The term apostle is derived from Classical Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos), meaning "one who is sent away", from στέλλω ("stello", "send") + από (apo, "away from").[1] The literal meaning in English is therefore an "emissary", from the Latin mitto ("send") and ex ("from"). The purpose of such "sending away" (not strictly "forth" which implies "forward", πρό (pró in Greek), and pro in Latin) is to convey messages. Thus "a messenger" is a common alternative translation, although the true messenger is the "angel", from Greek: ἄγγελος ("messenger").[1] In the case of the Christian apostles, the message they were sent away to convey was very broadly the message of the "good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ", and they were sent away by Jesus to the Jews in Matthew 10:5, as the following quote from verses 1 to 7 reveals:[2]
(1):"And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.(2): Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:...(5)These twelve Jesus sent forth and commanded them, saying, go not into the way of the Gentiles and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not (6): but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (7)And as ye go preach saying 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand'"
Before their sending away the Twelve had been mere "Disciples", from Latin discipulus, one who learns, from disco, to learn.[3] This event was for them thus a form of graduation,[4] when they stepped-up from being students to teachers. Apostle is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word shaliah. Jesus is stated in the Bible to have had Twelve Apostles who by the Great Commission spread the message of the Gospel after his resurrection. There is also a tradition derived from the Gospel of Luke of Seventy Apostles.
Saul of Tarsus, not one of the Twelve or the Seventy and a recent convert, claimed the title of Apostle to the Gentiles, even though other apostles actively recruited Gentiles (non Jews) and Peter's role was never restricted to just Apostle to the Jews (see also Circumcision controversy in early Christianity, Incident at Antioch, Primacy of Simon Peter, and Paul of Tarsus and Judaism), indeed traditionally the first Gentile convert is considered to be Cornelius the Centurion, who was recruited by Peter. Paul claimed a special commission from the resurrected Jesus, separate from the Great Commission given to the Twelve. Paul did not restrict the term apostle to the Twelve, referring to his mentor Barnabas and others as apostles, either because he didn't know it or resisted it.[5] This restricted usage appears in Revelation.[5][6] In modern usage, major missionaries are sometimes termed apostles, as in Saint Patrick, Apostle of Ireland.[5]
The period of Early Christianity during the lifetimes of the apostles is called the Apostolic Age.[7] In the 2nd century, association with the apostles was esteemed as evidence of authority (later called orthodoxy). Paul's epistles were accepted as scripture (see Development of the New Testament canon), and two of the four gospels were associated with apostles, as were other New Testament works. Various Christian texts, such as the Didache and the Apostolic Constitutions, were attributed to the Twelve Apostles. Bishops traced their lines of succession back to individual apostles, who were said to have established churches across great territories. Christian bishops have traditionally claimed authority deriving, by apostolic succession, from the Twelve.[5] Early church fathers came to be associated with apostles, such as Pope Clement I with Peter the Apostle (see Apostolic Fathers). The Apostles' Creed, popular in the West, was said to have been composed by the apostles themselves.
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The word "apostle" has two meanings, the broader meaning of a messenger and the narrow meaning of an early apostle directly linked to Jesus Christ. The more general meaning of the word is translated into Latin as 'missio', and from this word we get 'missionary.'
The word apostle comes from the Greek word ἀπόστολος (apostolos). According to the Bauer lexicon, Walter Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon of the NT: "…Judaism had an office known as apostle (שליח)". See also Proselytes. The Friberg Greek Lexicon gives a broad definition as one who is sent on a mission, a commissioned representative of a congregation, a messenger for God, a person who has the special task of founding and establishing churches. The UBS Greek Dictionary also describes an apostle broadly as a messenger. The Louw-Nida Lexicon gives a very narrow definition of a special messenger, generally restricted to the immediate followers of Jesus, or extended to some others like Paul or other early Christians active in proclaiming the gospel.
The Apostles are portrayed in the New Testament as having been Galilean Jews. The names of the majority of them are Hebrew names, although some had Greek names.[8] That the Twelve Apostles were all Jews is supported in several ways. Jesus’ statements that his mission is directed only to those of the house of Israel,[Mt 10:1-6] [15:22-24] [Lk 22:30] imply that the Twelve Apostles were all Judean Hebrews. For Christians who view the Hebrew prophets as speaking of Jesus and Christianity, support for the Jewishness of the Apostles is found, on the one hand, in the prophetic assertions that it was the Jews whom God had chosen to bring all the nations (the "Gentiles") to faith in him,[9] and that, on the other hand, Jesus appointed the Twelve Apostles kingship[10] and told them that they will sit on thrones,[11] administering,[12] the affairs of the twelve tribes of Israel.[Lk 22:29-30] Even the "supernumerary Apostle", the "Apostle to the Gentiles", Saul of Tarsus, who said that Jesus revealed himself to him only after his ascension and appointed him to his mission,[Acts 9:1-19] [Gal 1:11-12] was a Jew by birth and always proud of it,[1:14] although since his conversion to Jesus he adopted the Roman surname Paulus as his first name, rendered in English as Paul.[Acts 13:9]
The Gospel of Mark[Mk 6:7-13] states that Jesus initially sent out these twelve in pairs,[cf. Mt. 10:5-42] [Lk 9:1-6] to towns in Galilee. Literal readings of the text state that their initial instructions were to heal the sick and drive out demons, and in the Gospel of Matthew to raise the dead, but some scholars read this more metaphorically as instructions to heal the spiritually sick and thus to drive away wicked behaviour. They are also instructed to "take nothing for their journey, except a staff only: no bread, no wallet, no money in their purse, but to wear sandals, and not put on two tunics", and that if any town rejects them they ought to shake the dust off their feet as they leave, a gesture which some scholars think was meant as a contemptuous threat (Miller 26). Their carrying of just a staff (Matthew and Luke say not even a staff) is sometimes given as the reason for the use by Christian Bishops of a staff of office, in those denominations that believe they maintain an apostolic succession.
There is also evidence that follows those marked Apostle. Paul made his case to the Corinthian Church that he was an apostle by the evidence of God's power working through him. Paul states, "The things that mark an apostle—signs, wonders and miracles—were done among you with great perseverance."[2 Co. 12:12] (NIV)
Later in the Gospel narratives the Twelve Apostles are described as having been commissioned to preach the Gospel to "all the nations,"[Mt 28:19] [Mk 13:10][16:15] regardless of whether Jew or Gentile.[13] Paul emphasized the important role of the apostles in the church of God when he said that the household of God is "built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone"[Ephesians 2:19-20].
The Twelve Apostles comprise the following:
Judas had been one of the Twelve, but he betrayed Jesus and committed suicide.[15] With Judas gone, Matthias became one of the Twelve.[Ac 1:15-26] In the Synoptic Gospels, Mark names the Twelve, Matthew follows Mark, and Luke substitutes Judas for Mark's Thaddeus. John refers to the Twelve without naming them all, adds the name Nathaniel, and uses the term "beloved disciple" (presumably for John). Jesus calls his inner circle of twelve disciples The Twelve, which probably alludes to the Twelve Minor Prophets in the Hebrew Bible. It could also allude to the Twelve tribes of Israel[Mt. 19:28][Lu. 22:28-30]. In the Synoptics, Jesus selects Peter, James, and John to witness his divine Transfiguration and to be with him when he prays at Gethsemane. In Mark, the Twelve are obtuse, failing to understand the importance of Jesus' miracles and parables.[16] The book of Acts recounts the deeds of the apostles in the years after Jesus' crucifixion.
The Canonical gospels give varying names of the Twelve (see also the Gospel according to the Hebrews). According to the list occurring in each of the three Synoptic Gospels, [Mk 3:13-19] [Mt 10:1-4] [Lk 6:12-16] the Twelve some of whom chose to follow Jesus, and some who were called by Jesus, near the beginning of his ministry, those "whom he also named apostles", were, according to the Gospels of Mark and Matthew:
The list in the Gospel of Luke differs from Matthew and Mark at two points:
The Gospel of John, unlike the Synoptic Gospels, does not offer a formal list of apostles, though it refers to "the Twelve" in a single scene John 6:67-71. However, the gospel does not present any elaboration, what "the Twelve" actually was, making the scene at the end of the chapter 6 appear suspiciously disjointed with the rest of the narrative. There is also no separation of "apostles" and "disciples" in the gospel. All in all, only the following disciples are mentioned:
Of these, only Nathanael is not in the lists in the other gospels. He has traditionally been identified with Bartholomew, though this identification is disputed by some. As a complete name "Nathanael Bar-tholomew" would be consistent with contemporary naming conventions. (See Bartholomew the Apostle).
Apart from Bartholomew, the three not mentioned at all in John's gospel are James son of Alphaeus, Matthew, and Simon the Canaanite/Zealot.
The three Synoptic Gospels record the circumstances in which some of the disciples were recruited, Matthew only describing the recruitment of Simon, Andrew, James, and John. All three Synoptic Gospels state that these four were recruited fairly soon after Jesus returned from being tempted by the devil.
Despite Jesus only briefly requesting that they join him, they are all described as immediately consenting, and abandoning their nets to do so. Traditionally the immediacy of their consent was viewed as an example of divine power, although this statement isn't made in the text itself. The alternative and much more ordinary solution is that Jesus was simply friends with the individuals beforehand, as implied by the Gospel of John, which states that Andrew and an unnamed other had been a disciple of John the Baptist, and started following Jesus as soon as Jesus had been baptized. The Bible identifies Jesus as a tekton[Mk 6:3], a Greek word meaning builder or artisan,[21] traditionally translated as carpenter. Considering this profession, it is plausible that Jesus had been employed to build and repair fishing vessels, thus having many opportunities to interact with and befriend such fishermen.
Albright and Mann extrapolate from Simon's and Andrew's abandonment of their nets, that Matthew is emphasizing the importance of renunciation by converting to Christianity, since fishing was profitable, though required large start-up costs, and abandoning everything would have been an important sacrifice. Regardless, Simon and Andrew's abandonment of what were effectively their most important worldly possessions was taken as a model by later Christian ascetics.
Matthew describes Jesus meeting James and John, also fishermen and brothers, very shortly after recruiting Simon and Andrew. Matthew and Mark identify James and John as sons of Zebedee. Luke adds to Matthew and Mark that James and John worked as a team with Simon and Andrew. Matthew states that at the time of the encounter, James and John were repairing their nets, but readily joined Jesus without hesitation. This parallels the accounts of Mark and Luke, but Matthew implies that the men have also abandoned their father (since he is present in the ship they abandon behind them), and Carter feels this should be interpreted to mean that Matthew's view of Jesus is one of a figure rejecting the traditional patriarchal structure of society, where the father had command over his children; most scholars, however, just interpret it to mean that Matthew intended these two to be seen as even more devoted than the other pair.
The synoptics go on to describe that much later, after Jesus had later begun his ministry, Jesus noticed, while teaching, a tax collector in his booth. The tax collector, Levi according to some Gospels, Matthew according to others, is asked by Jesus to become one of his disciples. Matthew/Levi is stated to have accepted and then invited Jesus for a meal with his friends. Tax collectors were seen as villains in Jewish society, and the Pharisees are described by the synoptics as asking Jesus why he is having a meal with such disreputable people. The reply Jesus gives to this is now well known: it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.[Mk 2:17]
After Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ and then in guilt committed suicide before Christ's resurrection (in one Gospel account), the apostles numbered eleven. When Jesus had been taken up from them, in preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit that he had promised them, Peter advised the brethren:
Judas, who was guide to those who took Jesus... For he was numbered with us, and received his portion in this ministry... For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his habitation be made desolate, Let no one dwell therein', and, 'Let another take his office'... So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us, must become with us a witness to his resurrection
So, between the ascension of Christ and the day of Pentecost, the remaining apostles elected a twelfth apostle by casting lots, a traditional Jewish way to determine the Will of God. The lot fell upon Matthias.
This is one of several verses used by the Orthodox Churches (including Catholic, Anglican, and Eastern Orthodox Churches) in support of their teaching of Apostolic Succession, and by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in support of the Great Apostasy.
Paul of Tarsus, in his First Epistle to the Corinthians, appears to give the first historical reference to the Twelve Apostles:
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born
The text has some unresolved issues. Paul does not refer to "the Twelve" anywhere else in his writings, nor did he ever limit the usage of the word "Apostle" to the Twelve disciples who by definition were the ones appointed as Apostles.
Christian tradition has generally passed down that all but one were martyred, with John surviving into old age. Only the death of James, son of Zebedee is described in the New Testament, and the details of the other deaths are the subject of pious legends of varying authenticity. In some cases there is near unanimity in the tradition, and in other cases, there are widely varying and inconsistent accounts.
Judas Iscariot, originally one of the Twelve, died during Jesus' trial. Matthew 27:5 says that he hanged himself, and Acts 1:18 says that he fell, burst open, and his "bowels gushed out." Matthias was elected to take his place as one of the Twelve.
According to Christian tradition:
Original Twelve picked by Jesus:
Replacement for Judas Iscariot picked by the surviving eleven:
Out of the eleven Apostles excluding Judas Iscariot, the burial sites of only seven have been identified.
In his writings, Paul, though not one of the original twelve, described himself as an apostle, one "born out of time" (e.g., Romans 1:1 and other letters). However, he was called or appointed "apostle" by the resurrected Jesus himself during his Road to Damascus vision.[Acts 9:1-9] Rather, with Barnabas, he was allotted this role in the church.[Acts 13:2] He referred to himself as the Apostle to the Gentiles.[Rom 11:13] [Gal 2:8] He also described some of his companions as being called of the Lord as apostles (Barnabas, Silas, Apollos, Andronicus and Junia). As the Catholic Encyclopedia states, "It is at once evident that in a Christian sense, everyone who had received a mission from God, or Christ, to man could be called 'Apostle'"; thus extending the original sense beyond the twelve. Since Paul claimed to have received the gospel through a revelation of Jesus Christ[25] after the latter's death and resurrection (rather than before like the twelve), he was often obliged to defend his apostolic authority (1 Cor. 9:1 "Am I not an apostle?") and proclaim that he had seen and was anointed by Jesus while on the road to Damascus; but James, Peter and John in Jerusalem accepted his calling to the apostleship from the Lord to the Gentiles (specifically those not circumcised) as of equal authority as Peter's to the Jews (specifically those circumcised) according to Paul.[Gal 2:7-9] "James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars … agreed that we [Paul and Barnabas] should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews."[Gal 2:9] Paul, despite his divine calling as an apostle, considered himself perhaps inferior to the other Apostles because he had originally persecuted Christ's followers.[1 Cor. 15:9]
In Acts 14:14, Barnabas is referred to as an apostle.
In Rom 16:7 Paul states that Andronicus and Junia were "of note among the apostles," subjectively this has been traditionally interpreted in one of two ways:
1) That Andronicus and Junia were "of note among the apostles," that is, distinguished apostles.[26]
2) That Andronicus and Junia were "well known among the Apostles" meaning "well known to the Apostles".
In the first view it is believed that, Paul is referring to a female apostle.[27][28] Unhappy with reference to a female apostle, editors and translators have often changed the name to "Junias," the masculine version of Junia, as in the Revised Standard Version.[28] While "Junia" was a common name, "Junias" was not.[28] This alteration is part of a pattern by which later editors changed Paul's epistles to make them less favorable toward women in positions of authority.[28]
In the second view, it is believed that Paul is simply making mention of the outstanding character of these two people which was acknowledged by the Apostles.
Historically it has been virtually impossible to tell which of the two views were correct. The second view has however, in recent years, been defended from a scholarly perspective by Daniel Wallace and Michael Burer.[29] Following a careful examination of this Greek phrase (episēmoi + the preposition en) in biblical Greek, patristic Greek, papyri, inscriptions as well as Hellenistic and classical Greek texts, they convincingly reveal that the normal way one would attempt to convey the meaning 'to the Apostles' rather than 'among the Apostles' was employed by Paul. Thus, revealing the second interpretation to be correct.
Silas is referred to as an apostle in 1 Thes. 1:1 and 2:6 along with Timothy and Paul. He also performs the functioning of an apostle as Paul's companion in Paul's second missionary journey in Acts 15:40ff.
Timothy is referred to as an apostle in 1 Thes. 1:1 and 2:7 along with Silas and Paul. However, in 2 Cor. 1:1 he is only called a "brother" when Paul refers to himself as "an apostle of Christ". Timothy performs many of the functions of an apostle in the commissioning of Paul in 1st and 2nd Timothy, though in those epistles Paul refers to him as his "son" in the faith.
Apollos is included as "us apostles" in 1 Cor. 4:9 (see 4:6, 3:22, and 3:4-6) along with Paul and Cephas (Peter).
A number of successful pioneering missionaries are known as Apostles. In this sense, in the traditional list below, the apostle either first brought Christianity to a land or a people, or spread the faith in places where a few struggling Christian communities did already exist.
Analogous use for non-Catholic missionaries:
Mary Magdalene Harvard theologian Karen King cites references in the Gospel of John that the risen Jesus gives Mary Magdalene special teaching and commissions her as an "Apostle to the Apostles." Mary is the first to announce the resurrection and to fulfill the role of an Apostle─someone sent by Jesus with a special message or commission, to spread the gospel ("good news") and to lead the early church. The first message she was given was to announce to Peter and the others that "He is risen!"(Mt. 28:7 Mk. 16:9-11 Lk. 24:10 Jn. 20:2) Although the term is not specifically used of her in the New Testament, Eastern Christianity refers to her as "Equal to the Apostles"), and later traditions name her as "the apostle to the apostles." King writes that the strength of this literary tradition makes it possible to suggest that historically Mary was a prophetic visionary and leader within one sector of the early Christian movement after the death of Jesus.[30]
Some Eastern Orthodox saints are given the title isapostolos ("equal-to-the-apostles"; Russian: равноапостольный), e.g., Saint Cosmas. Beginning with Saint Constantine, this was also a frequent title of Byzantine Emperors.
The Emperor Constantine the Great, sometimes considered founder of the Byzantine Empire, formally recognized Christianity in the Roman Empire in the Edict of Milan in 313 (see also Constantine I and Christianity). According to Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church: "Soon after his death, Eusebius set him above the greatest princes of all times; from the fifth century he began to be recognized in the East as a saint; and the Greek and Russian church to this day celebrates his memory under the extravagant title of "Isapostolos", the "Equal of the apostles". The Latin church, on the contrary, has never placed him among the saints, but has been content with naming him "the Great," in remembrance of his services to the cause of Christianity and civilization. Comp the Acta Sact. ad 21 Maii, p. 13 sq. Niebuhr remarks: "When certain oriental writers call Constantine 'equal to the Apostles', they do not know what they are saying; and to speak of him as a 'saint' is a profanation of the word".
In the Russian Orthodox Church also Prince Vladimir I of Kiev and Princess Olga of Kiev are revered as equal-to-apostles.
Latter Day Saints believe that since Jesus Christ established his Church "upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets" (Eph 2:20; Eph 4:11-14), these will always be part of the living ministering and presiding officers of the Church. For this reason The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and other Latter Day Saint sects usually have at least twelve apostles. When one apostle dies, a new apostle is usually named to take that position. An LDS Church article of faith on this subject says: "We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth."[31]
The fivefold ministry states that the apostle continues to be a valid and active office in the contemporary church. C. Peter Wagner has been especially prominent in the New Apostolic Reformation, which argues that God is restoring the lost offices of prophet and apostle.
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Life of Jesus: Ministry Events |
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New Wine into Old Wineskins |
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Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount/Plain |
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