The Twelve Christ Chose Author:Asbury Smith So vague is Our Knowledge of the Apostles that even competent Bible students sometimes find themselves pressed to name the Twelve our Lord chose to be with him. Foremost of us the Twelve are figures in a stained-glass window, and if the names on the windows ere interchanged we would never know the difference. Added to this lack of individuality... more » is the tendency to separate the Twelve from Common humanity by making them saints. When the citizens of Lystra, awed by the healing of a sick man, tried to worship Paul, he cried out in protest, "we also are men, of like nature with you."
There are three sources of information on the apostles, of which the New Testament is most important. Tradition is the second source of insight. A Third source of information that throws light upon the lives of the apostles is historical writing.« less