(Gospel of Mark 3:14 - 3:19)
Jesus climbed a mountain and called down to those he wanted, and they came up to him. Twelve of them he chose to be his companions, that he might send them out to preach and endow them with the power to heal and to exorcise evil spirits.
The 12 he appointed were these:
Simon (whom he called “Peter”)
James, the son of Zebedee and his brother John (whom he gave the name of Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”)
Andrew
Philip
Bartholomew
Matthew
Thomas
James, the son of Alphaeus
Thaddaeus
Simon the Zealot
Judas Iscariot, the one who turned him in
Notes
1. According to the text, Boanerges means “sons of thunder” presumably in Aramaic, the language that Jesus and his disciples spoke. It does not, however, seem to be a regular word, only an awkward portmanteau expression partly from Hebrew, made up either by Jesus or by the author of Mark. The term is never used again.
2. This is the standard list of the apostles, however, some of the names vary. The Gospel of John, which, unlike the other gospels, does not offer a list of the apostles, calls Bartholomew, Nathanael, while Thaddeus is probably the same person as Judas or Jude, the son or brother of James. James, the son of Alphaeus, is sometimes (unflatteringly) called James the Less. Matthew may also be Levi, the son of Alphaeus, and Simon may be the same person as Simeon of Jerusalem. Curious that more than one apostle would be known by more than one name. Unlike the Romans, who had a first name, a family name, and a tribal name, Hebrew men had only one name. Added to it might be another name indicating their place of origin or residence, whose son they were, what work they did, or a personal characteristic they might have -- very similar to the situation in medieval England.
3. Ascending a mountain suggests an ascent to Heaven, communion with the divine. Moses climbs a mountain to receive the Ten Commandments. Perhaps this is a parallel, Jesus ascending a mountain and calling up to him his chosen apostles.
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