Who was chosen to take the place of Judas Iscariot?

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After Judas Iscariot’s betrayal and death, the group wanted to restore the number of apostles to twelve. The key idea here is maintaining that symbolic and foundational twelve, which mattered for witness and authority in the early church.

Two men were proposed who had accompanied Jesus throughout his ministry and were witnesses to the resurrection, meeting the criteria laid out for the replacement. They prayed for guidance and then cast lots, a practice used to seek God’s decision. The outcome was that one of them, Matthias, was chosen to join the eleven, completing the twelve again.

That’s why Matthias is the correct answer. Timothy is a later figure associated with Paul and not part of this apostolic restoration. Bartholomew and Philip were among the original Twelve, not the replacement Judas needed, so they weren’t chosen in this event.