? - ? CE, 1st century

 

​Simon, given the moniker “the Zealot” by fellow apostle Luke, is the least documented of the 12 apostles. Even his name is uncertain; the label may have:

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1. marked him as a Zealot, a group of first-century Jewish nationalists, or

2. meant to distinguish him from Simon Peter, aka St. Peter, or 

3. simply been descriptive. 

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Passing references by Luke, Mark, and Matthew provide no further information. As a disciple, he may have preached in northern Africa Egypt before joining Thaddaeus in Persia, where he was martyred by being cut in half with a saw. Some records indicate a peaceful passing; that execution style may have been an embellishment from the medieval era, when death by sawing was not an unusual sentence.

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This Simon is not Simon the Magus (Simon the Magician), who tried to purchase a position as an apostle.