In scripture

• Bartholomew

  • Only in the listings

  • Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13

  • Called Nathanael in the book of John (John 1:45-49)

    • First to declare belief in Jesus as the Son of God, King of Israel

    • Jesus promised him greater wonders to come

  • Named together with other apostles in John 21:2-4

  • Bartholomew means “Son of Tolmai”

• Thomas

  • Willing to die: John 11:16

  • Didn’t know: John 14:1-6

  • Prove it: John 20:24-28

  • Such a bad thing? Acts 17:10-12

  • Difference between him and us

• Matthew

  • Also called Levi

  • Tax collector – Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27-29

  • No other mention other than listing of apostles

• James son of Alpheus (the Less)

  • Mother’s name was Mary – Mark 16:1

  • Probably the James of Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18

    • Apparently well-respected among the apostles

    • Possibly prominent

  • Not certain about I Corinthians 15:7

  • Galatians 1:19 problematic – different from James the son of Alpheus

  • Author of book of James?

    • Book of James – compare with Sermon on the Mount

      • Persecution – James 1:2; Matthew 5:10-12

      • Perfection – James 1:4; Matthew 5:48

      • Praying in faith – James 1:5; 5:15; Matthew 7:7-12

      • Wrath – James 1:20; Matthew 5:22

      • Mercy – James 2:13; Matthew 5:7

      • Obedience – James 2:14-16; Matthew 7:21-23

      • Being peaceable – James 3:17-18; Matthew 5:9

      • Serving two masters – James 4:4; Matthew 6:24

      • Humility – James 4:10; Matthew 5:3-4

      • Judgment – James 4:11-12; Matthew 7:1-2

      • Perishable riches – James 5:1-3; Matthew 6:19

      • Patience in suffering – James 5:10-11; Matthew 5:12

      • Swearing – James 5:12; Matthew 5:33-37

• Thaddaeus (Lebbaeus, Judas)

  • Only seen in listings of the apostles

  • Son of James (not the apostle James)

  • Not the brother of James

  • John 14:21-24

• Simon the Zealot, Zelotes, Canaanite

  • Only in the three listings of the apostles

• Judas Iscariot

  • Foretelling: Psalms 69:25; 109:8; John 6:71

  • Misconduct: John 12:1-8

  • Betrayal: Matthew 26:14-16, 21-25, 47-50

    • Mark 14

    • Luke 22

    • John 18

  • Acts 1:15-25

• Difference between Judas and Nathanael

  • John 1:49

  • Matthew 26:14-16

• Matthias

  • Acts 1:12-16

  • No other reference in scripture

In history and tradition

• Bartholomew (Nathanael)

  • Preached throughout Parthia as far as India

  • Translated book of Matthew into Sanskrit

  • Moved on to Armenia and preached there

  • Joined Philip in Hierapolis, nearly martyred there

  • Description of Bartholomew by Indians

    • Black, curly hair with white skin and large eyes

    • Hair over his ears and long, grisly bead, medium height

    • Voice like a trumpet, able to speak any language

    • Wore same clothes and shoes many years with no wear

We must avoid sin!

• We can’t just claim the devil made us do it! Acts 5:3

• Good doesn’t cancel out bad! Acts 5:2

  • Romans 4:7 – Forgiveness is what we need – not more good!

• God wants us to walk in the light and avoid sin.

We must fear God!

• Acts 5:5

• Proverbs 1:7; 3:7-8; 8:12-13; 14:26-27

• Hebrews 10:26-27,. 30-31

• Acts 5:5, 11-14 – After the incident with Ananias and Sapphira, multitudes came to God.

• I Corinthians 5:6-7 – Sin spreads if it is not rooted out!

Don’t be discouraged by evil.

• Acts 4:32-37

• Galatians 6:9 – Don’t grow weary in doing well.

Attitude check: II Timothy 2:15 – We must accurately handle the word of God!

Didn’t Alexander Campbell start the church of Christ back in the 1800s? (continued)

• Acts 24:5, 14

• Alexander Campbell was certainly not the founder or restorer of Christ’s church.

• Jesus Christ is the founder of the one and only church!

  • Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:28; Colossians 1:18 – The church belongs to Christ – not Alexander Campbell. Campbell didn’t restore the church; he restored the thinking of himself and those he reached. The church hadn’t gone anywhere!

  • I Thessalonians 5:21-22; II Peter 3:17-18 – Our job as Christians is to examine everything and cling to what Jesus has revealed as truth.

  • Worshiping according to the instructions in the New Testament was not an idea original to Alexander Campbell. Local churches were worshiping this way before Alexander Campbell was around.

Isn’t baptism an outward sign of an inward grace?

• Notice what scripture says …

  • Mark 16:16

  • Acts 2:38 – Compare translation of Greek word for “for” in Matthew 26:28

Philip in scripture

• Named among the twelve

  • In initial naming – Matthew 10:1-4

  • In Jerusalem awaiting the Holy Spirit – Acts 1:13

  • Included whenever apostles grouped

    • The twelve

    • The apostles

    • Throughout New Testament

  • John 1:43-46

    • Jesus found him in Galilee

    • He was from Bethsaida

    • Philip was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah

    • Familiar with the Law and the Prophets

    • Told a friend about Jesus

    • Took his friend to show him

  • John 12:20-23

    • Greek Jews come to Philip

    • Told Andrew

    • They told Jesus

  • John 14:6-10

    • Philip replies to Jesus

    • “Show us the Father”

    • Jesus declares His oneness with the Father

  • John 6:1-7

    • Jesus asked Philip how much bread it would take

    • Philip quoted a price – about $25,000

    • Said that would not be sufficient

  • Acts 6:5; 8; 21:8

    • Some believe this Philip to be Philip the apostle

    • Acts 6:4; 8:9-19 contradict that idea

  • No other mention of Philip in scripture

• Philip in history and tradition

  • The name of Philip

    • Greek name meaning horse lover

    • Philip of Macedonia: horse lover

    • Philip the Tetrarch over Galilee

      • Resided in Caesarea some of the time

      • Rebuilt the city, named it Caesarea Philippi

  • Identity confusion

    • Many hold that Philip the apostle = Philip the evangelist

    • Makes tracking the traditions and history difficult

  • Why the confusion

    • Papias’ writings

    • Term “apostle” often used differently

      • The seventy of Luke 10:1, 17 often called apostles

      • Galatians 1:19; Acts 14:14

    • Some apocryphal writings

      • Gospel of Philip – gnostic in nature

      • Acts of Philip

      • Letter from Peter to Philip

    • Both martyred in Heiropolis

    • Much about Philip the evangelist confused as a result

  • At some point, went to Phrygia

    • Brought his sister Mariamne and Bartholomew

    • Healed Stachys, a blind man, and stayed in his house

    • By prayer, caused a serpent idol to die

    • Converted proconsul’s wife, enraging proconsul

    • All three condemned to die

      • Hanging inverted or upside-down crucifixion

    • Proconsul relented

      • Saved Mariamne and Bartholomew

      • Too late for Philip

    • Heiropolis mentioned by Paul – Colossians 4:13

  • Philip buried in tomb in Heiropolis

    • Excavations in 2011 found a tomb

    • Inscriptions and symbology indicate Christian

    • Name of Philip and indication of apostleship

    • No bones there

      • Taken to Istanbul in the 3rd century

      • Later taken to Rome