The Thirteen Apostles

by J. Ellsworth Kalas

In this book, an entire chapter is devoted to each of Jesus’ apostles, including Matthias, successor to Judas Iscariot. Drawn from Scripture as well as historical writings and tradition to paint a portrait of each apostle as a servant in ministry, a human being, and an individual. Each chapter features a key passage of Scripture. At the end of the book is a 16-page study guide.

Genres: Spirituality, Theology

136 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2002

About the author

J. Ellsworth Kalas has been part of the faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary since 1993, after thirty-eight years as a United Methodist pastor and five years in evangelism with the World Methodist Council. He has been a presenter on DISCIPLE videos and is the author of more than thirty books, including the popular Back Side series as well as the Christian Believer study.

Reviews

[Maddie Kline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book, looking at the lives of the twelve/thirteen apostles from not only a biblical standpoint, but a historical and traditional one. This dove into not only the work that they did, but their personalities as well, making them seem even more human - because that’s what they were. This book made it so easy to see myself in these men. I absolutely loved the descriptions of each of the apostles and how real it made them feel to me.

Andrew - The kind of person a little boy could approach.
Peter - So well-meaning, so consumed by good intentions, but so terribly, terribly human.
James - Willing to be a leader, unfulfilled.
Philip - A person with a warm heart and a pessimistic head.
James the Less - The kind of person whose work simply never attracts attention.
Simon the Zealot - A man of fierce patriotism.
Nathanael - Guileless, transparent, perhaps even naive. There were no hidden agendas in his style, nothing said to mislead, nothing done simply for effect.
Matthew - Who threw a party to celebrate his newfound faith
Thomas - He looked not for hopes or dreams or poetry, but for facts, observable facts.
Thaddeus - The symbol of faith’s last desperate reach for an answer.
Judas - If handling money was his strength, it was even more dramatically his weakness.
John- The young man of thunder who became everyone’s favorite example of love.
Matthias - True seeker.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Each chapter was about 1 apostle and where in the Bible you would find a story about them or sometimes just their name. Really fascinating because as a Christian I know of the 12 apostles. Of course I know more about Peter,James and John. What I didn’t know were the histories of some of the lesser known apostles. The author then adds some history about the stories that stuck after the apostles had been martyred. Stories I again didn’t know much about
You know one reason I believe in Jesus so much is because all but 1 of the apostles died horrific deaths because of their own personal belief in him-Jesus. You don’t die for a lie. They knew and saw and witnessed with their own eyes his life of love and miracles. His pain and suffering. Did the apostles always get it right? No. They were human just like me and after the crucifixion it would have been so much easier to go back to their old life’s and jobs. But they didn’t. They all preached the gospel and then were killed for those believes. They knew. Jesus is God and he died and rose on the 3rd day and is coming back. I can’t wait!!

[Tomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started reading this book, I found myself surprised at how casually it was written, as I was expecting more of a scholarly historical writing. But it sunk in to me that Kalas was writing these chapters as Sunday sermons at the pulpit rather than as a historian, less focused on all the fine details of the apostles’ lives and more as musings about their character and individual contributions to the gospels. Still I came to enjoy it and can now name each apostle and associate a bit of a personality with each one.
Spoiler alert: nearly all of the apostles become martyrs.

[Kristen Stieffel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good biblical insights. I appreciate that Kalas includes extrabiblical stories about some of the apostles, carefully pointing out what is Scripture and what is legend.

Kalas does rely on secondary sources even when the primary sources are readily available. Why quote Barclay quoting Josephus when you could quote Josephus directly? But I’m not going to dock a whole star for that.

The back of the book includes a useful study guide with questions for discussion and prompts for personal reflection.

[Tammy Mannarino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good summary of the lives and impact of each of the 13 apostles (Matthias being Judas Iscariot's replacement). Yes, Kalas has to stretch a bit to find enough to say about Thaddaeus and James the Less, but I too am in favor of completeness. I appreciated Kalas' use of the historical record in addition to scripture references, it really gives a fuller sense of these men.

[Janet Mahlum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some chapters were quite good. I especially liked the one on Matthias. I had heard that the apostles rushed in to fill an empty slot, but that God had already chosen Paul and so sometimes we need to wait. I really liked Kalas' take on that line of thought. I thought some of the chapters were a little over the top on hearsay that wasn't prefaced with "tradition says..."

[Robert Conder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read and interesting stories of the disciples. As you read about the disciples, one can see characteristics of themselves. They each had their missteps and we are to remember they were human like us.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little survey/meditation on the thirteen original Christians, sometimes reading like homilies.

[Rick Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for Bible study group

[George Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of essays about the thirteen apostles (the original 12 and Matthias). Prior to this I read Kalas' most recent book on Acts. They are similar in structure, as it appears a number of Kalas' books are - a collection of essays around a particular topic. The Acts book was less speculative as there was more source material to work with. That said, this was an enjoyable read with a chapter devoted to thoughts on each of the disciples. Kalas finds a definitive characteristic and then weaves a story for each of the disciples. He includes in most every chapter some nuggets from the extra-biblical tradition of additional actions of the disciples. He makes no argument that these traditions are rock solid, but it is nice to have a brief, readable collection of essays that give a one stop shop for that information while also providing a nicely structured exploration of what it means to be a follower of Christ.

[Cindy DavisClark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my Bible study group. Each chapter devoted to a different Apostle. It includes study questions for each chapter. It includes a chapter about Matthias , the 13th Apostle. Thought provoking. As we meet monthly we read two chapters each month after the first month of reading one chapter.

[Susan Luse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using this to teach a class at church. I enjoy anything he has written.