Jesus' Apostles

Peter (Simon)

Peter the Apostle, (Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ and one of the first leaders of the early Christian Church. He appears repeatedly and prominently in all four New Testament gospels as well as the Acts of the Apostles. Catholic tradition accredits Peter as the first bishop of Rome‍—‌or pope‍—‌and also as the first bishop of Antioch.

The ancient Christian churches all venerate Peter as a major saint and as the founder of the Church of Antioch and the Church of Rome, but they differ in their attitudes regarding the authority of his successors.

Peter was impetuous, always speaking his mind and acting on impulse. In the Book of Acts, his decisiveness transformed him into someone the early Christians constantly relied upon.

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Andrew

Andrew was Simon Peter’s brother. Like his brother, he was a fisherman. Andrew was the first disciple Jesus called, and while Peter gets all the credit for recognizing Jesus as the Messiah (Mattew 16:13–20), Andrew not only brought Peter to Jesus, but he told him Jesus was the Messiah.
Whenever he and Peter are mentioned together, Andrew is always mentioned second, indicating that Andrew was either younger or less important.

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Followers

Jesus had a large group of followers during his ministry, at one time dispatching 70 of them, two-by-two, into the countryside to preach.

However, his most trusted and tight-knit group of followers were just twelve in number, and were dubbed by him, "apostles."

What we know about most of these men comes exclusively from the gospels, (and in may cases, that is scant). For several of them, though, there is information available from the writings of early Christians and non-biblical scholars. These writings serve as the basis for a variety of traditions about these men, what they did, and sometimes how their lives may have ended.

How They May Have Died