THADDAEUS thă dē’ əs (Θαδδαῖος, G2497). One of the twelve apostles (Matt 10:3; Mark 3:18). In Matthew 10:3 KJV the reading is “Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus.” Omitted from the lists of Luke 6:14-16 and Acts 1:13, the name of Judas, “son” (RSV) or “brother” (KJV) of James is inserted instead. Luke prob. gives the true name. Thaddaeus (Aram. “breastnipple”?) and Lebbaeus (Aram. “heart”) may be descriptive designations of Judas introduced in the gospels to avoid confusion with the traitor and because of the odium attached to his name. Judas (not Iscariot) of John 14:22 is possibly this disciple. See Judas, Juda 6.

Bibliography H. B. Swete, The Gospel According to St. Mark (1905), 61; V. Taylor, The Gospel According to St. Mark (1952), 233, 234.