According to the Bible, what were the professions of Christ’s disciples?
Andrew, Peter, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, worked as fishermen. Matthew 4:18-22 relates that Andrew and Peter were fishing, plying their trade when called, and James and John were mending nets with their father.
Thomas, Nathaniel and Philip may have also worked as fishermen, for they were all together and fishing when Jesus appeared to them in John 21:2-8, following his resurrection.
Matthew, called Levi in Luke, worked as a tax collector for the Roman government. He would have acquired some education and reputation to achieve this job.
His job provided him with considerable wealth, because tax collectors earned a portion of what they collected, as noted in the story of Zacchaeus, another famous tax collector who followed Jesus.
Simon was known as the Zealot, not strictly a profession, and as a Canaanite. Zealots often engaged in politics and anarchy, attempting to overthrow the Roman government. He may have been a politician or a revolutionary.
Judas served as the treasurer in Jesus’ band, and John 12:4-6 identifies him as a thief and embezzler. The Bible doesn’t tell us what he did prior to becoming an apostle. Each of the Gospels identify him as the one who betrayed Jesus.
The Bible provides no information on the professions of Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Thaddaeus or James, the son of Alphaeus. It does provide information about Paul, who became an apostle after the death and resurrection of Jesus. He was a Pharisee and may have taught religion or worked in political office. During his missionary journeys, Paul supported himself as a tent maker according to Acts 18:1-3.
