Simon is called ho Kananaios in Matthew and Mark (transliterated into Greek) and ho Zēlōtēs in Luke and Acts (translated). The Aramaic qan'ana means "the zealous one." Whether this refers to membership in the revolutionary movement known as the Zealots or simply to his personal zeal is debated. The Zealot party as a formal revolutionary faction probably did not exist until the 50s and 60s, so the title may reflect his character more than his party affiliation.
In the Gospels
Simon the Zealot appears in the apostolic lists and nowhere else in the New Testament. He is not to be confused with Simon Peter, Simon the brother of Jesus, or Simon the leper.
The fact that Jesus included both a tax collector (Matthew) and a man whose sympathies lay with the anti-Roman resistance (Simon) among his Twelve is one of the more striking details of the gospel record. It suggests that Jesus' kingdom was not simply a political program — it was large enough to hold both men.
Death
Later traditions place his ministry in Egypt, North Africa, and Persia. He is often paired with Thaddaeus in martyrdom accounts. The fourth-century tradition says he was crucified or sawed in half in Persia. As with the other minor apostles, the traditions are late.
Sources
- Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament, 889.
- Martin Hengel, The Zealots (T&T Clark, 1989), 1–85, for the historical question of the Zealot party.