The term apostles is used generally, but not exclusively, in the New Testament to the twelve men chosen by Christ to learn of Him and then bear witness of Him to the world. They were: Simon, also called Peter, and his brother Andrew; the sons of Zebedee, James and John; Phillip; Bartholomew, also called Nathaniel; Matthew, also called Nathanael; Matthew, also called Levi; Thomas; James, son of Alphaeus; Judas, son of James, also called Thaddaeus; Simon the zealot; and Judas Iscariot (Mt 12:2-4; Mk 3:16-19; Lk 6:14-16; Acts 1:13). Most of them were Galileans. Three were especially close to Jesus – Peter, James, and John – and were with Jesus on several occasions: on the Mount of Transfiguration and in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mt 17:1; Mk 14:33). Paul and Barnabas were also considered Apostles.
Here is a summary of the Apostles and their contribution to the furthering of the Kingdom of God. The New Testament gives us an account of the deaths of two Apostles – Judas and James.
Judas, who betrayed Christ for thirty pieces of silver, committed suicide by hanging himself.
James, the son of Zebedee, was put to death by sword, and was probably beheaded in Jerusalem around 44 AD. According to tradition, he died after preaching the Gospel in Spain.
Andrew, is reported to have journeyed to Scythia, the region north of the Black Sea, now part of the Soviet Union. More certain is his preaching in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) and in Greece where he was said to have been crucified.
Thomas, “doubting Thomas” was most probably active in the area east of Syria. Tradition has him preaching as Far East as India where ancient Marthoma Christians revere him as their founder.
Phillip, so tradition records, preached the Gospel in Heirapolis in Asia Minor where he converted the wife of the Roman Proconsul. In retaliation, her husband Phillip arrested and cruelly put to death.
Matthew, also known as Levi, is credited with writing the Gospel that bears his name. Different traditions place him preaching the Gospel in areas as far as Persia and Ethiopia.
Bartholomew, too, had widespread missionary travels attributed to him by tradition: to India with Thomas, back to Armenia, and also to Ethiopia and southern Arabia. There are various accounts of how he met his death as a martyr.
James, the son of Alphaeus, is one of at least three Jameses referred to in the New Testament, and there is some confusion as to which is which. But this James was reckoned to have ministered in Syria, and the Jewish historian Josephus says he was stoned and then clubbed to death.
Simon, the Zealot, so the story goes, went to Persia and was killed after refusing to sacrifice to the sun god.
Matthias was the Apostle who replaced Judas. Tradition sends him with Andrew to Syria and to death by burning.
The Apostle John is perhaps the only one of the company thought to have died a natural death from old age. He was a leader of the church in Ephesus area and is said to have taken care of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in his home. During the persecution of Domitian’s reign in the middle 90’s, he was sent into exile on the island of Patmos in the Aegean. There he is credited with writing the last book of the New Testament, the Revelation of Jesus Christ to John.
If they did go all the places that claimed them, then we see that the Apostles covered a very wide expanse, bringing about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
But we emphasize that it is not possible to sort out where historical fact ends and fanciful legend begins. It is generally regarded that in most cases there was some truth that gave rise to legends, which would then become embellished over a period of time.
For two of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, we have more information that is considered reliable. After the resurrection, Peter, the man who denied [knowing] Jesus, was reinstated by the risen Lord at the Sea of Galilee. From then on, Peter was indeed considered an Apostle. He was the Church's first public speaker, our first Evangelist. He defended them before the Sanhedrin. He, as it were, instituted missionary journeys. He was the first to begin a mission to the Gentiles, long before Paul. Finally, he proved himself to be an able administrator when he himself left Jerusalem for Rome. Peter is one of the best known of the early Christians. He was a man just as we are. He was a disciple, apostle, and martyr. A disciple of Jesus, an apostle who preached and declared the Gospel helping to lay the foundation of the early church back in Jerusalem, a martyr in Rome probably along with Paul under Nero. Yet, in all three of these roles the important thing was that He confessed: when he first recognized in Jesus the Messiah, who was promised; when he declared to the assembled Jews at Pentecost and the days that followed the same message that Jesus was indeed the Christ who was to come; and as he died in Rome, faithful to that confession to the bitter end.
The Apostle Paul was not one of the original twelve apostles of Jesus, but he was almost certainly the greatest missionary of Christ who ever lived. As a devout Jew, Paul has been a fierce persecutor of the early church but then came an experience on the road to Damascus where Paul claimed Jesus Himself had appeared to him. Paul became a man obsessed with one task in life: to bring the Gospel of Christ to as many people as possible without regard for what he would suffer personally. During one of his many imprisonments, Paul shared his zeal in a letter to his young disciple Timothy.
…Paul’s pattern was going into synagogues. But he also taught and preached in the streets and marketplaces, the Aeropagus, Mars Hill, and anywhere he could gain a hearing.
…Just about everywhere Paul went, some would respond positively, becoming new Disciples of Christ. But inevitably he found resistance from others. He would often be arrested, beaten or stoned before he was chased out of town.
…Eventually Paul ended up in Rome, where he traditionally is said to have been beheaded outside city limits.
Many more have come claiming Apostleship of Jesus Christ but since we are unsure as to the validity of their claims they were not mentioned. However we give God all the glory for these Apostles and for their contributions to building upon the Kingdom of God.