Judas

About Judas

Judas, also known as Lebbaeus or Thaddaeus, was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. He is mentioned in the lists of the apostles provided in the Synoptic Gospels and the book of Acts (Luk.6.16; Mat.10.3; Mrk.3.18; Act.1.13).

In the Gospel of John, he is referred to as "Judas (not Iscariot)" to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus (Jhn.14.22). This distinction suggests that he was a different person from the other apostles named Judas.

The names Lebbaeus and Thaddaeus are likely surnames or alternative names for this Judas. The use of multiple names may indicate that he was known by different names in different communities or contexts.

Apart from being listed among the twelve apostles, little is known about Judas/Lebbaeus/Thaddaeus from the biblical text. In Jhn.14.22, he asks Jesus a question during the Last Supper discourse, indicating his presence and participation in that event.

As one of the twelve apostles, Judas/Lebbaeus/Thaddaeus would have been a close follower of Jesus, witnessing His teachings, miracles, death, and resurrection. He would have also played a role in the early spread of the gospel and the establishment of the Christian church, although the specific details of his ministry are not recorded in the Bible.

Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.