“And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Canaanite,”
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot — the list of the twelve's remaining eight members is presented without characterization. Andrew is Simon Peter's brother, one of the first four called. Philip and Bartholomew are often associated together. Matthew is the tax collector of chapter 2 (Levi). Thomas will be remembered for his doubting in John's Gospel. James son of Alphaeus may be a brother of Matthew (both sons of Alphaeus). Thaddaeus appears in Matthew and Mark but not Luke's lists (which substitute Judas son of James). Simon the Zealot carries a political designation — possibly a former member of the Zealot movement.
Church Fathers on Mark 3:18
After having forbidden the evil spirits to preach Him, He chose holy men, to cast out the unclean spirits, and to preach the Gospel.
Luke, however, says that He went up to pray, for after the shewing forth of miracles He prays, teaching us that we should give thanks, when we obtain any thing good, and refer it to Divine grace.
Or spiritually, Christ is the mount, from which living waters flow, and milk is procured for the health of infants; whence the spiritual feast of fat things is made known, and whatsoever is believed to be most highly good is established by the grace of that Mountain.
Read all 16 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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