- He is usually listed in lists of all the apostles, and referred to as Simon the Zealot to distinguish him from Simon who was re-named Peter.
- Zealots were a political group which was in favour of using violence to kick the Romans out of the Holy Land. Simon may have belonged to this group, or perhaps he was called “The Zealot” because he was zealous about keeping the laws of Moses.
- The Catholic Encyclopaedia suggests Simon was a relative of Jesus, His cousin, or possibly even His brother.
- He is the patron of sawyers, tanners and curriers. A currier is someone who treats leather after the tanning process to make it waterproof, flexible and strong.
- After Jesus left, according to tradition, Simon is said to have teamed up with St Jude to go evangelising in Persia, Armenia and Lebanon. Since he and St Jude share the same feast day, it's possible they were martyred together as well.
- It's not clear how St Simon died. Some say he was crucified, others that he died peacefully; still others say he was executed by being sawn in half.
- He is often depicted in art being sawn in half, or with a saw. Other attributes associated with him are a boat, oars, fish and a lance.
- Muslims accept Jesus as a prophet and the Qur'an mentions His disciples as “helpers to the work of God”, and lists them by name. St Simon, it says, went to evangelise the Berbers in North Africa.
- In the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, Simon the Zealot is the one who tries to persuade Jesus to stir up the crowd against the Roman occupiers.
- October 28 is his feast day in the Western Christian Church. Other branches of the church celebrate his feast on May 10 and July 1.
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