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Simon the Zealot — the Zealot

Distinguished from Simon Peter by the epithet 'the Zealot,' perhaps marking a former association with the nationalist Zealot movement. He is named in every apostolic list but records no individual scene.

Role: Apostle

Also known as: Simon the Canaanite

Lived: 1st century AD

Belonged to: The Twelve Apostles, Israelites (Hebrews)

Death: Traditionally martyred

What we know — and how we know it

Scholarly — supported scholarly belief · 2

Death & legacy

ScholarlyThe traditions of his missions — to Persia, Egypt, Armenia, even Britain — are late, contradictory and historically worthless; nothing certain is known of his end.

Later apostolic legends

Name & titles

ScholarlyHis by-name 'the Zealot' (Luke) renders the Aramaic 'Cananaean' used by Matthew and Mark — 'the zealous one'. It need not mean he belonged to the revolutionary Zealot party, which formed as an organised movement only in the AD 60s.

Where in scripture

Luke Acts

Matthew; Thomas; James, the son of Alphaeus; Simon, who was called the Zealot;
Luke 6:15 — 'Simon who was called the Zealot'

When they had come in, they went up into the upper room, where they were staying; that is Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.
Acts 1:13 — In the upper room

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.

Luke 6:15 Acts 1:13