These are the names of the twelve apostles, Jesus' closest followers : Simon (Peter), Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew (Levi), Thomas, Simon the Zealot, James son of Alphaeus, Judas and Judas Iscariot.

What sort of people were the twelve apostles?

Ordinary

All of the twelve were ordinary working men. Simon, Andrew, James and John were fishermen.

Not very clever

The twelve often did not understand what Jesus taught them.

Cowardly

They all ran away when Jesus was arrested.

Not easy going

They were always arguing amongst themselves.

Hot-headed

Jesus nicknamed James and John 'the sons of thunder' because they used to get very angry.

Dishonest

Judas Iscariot stole money from the rest of the twelve. He also betrayed Jesus. Before becoming a follower of Jesus, Levi was a tax-collector. At the time of Jesus, tax-collectors were famous for being dishonest.

Dangerous

Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot were Jewish terrorists who hated the Romans.