ANDREW ăn’ drōō (̓Ανδρέας, G436, manly). The brother of Simon Peter and one of the first disciples of Jesus.

Although a native Palestinian Jew, Andrew bore a good Gr. name. He was the son of Jona (Matt 16:17) or John (John 1:42; 21:15-17), whose home was in Beth-saida in Galilee (John 1:44; 12:21). Doubtless Andrew, as a native of Galilee, where life was strongly influenced by Gentile culture, spoke Gr. as well as Aram.

Simon, his brother, as a married man, made his home in Capernaum (Mark 1:21) and Andrew apparently shared the house with him (1:29). By trade Andrew and Simon were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee (Matt 4:18). They worked in partnership with James and John, the sons of Zebedee (Luke 5:10).

When John the Baptist was preaching at Bethany (KJV “Beth-abara”) beyond the Jordan (John 1:28), Andrew, like many of his countrymen, laid aside his daily work to go to hear the famous preacher. What Andrew saw and heard influenced him greatly. He became a disciple of John (John 1:35, 40). Receiving John’s baptism of repentance, he committed himself to receive the Messiah when He came.

When John the Baptist pointed out Jesus as “the Lamb of God,” Andrew and another disciple (apparently John) acted upon the implied suggestion of the Baptist and sought an interview with Jesus. The interview with Him that day convinced Andrew that Jesus was indeed the expected Messiah (John 1:35-39). He was one of the first acknowledged followers of Jesus.

Andrew enthusiastically went in search of his brother Simon to share the discovery with him. He used his good influence to bring his brother into personal contact with Jesus (John 1:40-42). It proved to be the turning point in Peter’s life.

Apparently Andrew and the other followers won at Bethany remained with Jesus during the events recorded in John 1:43-4:54. If so, Andrew was an eager participant in those early events and shared in the baptizing recorded in John 3:22; 4:2.

Upon Jesus’ return to Galilee, Andrew resumed his work as a fisherman. When Jesus established His headquarters at Capernaum (Matt 4:13), He called Andrew and Peter, with James and John, into full-time training to be “fishers of men” (Matt 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11). Their ready response to the invitation of Jesus, as recorded in the synoptic gospels, presupposes their previous associations with Jesus as recorded in the fourth gospel.

Some time later Andrew was among the Twelve whom Jesus selected as His apostles (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14). In all the lists of the Twelve (Matt 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:13), Andrew was always named among the first four, although the order varies. He was associated with Peter, James, and John in their “private” inquiry of Jesus concerning His predictions of the future (Mark 13:3, 4). Andrew did not attain to the intimacy and resultant privileges of the other three as the “inner circle,” but he was on the fringe of it.

On two occasions in the fourth gospel, Andrew was closely associated with Philip, the only other apostle with a Gr. name. At the feeding of the five thousand, the anxious, calculating reaction of Philip stands in contrast to the practical action of Andrew in calling Jesus’ attention to the boy with his small store of food, even though he too failed to see its sufficiency for the purpose of Christ (John 6:4-9). When at the last Passover Philip, in perplexity, conferred with Andrew concerning the request of some Greeks for an interview with Jesus, Andrew concluded that the solution was to lay the request before Jesus Himself and let Him decide whether or not to grant the interview (12:20-22).

Andrew’s name is included among those who waited in the Upper Room after the Ascension of Jesus (Acts 1:13). Following that occasion, his name disappears completely from the NT.

Tradition has been busy with the later life of Andrew. Eusebius (Hist. III, 1) records the tradition that Andrew’s area of labor was in Scythia; hence he has been adopted as the patron saint of Russia. Other traditions connect him with Lydia, Thrace, and Achaia. The apocryphal Acts of Andrew picture him as evangelizing in Achaia and being martyred at Patras by being bound to an X-shaped cross (crux decussata, subsequently called St. Andrew’s Cross). He has been made the patron saint of Greece. A later tradition claims that his body was transferred to Constantinople, and then to Italy during the Crusades. Andrew also has been made the patron saint of Scotland because of the late tradition that his arm was brought to its E coast by St. Regulus.

It is only in the fourth gospel that the character of Andrew emerges with any distinctness. He was a sincere man with earnest and devout Messianic expectations. He was not bound by traditional views, but was open to, and eager for, new truth. He was a man who had the courage of his convictions, eager and enthusiastic to have others share what he had come to know. He was always busy bringing others into touch with his Master. As a man of action, he was practical, ready and willing to do any needed task. He has been called “not only the first home missionary (John 1:41), but also the first foreign missionary (12:22)” (G. Milligan, HDCG, I, 53).

Andrew did not possess the native ability and aggressive leadership of his brother Peter, but he was content to play a lesser role. His broad sympathies, practical common sense, and steady discipleship made him a valuable member of the apostolic band.

Bibliography M. R. James, The Apocryphal New Testament (1924), 337-363, 453-460, 472-475; G. Dalman, Sacred Sites and Ways (Eng. tr., 1935), 161-163; F. Dvornik, The Idea of Apostolicity in Byzantium and the Legend of the Apostle Andrew (1958); P. M. Peterson, Andrew, Brother of Simon Peter—His History and His Legends (1958); W. Barclay, The Master’s Men (1959), 40-46.