At the onset of the war, John of Gischala, Eleazar's future ally, disobeyed Josephus' orders not to attack a Roman granary, thus sparking a bitter hatred between the two leaders. But the group known as the Zealots may not have existed at the time the gospels took placepossibly not even when they were written. If you step out of this life without Christ, then you have sealed your own fate and eternally separated yourself from God. Even so, I thought he should be mentioned. 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 final conversion of the Armenian nation to Christianity did not take place until the third century A.D. St. Jude was the one who asked Jesus at the Last Supper why He would not manifest Himself to the whole world after His resurrection. (Simon Kananaios; kanna'i, "the Jealous (or Zealous) One"): One of the Twelve Apostles. Simon was a member of the militant political movement called the Zealots. Your email address will not be published. His zeal once focused in the right direction must have made him stay on the straight and narrow path, although it did require new learning on his part! The titles may refer to him being "zealous", or to his membership of one of the Jewish revolutionary movements known as Zealots. Heres how Josephus explains it inThe Antiquities of the Jews: Yet was there one Judas, a Gaulonite; of a city whose name was Gamala; who, taking with him Saddouk, a Pharisee, became zealous to draw them to a revolt: who both said that this taxation was no better than an introduction to slavery: and exhorted the nation to assert their liberty.. Once again, most historians agree that Andrew was also crucified but he was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Greece. But heres what we know. If thats what the Zealot refers to, then likeMatthew the Tax Collector, the Apostle Simons presence among the Twelve represents a powerful picture of the gospel. Also, consider one of Jesus' other disciples was a tax collector. Zealots were shunned by the High Priesthood in Jerusalem prior to the revolt. Researchers believe this is a form of the title sicarii, meaning "dagger-men," a group of ultra-Zealots who carried a knife with them at all times to be prepared to assassinate . [citation needed], The Zealot control of Jerusalem was confined to the inner court of the city and the Temple itself. And after saying this he said to him, Follow me. (John 21:18-19). How did the Apostles die? 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. Finally, two of Jesus' disciples were named Simon: Simon Peter and Simon the Zealot. The name of Simon occurs in all the passages of the Gospel and Acts, in which a list of the Apostles is given. He used the wealth acquired in this decisive victory as political leverage during the battle for power in Jerusalem in 67-69 CE. St. Jude is the patron saint of hopeless causes. Other scholars disagree. The three Synoptic Gospels recount how Peters mother-in-law was healed by Jesus at their home in Capernaum (Matthew 8:1417, Mark 1:2931, Luke 4:38); this passage clearly depicts Peter as being married. ( Matthew 27:3-5) It was too late. All Rights Reserved. Some Bible translations preserve Jeromes mistake out of respect for tradition, calling Simon the Cananite or the Cananaean inMatthew 10:3andMark 3:18. 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.) Also, the Ethiopian Christians claim he was crucified in Samaria. Often asked: Apostle Who Wemt To Mountain To See Mary? This would end the rage and cause death, and thus be much more lethal than lethal damage. A second-century apocryphal text called Acts of Peter claimed that Peter was crucified upside down, at his request for he didnt feel worthy to die as Jesus did. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?. Sts. So whowasthis person the Bible calls Simon the Zealot, and what do we actually know about him? Like his brother Peter, Andrew didnt consider himself worthy to die in the same manner as Jesus. He died after being crucified in Jerusalem during the First Revolt against Rome (also known as the Great Revolt). Eleazar found himself in a similar situation of helplessness. St. Jude, known as Thaddaeus, was a brother of St. James the Lesser, and a relative of Jesus. And he had a double name; he was said Simon Zelotes, and Simon Cananean of Cana a street that is in Galilee, there whereas our Lord converted the water into wine.. As the Roman burden became more onerous, Jewish priests alienated by the pro-Roman high priesthood joined in the effort to attain political and religious liberty by any means possible, thus forming the Zealots. He is mentioned in the New Testament four times: twice by Jesus and twice by Paul. The title Zealot tells us much about Simon. It is unknown how Eleazar ben Simon died. We will now examine the historical evidence of how these men died. 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? By association with John, Eleazar inherited much of Josephus' hatred of his political partner and became a victim of harsh and bitter desecration in Bellum Judaicum. In this instance Canaanite is being used in its political sense, and does not refer to Simon's place of origin. Known for: Little-known apostle of Jesus Christ. The apostle Simon is not Simon Peter (Andrew's brother) but Simon the Zealot. Basil the Great says he died in Edessa, peacefully. 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). They assumed he was from Canaa town within Galileeor possibly Canaan, an ancient region in the near east which was frequently mentioned in the Bible. Here is a man we know by name only and not by his . Previous post: 10 Arguments for the Existence of God, Next post: 20 Bible Verses About Success: Study From Scripture. 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. This is the disciple that replaced Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:12-26) that betrayed Jesus and then hanged himself (Matthew 27:5). Western tradition is that he preached in Egypt and then went to Persia with St. Jude, where both suffered martyrdom. Quick Answer: What Apostle Began The Greek Church? Nothing is known of Eleazar's fate after this betrayal, except for the fact that Josephus mentioned him as still commanding the Zealots when they rejoined John in his fight against Simon bar Giora. Some contend that he died as late as 493 AD when he was more than 100 years old. He was one of the 12 main disciples of Jesus Christ, but he plays no particular role in the gospels and is only mentioned by name in lists of the apostles (Matthew 10:2-4,Mark 3:16-19,Luke 6:14-16,Acts 1:1-13). His relics reside at Saint Peter's in Rome, at Rheims, and at Toulouse, France. Simon was born in Galilee, which was part of Roman-occupied Israel at the time. The Bible does not expressly give details about the ways in which the apostles died. Ancient. Required fields are marked *. Luke replaces the name Thaddeus with Judas son of James (Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13). [1] J.H. So, the proconsul, in revenge, killed him. He is ironically crucified as a revolutionary between two revolutionaries, and yet his revolution is one built on the power of love, not violence. Accounts. God loves each of us as if there were only one of us"- Augustine. Contrary to the radical anti-Roman agenda of the Zealots, Ananus and the other moderate leaders of Jerusalem wished to stabilize the conflict and reach equilibrium with Rome. Eleazar ben Simon and his Zealots' radical anti-Roman policies and eradication of the moderate temple aristocracy from Jerusalem in 67 CE also prevented any peaceful agreement with Rome to avoid the death and destruction which ensued in 70 CE. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that dayand not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing., At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. How did Jesus meet Simon Peter? St. Jude Thaddeus is invoked in desperate situations because his New Testament letter stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them. Yet when Eleazar and his Zealots opened the gates to permit entry, John's forces slaughtered the inhabitants of the temple while the Zealots tried to flee. Apostolic Identity. And that same hour, which was right fair weather, came so great thunder and lightning that the temple was smitten in three, and the two enchanters were turned into coals by the stroke of thunder. Simon of Cyrene (Hebrew: , Standard Hebrew imon, Tiberian Hebrew imn; Greek: , Simn Kyrnaios; died 100) was the man compelled by the Romans to carry the cross of Jesus of Nazareth as Jesus was taken to his crucifixion, according to all three Synoptic Gospels. Zeal is behavior motivated by the jealous desire to protect ones self, group, space, or time against violations. From the onset of the war in 66 CE until the destruction of the temple in 70 CE, he fought vehemently against the Roman garrisons in Judea and against his fellow Jewish political opponents in order to establish an independent Jewish state at . Not much beyond this is known since Matthew was in such a remote place in Africa and went where few historian or Christians ventured to go. Matthew and Mark give him the titlekananaios, which most scholars believe comes from the Aramaic wordqanan, meaning zealous one.. In his commentary on Matthew, Jerome mistakenly interpretedkananaiosas an indicator that Simon was from Cana, which led to other errors: He was surnamed Peter to distinguish him from another Simon who is called the Cananean, from the village of Cana of Galilee, where the Lord turned water into wine.. Once again, very little is known about him inside or outside of the Bible. the Zealot movement that wanted a revolutionary overthrow of the occuying Romans. He is usually identified with the Apostle Simon the Zealot, with whom he shares a surname, or with the Apostle Jude. Apostle Simon . When the Jews refused, he threatened to destroy the temple but his sudden timely demise saved Jerusalem from a premature siege. Although the Jewish defeat at Jerusalem cannot be entirely attributed to Eleazar ben Simon, his inability to establish unity with John of Gischala and Simon bar Giora resulted in a bitter civil war that weakened the Jewish resistance against Rome. Simon the Zealot was one of Jesus' disciples. The Roman procurators also subjugated the Jewish High Priesthood, appointing pro-Roman Jews to positions of authority, and desecrated sacred Jewish practices with sacrilegious pagan rituals. Simon and Jude, Apostles. Tradition also claims he died peacefully at Edessa. Jesus predicted Peters death when He said to him, when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go (John 21:18). James the Less was martyred in a fashion similar to James, the half-brother of Jesus, who was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple and then beaten to death. Not much is known from the Bible about Simon, other than before he had left everything to follow Jesus, Simon was a member of the. The apocryphal Acts of Thomas says this apostle was martyred in Mylapore, India, where he was stabbed with spears. This is the apostle that is mentioned in John 21:20-23, Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, Lord, who is the one who betrays You? Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, But Lord, what about this man? Jesus said to him, If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? Here the term Canaanite is synonymous with the word Zealot. having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ, 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., How the Apostle Bartholomew or Nathaniel Died, How the Apostle James (son of Zebedee) Died, Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, Lord, who is the one who betrays You?, Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, But Lord, what about this man? Jesus said to him, If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? It is unlikely that the Magi mentioned in the New Testament who were searching for the child King, Jesus, and the ones who crucified Jude were one and the same. Rhoades concludes that the term zealot is ambiguous enough for there to be more than one valid interpretation: Some scholars assume that citations to zeal and zealots in the 1st century, such as the NT references to Simon the zealot, refer to a Jewish sect of Zealots dedicated to revolution against Rome. Matthew, like most of the apostles late in their lives, became a missionary and was arrested in Ethiopia. Simon the Zealot (Luke 6:15, Acts 1:13) is also called Simon the "Canaanite" (Matthew 10:4, Mark 3:18). He usually has a small flame above his head and he often carries a pen. As time passed, the perception of Eleazar ben Simon and the Zealots shifted from the tyrannical despot whom Josephus portrays to a dedicated leader with flawed tactics. Antonyms for Zealot. How Did Simon The Zealot Die by Ibrahim Smile June 16, 2022 Simon the Zealot was a Jewish priest and a member of the early Christian community. Listen to the heartbreaking last words of Paul as he awaited his execution in 2 Timothy 4:16-18: At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. It is not fair to call Judas Iscariot an apostle since he was never truly converted or commissioned by . Ancient writers tell us that he preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Lybia. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. In the thirteenth century, Jacobus de Varagine compiled numerous biographies of the saints intoThe Golden Legend, where centuries after Jerome, the error was repeated: Simon is as much to say as obedient, or being in heaviness. 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