Church Fathers Commentary Mark 3:13-19

"And he goeth up into the mountain, and calleth unto him whom he himself would; and they went unto him. And he appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, and to have authority to cast out demons: and Simon he surnamed Peter; and James the [son] of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and them he surnamed Boanerges, which is, Sons of thunder: and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the [son] of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. And he cometh into a house." — Mark 3:13-19 (ASV)

The Venerable Bede: After forbidding the evil spirits to preach about Him, He chose holy men to cast out unclean spirits and to preach the Gospel.¹

Therefore it is said, "And He went up on a mountain, etc."

Theophylact of Ohrid: Luke, however, says that He went up to pray. For after displaying miracles, He prays, teaching us that when we obtain anything good, we should give thanks and attribute it to divine grace.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: He also instructs the leaders of the Church to spend the night in prayer before they ordain, so that their office is not impeded. Therefore, when it was day, according to Luke, He called whomever He wished, for there were many who followed Him.²

The Venerable Bede: For it was not a matter of their own choice and zeal, but of divine condescension and grace, that they were called to the apostleship. The mountain where the Lord chose His Apostles also signifies the lofty righteousness in which they were to be instructed and which they were to preach to others.

Pseudo-Jerome: Or spiritually, Christ is the mountain from which living waters flow and milk is procured for the health of infants. From this mountain, the spiritual feast of rich food is made known, and whatever is believed to be of the highest good is established by the grace of that Mountain.

Therefore, those who are highly exalted in merits and in words are called up to a mountain, so that the location corresponds to the loftiness of their merits.

It goes on: "And they came to Him, etc."

For the Lord loved the beauty of Jacob (Psalm 47:4), so that they might sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28). They also, in groups of threes and fours, watch around the tabernacle of the Lord and carry His holy words, bearing them forward in their actions, as people carry burdens on their shoulders.

The Venerable Bede: As a sign of this, the children of Israel once used to encamp around the Tabernacle, so that three tribes were stationed on each of the four sides of the square. Now, three times four is twelve, and the Apostles were sent to preach in three groups of four, so that they might baptize the nations throughout the four corners of the world in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

It goes on: "And He gave them power, etc."

This was so that the greatness of their deeds might bear witness to the greatness of their heavenly promises, and so that those who preached unheard-of things might perform unheard-of actions.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Furthermore, He gives the names of the Apostles so that the true apostles might be known, and people might avoid the false ones.

And therefore it continues: "And He surnamed Simon, Peter."

St. Augustine of Hippo: But let no one suppose that Simon received his name and was called Peter at this time, for this would make Mark contradict John, who relates that it had been said to him long before, "You shall be called Cephas" (John 1:42).³

But Mark gives this account by way of summary. Since he wished to give the names of the twelve Apostles and was obliged to call him Peter, his purpose was to indicate briefly that this was not his original name, but that the Lord gave it to him.

The Venerable Bede: The reason the Lord willed for him to be called something else at first was so that a mystery might be conveyed to us through the change of name itself. Peter, then, in Latin or Greek means the same as Cephas in Aramaic, and in each language the name is derived from "a stone."

Nor can it be doubted that this is the rock of which Paul spoke: "and that Rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:4). For as Christ was the true light and also allowed the Apostles to be called the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), so also to Simon, who believed in the rock Christ, He gave the name of Rock.

Pseudo-Jerome: Thus, from obedience, which Simon signifies, the ascent is made to knowledge, which is what Peter means.

It goes on: "And James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother."

The Venerable Bede: We must connect this with what went before: "He goes up on a mountain and calls."

Pseudo-Jerome: This refers to James, who has supplanted all the desires of the flesh, and John, who received by grace what others obtained by labor.⁴

There follows: "And He surnamed them Boanerges."

Pseudo-Chrysostom: He calls the sons of Zebedee by this name because they were to spread the mighty and illustrious decrees of the Godhead over the world.⁵

Pseudo-Jerome: Or, this name shows the lofty merit of the three mentioned above, who deserved to hear the thunders of the Father on the mountain when He proclaimed in thunder through a cloud concerning the Son, "This is My beloved Son." This was so that they also, through the cloud of the flesh and the fire of the word, might scatter thunderbolts like rain on the earth, since the Lord turned the thunderbolts into rain, so that mercy extinguishes what judgment sets on fire.

It goes on: "And Andrew," who manfully does violence to perdition, so that he always had his own death ready within him to give as an answer (see 1 Peter 3:15), and his soul was ever in his hands (Psalm 119:109).

The Venerable Bede: For Andrew is a Greek name meaning "manly," from the Greek word for man, for he manfully adhered to the Lord.

There follows, "And Philip."

Pseudo-Jerome: Or, "the mouth of a lamp"—that is, one who can shed light with his mouth on what he has conceived in his heart, to whom the Lord gave an open mouth that diffused light. We know this way of speaking belongs to Holy Scripture, for Hebrew names are recorded to signify a mystery.

There follows: "And Bartholomew," which means, "the son of him who suspends the waters"—of Him, that is, who said, "I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it" (Isaiah 5:6). But the name "son of God" is obtained through peace and loving one's enemy, for, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matthew 5:9). And, "Love your enemies... that you may be sons of your Father" (see Matthew 5:44-45).

There follows: "And Matthew," that is, "given," to whom it was given by the Lord not only to obtain remission of sins but also to be enrolled in the number of the Apostles. "And Thomas," which means, "abyss," for those who have knowledge by the power of God put forward many deep things.

It goes on: "And James the son of Alphaeus," that is, of "the learned," or "the thousandth," beside whom a thousand will fall (Psalm 91:7). This other James is he whose wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness (Ephesians 6:12).

There follows, "And Thaddaeus," that is, "corculum," which means, "he who guards the heart,"ⁱ one who keeps his heart with all watchfulness.

The Venerable Bede: But Thaddaeus is the same person whom Luke, in the Gospel and in the Acts, calls Jude of James. For he was the brother of James (the Lord's brother), as he himself has written in his Epistle.

There follows, "And Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him."

He added this to distinguish him from Simon Peter and from Jude the brother of James. Simon is called the Canaanite from Cana, a village in Galilee. Judas is called Iscariot either from the village of his origin or from the tribe of Issachar.

Theophylact of Ohrid: He includes him among the Apostles so that we may learn that God does not reject anyone for wickedness that is yet to come, but considers him worthy on account of his present virtue.

Pseudo-Jerome: Simon is interpreted as "laying aside sorrow," for "blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Matthew 5:4). He is also called the Canaanite, that is, Zealot, because the zeal of the Lord consumed him.

Judas Iscariot, however, is one who does not do away with his sins by repentance. For Judas means "boaster" or "vainglorious," and Iscariot means "the memory of death." There are many proud and vainglorious confessors in the Church, such as Simon Magus, Arius, and other heretics, whose death-like memory is recalled in the Church so that it may be avoided.

1. in Marc., 1, 16
2. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.
3. de Con. Evan. ii, 17
4. Gen. 27:36 see Catena Aurea, Matt. 10:2
5. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.