Thaddeus

Thaddeus is listed as one of the twelve apostles in Matthew 10:3 and Mark 3:18. Comparison with Luke's lists (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13), which give "Judas son of James" in the same position, has led most scholars to identify Thaddeus with Judas son of James — one person known by three names: Judas, Thaddeus, and (according to Matthew) Lebbaeus. The name Thaddeus may derive from an Aramaic root meaning "breast" or may be a nickname, and Lebbaeus similarly may mean "heart."

He appears in John's Gospel as "Judas (not Iscariot)" who asks Jesus at the Last Supper why he manifests himself to the disciples and not to the world (John 14:22). This brief exchange is the only spoken word attributed to him. He is traditionally identified with Jude the author of the epistle, who names himself "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James" — the same James as his father in Luke's list. His subsequent ministry is obscure; tradition places his work in Mesopotamia and Persia.