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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.