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Prayers
for all Occasions, Needs, and Intentions
THE APOSTLES'
SYMBOLS
Including
Mathias and Paul. See also, the Twelve Apostles, "The Apostles in
Scriptures," as well as stories of their deaths, which symbols often
reflect.
The
Apostles' in Scriptures | Stories
of the Apostles' Deaths
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| Andrew |
| According to
tradition, Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped (saltire)
cross; he is sometimes pictured as an old man with long
white hair and beard, holding the Gospel and leaning on a
saltire. |
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| Bartholomew (Nathanael?) |
| The flaying knives
represent the manner of Bartholomew's death; he was flayed
alive.. |
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| James the Great (of
Compostella) |
| The scallop shells
are pictured because the Spanish coast was said to abound
in them; they represent pilgrimage and James's missionary
zeal. He is also represented by a pilgrim's staff (as a
patron of pilgrims) and gourd bottle. |
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| James the Less (Son
of Alphaeus) |
| One Legend said that
James the Lesser suffered a terrible martyrdom by being
sawed apart; another symbol is the fuller's pole (struck
in the head). |
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| John |
| An early story of
John drinking from a poisoned chalice and coming to no
harm.. |
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| Judas Iscariot |
| Judas is represented
with a bag (he held the common purse, from which he would
steal, John 12:6). |
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| Jude (Thaddeus) |
| Jude probably
traveled by ship on his missionary journeys with Simon; he
is variously represented with a club, staff, and
carpenter's square (his trade). |
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| Matthew (Levi) |
| The three purses
represent Matthew's work as a tax collector before Jesus
called him (Matthew 10:3). He is also represented with a
hatchet or halberd and is pictured as a bearded old man,
accompanied by an angel dictating the Gospel. |
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| Matthias |
| Matthias, chosen to
take the place of Judas, is symbolized by a battle-ax,
with which he was said to be beheaded, and an open Bible. |
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| Paul |
| Paul is represented
by an open Bible (the new Law he preached) and the sword
of the Spirit; he is pictured as being short and bald with
a bushy beard.. |
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| Peter |
| The crossed keys
represent Peter's authority (given by Christ). At times he
is pictured as a bald old man with flowing beard, clad in
white mantle and blue tunic, holding Scripture. |
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| Philip |
| The loaves of bread
on either side of the cross remind us of Philip's comment
at the multiplication of the loaves and fishes (John
6:5-7). Another representation is a staff (upon which he
was suspended by the neck from a pillar), surrounded with
a cross. |
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| Simon |
| A fish (occupation)
rests on a book; in a similar way, Simon became a great
fisher of people through the message of the gospel. |
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| Thomas |
| The carpenter's
square stands for the church Thomas is said to have built
with his own hands in India; the spear or lance is a sign
of the purported manner of his death. |
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