Twelve Apostles

The Twelve Apostles (in Koine Greek "απόστολος" apostolos, Liddell & Scott, Strong's G652, someone sent forth/sent out) were men that according to the Synoptic Gospels and Christian tradition, were chosen from among the disciples of Jesus for a mission.

The Gospels state that Jesus initially sent out these twelve Apostles, in pairs (), to towns in Galilee. Literal readings of the text state that their initial instructions were to heal the sick and drive out demons, 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 only take their staffs, 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 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.

Later in the Gospel narratives the Twelve Apostles are described as having been commissioned to preach the Gospel to the world, regardless of whether Jew or Gentile. Although the Apostles are portrayed as having been Galilean Jews, and 10 of their names are Aramaic, the other 4 names are Greek, suggesting a more metropolitan background.

The Twelve Apostles

According to the list occurring in each of the Synoptic Gospels (, , ), the Twelve chosen by Jesus near the beginning of his ministry, those whom also He named Apostles, were:

Simon called Peter (Grk. petros, petra; Aram. kēf; Engl. rock) by Jesus, also known as Simon bar Jonah and Simon bar Jochanan (Aram.) and earlier (Pauline Epistles were written first) Cephas (Aram.) by Paul of Tarsus and Simon Peter, a fisherman from Bethsaida "of Galilee" (John 1:44; cf. 12:21)
Andrew brother of Peter, a Bethsaida fisherman and disciple of John the Baptist, and also the First-Called Apostle
James ("the Great") and
John, sons of Zebedee, called by Jesus Boanerges (an Aramaic name explained in Mk 3:17 as "Sons of Thunder")
Philip from Bethsaida "of Galilee" (John 1:44, 12:21)
Bartholomew, in Aramaic "bar-Talemai?", "son of Talemai" or from Ptolemais
Thomas, also known as Judas Thomas Didymus - Aramaic T'oma' = twin, and Greek Didymous = twin
James ("the Less") and
Matthew the tax collector, sometimes identified with Levi, sons of Alphaeus
Simon the Canaanite, called in Luke and Acts "Simon the Zealot"
Judas Iscariot name Iscariot may refer to the Judaean towns of Kerioth or to the sicarii (Jewish nationalist insurrectionists), or to Issachar; he was replaced as an apostle in Acts by Matthias

The identity of the other apostle of the twelve varies between the Synoptic Gospels and also between ancient manuscripts of each gospel:

Mark names him as Thaddaeus
Some manuscripts of Matthew also identify him as Thaddeus
Some manuscripts of Matthew name him as Lebbaeus
Some manuscripts of Matthew name him as Judas the Zealot
Luke names him as Judas, son of James

The Gospel of John, unlike the Synoptic Gospels, does not offer a formal list of apostles, nor does the author even state their number. However, the following eight apostles are identified in the fourth Gospel account:

Peter
Andrew (identified as Peter's brother)
the sons of Zebedee
Philip
Nathanael
Thomas (identified as also being called Judas and Didymus (John 20:24))
Judas Iscariot

The individual that the Gospel of John names as Nathanael is traditionally identified as the same person that the Synoptic Gospels call Bartholomew, and most would agree that the sons of Zebedee is likely to be a reference to James the Great and John. Noticeably missing from the Gospel of John are James the Less, Matthew, and Simon the Canaanite/Zealot. James the Just was, according to the Book of Acts, the leader of the Jerusalem church, and Matthew is noticeably the most Jewish of the Gospels, and it may be the case that the author of John deliberately left out these two figures for a motive opposed to Jewish Christianity. By the second century, the presence of two Simons in the list of the Synoptic Gospels allowed a case to be made for Simon Magus being the other of the Simons, and hence one of the twelve apostles; and it may have been for this reason that John left the other Simon out.

Recruitment

The three Synoptic Gospels record the circumstances in which some of the disciples were recruited, Matthew only describing the recruitment of Simon & Andrew and James & John. All three Synoptic Gospels state that these four were recruited fairly soon after Jesus returned from being tempted by the devil.

Simon and Andrew are, according to Matthew, the first two apostles to be appointed, and Matthew identifies them as fishermen. Mark does not identify Simon as also being called Peter until a long time after Simon is introduced in the narrative, but Matthew immediately makes the connection as soon as he is first mentioned. This has the effect of changing the later passage where Jesus names Simon as Peter from one where Jesus bestows the name onto Simon into one where Jesus merely starts using a long held nickname. Both Andrew and Peter are names of Greek origins, which France sees as a reflection on the multicultural nature of Galilee at this time, although evidence exists that Andrew was used by Jews as a name since at least 169 BC in the early period of Hellenic influence. Simon however is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Shimeon, a common Jewish found referring to several other individuals in contemporary works such as Josephus as well as in the Old Testament.

Despite Jesus only briefly requesting that they join him, the two are 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 baptised. As the son of a carpenter, it is eminently plausible for Jesus to have taken his father's trade, and 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 and Andrew abandonment's of their nets, that Matthew is emphasising 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. While Matthew identifies James and John as sons of Zebedee, who is also present in their ship, Mark makes no such proclamation. 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 join 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 enigmatic 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.

Fishers of men

The phrase fishers of men, used both in Mark and Matthew, is how Jesus is presented as describing the role he is offering, to the men he recruits. Christians have frequently moved the reference from the disciples to Jesus, calling him the fisher of men, and the image of Jesus as a fisherman has become second only to that of Jesus as a shepherd. This image probably went some way towards the reason for the adoption of the Ichthys symbol as the main representative of Christianity, in early times. This is one of famous quotes in the New Testament, and it has appeared a number of times in art and culture, such as in literary works like Chaucer's "Summoner's Tale", Byron's Don Juan, Tennyson's Harold, Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and G.K. Chesterton's "The Innocence of Father Brown."

What the phrase is getting at is matter of debate, but it has the strongest resonance amongst Evangelical groups, who view it as a metaphor for evangelism, and the most important such metaphor. Some scholars question whether the metaphor has a universal meaning at all, postulating that instead it is simply a phrase tailored simply to fit people who are fishers - that if Jesus had met a teacher he would have asked them to teach for him, and if he had met a solider he would have asked him to do battle for him.

The exact methodology implied by the phrase is generally disputed, particularly by Evangelical groups. A similar reference to fishing occurs in the Book of Jeremiah (at 16:15), upon which this phrase may be based, and there it is placed in the context of actively hunting down sinners. Wallace argues that the common view of fishing with a line and hook and bringing each fish in individually is misplaced, Simon and Andrew would have used nets to fish and would have brought in large numbers of fish at once through grand acts. Wuellner presents an alternate view arguing that the disciples may have caught fish individually, and even by hand. Manek believes that to fully appreciate the metaphor one must understand how the sea was viewed at the time, arguing that throughout the Old Testament the sea is presented as unholy, and in stories such as that of Jonah, the depths of the sea are portrayed as synonymous with the underworld, hence in Manek's view the act of fishing is a metaphor for bringing people from the domain of sin and death to one of God. The water reference might also be linked to the idea of baptism, which towards the end of Matthew is explicitly linked to the disciples' mission.

The Thirteenth Apostle

Paul of Tarsus

In his writings, Saul, later known as Paul, though not one of the Twelve, described himself as an apostle, one "born out of time" (e.g. Romans 1:1 and other letters), claimed he was appointed by the resurrected Jesus himself during his Road to Damascus vision; specifically he referred to himself as the Apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13, Galatians 2:8). He also described some of his companions as apostles (Barnabas, Silas, Apollos, Andronicus and Junia) and even some of his opponents as super-apostles (2nd Corinthians 11:5 and 12:11). 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 original Twelve. Since Paul claimed to have received the Gospel through a revelation of Jesus Christ (cf. Gal 1:12; Acts 9:3-19, 26-27, 22:6-21, 26:12-23) after the latter's death and resurrection, (rather than before like the Twelve) , he was often obliged to defend his apostolic authority (1st Corinthians 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 apostleship to the Gentiles (specifically those not circumcised) as of equal authority as Peter's to the Jews (specifically those circumcised) according to Paul in Galatians 2:7-9. "James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars ... agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews." (Galatians 2:9NIV) Paul sometimes replaces Matthias in classical depictions of "The Twelve Apostles."

Many historians maintain that Paul and Peter certainly disagreed on the extent of Paul's authority as an Apostle, with Peter maintaining Paul was not one of those chosen by Jesus, or by his chosen after his death. See also Pauline Christianity and Jewish Christians.

Nevertheless, the Roman Catholic Church considers Paul an Apostle; it honors Paul and Peter together on June 29.

Constantine the Great

The Emperor Constantine the Great, sometimes considered founder of the Byzantine Empire, is sometimes called the Thirteenth Apostle, for example: Orthodox Church in America: "He is called 'the Great,' for he was a zealous champion for the purity of Orthodoxy. In the Sixth Ode of the Canon for today's Feast, he is referred to as 'the thirteenth Apostle.'" He is also part of the list of Equal-to-apostles. Also, 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 just and grateful 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."

Other apostles

Judas Iscariot

Judas having betrayed Christ and then in guilt committed suicide before Christ's resurrection (in one Gospel account), the apostles then numbered eleven. According to Acts 1:16–20, Peter states, "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.'"

Matthias

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 as a replacement of Judas. The lot fell upon Matthias, who then became the last of the Twelve Apostles in the New Testament.

Beloved Disciple

John - A common belief is that the "beloved disciple" was John and that he authored the Gospel According to John – This John could be John the Evangelist or John the Apostle himself. Some assert that they are the same person – referred to him in the Gospel according to John.

Jesus Himself

The writer of the Hebrews (3:1) refers to Jesus as the "apostle and high priest of our professed faith" and of rank greater than that of Moses.

Barnabas

In Acts 14:14, Barnabas, the man who introduced Paul to the circle of disciples and the desposyni at Jerusalem, is referred to as an apostle.

James the Just

Brother or relative of Jesus (see James the Just for details), described by Paul as: "James, Cephas, and John, who were reputed to be pillars" (Gal 2:9 NIV) and described in Acts as leader of the Jerusalem Church, is not called an apostle in the Gospels, though Paul in Galatians 1:19 states that he is one and according to Orthodox Christian Tradition he is the first of the Seventy of Luke 10:1-20. Many believe that the Seventy were also called apostles. The Greek text doesn't use the noun form apostolos but uses the verb form apostello which means to send away and in combination with the rest of the text strongly implies that they are apostles.

Andronicus and Junia

In Romans 16:7 Paul states that Andronicus and Junia were "of note among the apostles", indicating that he considered these two as well to be apostles. Most evidence points to Junia being a woman, thus this is cited as an example of gender neutrality in the early church. (See Crossan, J. D. and Reed, J. L., In Search of Paul, HarperSanFrancisco, 2004, pp 115-116, ISBN 006-051457-4.)

However, the tag "of note among the apostles" can also be considered to mean simply that the apostles considered them to be noteworthy Christians. This is the preferred interpretation of most conservative theologians, and renders the gender argument irrelevant. Following is a quote from Matthew Henry:

"They were of note among the apostles, not so much perhaps because they were persons of estate and quality in the world as because they were eminent for knowledge, and gifts, and graces, which made them famous among the apostles, who were competent judges of those things, and were endued with a spirit of discerning not only the sincerity, but the eminency, of Christians." http://www.biblemaster.com/bible/comm/mhc/view.asp?book=ro&chapter=16

Later Christianizing apostles

A number of successful pioneering missionaries are known as Apostles. In this sense, in the traditional list below, the apostle first brought Christianity (or Arianism in the case of Ulfilas and the Goths) to a land. Or it may apply to the truly influential Christianizer, such as Patrick's mission to Ireland, where a few struggling Christian communities did already exist. The reader will soon think of more of the culture heroes.

Apostle to the Abyssinians: Saint Frumentius
Apostle of the Alleghanies: Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin, 1770–1840
Apostle of Andalusia: Juan de Avila, 1500–1569
Apostle of the Ardennes: Saint Hubert, 656–727
Apostle to the Armenians: Saint Gregory the Illuminator, 256–331
Apostle to Brazil: José de Anchieta, 1533–1597
Apostle to Karantania: Bishop Virgilius of Salzburg (745–84)
Apostle to the Cherokees: Cephas Washburn
Apostle to China: Hudson Taylor
Apostle to the English: Saint Augustine, died 604
Apostle to the Franks: Saint Denis (3rd century)
Apostle to the Franks: Saint Remigius, ca 437–533
Apostle to the Frisians: Saint Willibrord, 657–738
Apostle to the Gauls: Saint Irenaeus, 130–200
Apostle to the Gauls: Saint Martin of Tours, 338–401
Apostle to the Georgians: Saint Nino, 320s
Apostle to the Gentiles: Saint Paul
Apostle to the Germans: Saint Boniface, 680–755
Apostle to the Goths: Bishop Ulfilas
Apostle to Hungary: Saint Anastasius, 954–1044
Apostle to India: Saint Thomas;died around 53 AD
Apostle to India: Saint Francis Xavier; 1506–1552
Apostle to India (Protestant): William Carey
Apostle to the "Indians" (Amerindians): John Eliot, 1604–1690
Apostle to the Indies (West): Bartolomé de las Casas, 1474–1566
Apostle to the Indies (East): Saint Francis Xavier, 1506–1552
Apostle to Ireland: Saint Patrick, 373–463
Apostle to the Iroquois, Francois Piquet, 1708–1781
Apostle to Noricum: Saint Severinus
Apostle to the North: Saint Ansgar, 801–864
Apostle to the Parthians: Saint Thomas
Apostle of the Permians: Saint Stephen of Perm, 1340–1396
Apostle of Peru: Alonzo de Barcena, 1528–1598
Apostle to the Picts: Saint Ninian, 5th century
Apostle to the Polish: Saint Adalbert
Apostle to the Pomeranians: Saint Otto of Bamberg, 1060–1139
Apostle to the Scots: Saint Columba, 521–597
Apostle to the Slavs: Saint Cyril, c 820–869
Apostle to the Slavs: Saint Methodius
Apostle of Spains: James the Great (d. 44)
Apostle of Mercy: Saint Faustina Kowalska, 1905–1938

Some Eastern Orthodox saints are given the title specific to the Eastern rites "equal-to-the-apostles", see isapostolos Kosmas Aitolos. The myrrh-bearing women, who went to anoint Christ's body and first learned of his resurrection, are sometimes called the "apostles to the apostles" because they were sent by Jesus to tell the apostles of his resurrection.

Twelve Disciples/Apostles of Christ in the Book of Mormon

According to the Book of Mormon, shortly after his resurrection, Jesus visited a group of people living in the Americas, and chose twelve apostles to support his church in that region. These men were not called "apostles" in the text, but rather "disciples," as there were already apostles in Jerusalem. The disciples in the Book of Mormon had the responsibility of caring for the Church in the Americas. Their names, according to the third book of Nephi, chapter 19 verse 4, were Nephi, Timothy, Jonas, Mathoni, Mathonihah, Kumen, Kumenonhi, Jeremiah, Shemnon, Jonas, Zedekiah, and Isaiah. According to the book, nine of the twelve died of old age, with three (an unidentified subset of the twelve, called the Three Nephites) remained on the Earth, as did John the Revelator, without "tasting death," to await the Second Coming of Jesus. That is, they were translated from mortal to immortal human beings without needing to be resurrected from death.

Apostles today

In the Catholic and Orthodox churches, bishops are seen as the successors to the Apostles. See Apostolic succession.

Many Charismatic churches consider apostleship to be a gift of the Holy Spirit still given today (based on 1 Corinthians 12:28, and Ephesians 4:11). The gift is associated with church leadership, governing, delegation and church planting.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("LDS Church"; see also Mormon) believes that the authority of the original twelve apostles is a distinguishing characteristic of the true church established by Jesus. For this reason, it ordains Apostles as members of its Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, second in authority to the church's First Presidency which is led by the senior Apostle similar to Peter leading the twelve disciples.

The New Apostolic Church believes also in the current existence of modern day apostles. They believe in the return of the apostles in the 1830s in England by prophecies. Started as a renewal movement in the Anglican Church, it soon went into the Catholic Apostolic Church which afterwards developed into the New Apostolic Church and others like the United Apostolic Church.

References

Albright, W.F. and C.S. Mann. "Matthew." The Anchor Bible Series. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1971.
Carson, D.A. "The Limits of Functional Equivalence in Bible Translation - and other Limits Too." The Challenge of Bible Translation: Communicating God's Word to the World. edited by Glen G Scorgie, Mark L. Strauss, Steven M. Voth.
Carter, Warren. "Matthew 4:18-22 and Matthean Discipleship: An Audience-Oriented Perspective." Catholic Bible Quarterly. Vol. 59. No. 1. 1997.
Clarke, Howard W. The Gospel of Matthew and its Readers: A Historical Introduction to the First Gospel. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2003.
"Fisher's of Men." A Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature. David Lyle Jeffrey, general editor. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans, 1992.
France, R.T. The Gospel According to Matthew: an Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 1985.
Manek, Jindrich. "Fishers of Men." Novum Testamentum. 1958 pg. 138
Schweizer, Eduard. The Good News According to Matthew. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1975
Wuellner, Wilhelm H. The Meaning of "Fishers of Men". Westminster Press, 1967.

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