Book Review: The Twelve by C. Bernard Ruffin

The Twelve: The Lives of the Apostles After Calvary by C. Bernard Ruffin

When it comes to the lives of Jesus's apostles, especially after Jesus ascended back to the Father, most people know hardly anything. Sure, Peter and Paul have had a lot written about or by them in the New Testament and even more in fictional accounts of their lives. The other apostles do not get much mention in the New Testament and a lot of the traditional stories told have been lost to time or dusty archives. Digging out the information, as scant as it is (any Christian writers worth their salt were more focused on Jesus than on His disciples), is a tough but rewarding job. Rather than research yourself, Ruffin provides this handy summary of the information available.

Ruffin covers all the apostles, including Judas Iscariot and his replacement Matthias (but not Paul), chronicling what is known about them from the gospels and the rest of the New Testament. Then he delves into the Church Fathers and all the apocryphal "fan fiction" (like the Acts of Peter) that provide less certain information. Ruffin does a good job presenting the material in an engaging way and fills out the picture of what those men did, where they went, and how they died for the Faith. The book is less than 200 pages, so it's a quick read, but it is also very informative.

Recommended.