The People of the New Testament

Jesus of Nazareth ca. 6/4 BCE – ca. 30 CE

Born under Herod the Great, died before the Passover of 30 or 33 under Pontius Pilate. The non-Christian sources, Josephus and Tacitus, confirm the existence, the execution and the movement. The module on the origins of Christianity treats the historical research; the module on christology, the confession of faith.

Mark 1:9; Josephus, AJ 18.63-64; Tacitus, Annals 15.44

Mary of Nazareth 1st century

Mother of Jesus, betrothed to Joseph. Present at Cana, at the foot of the cross in John alone, and among the disciples at prayer before Pentecost. Mark places her among those who think Jesus out of his mind. The Magnificat is attributed to her by Luke.

Luke 1–2; Mark 3:21, 31-35; John 2:1-11; 19:25-27; Acts 1:14

Joseph 1st century

Husband of Mary, carpenter or craftsman (τέκτων), of Davidic descent according to both genealogies. Absent after the infancy narratives, which suggests an early death. The Protevangelium of James makes him an aged widower.

Matt 1:18-25; 2:13-23; Luke 2; Matt 13:55

John the Baptist ca. 6 BCE – ca. 28 CE

Prophet of the wilderness, son of Zechariah and Elizabeth according to Luke, baptising in the Jordan. Josephus mentions him independently and attributes his execution by Herod Antipas to fear of an uprising. The baptism of Jesus by John is held historically certain by the criterion of embarrassment.

Mark 1:4-11; 6:14-29; Luke 1; Josephus, AJ 18.116-119

Simon Peter †ca. 64

Fisherman of Bethsaida, first of the Twelve, surnamed Kepha by Jesus. Confesses the Messiah at Caesarea, denies three times, first witness of the resurrection according to 1 Cor 15:5. Head of the Jerusalem church, then missionary; the Antioch conflict sets him against Paul. Died at Rome under Nero according to a firm tradition from 1 Clement onward.

Mark 8:29; 14:66-72; Matt 16:18; Gal 2:11-14; 1 Cor 15:5; John 21

Andrew 1st century

Peter’s brother, a disciple of the Baptist before following Jesus, to whom he brings his brother according to John. Little present in the Synoptics. Tradition links him to Greece and Scythia; the Church of Constantinople holds him as its founder.

John 1:40-42; 6:8; 12:22; Mark 13:3

James son of Zebedee †ca. 44

Brother of John, member of the inner circle of three with Peter, present at the Transfiguration and Gethsemane. First of the Twelve to be martyred, beheaded by Herod Agrippa I. The tradition of his tomb at Compostela is not earlier than the ninth century.

Mark 3:17; 9:2; 10:35-41; Acts 12:2

John son of Zebedee 1st century

Brother of James, one of the three intimates, a “son of thunder”. Identified by tradition with the beloved disciple, the evangelist and the author of Revelation, identifications the critics separate. A pillar of the Jerusalem church with Peter and James.

Mark 3:17; Gal 2:9; Acts 3–4; John 13:23; 21:20-24

Philip 1st century

Of Bethsaida, one of the Twelve, distinct from Philip the deacon. John gives him a role: he brings Nathanael, is questioned before the feeding of the multitude, and asks to see the Father.

John 1:43-46; 6:5-7; 12:21-22; 14:8-9

Thomas 1st century

Called Didymus, “twin”. In John alone he has substance: ready to die with Jesus, he demands to touch the wounds and then utters the highest confession of the book, “my Lord and my God”. The Syriac and Indian tradition makes him the apostle of India.

John 11:16; 14:5; 20:24-29

Matthew or Levi 1st century

Tax collector called at Capernaum, named Levi in Mark and Luke, Matthew in Matthew alone. Papias attributes to him a collection of λόγια in Hebrew, the tradition behind the attribution of the First Gospel.

Mark 2:14; Matt 9:9; 10:3; Eusebius, HE 3.39

Judas Iscariot †ca. 30

One of the Twelve, treasurer of the group according to John, delivers Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Two accounts of his death, hanging in Matthew, a fall in Luke, are difficult to reconcile. The surname Iscariot is variously explained: “man of Kerioth” or derived from sicarius.

Mark 14:10-11, 43-45; Matt 27:3-10; Acts 1:16-20; John 12:4-6

Mary Magdalene 1st century

Delivered of seven demons, she finances the ministry, is present at the crucifixion and burial, and in John receives the first appearance of the Risen One with the commission to announce it. Never presented as a prostitute: the conflation dates from Gregory the Great in 591.

Luke 8:2-3; Mark 15:40-47; 16:1-8; John 20:1-18

Martha and Mary of Bethany 1st century

Sisters of Lazarus. Luke sets Martha’s service against Mary’s listening; John gives Martha the confession parallel to Peter’s, and Mary the anointing at Bethany.

Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-44; 12:1-8

Lazarus 1st century

Brother of Martha and Mary, raised by Jesus on the fourth day, the seventh and last sign of the Fourth Gospel, absent from the Synoptics. The name is that of the poor man in the parable of Luke 16, the only named character in a parable.

John 11; 12:9-11

Nicodemus 1st century

A Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, comes to Jesus by night, defends him before his peers, and brings a hundred pounds of spices for the burial. A Johannine character whose trajectory, from night to light, structures his presentation.

John 3:1-21; 7:50-52; 19:39

Joseph of Arimathea 1st century

A wealthy and respected member of the Sanhedrin, a secret disciple, asks Pilate for the body of Jesus and buries it in his own new tomb. All four Gospels name him; the Grail and Glastonbury legends are medieval.

Mark 15:42-47; Matt 27:57-60; John 19:38

James, brother of the Lord †62

Brother of Jesus according to Mark 6:3, cousin or half-brother according to Catholic and Orthodox tradition. An unbeliever in Jesus’ lifetime, he receives an appearance (1 Cor 15:7) and becomes head of the Jerusalem church, presiding over the council of Acts 15. Stoned in 62 by order of the high priest Ananus, according to Josephus. The Letter of James is attributed to him.

Mark 6:3; John 7:5; 1 Cor 15:7; Gal 1:19; 2:9-12; Acts 15:13-21; Josephus, AJ 20.200

Stephen †ca. 34

One of the Seven, “full of grace and power”, the first Christian martyr, stoned after a speech before the Sanhedrin that retraces the history of Israel and denounces the Temple. Saul witnesses his death. His Temple-critical theology anticipates Hellenistic Christianity.

Acts 6:8–8:1

Philip the deacon 1st century

One of the Seven, evangelises Samaria and baptises the Ethiopian eunuch, opening the mission beyond Israel. Settled at Caesarea, he has four prophesying daughters. Distinct from the apostle.

Acts 6:5; 8:4-40; 21:8-9

Barnabas 1st century

A Levite from Cyprus, named Joseph, surnamed “son of encouragement”. Sells a field for the community, introduces Saul to the apostles, fetches him from Tarsus, leads with him the Antioch mission and the first journey. Parts from Paul over Mark. The Epistle of Barnabas, from the second century, is pseudepigraphal.

Acts 4:36-37; 9:27; 11:22-26; 13–14; 15:36-39; Gal 2:1, 13

John Mark 1st century

Son of a Mary whose Jerusalem house hosts the church, cousin of Barnabas, companion on the first journey which he abandons at Perga, cause of the rift between Paul and Barnabas, later reconciled. Papias makes him Peter’s interpreter and the author of the Second Gospel.

Acts 12:12, 25; 13:13; 15:37-39; Col 4:10; 2 Tim 4:11; 1 Pet 5:13

Ananias and Sapphira 1st century

A couple in the Jerusalem community, struck dead for lying about the price of a field. The account, without parallel, raises the question of common property and of the severity of judgement in the nascent church.

Acts 5:1-11

Cornelius 1st century

Centurion of the Italian cohort at Caesarea, a “God-fearer”, receives Peter and the Spirit before baptism: the first baptised Gentile, whose case decides the opening of the Church to the nations, ratified in Acts 15.

Acts 10:1–11:18

Herod Agrippa I 10 BCE – 44 CE

Grandson of Herod the Great, king of Judaea from 41 to 44 by favour of Claudius. Has James beheaded and Peter imprisoned. His death at Caesarea, eaten by worms, is reported by Luke and Josephus in similar terms.

Acts 12; Josephus, AJ 19.343-350

Gamaliel 1st century

A Pharisee, doctor of the Law, grandson of Hillel according to rabbinic tradition, counsels the Sanhedrin to caution toward the apostles. Paul says he was trained at his feet. The Talmud numbers him among the great masters.

Acts 5:34-39; 22:3

Paul of Tarsus ca. 5 – ca. 64

A Jew of the diaspora, Roman citizen, Pharisee trained at Jerusalem, persecutor turned apostle after the Damascus vision around 33. Three journeys, thirteen letters of which seven are undisputed, arrest at Jerusalem, captivity at Caesarea then Rome, where he dies under Nero. The module on the letters and the thirteen modules by letter are devoted to him.

Acts 9; 13–28; Gal 1:13-24; Phil 3:4-6; 2 Cor 11:22-33

Silas or Silvanus 1st century

A prophet of Jerusalem, delegate of the council, Paul’s companion on the second journey, imprisoned with him at Philippi, co-author of the letters to the Thessalonians. Silvanus carries 1 Peter according to 5:12.

Acts 15:22-40; 16–18; 1 Thess 1:1; 1 Pet 5:12

Timothy 1st century

Of Lystra, of a Jewish mother and Greek father, circumcised by Paul for the mission, his most constant collaborator, sent to Thessalonica, Corinth, Philippi, co-author of six letters. The two letters to Timothy assume him at Ephesus. Hebrews 13:23 mentions his release.

Acts 16:1-3; 1 Thess 3:2; 1 Cor 4:17; Phil 2:19-22; 1–2 Tim

Titus 1st century

An uncircumcised Greek, a test case at Jerusalem, Paul’s envoy to Corinth in the crisis of 2 Corinthians and for the collection. Never named in Acts. The Letter to Titus assumes him in Crete.

Gal 2:1-3; 2 Cor 7:6-16; 8:16-24; Titus 1:4-5

Luke 1st century

“The beloved physician”, Paul’s companion in the captivities, alone with him according to 2 Timothy. Tradition identifies him with the author of the Third Gospel and Acts, and with the “we” sections of the latter.

Col 4:14; Phlm 24; 2 Tim 4:11

Prisca and Aquila 1st century

A couple of tentmakers, Jews expelled from Rome by the edict of Claudius, Paul’s hosts at Corinth, then at Ephesus where they instruct Apollos, then again at Rome. Prisca is named before her husband in four mentions out of six.

Acts 18:2-3, 18-26; Rom 16:3-5; 1 Cor 16:19; 2 Tim 4:19

Apollos 1st century

A Jew of Alexandria, eloquent and versed in the Scriptures, knowing only the baptism of John, instructed by Prisca and Aquila, a preacher at Corinth where a party claims him. Luther proposed him as author of Hebrews.

Acts 18:24-28; 1 Cor 1:12; 3:4-6; 16:12

Phoebe 1st century

Deacon of the church at Cenchreae and patron, προστάτις, of Paul and of many, commended to the Romans, whose letter she in all likelihood carries.

Rom 16:1-2

Junia 1st century

“Outstanding among the apostles” with Andronicus, a Christian before Paul, greeted in Rom 16:7. Read as a woman by all the patristic writers, masculinised as Junias in the modern era without manuscript support, restored since Brooten in 1977.

Rom 16:7

Lydia 1st century

A dealer in purple from Thyatira, a “God-fearer”, the first convert in Europe at Philippi, baptised with her household, which becomes the base of the mission.

Acts 16:14-15, 40

Onesimus 1st century

Slave of Philemon, gone to Paul in captivity, converted, sent back with the Letter to Philemon “no longer as a slave but as a brother”. Colossians names him “faithful and beloved brother”. Knox identifies him with the bishop of Ephesus mentioned by Ignatius.

Phlm 10-16; Col 4:9

Epaphras 1st century

Of Colossae, founder of the churches of Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis, Paul’s fellow prisoner, “who struggles for you in his prayers”.

Col 1:7; 4:12-13; Phlm 23

Demas 1st century

A collaborator named with Luke in Colossians and Philemon, then, in 2 Timothy, “has deserted me, being in love with this present world”. An example of the reverse trajectory within the Pauline circle.

Col 4:14; Phlm 24; 2 Tim 4:10

Sergius Paulus 1st century

Proconsul of Cyprus, “a man of intelligence”, who believes after the blinding of the magician Elymas. A family of Sergii Pauli is attested epigraphically at Pisidian Antioch, where Paul goes immediately afterward.

Acts 13:6-12

Gallio 1st century

Brother of Seneca, proconsul of Achaia in 51-52 according to the Delphi inscription, refuses to judge Paul at Corinth. His proconsulate is the surest chronological anchor of Paul’s life.

Acts 18:12-17

Felix and Festus 1st century

Procurators of Judaea. Felix, a freedman, husband of Drusilla, keeps Paul two years at Caesarea hoping for a bribe; Festus, his successor in 59 or 60, forwards the appeal to Caesar. Tacitus and Josephus confirm both.

Acts 23:24–26:32

Herod Agrippa II 27 – ca. 93

Son of Agrippa I, king of northern territories, hears Paul at Caesarea with his sister Berenice: “you almost persuade me to become a Christian”. The last Herodian king, a friend of Josephus.

Acts 25:13–26:32

Pontius Pilate prefect 26-36

Prefect of Judaea under Tiberius, condemns Jesus to crucifixion. The Caesarea inscription, discovered in 1961, confirms his title. Philo and Josephus describe him as brutal, which contrasts with the hesitation of the Gospels. Recalled to Rome in 36 after the massacre of Samaritans.

Mark 15; John 18–19; Philo, Leg. 299-305; Josephus, AJ 18.55-89

Caiaphas high priest 18-36

Joseph Caiaphas, son-in-law of Annas, high priest throughout Pilate’s prefecture, presides over the trial of Jesus. In John he utters the saying “it is better that one man die for the people”. The ossuary discovered in 1990 bearing his name is probably attributable to him.

Matt 26:3, 57; John 11:49-52; 18:13-28

Annas high priest 6-15

Father-in-law of Caiaphas, a deposed but still influential high priest, five of whose sons held the office. John has Jesus appear before him first.

Luke 3:2; John 18:13-24; Acts 4:6

Herod Antipas tetrarch 4 BCE – 39 CE

Son of Herod the Great, tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea, has the Baptist beheaded, wants to see Jesus perform a sign, sends him back to Pilate. Jesus calls him “that fox”. Deposed by Caligula and exiled to Gaul.

Mark 6:14-29; Luke 13:31-32; 23:6-12

Herod the Great ca. 73 – 4 BCE

King of Judaea by grace of Rome, builder of the Temple, died in 4 BCE, which fixes the birth of Jesus before that date. The massacre of the innocents is attested only by Matthew, but accords with the portrait Josephus gives of his last years.

Matt 2; Luke 1:5; Josephus, AJ 15–17

Simon the magician 1st century

A magus of Samaria, baptised by Philip, wishes to buy the power to confer the Spirit, whence “simony”. Justin, himself a Samaritan, makes him the father of the Gnostics; the Acts of Peter show him flying over Rome.

Acts 8:9-24

Alexander the coppersmith 1st century

“Did me great harm”, according to 2 Tim 4:14. Perhaps identical with the Alexander of Ephesus in Acts 19:33 or with the one delivered to Satan in 1 Tim 1:20. The type of the personal adversary in the Pastorals.

2 Tim 4:14-15; 1 Tim 1:20