Are there Inconsistencies about Who the Original Twelve Disciples Are that Disproves there were Twelve Disciples and that Jesus Is the Son of God?

 I like to read the Bible from cover to cover. When I finish, I start again and enjoy it so much that I’ve been doing this for many years. Each time I read the four Gospels, I wonder which of the disciples are the original twelve. They are often called by their name, surname, nicknames, etc. and it makes it difficult to tell which are the original twelve disciples.

Some may consider those inconsistencies which they deem lies and say that the Bible is full of lies which disproves that Jesus Is the Son of God, but is that really true? I have felt led to take on this really big Biblical Research Project to analyze and determine who the original twelve disciples are and to see if there are any significant inconsistencies.

In order to do this research, I will use the New King James Version [NKJV] of the Bible and internet resources, as needed. There are times when the Bible has both the words “he” and “him” within the same verse. I will put who is speaking and who is being spoken to within brackets, if it isn’t clear from the context of the sentence. I will also put my analysis, evaluation, insights and opinions, within brackets, as well, to let you know when I am sharing this information.

If you would like to look at this Biblical Research Project in its entirety, it will be posted on Biblical Proof! at https://BiblicalProof.blogspot.com/ and Do Biblical Inconsistencies Really Matter? at https://Biblicalinconsistencies.blogspot.com

I want you to know how I started this long Biblical Research Project. I had just finished reading the four Gospels and had the lingering feeling that it would be nice to know which were the original twelve disciples, since I’ve wondered this for years. I got an old spiral notebook and started at Acts, because that’s what I was starting to read at the time I felt led to do this research. As I came across the name of any Bible disciples, whether the original twelve or not, I put their name on the top of a separate page. I divided the page in half. The right half of the page said: Acts on… and the left side of the page said: Gospels… I figured that I would go back and read the four Gospels again after I had finished reading the rest of the New Testament, which is exactly what I did. 

Each time I saw Peter mentioned in the New Testament, I went to his page in the spiral notebook and listed every time he was mentioned by name. I wrote down the Book of the Bible and verses like this Acts 1:13, 15, Acts 2:14, 37, 38, etc. Sometimes, I wanted to note, for my own information, that Acts 1:

I’ve been trying to be prayerful about how to relay my findings, since I am using tables to record some of the information, along with Bible verses and internet sources. I will show the final table of the original twelve disciples at the end, but I will highlight and note what I find out about the ones in question here. Otherwise, if I just show you a complete table in the beginning, you won’t have any idea of any possible inconsistencies related to the original disciples.

Also, I know that both Stephen and Saul/Paul aren’t one of the twelve disciples, but kept a page for them out of curiosity. I wondered if either of them were mentioned by name in the Gospels. 

[Using the data from my spiral notebook and Bible Gateway.com/, I will know that

[I will highlight in yellow those who will not be added to the other tables, because the focus of this Biblical Research Project is to identify the original twelve disciples. ]

 Times Each of the Disciples is Listed in the New Testament in Order to Determine if they are One of the Original Twelve Disciples

Name	Gospel Matthew	Gospel of Mark	Gospel of Luke	Gospel of John	Book of Acts	Rest of New Testament	a.k.a.  Also known as
Simon Peter Andrew’s brother	23	19	26	25	56	7
James John’s brother	4	9	5	1	2	2
Andrew Simon Peter’s brother	2	4	1	4	1
Philip	2	2	1	12	17
Thomas	1	1	1	8	1
Bartholomew	1	1	1		1
Matthew	2	2	3		1
James Son of Alphaeus	1	1	1		3	4
Simon the Zealot	1	1	1		1
Judas  Son of James			1	1	4
Judas Iscariot	4	3	4	7
John Brother of James	5	10	7	*See note below	11	6
Joses/Joseph	1	3			23	5	Barnabas
Stephen					6
Saul/Paul					159	39
John surname Mark					5	4	Cousin of Barnabas
James-brother of Jesus?	1		1			1
Luke						3
Timothy					6	19
Lebbaeus surnamed Thaddaeus	1	1
Nathanael				7

The following are the primary Bible passages, where I got some of the initial information on the twelve original disciples:

Matthew 4:17-22 says: From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He [Jesus] said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He [Jesus] saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He [Jesus] called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 

Matthew 9:8-9 goes on to say: Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men. As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He [Jesus] said to him [Matthew] “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. 

Matthew 10:2-4 further says: Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Phillip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him [Jesus].

Mark 1:16-20 says: And as He [Jesus] walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. When He [Jesus] had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He [Jesus] called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him. 

Mark 2:13-15 goes on to say: Then He [Jesus] went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. “Follow Me.” So he [Levi] arose and followed Him [Jesus]. Now it happened, as He [Jesus] was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. 

Mark 3:14-16 further says: Then He [Jesus] appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him [Jesus]. And they went into a house.

Luke 5:1-11 says: So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him [Jesus] to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He [Jesus] got into one of the boats which was Simon’s and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. 

Luke 5:27-29 goes on to say: After these things He [Jesus] went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he [Levi] left all, rose up, and followed Him [Jesus]. Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. 

Luke 6:12-16 further says: Now it came to pass in those days that He [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: Simon, whom He also named  Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and

John 1:32-51 says: ““What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “Where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was “You are Simon the son of Jonah [footnote says John]. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone). The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and“Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” Nathanael said to Him [Jesus], “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” 

John 21:1-2 goes on to say: After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called the twin,  

Acts 1: 13 says: And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. 

Note Luke 10:1 says: After these things 

Luke 10:17 goes on to say: Then 

[These two Bible passages are very significant! Jesus didn’t just appoint twelve disciples, He appointed seventy more. So, many of these people listed in the tables below were disciples of Jesus Christ, but just not one of the original twelve disciples.] 

Disciples who are Listed in the Gospels and in Acts to see if They are One of the Original Twelve Disciples

Disciples listed in:	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John	Acts on...
1	Simon, who is called Peter,	Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter;	Simon, whom He also named Peter	Andrew’s own brother Simon	Peter
2	Andrew Peter’s brother	Andrew	Andrew Peter’s brother	Andrew, Simon Peter's brother	Andrew
3	James the son of Zebedee, John’s brother	James the son of Zebedee and brother of John, called Boanerges, “Sons of Thunder”	James		James
4	John the son of Zebedee, James’ brother	John the son of Zebedee  and brother of James, called Boanerges, “Sons of Thunder”	John	?	John
5		Philip	Philip	Jn 1:43 He[Jesus] found Philip	Philip
6	Bartholomew Mt 10:3	Bartholomew Mk 3:18	Bartholomew Lk 6:14	?	Bartholomew Acts:1:13
7	Mt 10:3	Thomas Mk 3:18	Thomas Lk 6:14	Thomas only in Jn 11:16, 14:5, 20:24-29, 21:2	Thomas Acts 1:13
8	Matthew the tax collector Mt 9:9,10:3	Matthew Mk 3:18,	Matthew #5 Lk 5:27-Levi, Lk 6:15- Matthew	?	Acts 1:13
9	James the son of Alphaeus Mt 10:3	James the son of Alphaeus Mk 3:18	James the son of Alphaeus Lk 6:15	#3 James son of Alphaeus not mentioned in John	James the son of Alphaeus Acts 1:13, 15:13-22, 21:18-25 1 Cor 15:7 Gala 2:9? 2:12? James 1:1-5:20
10	Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus Mt 10:3	Mark 3:18	?	?
11	Simon the Canaanite Mt 10:4	Simon the Cananite Mk 3:4	#8 Simon the Zealot Lk 6:14	?	Simon the Zealot Acts 1:13
12	Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him [Jesus]	Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him [Jesus]	Judas Iscariot who became a traitor	Judas Iscariot only on  Jn 6:70-71, 12:4, 13:2,	Acts 1: 16-19 Judas committed suicide
? Ones in Question	Mt 13:55 Jesus’ mother Mary, brothers James, Joses, Simon, Judas	# 4 Mk 2:14 Levi son of Alphaeus #6 Joses/Joseph aka Barnabas, Joseph aka Barsabas surnamed Justus	#1 Judas the son of James Lk 6:16	#2 Jn 1:45-49 Philip found Nathanael Jn 21:2 Jn 14:22 says Judas, but not Iscariot	Judas the son of James  Acts 1:13, 15:22, 27, 31-34 4:36-37, 9:22-27, 11:21-30, 12:25, 13:1-2, 7, 13-52, 14:1-5, 12, 14, 20, 28, 15:1-5, 12-39, 1 Cor 9:6, Gal 2:1, 9-13, Cols 4:10 John whose surname was Mark only in Acts on...

[I am coming back to re-address this further. I utilized internet resources to find out more about Lebbaeus Thaddaeus to see if there is a connection to Judas the son of James. I found the following information that seemed credible on:

Got Questions. Your Questions. Biblical Answers. at https://www.gotquestions.org/Thaddeus-in-the-Bible.html ]

“Question: "Who was Thaddeus in the Bible?"

Answer: Thaddeus was one of the original twelve disciples chosen by Jesus Christ. Thaddeus, whose name is also spelled

Jerome, a fourth-century Bible scholar, dubbed Thaddeus “Trinomious,” which means “the man with three names.” In both the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, the apostle is listed as Thaddeus (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18). In the King James Version of Matthew 10:3, he is called “Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus.” Luke, however, replaces the name Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13. And when the apostle John mentions Thaddeus, he calls him “Judas (not Iscariot)” (John 14:22).

Judas was a popular name in New Testament times. It means, “Jehovah leads.” Bible scholars suggest that

The only recorded words of Thaddeus are in John 14. Jesus and the twelve disciples were gathered together in the Upper Room for the Last Supper. The Lord was speaking to them about the troubling matter of His impending death. The apostles had questions and concerns. Jesus promised to give them the Holy Spirit to help them and to dwell within them. Then He said, “Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” (John 14:19–21).

Confused, Thaddeus asked Jesus, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?” (John 14:22, NLT). Thaddeus’s question reveals a few things about the man. First, he felt comfortable enough in his relationship with Jesus to interrupt Him with a question. Second, Thaddeus wanted to know why Jesus would treat the disciples differently from the world. And third, like most first-century Jews, Thaddeus was expecting a Messiah who would reveal Himself in power to the world.

The answer Jesus gave Thaddeus was simple: “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me” (John 14:23–24). Our love for God is expressed through obedience to His teaching. Love and obedience are inseparable for Christians. Those who love and obey God are His children. These children receive the Holy Spirit, who reveals Christ to them, but Christ remains hidden to the world

Nothing more is revealed about Thaddeus in the Bible. We know Thaddeus, like the other disciples, left his former life to follow and serve Jesus Christ faithfully, enduring hardship and persecution. Pentecost, Thaddeus took the gospel message north, where he performed miracles, preached, and founded a church in Edessa, an area in modern Turkey.”

[I also checked this out on BibleHub.com which has commentary by a variety of Bible Scholars: The Choice of the Twelve by G. A. Chadwick at https://biblehub.com/library/chadwick/the_gospel_of_st_mark/chapter_3_7-19_the_choice_of.htm had this to say:

“A mere comparison of the lists refutes the notion that any one Evangelist has worked up the materials of another, so diverse are they, and yet so easily reconciled. Matthew in one is Levi in another.

[I knew that Judas the son of James was one of the original twelve disciples according to the information I shared earlier. These provided the additional Biblical evidence I needed in order to determine that Lebbaeus surnamed Thaddeus was another name for Judas the son of James. It was worth the wait!]

[#2 Jn 1:45-49 where So the question I have, are Nathanael and Bartholomew the same person?  I looked this up at BibleHub.com/ and copied this portion from Ambassadors for Christ by Alexander Maclaren at: https://biblehub.com/library/maclaren/expositions_of_holy_scripture_d/ambassadors_for_christ.htm

“In the second quartet, Bartholomew is probably Nathanael; and, if so, his conjunction with Philip is an interesting coincidence with John i.45, which tells that Philip brought him to Jesus.”] 

[I thought pursuing this research through the connection of Philip with Bartholomew and Nathanael seemed like a credible way to research this further. I looked up Philip in BibleGateway.com to see if Philip and Bartholomew are listed together or Philip and Nathanael are or all three of them are listed in the Gospels together. I could have looked it up in my Bible, but it’s sometimes helpful to see the verses together. I found this at: https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=Philip&version=NKJV This is what I found, but I have only included the related passages:

·         “Matthew 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;

·         Mark 3:18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Canan    

·         Luke 6:14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;

·         John 1:45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

·         John 1:46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

·         John 1:48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

·         Acts 1:13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.”

[By evaluating this thoroughly utilizing several internet resources, the connection with Philip,  and my notebook where I have recorded each time a disciple or possible disciple is named throughout the New Testament, I feel pretty confident that Batholomew and Nathanael are the same disciple.]

[#3 James the son of Alphaeus is not mentioned in the book of John. Is he one of the twelve original disciples even if it isn’t mentioned in John?]

[I got on BibleGateway.com and looked up James the son of Alphaeus. This is what they had related to this topic.]

Matthew 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;

Mark 3:18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas,

Luke 6:15 Matthew and Thomas;

Acts 1:13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew;

[There were three Gospel writers who referred to James the Son of Alphaeus, but John didn’t. Is that significant? Well, upon extensive research, John doesn’t mention nine of the disciples by name, including himself and his brother, James, both sons of Zebedee. Does that mean that the John and James were not disciples, because they aren’t mentioned in the Gospel of John? No, not at all!]

[First of all,

[At times, there are differences in what is reported in the Gospels primarily due to writing style, with some Gospel writers writing with more detail and some with fewer details. There are those, like John,  who don’t add to what has already been adequately recorded, but add when they have pertinent information that hasn’t been sufficiently recorded. This is evidenced by what John wrote in the Gospel of John 21:24-25 which says: “This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.” There is more than adequate information in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke and Acts to adequately verify that James the son of Alphaeus was one of the twelve original disciples.]

[Although there are some inconsistencies, they are minor. You will find out if you watch this brief video by J. Warner Wallace, a L.A. Cold-Case Detective, who tells that witnesses rarely report things exactly the same way.   Were the Gospels Written by Eye Witnesses?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siOcvLyKuEk (3 minutes 27 seconds) In my opinion, this video is really worth watching, because it clarifies so many things about the inconsistencies in the Gospel recordings, but they were still valid witnesses.]

[# 4 Mk 2:14 Levi son of Alphaeus and Mt 10:3 James son of Alphaeus

Matthew 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;

Mark 2:14 As He passed by, He sawLevi the sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.

Mark 3:18
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the , Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;

Luke 6:15
Matthew and Thomas; James the , and Simon called the Zealot;

Acts 1:13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James and Simon the Zealot; and Judas

[It does appear that there are two sons of Alphaeus, but I have to check it out further.]

[#5 My goal is two-fold. I need to look up Levi to see if there is any connection to James the son of Alphaeus. Additionally, I need to find out if Levi and Matthew are the same person, since both have tax collector connections. Again, I went to BibleGateway.com/ and looked up Levi. I am including only the passages that pertain to my scope of analysis.] 

Mark 2:14 As He passed by

Mark 2:15 Now it happened, as

Luke 5:27 After these things

Luke 5:29
Then Levi gave Him [Jesus] a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of

[Now, I need to compare on BibleGateway.com/ and see if it says some of the same things about Matthew or if it has them both mentioned together. Again, I’m only including the related passages.]

Matthew 9:9 As Jesus passed on from there,

Matthew 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and

[I decided to put the rest of this passage here, so I can compare the text in this list of disciples side-by-side to see if it also lists Levi.]

Matthew 10:2-4 says: Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Phillip and Bartholomew; Thomas and

[Levi is not mentioned in this same passage with Matthew.]

Mark 3:18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,

[Again, I need to see if both Matthew and Levi are mentioned in this passage in Mark that names the twelve disciples.]

Mark 3:14-16 further says: Then He [Jesus] appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,

[Levi and Matthew were not mentioned in the same passage.]

Luke 5:27 After these things

Luke 6:15 Matthew and Thomas; James the

[I need to compare the whole passage in Luke that states the names of the twelve disciples.]

Luke 6:12-16 further says: No it came to pass in those days that He [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: Simon, whom He also named  Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;

[Levi and Matthew are not mentioned together in this passage either.]

Acts 1:13
And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and

[Matthew and Levi weren’t mentioned together in the passage in Acts where the remaining eleven disciples were gathered in the upper room to pick a disciple to replace Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.]

[Now, I want to compare the passages I shared with you from BibleGateway.org to see if there are two or more passages that are speaking of the same event or situation and one has Matthew and the other has Levi.]

Matthew 9:9 As Jesus passed on from there, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.

Mark 2:14 As He passed byLevi the sitting at the tax office. And He [Jesus] said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.

Luke 5:27 After these things “Follow Me.”

[These three Bible verses in Matthew, Mark, and Luke are all but identical. Mark and Luke list Levi and Matthew lists Matthew as the person that Jesus found at the tax office and said, “Follow Me.” This is pretty conclusive evidence that Matthew and Levi are the same person. I think I hit the jackpot on this one!  Matthew has to be the son of Alphaeus, if Levi is the son of Alphaeus. That means that James the son of Alphaeus is the brother of Matthew, tax collector also known as Levi, son of Alphaeus.]

[#6 Acts 1:23 Joseph called Barsabas & Acts 4:36 Joses/ Joseph aka Barnabas

I wondered if Barsabas and Barnabas are the same disciple or whether either of them are one of the twelve original disciples. 

 Acts 1:23 is when Peter is talking to the remaining disciples in the upper room shortly after they had seen Jesus during the forty days after His resurrection and His ascension into heaven. Peter thought they should select another disciple to take Judas Iscariot’s place: And they proposed two:

Acts 4:36 says: And

Acts 15:22 says: Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas,

Acts 15:25-27 further clarify this: it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Salas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth.

[Acts 15:22 and 25-27 seem to clear this up some. The apostles and elders selected two: J

[This brings us to #7Joses/Joseph named Barnabas by apostles Could Barnabas be one of the original twelve disciples?]

Acts 4:36-37 says: And Joses/Joseph, who was also name Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having lands, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 

[Knowing his name is Joses/Joseph leads me to my spiral notebook where I have recorded the times that name has been recorded and the verses related to it.]

Matthew 13:54-56 says: When He [Jesus] had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary?  And His brothers James,

Matthew 27:55-56 says: And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and

Mark 6:3 says: “Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and the brother of James,

Mark 15:40-41 speaks of those who had watched Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross from afar: There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of

Mark 15:46-47 says: Then he brought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him [Jesus] in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of

Acts 4:36-37 says: And

Acts 9:26-27 says: And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. But

 Acts 11:22 says: Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out

Acts 11:25 says: Then

Acts 11:30 says: This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of

[This is significant for you to understand why the remainder of these passages about Barnabas will refer to Paul instead of Saul, who is the same person. Acts 13:9 says: Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him,]

Acts 13:43 says: Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and

Acts 15:12 says: Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to

[Up until 5 seconds ago, I would have thought that all of this attested to

1 Corinthians 9:3-6 where Paul says: My defense to those who examine me is this: Do we have no right to eat and drink? Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the

[The reference notation for the brothers of the Lord is “And His brothers James,

[With that said, in 1 Corinthians 9:3-6, Paul is talking about how he and Barnabas don’t get to take with them a believing wife like the other apostles, Jesus’ brothers and Peter do. With analyzing the wording of this passage, Paul didn’t say like Barnabas’ brothers, or Jesus’ other brothers do. The way ‘the brothers of the Lord’ is phrased, is in distinct contrast to “is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working?” which lets me know that  Barnabas is not Jesus’ half brother.]

[In Matthew 13:55 which says: Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His [Jesus’] brothers James, Joses/Joseph, Simon, and Judas?”, they are referring to a different

[Additionally, in doing this research, I found that . As I mentioned earlier in this Biblical Research Project, those who weren’t mentioned in the Gospels would be eliminated as possible original disciples, because the Gospels mention their names, although in different ways.]

[There could be some who would wonder why I just now determined that

#8 Simon the Cananite and Simon the Zealot  are not mentioned in all four of the Gospels, but he is listed in Acts. Is that significant and are they the same person?

Matthew 10:4 includes this in the list of the original twelve disciples:

Mark 3:18 again says as a continuation of verses that lists the twelve original disciples: Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus,

Luke 6:15 is part of another list of the twelve original disciples: Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and

Acts 1:13 says: And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and

In that there isn’t much in the Bible about Simon the Cananite/Zealot, I found this information at: Only One Hope called the Facts About the Apostle Simon the Zealot at: https://onlyonehope.com/simon-the-zealot/ 

Simon the Zealot is one of the greatest cases of the changing power of Christ. He was a Zealot for much of his life, which meant he was extremely legalistic and held a deep-set hatred towards the Romans and any who had dealings with them. Simon was called by Jesus and was completely changed.

[Is it significant that Simon the Cananite/Zealot wasn’t mentioned in the Gospel of John, although he is mentioned in three other Gospels and Acts? Remember, the Apostle John doesn’t waste time and space rehashing things that have already been adequately recorded in the Bible. John 20:30-31 is another passage which tips you off to how John feels about this: And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. [So, it isn’t significant that John did not list Simon the Cananite/Zealot as one of the twelve original disciples. In my opinion, he wouldn’t have wasted the space to write it again, when there were so many other things he would have preferred to share about Jesus, our Savior!]

Table of Twelve Disciples and Number of Times Mentioned in the Bible plus Aliases

Name	Gospel Matthew	Gospel of Mark	Gospel of Luke	Gospel of John	Book of Acts	Rest of New Testament	a.k.a.  Also known as
Simon Peter Andrew’s brother	23	19	26	25	56	7	Barjona, Bar-Jonah, Cephas
James John’s brother	4	9	5	1	2	2
Andrew Simon Peter’s brother	2	4	1	4	1
Philip	2	2	1	12	17
Thomas	1	1	1	8	1		TheTwin
Bartholomew	1	1	1	Nathanael 7	1		Bartholomew and Nathanael
Matthew	2	2	3	Levi	1		Levi, Son of Alphaeus, brother of James Son of Alphaeus
James Son of Alphaeus	1	1	1	Is one of the 12  disciples	3	4	Brother of Matthew/ Levi son of Alphaeus
Simon the Zealot	1	1	1	Is one of the 12 disciples	1		Simon the Canaanite, Simon the Zealot
Judas Iscariot	4	3	4	7
John son of Zebedee	5	10	7	Talks of himself in 3	11	6
Judas son of James	1 Lebbaeussurnamed Thaddaeus	1 Thaddaeus	1 Judas son of James	1 Judas not Iscariot	4 Judas the son of James		Lebbaeus, Thaddaeus, Judas son of James

 

 Table Listing the Twelve Original Disciples

Disciples listed in:	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John	Acts
1	Simon, who is called Peter,	Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter;	Simon, whom He also named  Peter	Andrew’s own brother Simon/Peter	Peter
2	Andrew Peter’s brother	Andrew	Andrew Peter’s brother	Andrew, Simon Peter's brother	Andrew
3	James the son of Zebedee, John’s brother	James the son of Zebedee and brother of John, called Boanerges, “Sons of Thunder”	James	John 21:2 Sons of Zebedee [James & John]	James
4	John the son of Zebedee, James’ brother	John the son of Zebedee  and brother of James, called Boanerges, “Sons of Thunder”	John	Jn 21:25 John writes about himself in 3rd person	John
5		Philip	Philip	Jn 1:43 He[Jesus] found Philip	Philip
6	Bartholomew Mt 10:3	Bartholomew Mk 3:18	Bartholomew Lk 6:14	Jn 1:45 Philip found Nathanael aka Bartholomew	Bartholomew Acts:1:13
7	Mt 10:3	Thomas Mk 3:18	Thomas Lk 6:14	Thomas only on Jn 11:16, 14:5, 20:24-29, 21:2	Thomas Acts 1:13
8	Matthew the tax collector Mt 9:9,10:3	Matthew Mk 3:18,	Matthew Lk 5:27-Levi, 6:14	Matthew/ Levi son of Alphaeus, brother of James	Acts 1:13
9	James the son of Alphaeus Mt 10:3	James the son of Alphaeus Mk 3:18	James the son of Alphaeus Lk 6:15	James the son of Alphaeus Is one of the 12 disciples	James the son of Alphaeus Acts 1:13, 15:13-22, 21:18-25 1 Cor 15:7 Gala 2:9, 2:12, James 1:1-5:20
10	Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus Mt 10:3 Aka Judas son of James	Mark 3:18 aka Judas son of James	Luke 6:16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who became a traitor	Judas not Iscariot Jn 14:22	Acts 1:13 Judas the son of James
11	Simon the Canaanite Mt 10:4	Simon the Cananite Mk 3:4	Lk 6:14	Simon the Cananite/ Zealot is one of the 12 original Disciples	Simon the Zealot Acts 1:13
12	Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him [Jesus]	Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him [Jesus]	Judas Iscariot who became a traitor	Judas Iscariot only on  Jn 6:70-71, 12:4, 13:2, 26-30 son of Simon, 18:2-5	Acts 1: 16-19 Judas committed suicide

John 13:23 says: Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples whom Jesus Loved. [Well, the person he is talking about who Jesus loves is himself.]

John 18:15-16 says: And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in. [The other disciple John is talking about is himself.]

John 19:26-27 says: When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. [The disciple John is talking about having Jesus’ mother move in with him is himself.]

John 19:32-37 says: Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His [Jesus’] side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

John 20:3-10 says: Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He [Jesus] must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. [The other disciple John is talking about is himself.]

John 21:7 says: Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. [The disciple whom Jesus loves is the Apostle John, but that’s how he talks about himself. 

John 21:20 says: Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His [Jesus’] breast at the supper [last supper], and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” [John is saying that he is the one whom Jesus loves.]

John 21:24 says: This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. [Again, the Apostle John is talking about himself in the third person.]

[As you see, there were not any inconsistencies that were significant and that it most definitely did not disprove that Jesus Is the Son of God! Don’t let people confuse you and tell you that the Bible is full of inconsistencies and lies. Again, most inconsistencies in the Bible are a mere difference in writing style with some providing more detail and some with fewer. Others only add to what hasn’t already been adequately recorded.]

Remember John 3:16-21 says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not comes to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. “But he who does the truth come to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."