"Fishers of men" ( gr, ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων, 'fishermen of men', from , 'seaman, fisherman', and , 'man, human being, woman') is a phrase used in the

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

s to describe the mandate given by

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

to his first disciples. Two brother fishermen, Simon called Peter and

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

, were casting a net into the

Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee ( he, יָם כִּנֶּרֶת, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ar, بحيرة طبريا), also called Lake Tiberias, Kinneret or Kinnereth, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest f ...

. As he commenced his preaching ministry, Jesus called them to follow him and told them that in doing so they were to become "fishers of men". The phrase is mentioned in Matthew 4:19 and Mark 1:17. Matthew's version states: This calling of the first Apostles, which eventually become a group of twelve, made the two fishermen early followers of Jesus. There is a parallel account in Mark 1:16–20 and a similar but different story in Luke 5:1–11, the Luke story not including the phrase "fishers of men" (or similar wording). The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges calls Matthew 4:18 a "condensed parable", drawn out at slightly greater length later in the same gospel.

Hymns

The Christian hymn "Fishers of Men" was written by Harry D. Clarke in 1927.

Parallels

Chapters 36–39 of the ''

Mandaean Book of John The Mandaean Book of John (Mandaic language ࡃࡓࡀࡔࡀ ࡖࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ ') is a Mandaean holy book in Mandaic Aramaic which is believed by Mandeans to have been written by their prophet John the Baptist. The book contains accounts of Jo ...

'' are about a fisher sent by

Hayyi Rabbi In Mandaeism, Hayyi Rabbi ( myz, ࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡓࡁࡉࡀ, translit=Hiia Rbia, lit=The Great Life), 'The Great Living God', is the supreme God from which all things emanate. He is also known as 'The First Life', since during the creation of th ...

("the Great Life") to fish for souls.

Commentary

John McEvilly writes that Jesus' meaning of “Fishers of men,” is those "destined to bring men into the Church and to life eternal." The allusion is, of course, to their former work. Jesus appears to be "fond of borrowing examples from the ordinary occupations of those He addresses." The words are a fulfillment of the prophecy: McEvilly further notes that Luke "pointedly records," that it was into Peter’s boat, Jesus went to teach, and that to Peter he said these words, who was later to become the foremost among the apostles (see Matt. 16:18, 19, John 21:15, Acts 2-3).

References

Fishing Gospel of Matthew New Testament words and phrases Fish in Christianity {{Bible-stub

Hymns

Parallels

Commentary

See also

References