08/14/2025
Who were the twelve close followers of Jesus who became his apostles? What happened to them, and why does it matter so much to the Christian story?
Insight into the lives of the Twelve—specifically Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the Younger, Thaddeus, Simon, and Matthias—gives believers another dimension through which to understand our Savior. As you’ll read in this issue, this was the goal of the early church fathers who served as both historians and theological encouragers when recording and retelling the stories of the apostles’ lives.
Using the Bible as our primary starting point, CH will seek to do the same thing. Join us as we discover the lives of the Twelve, starting with the Holy Spirit’s transformative role in their ministries and moving on to details scholars have gleaned about the apostles outside of Scripture. While reputable accounts from the early church fathers tell us much of what we can be confident in, the apocryphal writings, as bizarre and as suspect as they often are, corroborate some facts and provide a fuller picture of the apostles’ journeys. This includes places the apostles may have evangelized and the martyrdoms they possibly suffered for the Gospel. We’ll also look at the fantastic legends and miraculous deeds popularized in these apocryphal writings and how they inspired the imagination and faith of later generations of believers.
This issue will also help you sift through the identities of the apostles and other faithful followers, which can be hard to decipher as these biblical figures often had overlapping names, roles, and various nicknames. Finally, we’ll take a closer look at other disciples important to the mission of the early church, including the thirteenth apostle, Paul, the Gospel writers, and the women closest to Jesus.
Uncover the extraordinary faith and ministries of the real people who walked with Jesus in this issue of Christian History.
