St Simon the Zealot (Luke 6:15)

St Simon the Zealot was one of the Twelve Apostles and a relative of Christ. Mentioned only a handful of times in the New Testament, he was a man of strong principles, family loyalty and burning devotion.

When we compare the list of the Twelve Apostles and the names of the brothers of Christ, three of them are the same – James, Simon and Jude (e.g. Mark 3:18; 6:3; Matthew 10:3-4; 13:55; Acts 1:13). This indicates that Simon, like his brothers James and Jude (cf Galatians 1:19; Jude 1:1), was both an apostle and a relative of Christ.

Pope Benedict XVI explained: “Simon is given a nickname that varies in the four lists: while Matthew and Mark describe him as a “Cananaean”, Luke instead describes him as a “Zealot”. In fact, the two descriptions are equivalent because they mean the same thing: indeed, in Hebrew the verb qanà’ means “to be jealous, ardent” and can be said both of God, since he is jealous with regard to his Chosen People (cf. Exodus 20:5), and of men who burn with zeal in serving the one God with unreserved devotion, such as Elijah (cf. I Kings 19:10).”

The pope concluded: “Thus, it is highly likely that even if this Simon was not exactly a member of the nationalist movement of Zealots, he was at least marked by passionate attachment to his Jewish identity, hence, for God, his People and divine Law.”

In 1 Corinthians 9:5, St Paul refers to the fact that “the brothers of the Lord” were first, married, and secondly ‘travelling around.’ This tells us that St Simon the Zealot went on missionary tours, accompanied by his wife.

The Church Historian Eusebius, and the earlier writer Hegesippus, describe him as succeeding his brother James as Bishop of Jerusalem, and as the son of Clopas (who was St Joseph’s brother). This would make him a close cousin of Jesus.

This means that the family tree of Christ, listed in the first chapter of St Matthew’s gospel, is also the family tree of St Simon. Along with his other brothers, possibly he either researched or helped preserve it. It also means that he would have known Jesus as a child.

In Luke chapter 24, we read of how the Risen Christ encountered two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus. One of these was called Cleophas. If as above this was Christ’s uncle, then very possibly the other unnamed figure was his cousin Simon. This would make the Resurrection account a family story, where Jesus revealed himself to his uncle and cousin.

The two of them said to each other: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (24:32) This conversation would fit with St Simon’s fiery zeal. As such, it may well have been St Simon who attended the first Eucharist with Christ, on the way to Emmaus.

Tradition has it that he was martyred using a saw, which then became his identifying symbol in Christian art. This is what we see here, in this stained glass window from St Mary’s College Chapel, Oscott. The window is part of a wider set in the sanctuary of this seminary chapel, featuring all Twelve Apostles, along with Our Lady of Oscott and other saints.

Designed by A.W.N. Pugin and produced by William Warrington, the window dates to 1837. The stained glass of St Simon is found on the right hand side of the sanctuary. He is pictured clutching the gospel, as a symbol of his preaching, alongside his trademark saw. The Latin text in the banner reads ‘St Simon, pray for us.’

See the full image:

Where to find this work of art

St Mary’s College Chapel, Oscott

Read the relevant passage

Luke 6:15

On a similar theme

• From the Old Testament: The Prophet Elijah is described in the Old Testament as a man of great zeal.
• From the New Testament: St Simon was the brother of two of the other apostles – St James and St Jude.