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1. Andrew, the first of the apostles to be called by Jesus. He was a fisherman of Bethsaida and Capernaum, with his brother Simon Peter. By nature quiet and unassuming, he was traditionally said to be "great of stature," with round shoulders and heavy brows. Andrew is a Greek name, meaning "manly."
2. Peter, the brother of Andrew. He was originally named Simon Bar-Jonah, or Simon the son of John (or Jonah). Jesus changed his name to Kepha, or Peter, the Hebrew and Greek words for "stone" or "rock." Upon this Stone, Jesus later said, he would build his Church. He was a loyal, but impetuous man of leadership, decisive in action.
3. James,or Yacov in Hebrew whose name means "supplanter." He was also, as was his brother John, a fisherman neighbor of Peter and Andrew.
4. John or Yochanan in Hebrew: this was the brother of James, both sons of Zebedee. Jesus sometimes called them "sons of thunder," suggesting that they were rather forceful or loud spoken. Yet one usually thinks of John as gentle, being the "beloved disciple" of Jesus, and the youngest of the disciples. He wrote both the fourth Gospel and Revelations. Some wonder at this, since Acts 4:13 calls him and Peter both unlearned, common men. But this was in the eyes of the scholars of Judaism, who did not recognize that one need not hold university degrees to give a forceful report of what he has heard and seen, or to teach the Truth. John lived to a great age, being the only one of the apostles who was not martyred in some way.
5. Philip was a Greek name, meaning "loving" or "lover of horses." He may have been partly Greek, or at least have known the tongue, for later when a Greek delegation came to see Jesus in Jerusalem, they first approached Philip to speak for them. His native town of Bethsaida was near the edge of Galilee, in an area occupied by many Greeks, and under the present rulership of the tetrarch Philip, brother of Herod. An Apocryphal Gospel has been found in Egypt attributed to Philip. It is Gnostic in character.
6. Nathanael, or Bartholomew: it is believed that Nathanael was the given name, and Bartholomew the family name of the same man. Bartholomew (or Bar-Tolmai) means "son of Tolomeus." He is usually coupled with Philip when they are mentioned. The apocryphal legends assert he had curly black hair, a ruddy complexion, large eyes, and a regular nose.
7. Matthew, or Levi: both seem to be the same person, a tax- collector, who may have changed his name after the call, to express the new life. He was a native of Capernaum and is supposed to have been the author of the first Gospel. It is believed that his skill in the keeping of books for his previous trade inclined him to make certain notes of Jesus' ministry, which were later shaped into the Gospel.
8. Thomas: the name means "twin" in Hebrew; and the Greek version of his name, Didymus, also means "twin" or "joined." This symbolizes, in his case, one in whom the twins of faith and unbelief were joined; he was best-remembered for his doubting of Jesus' resurrection and requiring visible proof. But later, having actually touched the wounds, he gained a certain prestige among those he taught in many lands. A Coptic version of a Gospel of Thomas has been found and widely circulated. He may have been a twin brother of Matthew.
9. James the Less..Yacov. (Actually the Greek word means "small" or "little," rather than "less.") He was probably so called to distinguish him from the taller James, the son of Zebedee. James the Less has also been called the son of Alpheus, which may have been added to the text later, as he was also called the brother of Jesus. In any case, this James became head or bishop of the church of the early Christians in Jerusalem after the crucifixion of Jesus.
10. Thaddeus, sometimes used as a term of endearment, appears interchangeable with Judas or in Hebrew Yudah, the brother (or son) of James. Little is said of him. Matthew calls him Lebbaeus, also a term of endearment.
11. Simon Zelotes, Also called Shimon in Hebrew... the Zealot, or the Cananaean, all mean the same thing. "Cananaean" is the Aramaic word applied to those of the Zealot nationalistic Hebrew party.
12. Judas Iscariot: Yudah He was the only non-Galilean in the group. The term Iscariot is thought to indicate his place of origin, Kerioth in Southern Judea. Judas was not unworthy when called, but avarice, jealousy, ambition and the loss of faith in the Lord led him to apostasy. Judas' end was the result of distrust. He saw so much, but could not approve or understand what he saw.
When the transformation occurs, when the terrestrial has been transformed into the celestial, Judas has been exchanged for Matthias, (meaning like Matthew, "gift of the Lord).
Mary in Hebrew is Marium
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