Judas, also known as Lebbaeus or Thaddaeus, was one of the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus Christ.
Judas, also known as Lebbaeus or Thaddaeus, was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. He is mentioned in the lists of the apostles provided in the Synoptic Gospels and the book of Acts (Luk.6.16; Mat.10.3; Mrk.3.18; Act.1.13).
In the Gospel of John, he is referred to as "Judas (not Iscariot)" to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus (Jhn.14.22). This distinction suggests that he was a different person from the other apostles named Judas.
The names Lebbaeus and Thaddaeus are likely surnames or alternative names for this Judas. The use of multiple names may indicate that he was known by different names in different communities or contexts.
Apart from being listed among the twelve apostles, little is known about Judas/Lebbaeus/Thaddaeus from the biblical text. In Jhn.14.22, he asks Jesus a question during the Last Supper discourse, indicating his presence and participation in that event.
As one of the twelve apostles, Judas/Lebbaeus/Thaddaeus would have been a close follower of Jesus, witnessing His teachings, miracles, death, and resurrection. He would have also played a role in the early spread of the gospel and the establishment of the Christian church, although the specific details of his ministry are not recorded in the Bible.
Jesus chooses the Twelve
RoleStated in the textJesus selected twelve from his wider group of disciples and named them apostles. The four lists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts) agree on twelve names with one variation in the tenth to twelfth positions (Thaddaeus or Judas of James).
Where the text shows it: Mark 3:13-19 — Jesus appoints twelve and the list follows.Luke 6:12-16 — Chosen after a night of prayer and named apostles.Matthew 10:2-4 — The list as sent out on mission.Acts 1:13 — The list after the ascension, without Judas Iscariot. Sources: Matthew 10:2-4 · Mark 3:13-19 · Luke 6:12-16 · Acts 1:13
Judas "of James" (Thaddaeus)
FamilyWidely acceptedLuke and Acts call an apostle "Judas of James" (Greek: Judas Iakobou), leaving open "son of" or "brother of". Matthew and Mark list Thaddaeus in that position, and the two are commonly taken as the same man.
Ways people read this (1)
- Judas-Thaddaeus harmonises the lists; the Gospels never say so.
Sources: Luke 6:16 · Mark 3:18
Judas as brother of James (Hieronymian reading)
FamilyDebatedJerome read "Judas of James" as "brother of James" and linked Judas to the author of Jude, who calls himself brother of James. Others read "son of James", and some distinguish the apostle from the letter writer.
Where the text shows it: Luke 6:16 — Judas of James.Jude 1 — Jude, brother of James.Jude 1:17 — The writer speaks of "the apostles" as a group he seems to stand apart from. Ways people read this (3)
- Brother: fits Jude 1 and Jerome's identification of James of Alphaeus with the Lord's brother.
- Son: the normal Greek genitive reading; the brother reading takes it as an ellipsis.
- Jude 17 has been taken to show the writer was not one of the Twelve.
Sources: Luke 6:16 · Jude 1 · Jerome, Against Helvidius (c. AD 383)
Simon the Zealot as a brother in the Alphaeus family
FamilyHypothesisThe claim that Simon the Zealot was a brother of James, Matthew and Judas is not supported by any text. It combines the Hieronymian list of four "brothers" (James, Joses, Simon, Jude) with the apostle list by shared names.
Ways people read this (3)
- For: James, Simon and Judas appear in both lists; Jerome made James and Judas apostles.
- Against: no text gives Simon the Zealot a father; "Simon" was extremely common; the name Joses is not in the apostle list.
- Some later traditions identify Simon the Zealot with the Symeon of Jerusalem; the ancient testimony is weak.
Sources: Luke 6:15 · Matthew 13:55
Four apostles as sons of Alphaeus
FamilyHypothesisThe 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).
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
Pairings in the apostle lists
RoleDebatedMatthew's list arranges the Twelve in six apparent pairs, and Mark says Jesus sent them out two by two. Some see these as mission pairs; the texts do not say the list order gives partners.
Where the text shows it: Matthew 10:2-4 — Pairs joined by "and": Simon and Andrew, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew, James and Thaddaeus, Simon and Judas.Mark 6:7 — Sent out two by two. Ways people read this (3)
- For: mission pairs, with the brothers together.
- Against: Luke and Mark use different orders; the pairing is not stated.
- Relevant to family claims: it places Matthew with Thomas, not with James.
Sources: Matthew 10:2-4 · Mark 6:7
Is the Twelve one extended family network?
FriendsHypothesisOne proposal is that most of the Twelve were kin, neighbours or business contacts around the Sea of Galilee. The Gospels attest two brother pairs, a partnership, a shared home town for three and an invitation between two; the wider network is a pattern suggested by those links, not a stated fact.
Ways people read this (3)
- Attested: two sets of brothers, partners, a shared home town, one invitation.
- Inferred: kinship among Alphaeus's sons, Thomas, Simon, Judas.
- The Galilean setting makes local links likely but not proven for each apostle.
Sources: Luke 5:10 · John 1:44
5 verses in 5 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G2455