Apos'tles, twelve men whom Jesus selected to attend him during his ministry and to promulgate his religion. They were Simon Peter, and Andrew his brother; James, and John, his brother, sons of Zebedee; Philip; Bartholomew; Thomas; Matthew; James, the son of Alpheus; Lebeus, his brother, called Judas; Simon, the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot. All were laboring men except Matthew, who was a tax collector. To these were subsequently added Matthias, (chosen by lot in place of Judas Iscariot) and Paul. The Bible gives the name of apostle to Barnabas also, who accompanied Paul on his missions (Acts XIV, 14). In a wider sense the term apostles is applied to those preachers who first taught Christianity in heathen countries, for example, Saint Denis, the apostle of the Gauls; Saint Boniface, the apostle of Germany; Saint Augustine, the apostle of England.