Luke 6:14

Luke 6:14-16 . Simon, whom he also named Peter — Matthew, Mark, and Luke have all given us a catalogue of the names of the apostles; and their exactness in this particular is greatly to be praised. For as the apostleship clothed the person on whom it was conferred with the high authority of directing the religious faith of mankind, it was of no small importance to the world to know who they were to whom that dignity belonged. In these catalogues, Simon is first named, not because he was of greater dignity than the rest, but because he was one of the most early followers of Christ, and the first that was called to a stated attendance upon him, and a person whose remarkable zeal and piety rendered him a kind of leader among the others. These reasons are so evidently sufficient for his being named first, that it is strange any should have attempted to prove from that circumstance, that Christ invested him with authority over his brethren; when we never find any such thing declared by Christ, or claimed by Peter, or owned by any of the other apostles, but rather find many scriptures which appear to look a contrary way; Matthew and Luke mention Andrew next to Peter, as being his brother, and one of Christ’s first disciples. The names of James and John follow, as having been called next, (see Matthew 4:21 ,) and being persons of great eminence for piety and usefulness, and James is placed before John, as being the elder brother.

The names of the others seem to be placed nearly, at least, in the order in which they became disciples. Judas Iscariot, however, though, perhaps, not last called, is named last, because he was the traitor. But whatever might be the reason of ranking the apostles in the catalogue in the order in which we find them, we are certain they are not ranged according to their dignity; for, had that been the case, the order of the names would have been exactly the same in all the evangelists, which it is not, Andrew being placed the second in order, as we have observed, by Matthew and Luke, and the fourth by Mark; and Thomas being placed before Matthew by that apostle, and after him by Mark and Luke. To this may be added, on supposition that the apostles are ranked in the catalogues according to their dignity, it would follow, that John and Matthew, whose praise is in all the churches, on account of their writings, were inferior to apostles who are scarce once named, except in the catalogues. With regard to the epithet, or surname, ( Zelotes, the Zealous, ) added by Luke here to the name of Simon; because there was a particular sect or faction, among the Jews, termed the Zealots, who, in later times, under colour of zeal for God, committed all imaginable disorders, some are of opinion, that Simon the apostle had formerly been one of this faction.

Luke 6:14-16 . Comp. on Matthew 10:2-4 ; Mark 3:16-19 . ζηλωτήν ] Comp. Acts 1:13 . See on Matthew 10:4 . Ἰούδαν Ἰακώβου ] Usually (including even Ebrard and Lange): Judas the brother of James, and therefore the son of Alphaeus; but without any foundation in exegesis. At least Judges 1:1 might be appealed to, where both Jude and James are natural brothers of the Lord . In opposition to supplying ἀδελφός , however, we have to point out in general, that to justify the supplying of the word a special reference must have preceded (as Alciphr. Ep . ii. 2), otherwise we must abide by the usual υἱός , as at Luke 6:15 ; further, that Matthew 10:2 mentions the pairs of brothers among the apostles most precisely as such , but not among them James and Lebbaeus (who is to be regarded as identical with our Judas; see on Matthew 10:2 [102]). Hence (so also Ewald), here and at Acts 1:13 , we must read Judas Song of Solomon of James , of which James nothing further is known.[103] ΠΡΟΔΌΤΗς ] Traitor ( 2Ma 5:15 ; 2Ma 10:13 ; 2Ma 10:22 ; 2 Timothy 3:4 ); only here in the New Testament is Judas thus designated. Matthew has παραδούς , comp. Mark. Yet comp. Acts 7:52 . Observe, moreover, that Luke here enumerates the four first-named apostles in pairs , as does Matthew; whereas in Acts 1:13 he places first the three most confidential ones , as does Mark.

We see from this simply that in Acts 1:13 he followed a source containing the latter order, by which he held impartially and without any mechanical reconciliation with the order of the passage before us. The conclusion is much too hasty, which argues that Mark was not before him till Acts 1:13 , and that when he wrote the Gospel he had not yet become acquainted with Mark’s work (Weizsäcker). [102] Ewald takes a different view, that even during the lifetime of Jesus Ἰούδας Ἰακώβου had taken the place of the Thaddaeus (Lebbaeus), who had probably been cut off by death. See his Gesch. Chr . p. 323. In this way, indeed, the narrative of Luke in the passage before us, where the choice of the Twelve is related, would be incorrect. That hypothesis would only be capable of reconciliation with Acts 1:13 . According to Schleiermacher also, L. J . p. 369, the persons of the apostolic band were not always the same, and the different catalogues belong to different periods. But when the evangelists wrote, the Twelve were too well known in Christendom, nay, too world-historical, to have allowed the enumeration of different individual members. [103] Comp. Nonnus, Paraphrase of John 14:22 : Ἰσύδας υἱὸς Ἰακώβοιο .

Luke 6:14 . Σίμωνα : here follows the list much the same as in Mt. and Mk. Lk., though he has already called Simon, Peter ( Luke 5:8 ), here mentions that Jesus gave him the name. In the third group of four Judas Jacobi takes the place of Thaddaeus in Mk. and Lebbaeus in Mt. and Simon the Kananite is called Simon the Zealot. Of Judas Iscariot it is noted that he became a traitor, “turned traitor” (Field, Ot. Nor. ).— προδότης has no article, and therefore should not be rendered the traitor as in A. V[62] and R. V[63] When the verb is used it is always παραδιδόναι . [62] Authorised Version. [63] Revised Version.

(14-16) Simon, (whom he also named Peter). —For the list of the Twelve Apostles see Notes on Matthew 10:2 . The only special points in St. Luke’s list are (1) that he gives Simon Zelotes, obviously as a translation, for Simon the Cananite, or Cananæan, of the other two lists, and gives James’s Judas, leaving it uncertain whether he means that the latter was son or brother of the former. His use of the same formula in the genealogy of Luke 3 is in favour of the former relationship.

Verse 14. - Simon, (whom he also named Peter). The Master had already, reading as he did the future, bestowed upon this often erring, but noble and devoted servant. the surname, Cephas , literally, a "mass of rock." And Andrew . One of the first believers, and reckoned among the four whose office placed them in closest relation to their Master, and yet for some - to us - unexplained reason, Andrew did not occupy that position of intimacy shared by Peter, James, and John. He was apparently the intimate friend and associate of Philip, the first of the second "four." James and John . Well-known and honoured names in the records of the first days. Mark adds a vivid detail which throws much light on the character and fortunes of the brothers; he calls them Boanerges, "sons of thunder." The burning enthusiasm of James no doubt led to his receiving the first martyr-crown allotted to "the glorious company of the apostles," while the same fiery zeal in the loved apostle colours the Apocalypse. Philip. John 6:5 may be quoted to show that the Lord was on terms of peculiar friendship with this first of the second four. Bartholomew ; Bar-Tolmai : son of Tolmai, He therefore must have been known also by some other name. In St. John's Gospel Bartholomew is never mentioned, but Nathanael, whose name appears in the Fourth Gospel among the apostles, and who is not alluded to in the memoirs of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, evidently represents the same person.

14 . Simon ] Lists of the twelve Apostles are given in four passages of Scripture in the following order: Matthew 10:2-4 Mark 3:16-19 Luke 6:14-16 Acts 1:13 Simon Simon Simon Peter Andrew James Andrew James James John James John John Andrew John Andrew Philip Philip Philip Philip Bartholomew Bartholomew Bartholomew Thomas Thomas Matthew Matthew Bartholomew Matthew Thomas Thomas Matthew James of Alphaeus James of Alphaeus James of Alphaeus James of Alphaeus Lebbaeus Thaddaeus Simon Zelotes Simon Zelotes Simon the Ka- Simon the Ka- Jude of James Jude of James nanite nanite Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot In reading these four independent lists several facts are remarkable. i. Each list falls into three tetrads, and the last two tetrads are arranged in slightly varying pairs. “The Apostolic College was formed of three concentric circles—each less closely intimate with Jesus than the last.” Godet. ii. In each tetrad the names refer to the same persons though the order is different. iii. In each list the first of each tetrad is the same—viz. Simon, Philip, and James son of Alphaeus; not as ‘supreme among inferior, but as first among equals.’ iv. In each list Simon stands first; and Judas Iscariot last, as the ‘son of perdition.’ v. Not only do the Apostles seem to be named in the order of their eminence and nearness to Christ, but the first four seem to stand alone (in the Acts the first four are separated by “and;” the rest are ranged in pairs).