“There was

James,

The son of Zebedee,

And John,

The brother of James.

Jesus named them

Boanerges,

That means

The sons of thunder.”

 

καὶ Ἰάκωβον τὸν τοῦ Ζεβεδαίου καὶ Ἰωάνην τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ Ἰακώβου, καὶ ἐπέθηκεν αὐτοῖς ὄνομα Βοανηργές, ὅ ἐστιν Υἱοὶ Βροντῆς·

 

Then there were the 2 sons of Zebedee (τὸν τοῦ Ζεβεδαίου), James (καὶ Ἰάκωβον) and John the brother of James (καὶ Ἰωάνην τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ Ἰακώβου).  James was always listed first.  However, Mark had a longer explanation about them, calling them the sons of thunder (ὅ ἐστιν Υἱοὶ Βροντῆς).  He used the Aramaic name for thunder, Boanerges (καὶ ἐπέθηκεν αὐτοῖς ὄνομα Βοανηργές), and then explained it.  Clearly, these 3 apostles were considered the most important with Peter at the top of this group and James second here.  In all the listings, they are always first.  However, Andrew, the brother of Peter comes after James and John here in Mark and in the Acts of the Apostles.  Somehow, he must have been downgraded.