Almanac › Peoples & groups

Zealots

Greek ζηλωτής. Literally "zealous one". Also called Zealot, Simon the Zealot, Sicarii, zelotes.

The armed-resistance wing — and one of the twelve disciples is introduced by the nickname.

The Zealots held that paying tribute to Rome was itself a denial of God's kingship, and acted on it. As an organised faction they are a phenomenon of the revolt of AD 66, after the gospels' events, but the outlook long predates the name. Luke lists Simon the Zealot among the twelve, which puts a man of that persuasion in the same small group as Matthew, who had collected taxes for Rome — a detail the gospels record without remark.

Where it appears

• Luke 6:15 Simon who was called the Zealot
• Acts 5:37 Judas of Galilee, in the days of the census

See also

• Tax collectors — The other end of the same argument
• The Twelve — Simon the Zealot, in the third group

All 84 almanac entries