Andrew Ἀνδρέας
Apostle, brother of Simon Peter
Who is Andrew in the Bible?
Andrew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ and the brother of Simon Peter (Matthew 4:18, Mark 1:16). Originally a follower of John the Baptist, Andrew became a disciple of Jesus after hearing John's testimony about Him, and he is notably remembered for bringing his brother Peter to Jesus, recognizing Him as the Messiah (John 1:40-42). Throughout the Gospels, Andrew appears at key moments, such as when he presented a boy with five loaves and two fish during the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:8-9), and he was among the disciples who questioned Jesus about the end times (Mark 13:3). After Jesus' ascension, Andrew remained active in the early church and was present with the other apostles in Jerusalem (Acts 1:13). Andrew's significance lies in his role as a bridge-builder who brought others to Christ, demonstrating the importance of personal witness in the spread of the Christian faith.
Biography
Andrew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ and the brother of Simon Peter. He was originally a disciple of John the Baptist but later followed Jesus after hearing John's testimony about Him. Andrew is known for bringing his brother Peter to Jesus, recognizing Him as the Messiah.
Throughout the Gospels, Andrew is mentioned several times, often in connection with his brother Peter. He was present at significant events, such as the feeding of the five thousand, where he brought a boy with five loaves and two fish to Jesus. Andrew was also among the disciples who asked Jesus about the signs of His coming and the end of the age.
After Jesus' ascension, Andrew continued to play a role in the early church. He was present in the upper room with the other disciples as they waited for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.
According to church tradition, Andrew preached the gospel in various regions, including Greece and Asia Minor, and was martyred by crucifixion on an X-shaped cross, which has become known as St. Andrew's Cross. His faithfulness and dedication to spreading the message of Christ have made him an important figure in Christian history.
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In Scripture
5 biblical books ; 5 with study contentMatthew 2 verses
- Matthew 4:18
"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen."
Study Matthew → - Matthew 10:2
"These are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;"
Study Matthew →
Mark 4 verses
- Mark 1:16
"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen."
Study Mark → - Mark 1:29
"As soon as Jesus and His companions had left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew."
Study Mark → - Mark 3:18
"Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot,"
Study Mark → - Mark 13:3
"While Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately,"
Study Mark →
Luke 1 verse
- Luke 6:14
"Simon, whom He named Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;"
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John 4 verses
- John 1:40
"Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John’s testimony and followed Jesus."
Study John → - John 1:44
"Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Peter."
Study John → - John 6:8
"One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,"
Study John → - John 12:22
"Philip relayed this appeal to Andrew, and both of them went and told Jesus."
Study John →
Acts 1 verse
- Acts 1:13
"When they arrived, they went to the upper room where they were staying: Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James."
Study Acts →
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Named | Greek | Ἀνδρέας | Andréas | manly; Andreas, an Israelite |
Encyclopedia Article
ISBE 1915 (Public Domain) Andrew
Early History and First Call
Andrew belonged to Bethsaida of Galilee (compare Joh 1:44). He was the brother of Simon Peter and his father's name was John (compare Joh 1:42; 21:15,16,17). He occupies a more prominent place in the Gospel of Joh than in the synoptical writings, and this is explicable at least in part from the fact that Andrew was Greek both in language and sympathies (compare infra), and that his subsequent labors were intimately connected with the people for whom Joh was immediately writing. There are three stages in the call of Andrew to the apostleship. The first is described in Joh 1:35-40. Andrew had spent his earlier years as a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, but on learning of the fame of John the Baptist, he departed along with a band of his countrymen to Bethabara (the Revised Version (British and American) "Bethany") beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing (Joh 1:28). Possibly Jesus was of their number, or had preceded them in their pilgrimage. There Andrew learned for the first time of the greatness of the "Lamb of God" and "followed him" (Joh 1:40). He was the means at this time of bringing his brother Simon Peter also to Christ (Joh 1:41). Andrew was probably a companion of Jesus on his return journey to Galilee, and was thus present at the marriage in Cana of Galilee (Joh 2:2), in Capernaum (Joh 2:12), at the Passover in Jerusalem (Joh 2:13), at the baptizing in Judea (Joh 3:22), where he himself may have taken part (compare Joh 4:2), and in Samaria (Joh 4:5).
2Second Call and Final Ordination
On his return to Galilee, Andrew resumed for a time his old vocation as fisherman, till he received his second call. This happened after John the Baptist was cast into prison (compare Mr 1:14; Mt 4:12) and is described in Mr 1:16-18; Mt 4:18,19. The two accounts are practically identical, and tell how Andrew and his brother were now called on definitely to forsake their mundane occupations and become fishers of men (Mr 1:17). The corresponding narrative of Luke varies in part; it does not mention Andrew by name, and gives the additional detail of the miraculous draught of fishes. By some it has been regarded as an amalgamation of Mark's account with Joh 21:1-8 (see JAMES). After a period of companionship with Jesus, during which, in the house of Simon and Andrew, Simon's wife's mother was healed of a fever (Mr 1:29-31; compare Mt 8:14,15; Lu 4:38,39); the call of Andrew was finally consecrated by his election as one of the Twelve Apostles (Mt 10:2; Mr 3:18; Lu 6:14; Ac 1:13).
3Subsequent History
Further incidents recorded of Andrew are: At the feeding of the five thousand by the Sea of Galilee, the attention of Jesus was drawn by Andrew to the lad with five sequent barley loaves and two fishes (Joh 6 History Joh 8.9). At the feast of the Passover, the Greeks who wished to "see Jesus" inquired of Philip, who turned for advice to Andrew, and the two then told Jesus (Joh 12:20-36). On the Mount of Olives, Andrew along with Peter, James and John, questioned Jesus regarding the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world (Mr 13:3-23; compare also Mt 24:3-28; Lu 21:5-24).
IIIn Apocryphal Literature
The name of Andrew's mother was traditionally Joanna, and according to the "Genealogies of the Twelve Apostles" (Budge, Contendings of the Apostles, II, 49) he belonged to the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of his father. A fragment of a Coptic gospel of the 4th or 5th century tells how not only Thomas (Joh 20:27), but also Andrew was compelled, by touching the feet of the risen Saviour, to believe in the bodily resurrection (Hennecke, Neutestamentlichen Apokryphen, etc., 38, 39). Various places were assigned as the scene of his subsequent missionary labors. The Syriac Teaching of the Apostles (ed Cureton, 34) mentions Bithynia, Eusebius gives Scythia (Historia Ecclesiastica, III, i, 1), and others Greece (Lipsius, Apokryphen Apostelgeschichten, I, 63). The Muratorian Fragment relates that John wrote his gospel in consequence of a revelation given to Andrew, and this would point to Ephesus (compare Hennecke id, 459). The Contendings of the Twelve Apostles (for historicity, authorship, etc., of this work, compare Budge, Contendings of the Apostles, Intro; Hennecke, Handbuch zu den neutestamentlichen Apokryphen, 351-58; RE, 664-66) contains several parts dealing with Andrew:
(1) "The Preaching of Andrew and Philemon among the Kurds" (Budge, II 163 ff) narrates the appearance of the risen Christ to His disciples, the sending of Andrew to Lydia and his conversion of the people there.
(2) The "Preaching of Matthias in the City of the Cannibals" (Budge, II, 267 ff; REH, 666) tells of how Matthias, on being imprisoned and blinded by the Cannibals, was released by Andrew, who had been brought to his assistance in a ship by Christ, but the two were afterward again imprisoned. Matthias then caused the city to be inundated, the disciples were set free, and the people converted.
(3) "The Ac of Andrew and Bartholomew" (Budge, II, 183 ff) gives an account of their mission among the Parthians.
(4) According to the "Martyrdom of Andrew" (Budge, II, 215) he was stoned and crucified in Scythia.
According to the surviving fragments of "The Ac of Andrew," a heretical work dating probably from the 2nd century, and referred to by Eusebius (Historia Ecclesiastica, III, ii, 5), the scene of Andrew's death was laid in Achaia. There he was imprisoned and crucified by order of the proconsul Eges (or Aegeates), whose wife had been estranged from him by the preaching of Andrew (compare Hennecke, 459-73; Pick, Apocryphal Acts, 201-21; Lipsius, I, 543-622). A so-called "Gospel of Andrew" mentioned by Innocent I (Ep, I, iii, 7) and Augustine (Contra Advers. Leg. et Prophet., I, 20), but this is probably due to a confusion with the above-mentioned "Ac of Andrew." The relics of Andrew were discovered in Constantinople in the time of Justinian, and part of his cross is now in Peter's, Rome. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, whither his arm is said to have been transferred by Regulus. The ascription to him of the decussate cross is of late origin.
IIICharacter
There is something significant in Andrew's being the first called of the apostles. The choice was an important one, for upon the lead given by Andrew depended the action of the others. Christ perceived that the soul's unrest, the straining after higher things and a deeper knowledge of God, which had induced Andrew to make the pilgrimage to Bethany, gave promise of a rich spiritual growth, which no doubt influenced Him in His decision. His wisdom and insight were justified of the after event. Along with a keenness of perception regarding spiritual truths was coupled in Andrew a strong sense of personal conviction which enabled him not only to accept Jesus as the Messiah, but to win Peter also as a disciple of Christ. The incident of the Feeding of the Five Thousand displayed Andrew in a fresh aspect: there the practical part which he played formed a striking contrast to the feeble-mindedness of Philip. Both these traits--his missionary spirit, and his decision of character which made others appeal to him when in difficulties--were evinced at the time when the Greeks sought to interview Jesus. Andrew was not one of the greatest of the apostles, yet he is typical of those men of broad sympathies and sound common sense, without whom the success of any great movement cannot be assured.
C. M. Kerr
(1) A deputy of Antiochus Epiphanes, who, while ruling at Antioch, excited the Jews by the murder of Onias, and, upon their formal complaint, was executed by his superior (2 Macc