Simon the Zealot
- James Collazo
- Jun 23, 2017
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 12
Introduction
Simon the Zealot (Hebrew: Shimon ha-Kanai / Greek: Simōn ho Zēlōtēs) was born around AD 10 in the Roman district of Galilee. The synoptic gospel writers—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—describe him either as "Simon the Zealot" (Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13 SBLGNT) or as "Simon the Cananaean" (Matt. 10:4; Mark 3:18 SBLGNT). In the first century, both titles likely referred to a man known for his zeal, and many scholars associate the title with the Jewish nationalist movement that later became known as the Zealots. The Hebrew word for "Zealot" is Kanai (H7067), which Matthew and Mark transliterated into Greek as Kananaios (G2581), preserving the original Hebrew term in Greek letters.
Some English translations mistakenly render Kananaios as "Canaanite," a term that originally described the ancient pagan nation of Canaan before the Israelite conquest (Josh. 14:1). This error traces back to the Latin Vulgate—the "Common Bible" (Latin: Biblia Vulgata) compiled by the early Christian writer Jerome. Later readers of the Latin tradition often understood Kananaios geographically, associating Simon with the Galilean village of Cana, and later English translators relied heavily on his Latin text rather than earlier Greek manuscripts. Their mistake was understandable, since the words Chananaios (G5478, "Canaanite," Χαναναῖος) and Kananaios (G2581, "Zealot," Καναναῖος) look very similar in ancient Greek handwriting. However, Jesus chose twelve apostles to reflect the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28), which makes clear that Simon was indeed Jewish.
Simon: Zealous for Jesus
Simon and Matthew were opposites: Simon likely sympathized with Jewish resistance to Roman rule, while Matthew worked as a tax collector for the Roman government (Matt. 9:9). Though both were Jewish, their political views were far more extreme than modern liberal versus conservative divides. Their presence among the twelve apostles illustrates how Jesus brought together followers from sharply different political backgrounds (Matt. 10:2–4). The Zealots were Jewish rebels aiming to free Judea and Galilee from Roman rule, often forming armed militias. A more radical faction, the "Daggermen" (Latin: Sicarii), assassinated their enemies in public using concealed daggers. Nothing in the New Testament suggests that Simon belonged to this violent wing. The Zealots have often been summarized by the slogan, "No king but Messiah, no tax but the temple, no friend but the Zealot," a phrase that captures the movement's opposition to Roman rule and its exclusive loyalty to God's kingdom.
Jesus chose Simon and Matthew as apostles to demonstrate the power of reconciliation and the breadth of God's call. Simon, a Jewish nationalist, longed for Israel's political freedom, while Matthew, a tax collector, worked for the empire that the Zealots opposed. Despite their contrasting backgrounds, Jesus saw in both men the potential to advance his mission. Simon represented passionate resistance to Roman rule, while Matthew had worked within the Roman tax system. Together they demonstrate that allegiance to Jesus transcended political loyalties. One resisted the empire; the other had worked for it. Yet both became apostles of Christ. Their presence showed that God's kingdom transcends political divisions and personal differences, calling both the revolutionary and the collaborator to proclaim the gospel.
Simon the Zealot: No King but Christ
Simon may have first been drawn to Jesus' ministry in Galilee because he hoped Jesus would establish God's kingdom by overthrowing Roman rule. Yet he stayed even when Jesus taught lessons that contradicted Zealot ideology: "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's" (Mark 12:17). Unlike the Zealot motto—"No king but Messiah, no tax but the temple"—Simon accepted Jesus' vision of God's kingdom. He remained with Jesus even after warnings of the Second Temple's destruction (Matt. 24:1–2; Luke 21:5–6), which occurred in AD 70 when the Romans captured Jerusalem and defeated the Zealots.
The early Christian historian Eusebius recorded that Jewish Christians fled to Pella east of the Jordan in AD 66 to avoid fighting in the First Judeo–Roman War (Hist. eccl. 3.5). By then, Simon had found a new cause for zeal: the good news of Jesus. Rather than resisting payment of taxes to Caesar, he recognized that humans bear God's image and that no earthly power could claim ownership of him. In light of the New Testament's teaching, Simon's transformed life could be summarized by a new motto: "No king but Christ, no tax but the kingdom, no friend but the disciple" (cf. Phil. 2:9–11; Mark 12:17; Matt. 6:33; John 13:35).
Bibliography
Primary Sources
Eusebius. Church History. Translated by Arthur Cushman McGiffert. In Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1890.
Josephus. The Wars of the Jews. Translated by William Whiston. In The Works of Josephus. Edited by Philip Schaff. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1987.
Monographs
Evans, Craig A. Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2006.
Evans, Craig A. Jesus and His World: The Archaeological Evidence. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2012.
Evans, Craig A. Jesus and the Remains of His Day: Studies in Jesus and the Evidence of Material Culture. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2015.
Hengel, Martin. The Zealots: Investigations into the Jewish Freedom Movement in the Period from Herod I until A.D. 70. Translated by David Smith. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1989.
Kalas, J. Ellsworth. The Thirteen Apostles. Nashville: Abingdon, 2012.
MacCulloch, Diarmaid. Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years. New York: Penguin, 2011.
Wright, N. T. How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2012.
Wright, N. T. Paul: In Fresh Perspective. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2005.
Reference Works
Attridge, Harold W., ed. The NRSV HarperCollins Study Bible, Revised and Updated with Apocryphal and Deuterocanonical Books. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2006.
Dobson, Kent. NIV First-Century Study Bible: Explore Scripture in Its Jewish and Early Christian Context. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014.
Kaiser, Walter C., Jr., and Duane Garrett, eds. NIV Archaeological Study Bible: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.
Keener, Craig S., and John H. Walton, eds. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.
Journal Articles
Ferguson, Everett. "The Problem of Eusebius."↗ Christian History 72 (2001).
Online Resources
Notley, R. Steven. "'Give Unto Caesar:' Jesus, the Zealots, and the Imago Dei."↗ Jerusalem Perspective. January 1, 2004.
