Simon is said to have been the brother (or half-brother) of Jesus, the son of Mary and Clopas. In Islam, Muslim exegesis and Quran commentary name the twelve apostles and include Simon amongst the disciples. He was an able man of good ancestry and lived with his family at Capernaum. At first glance, this may seem like a rather minor structural detail. Simon Peter (the disciple) Simon the Zealot (another disciple, which may be why Jesus called the other Simon, Peter) Simon the brother of Jesus (his other brothers were James, Joseph, and Judas) Simon the leper (the owner of the home where . In the context of the New Testament, the Zealots were a party zealous for Jewish independence and throwing off Roman rule. Either "Zealot" is about the apostle's passionate faith, or his membership in a New Testament group called the "Zealots," or both. When Simon joins the Zealots, we understand that he is being driven by his longing for justice. "St. Jude Thaddeus and St. Simon the Zealot, Apostles", All appearances of "Simon" in the New Testament, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Simon_the_Zealot&oldid=1135512016. Narrative Ambiguity & Charitable Reading, The Chosen: 6 Good Friday & Easter Episodes, The Rings of Power, LOTR, and Bible Adaptation, Amazon Prime's The Rings of Power & The Challenges of Biblical Adaptation, In Defense of The Chosen and Other Christian Movies, Books, & Media (Part 1), In Defense of The Chosen and Other Christian Movies, Books, & Media (Part 2), Imagining Mary Magdalene (5 More Bible Adaptations While You Wait for The Chosen Season 2), Yussif, Jairus, & Shmuel in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters), Reflecting on The Chosen Season 3 & Anticipating Season 4: What Worked & What to Fix, Ears to Hear (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 7 with Youth or Small Group), The Chosen Season 3 Episode 7 & Episode 8: Recap, Review, & Analysis, The Feeding of the 5,000 (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 8 with Youth or Small Group), Pontius Pilate & His Wife in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters), Intensity in Tent City (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 6 with Youth or Small Group), Clean Part 2 (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 5 with Youth or Small Group), Clean Part 1 (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 4 with Youth or Small Group), Physician, Heal Thyself (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 3 with Youth or Small Group), Two by Two (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 2 with Youth or Small Group), Little James in The Chosen & Scripture (Adapting Biblical Characters), Homecoming (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 1 with Youth or Small Group), 2022 BY THE BIBLE ARTIST. If thats what the Zealot refers to, then like Matthew the Tax Collector, the Apostle Simons presence among the Twelve represents a powerful picture of the gospel. You are the King of Israel! Jesus answered him, Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? By the time the Gospels mention Simon (e.g. Narrative Ambiguity & Charitable Reading, The Chosen: 6 Good Friday & Easter Episodes, The Rings of Power, LOTR, and Bible Adaptation, Amazon Prime's The Rings of Power & The Challenges of Biblical Adaptation, In Defense of The Chosen and Other Christian Movies, Books, & Media (Part 1), In Defense of The Chosen and Other Christian Movies, Books, & Media (Part 2), Imagining Mary Magdalene (5 More Bible Adaptations While You Wait for The Chosen Season 2), Yussif, Jairus, & Shmuel in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters), Ears to Hear (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 7 with Youth or Small Group), The Chosen Season 3 Episode 7 & Episode 8: Recap, Review, & Analysis, The Feeding of the 5,000 (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 8 with Youth or Small Group), Pontius Pilate & His Wife in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters), Intensity in Tent City (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 6 with Youth or Small Group), Clean Part 2 (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 5 with Youth or Small Group), Clean Part 1 (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 4 with Youth or Small Group), Physician, Heal Thyself (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 3 with Youth or Small Group), Two by Two (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 2 with Youth or Small Group), Little James in The Chosen & Scripture (Adapting Biblical Characters), Homecoming (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 1 with Youth or Small Group), 2022 BY THE BIBLE ARTIST. Although The Chosen Season 2 Episode 4 did livestream on YouTube and Facebook, new episodes are now only being left up for 24 hours before being taken down. That's why I'm excited to share with you a new resource that I've created to help you study biblical adaptations & reflect on how they apply to everyday life. Heres how Josephus described the Fourth Philosophy which became known as the Zealots: These men agree in all other things with the Pharisaic notions; but they have an inviolable attachment to liberty, and say that God is to be their only Ruler and Lord. In what ways do these hopes end up disappointing us? What has Jesse the Invalid put his hope in to bring salvation? At the time when he was healed, he had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years. For each passage that you read, you will still take notes on important literary features like plot and theme, but you will also have space to respond by sketching, doodling, or writing something inspired by the passage. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Robert Eisenman has argued that contemporary talmudic references to Zealots refer to them as kanna'im "but not really as a grouprather as avenging priests in the Temple". Therefore, it is anachronistic to view people acting with zeal before 68 C.E. Season 2 Reflection P2: What was The Chosen Season 2 about? Since Simon is commonly identified with the Jewish sect known as the Zealots, its worth unpacking who they were. Besides, zealousness is a quality that frequently comes up in Scripture, so it could have easily been a description of a positive quality Simon possessed, rather than a sect he belonged toespecially if that group wasnt known by that name at the time. Both Kananaios and Kananites derive from the Hebrew word qanai, meaning zealous, although Jerome and others mistook the word to signify the apostle was from the town of Cana, in which case his epithet would have been "Kanaios", or even from the region of Canaan. The word translated "Canaanite" is of Hebrew origin and means "zealot". Simon the Zealot is saying a blessing which is a common blessing said in the morning. Statue of St. Simon in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran by Francesco Moratti. Others have seen a connection to the description of the peaceful abundance of Solomon's reign, when every Israelite sat under his own fig tree (. Were there any scenes that you found interesting or moving? Instead, Jesus shows up and provides him with a new and unexpected way to fulfill his longing, by contributing to the construction of God's spiritual temple, the church. While the Chosen depicts Simon the Zealot as the brother of Jesse, the invalid Jesus heals by the Pool of Bethesda, this detail does not come from the Gospels. Some have suggested that Jesus is cryptically alluding to the fig leaves of Genesis 3. Poorly-made religious films make the mistake of boiling down the diverse longings that lead people to God into a single uniform desire (usually a desire for love or for forgiveness). The name Simon occurs in all of the Synoptic Gospels and the Book of Acts each time there is a list of apostles, without further details: Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor. At the beginning of the episode, Jesse watches as his brother is recruited by the Zealots. In any case, the gospel writers used this description to distinguish this Simon from Simon Peterand the other Simons in the New Testament. There are nine people named Simon in the New Testament. (NIV) Acts 1:13 For the most part, I just clarify who characters are and occasionally I briefly explained a reference or allusion that is confusing to my youth. If so, this sheds slight on James, son of Alphaeus and Simon Zealot as brothers. May 10, 2012 . Simon the Zealot's prologue establishes his longing to combat evil and injustice. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the second explanation will prove true, but I would prefer the first - since there are plenty of other miracle healings that the show could have utilized instead of undermining a central feature of this specific story. This is why, in order to understand how The Chosen adapts the characters of Simon and Nathanael, its important for us to not just focus on the handful of facts that the Bible tells us about them. Of course, within the frame of the narrative itself, Jesus appears to be demonstrating his super-human knowledge - a common theme in the Gospel of John. When he surrendered to Vespasian, he claimed Jewish messianic prophecies were about Vespasian becoming the emperor of Rome, and lo and behold Vespasian decided to let him live, taking him on as a slave. Western tradition is that he preached in Egypt and then went to Persia with St. Jude, where both suffered martyrdom. Why was he mad at Jesus? By the time the Gospels mention Simon (e.g. He has also been identified with Simon, the brother of Jesus.and also there are reasons in favor of identifying him with Nathaniel. Professor David Rhoades elaborates in The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary: Judas and his followers opposed Jews who cooperated with the census, for they considered cooperation with Caesar to be an idolatrous transgression of the First Commandment to have no other lords before me. Judas small and unsuccessful revolt was carried out in the belief that if the Jews were faithful to the covenant, God would honor their cause by bringing victory in the struggle against Rome. Simon is remembered (with Jude) in the Church of England with a Festival on 28 October. There's also a separate area for you to draw and take notes on your favorite biblical characters. I hope you enjoy them! The most widespread tradition is that after evangelizing in Egypt, Simon joined Jude in Persia and Armenia or Beirut, Lebanon, where both were martyred in 65 AD. On the other hand, there also isn't strong evidence to the contrary. This version is the one found in the Golden Legend. According to an Eastern tradition Simon travelled to Georgia on a missionary trip, died in Abkhazia and was buried in Nicopsia. Moses: The Old Testaments Greatest Prophet. Or maybe he simply had a personality that resembled that of the Zealots. Simon the Zealot was one of Jesus' disciples. The Catholic Encyclopedia suggests that Simon the Zealot may be the same person as Simeon of Jerusalem or Simon the brother of Jesus or both. Instead of saying he does or doesn't want to be well, he explains why he thinks he can't get well - he doesn't have anyone to put him in the pool when it is stirred up. The Zealots were a group of Jews who believed that God had called them to overthrow the Roman Empire through physical force. Simon's other siblings . The Chosen recognizes this. by Ryan Nelson | Aug 7, 2019 | Bible characters. Certain Old Latin translations of the Gospel of Matthew substitute "Judas the Zealot" for Thaddeus/Lebbaeus in Matthew 10:3. The apostle Simon, called Simon the Zealot in Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13; and Simon Kananaios ("Simon" signifying "hearkening; listening", Standard Hebrew imon, Tiberian Hebrew imn ), was one of the most obscure among the apostles of Jesus; little is recorded of him aside from his name. There are numerous accounts of Simon the Zealots death, but the earliest records come centuries after his death. And Jesus saw in him the potential to spread the kingdom of heaven throughout the earth, not by force, but with the revolutionary power of love. Facts 1 and 2 are true of most of the disciples. The Chosen creatively connects these two characters in order to make a point. Apparently the titles may have been an attempt to distinguish him from the apostle St. Simon Peter. In the place of the pool, what does he discover is a much better hope? They may not have known Simon of Cyrene, but they knew his son Rufus. Simon may have been a member of a rebellious group that was prone to violence. Season 2 Reflection P2: What was The Chosen Season 2 about? The Bible tells us only a couple things about the man that Jesus healed at the Pool of Bethesda: He went to the pool in order to be healed by its reported power. as members of a sect called the Zealots.. But heres what we know. Who Was Herod? There are no early church records of Simon the Zealots ministry, so its hard to say where he spread the gospelbut presumably, he did. In this story, Jesus sees the invalid lying by the pool of Bethesda and asks him, "Do you want to be healed?" Like many of the apostles, its hard to conclude exactly which tradition (if any) can be trusted: Like many of the lesser-known apostles, most of Simon the Zealots life and identity remains a mystery, and the few details the Bible gives us has led to centuries of speculation, little of which can be confirmed or denied. Did Simon the Zealot have a brother? We can't know for sure, but it's hard to imagine that someone could follow the peaceful way of Jesus and still participate in a violent insurrection. Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you. The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. v14 He chose Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, v15-16 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon, whom people called the *Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas . So what does this title mean? Having examined what the Bible says about Simon the Zealot and Nathanael, however, it should be clear why it's necessary for The Chosen to build on what the Bible says. Simon is the name of one of Jesus brothers (Mark 6:3), whos traditionally believed to have succeeded James as head of the church in Jerusalem. (season 2, episode 4) Yasmine Al-Bustami as Ramah: a former vintner from the plains of Sharon, the business partner of Thomas, and one of the women helping Jesus' ministry. He is only mentioned in passing in the Bible (Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3), but he is sometimes identified with Simeon of Jerusalem and Simon the Zealot. Or did he in fact find a way to straddle the two movements? In The Chosen, during Season 2 Episode 4, Simon the Zealot is depicted as being the brother of the paralyzed man Jesus heals by the Pool of Bethesda, who is named Jesse in the show. Berean Standard Bible Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. Indeed, for most viewers, the ability to relate to the characters on a show is paramount. He was the author of two books in the Bible, namely 1st Peter and 2nd Peter. This would be very in-keeping with the Gospel of John, which is quite interested in the way people initially respond to Jesus with faith when he does a miracle but eventually fall away when he doesn't something inexplicable or the water gets too hot. So The Chosen has made Nathanael an architect in order to make this image of Jesus as a stairway/ziggurat particularly relevant to his character. 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