Two of them are among Jesus Twelve ApostlesSimon the Zealot and Simon Peter. Despite the common misconception, Eleazar ben Simon the Zealot is not the same person as Eleazar ben Ya'ir, the Sicarii leader at Masada. Little is known about the post-Pentecost life of St. Simon, who had been called a Zealot. Provoked by Roman oppression and inflamed by his own political ambitions, Eleazar ben Simon dedicated his life to the Zealot cause to establish an independent Judea. Since a zealot was a fanatic and eventually resorted to violence, Simon would have left this cause when he gave up all to follow Jesus. Most scholars today believekananaioscomes from the Aramaic wordqanan, meaning zealous one, which effectively makes Simons moniker the same in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts. Hammond and Grotius think that St. Simon was called the Zealot, before his coming to Christ, because he was one of that particular sect or party among the Jews called Zealots, from a singular zeal they possessed for the honour of God and the purity of religion. Accessed 8/08/2013. The Apostle Jude was crucified in Persia. Simon ben Gioras' control of Jerusalem rendered Eleazar and John's alliance useless and the Zealots split from John and barricaded themselves in the Temple. While there are some variations in the order the apostles appear and even the names they went by, Simon is listed in all of them. Now this may seem like not a very big thingJesus we surmise simply chose a variety of people as his disciples. Key verses regarding Simon the . Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Your Apostle, St. Simon, as an example of holiness. This alliance was rooted in their mutual dependence upon each other. This Simon was also named "the Canaanite" ( Matthew 10:4 Mark 3:18 the King James Version) or "the Cananean" ( Matthew 10:4 Mark 3:18 the Revised Version (British and American)) or "Zelotes" ( Luke . The apostle James is not the same James as Jesus brother so we need to establish that fact. The fall of Jerusalem also spurred a Jewish Diaspora throughout the ancient world because of enslavement and a large number of fleeing refugees. Vespasian became emperor and granted Josephus Roman citizenship. During his three years of ministry with Jesus, Simon the Zealot matured into an apostle empowered to spread the gospel in truth and love to all nations. Apparently Jude was in Persia on a missionary trip. The cause of his death in unclear because of the existence of two versions: (1) He was crucified in Edessa, Turkey; (2) He was clubbed-to-death and his body was either sawed or axed in pieces after (together with Simon the Zealot). This is the disciple that replaced Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:12-26) that betrayed Jesus and then hanged himself (Matthew 27:5). This year was marked by bitter civil war between the three factions under Simon, John, and Eleazar. There are numerous accounts of Simon the Zealot's death, but the earliest records come centuries after his death. Like many of the apostles, it's hard to conclude exactly which tradition (if any) can be trusted: In the fifth century, Moses of Chorene wrote that Simon the Zealot was martyred in the Kingdom of Iberia. Given that details of Simon are so spare, I will address a couple of issues related to Simon's zeal. Yet prior to this encounter, little is known about his early life and rise to power. It is not fair to call Judas Iscariot an apostle since he was never truly converted or commissioned by Jesus. The Bible says that he betrayed Jesus and then being consumed with worldly guilt went out to hang himself (Matthew 27:3-8). Churchgists.com covers prayers, spiritual meaning, bible verses and dreams interpretation. Judas is often identified as a Zealot, an attribute held by only one other disciple, Simon the Zealot. Simon the Zealot is also referred to in the gospels as Simon the Canaanite or Simon the Cananaean. Amen. How heartbreaking. TheNew Testamentlists all twelve apostles four timesMatthew 10:2-4,Mark 3:14-19,Luke 6:13-16, andActs 1:13-16. 30 synonyms for Zealot: fanatic, enthusiast, extremist, militant, maniac, fiend, bigot, devotee . Jesus saw this coming when He said, Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) Peter, who refused to renounce his faith, was crucified, at his request, upside down. Jesus preached a message of nonviolence (Matthew 5:39, 43-44; 26:52). pp. After Jesus' death, Simon and Jude Thaddeus became an evangelizing team, and they were both martyred in Beirut in 65 . Matthias was the apostle that was selected to replace Judas who hung himself. as members of a sect called the Zealots.. Syrian Christian tradition postulates he was martyred in Mylapore on July 3, 72 AD. 2010 3 May. On the various New Testament lists of the Twelve Apostles ( Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:13), the tenth and eleventh places are occupied by Simon the Zealot (also called Simon the "Cananean," the Aramaic word meaning "Zealot") and by Judas of James, also called Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus. Anyone associated with a known Zealot would fall under the suspicion of Roman authorities. His political campaign to eradicate moderate Jews from Jerusalem in 67-70 CE eliminated the possibility to surrender to Titus and avoid his relentless massacre of the city. SIMON THE CANAANITE; SIMON THE CANANAEAN; SIMON THE ZEALOT. His death sentence was meted out by the Roman Emperor Catus Decianus during his execution in May 61 AD at Caistor, modern-day Lincolnshire . Today, anyone who has trusted in Christ is a disciple but the days of apostleship is over and ended with the conclusion of the New Testament. After the fall, he was somehow still alive and when they discovered this, his enemies circled him and beat him to death with clubs. The Zealots were anti-Rome and were politically motivated. Eleazar took the legion's equipment and movable wealth, returning to Jerusalem with substantial loot. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 20 Bible Verses About Success: Study From Scripture, 25 Encouraging Bible Verses About Strength, Words of Encouragement: 30 Uplifting Quotes, Are You a Disciple of Christ? Even his moniker, the Zealot is ambiguous enough that we cant be sure what it meansthough there are several strong possibilities. And after saying this he said to him, Follow me. (John 21:18-19). I love to see people zealous in the work of the Lord. Some Bible translations preserve Jeromes mistake out of respect for tradition, calling Simon the Cananite or the Cananaean inMatthew 10:3andMark 3:18. Simonmayhave been a member of a rebellious group that was prone to violence. It's thought that he became a missionary to Africa and died of old age. Simon He was from Cana and was called Simon the Canaanite or Simon the Zealot (the Zealots were Jewish revolutionaries who opposed . He was present when Jesus performed miracles, such as walking on water (Matthew 14:22), healing lepers (Luke 5:12), feeding thousands with five loaves of bread and two fish (Matthew 15:32), raising people from the dead (Luke 7:11), and raising Lazarus from death after four days (John 11:1-44). As we mentioned earlier, Rhoades argues that Josephus work makes it clear that there was no formal group called the Zealots until about 68 AD. The word translated "Canaanite" is of Hebrew origin and means "zealot". Jude Thaddeus, patron saint of of desperate and lost causes, partnered with Simon the Zealot and they preached in Judea, Persia, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Iran and Libya. This apostle, in the catalogue of our Lord's chosen disciples, is styled "Simon the Canaanite," whence some are of the opinion that he was born at Cana in Galilee; and it is generally thought that he was the bridegroom mentioned by St. John, at whose marriage our blessed . Little else is known of his life, but legend claims that he visited Beirut and Edessa. This faith in the Zealot cause attracted many Jews to help fight against Rome, which resulted in vast casualties. CONCLUSION: Simon was a freedom fighter - a zealot! There are so few historical facts that are available beyond this account that we cannot add much to this and do so with absolute certainty. We think of Jesus' disciple, Simon "the Zealot" or "Canaanite", and of Josephus's account of Judas the Galilean in 6 CE apparently responsible for what became the Zealot party and a widespread "nationalist" movement against Roman rule.