-zealot","tag-the-twelve","tag-twelve-apostles"],"yoast_head":"\nMeeting the Apostle Simon the Zealot<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Some of apostles have more history after the New Testament than in it. 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