How I Tripped Over This Apostle Mess
Alright, so I was just poking around online yesterday, right? Looking for something totally different about early Christian history. Got sidetracked big time, like you do. Kept seeing these names popping up together: Thomas, Judas, Simon. Specifically things like “Thomas called Didymus,” “Judas son of James,” and “Simon the Zealot.” People were getting them twisted. I mean, seriously tangled. Felt like I needed to figure out what the actual deal was.
Started simple: Grabbed my battered old Bible. Thumbed straight to the lists in the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke. Yep, all three mention a Judas who isn’t the Iscariot guy, alongside Simon and Thomas. But Luke calls him “Judas of James” which could mean “son of” or “brother of.” Classic Bible name confusion! Needed more firepower.
Jumped onto my laptop. Opened like fifteen tabs – reputable history sites, encyclopedias, even some theology forums (though you gotta take those with a grain of salt, honestly). My goal? Sort these guys out, figure out why they kept getting lumped together or confused. Poured a fresh coffee and settled in.
This is where it got messy:
- Found Judas Thomas. Wait, what? Yeah. Apparently later traditions, especially in the East, sometimes combined Judas (not Iscariot) and Thomas. Called him “Judas Thomas.” Like they merged! Maybe confusion, maybe tradition.
- Then Simon the Zealot. Okay, different Simon. Zealot likely meaning he was part of a super nationalistic Jewish group. Big contrast to Simon Peter. Totally separate apostle. His name just happens to overlap with another Simon.
- Judas Thaddaeus. Headache time! Saw Matthew/Mark call the non-Iscariot Judas “Thaddaeus,” but Luke calls him “Judas of James.” Strong scholarly consensus? Same guy, different nicknames. Mark and Matthew used “Thaddaeus,” Luke used his actual name. One apostle!
My brain was frying. Kept cross-referencing sources. Okay, nailed down Judas (not Iscariot) as Judas of James, also known as Thaddaeus – one apostle. Thomas is definitely separate. Simon the Zealot is also distinct. So:
- Thomas: His own man.
- Judas (non-Iscariot)/Thaddaeus: One guy, Judas of James.
- Simon the Zealot: Another distinct guy.
No “Disciple Thomas Judas Simon” lumped into one person. Just three separate dudes with names that sound kinda similar or have fuzzy traditions sometimes linking them later on. Phew.
So why does it feel like they’re all tangled? My digging suggests a few reasons:
- Common names: Judas and Simon were crazy popular back then.
- Nicknames: Thaddaeus meaning… what? Courageous? Big-hearted? Unclear, adding mystery.
- Sparse info: Bible tells us zip about these specific ones beyond their names being in the list. Big void, filled later with traditions, some overlapping. Hence “Judas Thomas” confusion.
It took a couple of hours of jumping between texts and websites, honestly. That rabbit hole was deep! But I feel way clearer now. The answer to “Thomas Judas Simon Lives?” isn’t about one combined disciple. It’s about untangling three individuals who just happened to walk the same path under names that trip us up centuries later. Sorting out the facts? Yeah, totally worth the headache.
