References (8)
Philip
and Bartholomew [Bartolomaios, Hebrew name, "son of Talmais". This is probably the same person as Nathanael, who is mentioned together with Philip, see . In that case, he came from Cana, see ],
Thomas [Hebrew word meaning "twin", see ; ]
and Matthew, the tax collector (publican) [the author of this gospel],
James, son of Alphaeus,
and Thaddaeus [Judas, not Iscariot],
Among them were Mary of
Magdala and Mary, the mother of
James and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee
[the disciples James and John's mother Salome].
[In Mark's account, all three women are named, so Salome is the name of the mother of the sons of Zebedee, see . Salome is also probably the sister of Jesus' mother Mary, see .]Andrew,
Philip [Greek word meaning "one who loves horses"],
Bartholomew [also called Nathanael],
Matthew,
Thomas [Hebrew word meaning "twin," see ; ],
James, son of Alphaeus,
Thaddaeus [Greek word meaning "one who has a warm heart" or "beloved child". He was also called Jude, son of James; he probably changed his name to avoid being associated with Judas Iscariot],
Simon "the Zealot" (fanatic, zealot, nationalist, Selot) [literally "Simon the Canaanite," the Aramaic equivalent of the Greek term "Zealot," both words meaning "the devoted, zealous, fanatical," may also indicate that he was involved in the Jewish resistance movement against the Roman Empire before becoming a disciple of Jesus],
There were also some women who were watching what was happening from a distance. Among them were
Mary from
[the town of] Magdala [on the western side of Gennesaret, whom Jesus had freed from seven demons, see ], Mary, mother of the younger
James and Joses
[perhaps Jesus' mother, see , or the wife of Clopas, see ] and Salome
[mother of the disciples James and John, married to Zebedee, see .][It is now the 16th of Nisan according to the Jewish calendar.] When the Sabbath
[weekly Sabbath] was over
[after sunset on Saturday evening], Mary of
Magdala, Mary the mother of
James, and Salome bought fragrant spices so that they could go and anoint him.
[After sunset, the shops opened for a few hours. In 30 CE, the 17th of Nisan extends from Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon. It is also the third day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and this year the day also coincides with the Feast of Firstfruits, bikkurim, see . There are two traditions for sacrifices surrounding this feast. According to the Pharisees, the firstfruits sacrifice should take place in the evening (at the beginning of the day), while the Sadducees believed it should be in the morning. Since the latter were in the majority in the Sanhedrin, the wave offering probably took place early on Sunday morning. Imagine if, at the same time as a sheaf was waved in the temple as a firstfruits offering, the news spread that Jesus had risen, see . The Bible does not give an exact account of when Jesus rose, only that the tomb was empty at dawn on the first day of the week, Sunday, see verses 2 and 6.] and Matthew,
and Thomas [Hebrew word meaning "twin"; ],
and James, son of Alphaeus,
and Simon, who was called the Zealot [literally "the devoted, zealous, fanatical" and suggests that he was involved in the Jewish resistance movement against the Roman Empire before becoming a disciple of Jesus],
It was Mary of
Magdala and Joanna and Mary, the mother of
James, and the other women who were with them who told the apostles about it.
When they arrived, they went up to the upper room where they used to be (had a habit of gathering):
Peter
and James
and John
and Andrew;
Philip
and Thomas,
Bartholomew [also called Nathanael]
and Matthew;
James, the son of Alphaeus,
and Simon the Zealot
[Zealot literally means "the devoted, zealous, fanatical," and may imply that he was a member of the Jewish resistance movement against the Roman Empire.]
and Judas, the son of James.
[Three groups emerge when the apostles are listed. Peter, Philip, and James are always mentioned as the first names in each group, see ; ; . In the original text, all names except Peter, Philip, Bartholomew, and James are preceded by the Greek kai, the word "and". A linguistic detail for grouping.]
