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Person · Tribe of Judah

Alphaeus

Man living at the time of the New Testament

Alphaeus was the father of two of Jesus' apostles, James and Matthew (also known as Levi).

🗺 Places mentioned alongside Alphaeus on the map →

Also known as Alpheus · Cleopas · Clopas · Cleophas

Alphaeus, also known as Cleopas, is mentioned in the New Testament as the father of two of Jesus' apostles, James and Matthew (Levi). James, the son of Alphaeus, is listed among the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus. (Mat.10.3; Mrk.3.18; Luk.6.15; Act.1.13) He is often referred to as "James the Less" or "James the Younger" to distinguish him from James, the son of Zebedee, and James, the brother of Jesus.

Matthew, also known as Levi, is identified as the son of Alphaeus in the account of his calling as a disciple. Jesus encountered Matthew at the tax collector's booth and called him to follow him, which Matthew did, leaving behind his profession. (Mrk.2.14)

In the Gospel of John, a woman named Mary is described as standing near the cross of Jesus, along with his mother and other women. This Mary is identified as the wife of Clopas (an alternative spelling of Cleopas or Alphaeus). (Jhn.19.25) Some scholars suggest that this Mary may have been the mother of James and Matthew, but this is not explicitly stated in the text.

Additionally, in the Gospel of Luke, a man named Cleopas is mentioned as one of the two disciples who encountered the risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus. (Luk.24.18) While some traditions identify this Cleopas with Alphaeus, the father of James and Matthew, there is no clear evidence in the biblical text to support this connection.

The limited information provided about Alphaeus in the Gospels and Acts focuses primarily on his relationship to his sons, James and Matthew, who became followers of Jesus and members of the twelve apostles. His mention in the biblical text serves to identify and distinguish these two disciples from others with similar names.

Family

Father
Jacob
Sibling
Joseph
Spouse or partner
Mary
Children
JamesJosesMatthew

Connections

Part of: Bethany and the Women Around Jesus · Jesus and His Family Circle

Clopas, Alphaeus, and the family behind them

FamilyHypothesis

Hegesippus (via Eusebius) says Clopas was Joseph's brother and father of Symeon, second bishop of Jerusalem. Some equate Clopas with Alphaeus (father of James the younger), but the Greek names differ and the match is a hypothesis.

MaryAlphaeus or Cleopas' wifeAlphaeusSon of JacobJamesAn apostleJosephMary's husband
Where the text shows it: John 19:25 — Mary of ClopasMark 3:18 — James son of AlphaeusMark 2:14 — Levi son of Alphaeus
Ways people read this (3)
  • Clopas and Alphaeus are the same man (Aramaic Halphai behind both names).
  • They are different men.
  • If Alphaeus is Joseph's brother, James the younger would be a cousin of Jesus.

Sources: Eusebius, Church History 3.11 and 4.22 (citing Hegesippus)

Matthew (Levi) and James son of Alphaeus

FamilyHypothesis

Mark says Levi the tax collector was a son of Alphaeus, and James the apostle is also called son of Alphaeus. Some think they were brothers, but the Gospels never call them brothers and Matthew's list does not pair them.

MatthewAn apostleJamesAn apostleAlphaeusSon of Jacob
Where the text shows it: Mark 2:14 — Levi son of AlphaeusMark 3:18 — James son of AlphaeusMatthew 9:9 — Matthew the tax collector
Ways people read this (2)
  • Brothers: same father Alphaeus.
  • Different men who share a common name, and the pair are never linked.

Sources: Scripture

Levi/Matthew is called son of Alphaeus

FamilyWidely accepted

Mark calls Levi the tax collector "the son of Alphaeus", and TIPNR records Matthew as a son of Alphaeus. The Matthew and Luke lists do not give Matthew's father.

MatthewAn apostleAlphaeusSon of Jacob
Where the text shows it: Mark 2:14 — Levi the son of Alphaeus.Mark 3:18 — Matthew in the list; father not given.
Ways people read this (1)
  • Depends on Levi = Matthew (see that relation).

Sources: Mark 2:14

James, son of Alphaeus

FamilyStated in the text

The lists call one apostle James the son of Alphaeus. Tradition calls him James the Less, from Mark's "James the small".

JamesAn apostleAlphaeusSon of Jacob
Where the text shows it: Mark 3:18 — James the son of Alphaeus.Luke 6:15 — Same.Acts 1:13 — Same.

Sources: Mark 3:18 · Luke 6:15

Matthew and James as brothers (sons of Alphaeus)

FamilyDebated

Mark gives the same father, Alphaeus, to Levi and to the apostle James. Some take the two as brothers, as TIPNR does. The text never says so, though it does name other sets of brothers explicitly.

MatthewAn apostleJamesAn apostleAlphaeusSon of Jacob
Where the text shows it: Mark 2:14 — Levi son of Alphaeus.Mark 3:18 — James son of Alphaeus.Matthew 4:18-22 — Contrast: other brother pairs are named as brothers.
Ways people read this (3)
  • Brothers: one father name; Mark lists Matthew and James close together.
  • Not brothers: Alphaeus was a common name; if brothers, the Gospels would probably say so as with Peter/Andrew and James/John; Matthew is paired with Thomas, not James, in Matthew's list.
  • Jerome did not list Matthew among the Lord's brothers.

Sources: Mark 2:14 · Mark 3:18

Are Clopas and Alphaeus the same man?

FamilyDebated

Some identify Clopas (John 19:25) with Alphaeus (Mark 3:18), as variant Greek renderings of an Aramaic name. The Gospels never say so, and the Greek forms differ.

MaryAlphaeus or Cleopas' wifeAlphaeusSon of JacobJamesAn apostle
Where the text shows it: John 19:25 — Mary of Clopas.Mark 3:18 — James son of Alphaeus.
Ways people read this (3)
  • Yes: both could be from Aramaic Halphai; Jerome held this.
  • No: Klopas is a different Greek name from Alphaios; the two are commonly distinguished. A separate Cleopas in Luke 24:18 is yet another figure.
  • TIPNR ties the names together in its notes, which is a scholarly judgment.

Sources: John 19:25 · Mark 3:18 · Jerome, Against Helvidius (c. AD 383)

Clopas as brother of Joseph (Hegesippus)

FamilyChurch tradition

Hegesippus, cited by Eusebius, says Clopas was the brother of Joseph and father of Symeon, the second leader of the church in Jerusalem. TIPNR records Alphaeus as Joseph's brother.

AlphaeusSon of JacobJosephMary's husband
Where the text shows it: John 19:25 — Mary of Clopas is the only NT mention.
Ways people read this (1)
  • No NT text states the relationship; it rests on early church report, and its reliability is assessed differently.

Sources: Hegesippus, cited in Eusebius, Church History (c. AD 324)

Four apostles as sons of Alphaeus

FamilyHypothesis

The proposal that James, Matthew, Judas and Simon the Zealot were all brothers and all cousins of Jesus combines several separate inferences. Each step is uncertain and only the first has support in the text (a shared father for James and Levi).

JamesAn apostleMatthewAn apostleJudasAn apostleSimonAn apostleAlphaeusSon of Jacob
Where the text shows it: Mark 2:14 — Levi son of Alphaeus.Mark 3:18 — James son of Alphaeus.Luke 6:16 — Judas of James.Luke 6:15 — Simon the Zealot.
Ways people read this (3)
  • Attested: James and Levi share a father named Alphaeus; Mary mother of James is at the cross.
  • Inferred: Levi = Matthew; Alphaeus = Clopas; Judas is brother of James; Simon is also brother; Mary of Clopas is Mary's sister.
  • Each inference has defenders, but the combined case depends on all of them at once.

Sources: Mark 2:14 · Luke 6:15-16

Thomas within the Alphaeus/Clopas family

FamilyHypothesis

No text links Thomas to the Alphaeus or Clopas branch. The idea rests on Thomas being called Didymus ("twin"), combined with lists where Thomas is placed near Matthew or James; it is an inference, not a report.

ThomasAn apostleJamesAn apostleAlphaeusSon of Jacob
Where the text shows it: John 11:16 — Thomas called Didymus.John 20:24 — Thomas, one of the Twelve, called Didymus.Matthew 10:3 — Thomas and Matthew paired.
Ways people read this (3)
  • Attested: Thomas is named Didymus; no sibling is named.
  • Not attested: his father, his family, or his place of origin.
  • The pairing in Matthew's list is of Thomas with Matthew, which could equally support friendship or a shared mission.

Sources: John 11:16 · John 20:24

More background: search Wikipedia ↗

Bible dictionary

Alphaeus Easton Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

(1.) The father of James the Less, the apostle and writer of the epistle (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13), and the husband of Mary (John 19:25). The Hebrew form of this name is Cleopas, or Clopas (q.v.). (2.) The father of Levi, or Matthew (Mark 2:14).

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Alphaeus Smith Smith’s Bible Dictionary (1863)

(changing) the father of the apostle James the Less, (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13) and husband of Mary. (John 19:25) [Mary] In this latter place he is called Clopas (not, as in the Authorized Version, Cleophas).

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Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.

Where Alphaeus appears

7 verses in 5 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G0256

Matthew1
Mark2
Luke2
John1
Acts1

Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.