Simon, a first-century apostle of Christ, embodies the radical transformation of a Jewish revolutionary into a witness to love without borders. Nicknamed "the Zealot" for his membership in this fierce resistance movement against the Roman occupation, he discovers in Jesus a liberation deeper than that of weapons. Mentioned in the four lists of apostles in the Gospels, always alongside Jude, he bears a name that means "God has heard." His trajectory reminds us that the Christian faith transforms political certainties into spiritual commitment, nationalist exclusion into universal openness, and fanaticism into charity.
From Guerrilla Warfare to Universal Brotherhood
Simon was probably born in Galilee at the beginning of the first century, in a Palestine under Roman rule where tensions and messianic hopes were brewing. The term "zealot" refers to those Jews who violently rejected foreign oppression and advocated religious purity through armed action. Some historians place the structured emergence of this movement around 6 AD, during the Roman census that triggered the revolt of Judas the Galilean. Others believe that the term simply indicates an ardent zeal for the Law, without organized affiliation.
Jesus calls Simon among the Twelve, a bold gesture that brings together opposing profiles: Simon the Zealot rubs shoulders with Matthew, a tax collector in the service of Rome. This coexistence testifies to the evangelical radicalism that transcends political divisions. Simon gradually abandons his revolutionary certainties to embrace a Kingdom that comes neither by force nor by observation, but by interior conversion.
The Gospels do not record any direct words from Simon. Only his name appears in the apostolic lists, always associated with Jude Thaddeus. This textual discretion contrasts with the transformation he had to undergo: moving from nationalist ideology to the universal message of Christ required a radical stripping away of self. Simon learned that true freedom was not won by the sword, but by love, which included even the Roman enemy.
After Pentecost, tradition places Simon's preaching in Egypt, then in Persia (present-day Iran), where he joined Jude. Together, they proclaimed the Gospel in hostile lands, far from their native Galilee. Their common martyrdom, according to later accounts, took place around 65-70, with Simon killed by Persian priests who refused to allow influential members of their community to convert. Some sources have him crucified, others beheaded, but all emphasize his fidelity to the point of bloodshed.
Christian posterity remembers Simon as a radical convert, one who abandons his ideological weapons for the unarmed service of the Gospel. He illustrates that Christ rejects no one, even those whose past convictions are diametrically opposed to his message of peace.
Between history and spiritual symbols
The Gospels attest to the existence of Simon and his nickname Zealot, mentioned explicitly by Luke (6:15 and Acts 1:13), while Matthew and Mark use the term "Canaanite," a probable Aramaic transliteration of the same concept of ardent zeal. This double denomination confirms a solid historical reality: Simon bore an identity marked by radical commitment.
The legend elaborates extensively on Simon's Eastern ministry. Apocryphal accounts from the 4th century have him traveling as far as Armenia, converting entire populations through dazzling miracles: mass healings, resurrections of the dead, victorious confrontations with Persian magicians. An Eastern tradition claims that he founded the Church of Georgia with Andrew. These accounts historically amplify his actual mission, but express a theological truth: the Gospel crosses all borders, even the most hostile.
Simon's symbol is the saw or the axe, the instruments of his martyrdom according to different traditions. This violent imagery contrasts with his conversion to evangelical nonviolence, creating a fertile tension: the armed zealot dies by the sword, but for a cause that transcends all violence. Byzantine tradition depicts him holding the Scriptures, emphasizing that the Word now replaces the sword of his former convictions. His shared feast with Jude, celebrated on October 28 in the West, manifests their apostolic companionship and their joint witness to the point of martyrdom.
Spiritual message
Simon teaches us the conversion of confining certainties. His political zeal, legitimate in the face of oppression, becomes, under the light of Christ, a zeal for the Kingdom that embraces all peoples. He embodies the difficult metamorphosis of one who discovers that God also loves his enemies. His trajectory challenges our own rigidities: what ideological convictions, what justified anger, must we offer to Christ so that he may transform them into universal charity? Simon reminds us that following Jesus sometimes requires abandoning our most cherished struggles to embrace his own struggle: that of unconditional love. The zealot lays down his weapons not out of weakness, but because he has found a higher power, one that converts hearts.
Prayer
Simon, apostle of Christ and witness to his mercy, you who laid aside your fighting certainties to embrace universal love, obtain for us the grace of profound conversion.
Help us to transform our legitimate anger into patient charity, our judgments into fraternal welcome.
Give us your courage to proclaim the Gospel in the hostile lands of our time, where indifference and rejection reign.
Let our zeal no longer serve our narrow causes, but the Kingdom that embraces all humanity.
Accompany us on the path that goes from revolt to peace, from exclusion to communion.
Through your intercession, may we become witnesses of divine tenderness.
Amen.
To live
- Identify a conviction or judgment that is holding you back, present it to the Lord, asking that He expand it to the extent of His universal love.
- Pray for a person or group you consider a political, ideological, or religious adversary, asking for the grace to see them as brothers and sisters.
- Read John 14:15-24 (Jesus' answer to the question of Jude, Simon's companion) while meditating on the manifestation of Christ in concrete love rather than in grand public gestures.
Memory
No major place of worship in the West directly claims Simon's relics, unlike other apostles. Armenian tradition venerates his supposed tomb at the Monastery of Saint Thaddeus (Qara Kelisa) in present-day northwestern Iran, a 7th-century building located in a mountainous area that is difficult to access. Partial relics have been preserved at Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome since the 17th century, shared with those of Jude. In France, a few rural churches bear his name, often associated with communities of resistance fighters or converts. Medieval iconography rarely depicts him alone, almost always accompanied by Jude, emphasizing their inseparable apostolic brotherhood. His memory remains discreet in the West, more alive in the Eastern Churches that value his Persian mission.
Liturgy
- Readings: Ephesians 2:19-22 (building the Church on the foundation of the apostles); Luke 6:12-19 (calling of the Twelve) or John 14:15-24 (dialogue with Jude at the Last Supper).
- Anthem: “You are the light of the world, go and teach all nations” – a song of the apostles which evokes their universal mission.
