Reference: Apostle
American
A messenger or envoy. The term is applied to Jesus Christ, who was God's envoy to save the world, Heb 3:1; though, more commonly, the title is given to persons who were envoys commissioned by the Savior himself.
The apostles of Jesus Christ were his chief disciples, whom he invested with authority, filled with his Spirit, entrusted particularly with his doctrines and services, and chose to raise the edifice of his church. They were twelve in number, answering to the twelve tribes. Mt 19:28, and were plain, unlearned men, chosen from the common people. After their calling and charge, Mt 10:5-42, they attended their divine Master, witnessing his works, imbibing his spirit, and gradually learning the facts and doctrines of the gospel. After his resurrection, he sent them into all the world, commissioned to preach, to baptize, to work miracles, etc. See Joh 15:27; 1Co 9:1; 15:8; 2Co 12:12; 1Th 2:13. The names of the twelve are, Simon Peter; Andrew, his brother; James, the son of Zebedee, called also "the greater;" John, his brother; Philip; Bartholomew; Thomas; Matthew, or Levi; Simon the Canaanite; Lebbeus, surnamed Thaddeus, also called Judas or Jude; James, "the less," the son of Alphaeus; and Judas Iscariot, Mt 10:2-4; Mr 3:16; Lu 6:14. The last betrayed his Master, and then hanged himself, and Matthias was chosen in his place, Ac 1:15-26. In the Acts of the Apostles are recorded the self-sacrificing toils and sufferings of these Christlike men, who did that which was "right in the sight of God" from love to their Lord; and gave themselves wholly to their work, with a zeal, love, and faith Christ delighted to honor-teaching us that apostolic graces alone can secure apostolic successes.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And of the twelve apostles the names are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax-gatherer; James of Alpheus, and Lebbeus who was surnamed Thaddeus; read more. Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who did also deliver him up. These twelve did Jesus send forth, having given command to them, saying, 'To the way of the nations go not away, and into a city of the Samaritans go not in, and be going rather unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 'And, going on, proclaim saying that, the reign of the heavens hath come nigh; infirm ones be healing, lepers be cleansing, dead be raising, demons be casting out -- freely ye did receive, freely give. 'Provide not gold, nor silver, nor brass in your girdles, nor scrip for the way, nor two coats, nor sandals, nor staff -- for the workman is worthy of his nourishment. 'And into whatever city or village ye may enter, inquire ye who in it is worthy, and there abide, till ye may go forth. And coming to the house salute it, and if indeed the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it; and if it be not worthy, let your peace turn back to you. 'And whoever may not receive you nor hear your words, coming forth from that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet, verily I say to you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city. 'Lo, I do send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves, be ye therefore wise as the serpents, and simple as the doves. And, take ye heed of men, for they will give you up to sanhedrims, and in their synagogues they will scourge you, and before governors and kings ye shall be brought for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations. 'And whenever they may deliver you up, be not anxious how or what ye may speak, for it shall be given you in that hour what ye shall speak; for ye are not the speakers, but the Spirit of your Father that is speaking in you. 'And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and father child, and children shall rise up against parents, and shall put them to death, and ye shall be hated by all because of my name, but he who hath endured to the end, he shall be saved. 'And whenever they may persecute you in this city, flee to the other, for verily I say to you, ye may not have completed the cities of Israel till the Son of Man may come. 'A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his lord; sufficient to the disciple that he may be as his teacher, and the servant as his lord; if the master of the house they did call Beelzeboul, how much more those of his household? 'Ye may not, therefore, fear them, for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed, and hid, that shall not be known; that which I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light, and that which you hear at the ear, proclaim on the house-tops. 'And be not afraid of those killing the body, and are not able to kill the soul, but fear rather Him who is able both soul and body to destroy in gehenna. 'Are not two sparrows sold for an assar? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father; and of you -- even the hairs of the head are all numbered; be not therefore afraid, than many sparrows ye are better. 'Every one, therefore, who shall confess in me before men, I also will confess in him before my Father who is in the heavens; and whoever shall deny me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in the heavens. 'Ye may not suppose that I came to put peace on the earth; I did not come to put peace, but a sword; for I came to set a man at variance against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and the enemies of a man are those of his household. 'He who is loving father or mother above me, is not worthy of me, and he who is loving son or daughter above me, is not worthy of me, and whoever doth not receive his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me. 'He who found his life shall lose it, and he who lost his life for my sake shall find it. 'He who is receiving you doth receive me, and he who is receiving me doth receive Him who sent me, he who is receiving a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward, and he who is receiving a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward, and whoever may give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say to you, he may not lose his reward.'
And Jesus said to them, 'Verily I say to you, that ye who did follow me, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man may sit upon a throne of his glory, shall sit -- ye also -- upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel;
(Simon, whom also he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
and ye also do testify, because from the beginning ye are with me.
And in these days, Peter having risen up in the midst of the disciples, said, (the multitude also of the names at the same place was, as it were, an hundred and twenty,) 'Men, brethren, it behoved this Writing that it be fulfilled that beforehand the Holy Spirit spake through the mouth of David, concerning Judas, who became guide to those who took Jesus, read more. because he was numbered among us, and did receive the share in this ministration, this one, indeed, then, purchased a field out of the reward of unrighteousness, and falling headlong, burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed forth, and it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem, insomuch that that place is called, in their proper dialect, Aceldama, that is, field of blood, for it hath been written in the book of Psalms: Let his lodging-place become desolate, and let no one be dwelling in it, and his oversight let another take. 'It behoveth, therefore, of the men who did go with us during all the time in which the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day in which he was received up from us, one of these to become with us a witness of his rising again.' And they set two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias, and having prayed, they said, 'Thou, Lord, who art knowing the heart of all, shew which one thou didst choose of these two to receive the share of this ministration and apostleship, from which Judas, by transgression, did fall, to go on to his proper place;' and they gave their lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the apostle and chief priest of our profession, Christ Jesus,
Easton
a person sent by another; a messenger; envoy. This word is once used as a descriptive designation of Jesus Christ, the Sent of the Father (Heb 3:1; Joh 20:21). It is, however, generally used as designating the body of disciples to whom he intrusted the organization of his church and the dissemination of his gospel, "the twelve," as they are called (Mt 10:1-5; Mr 3:14; 6:7; Lu 6:13; 9:1). We have four lists of the apostles, one by each of the synoptic evangelists (Mt 10:2-4; Mr 3:16; Lu 6:14), and one in the Acts (Ac 1:13). No two of these lists, however, perfectly coincide.
Our Lord gave them the "keys of the kingdom," and by the gift of his Spirit fitted them to be the founders and governors of his church (Joh 14:16-17,26; 15:26-27; 16:7-15). To them, as representing his church, he gave the commission to "preach the gospel to every creature" (Mt 28:18-20). After his ascension he communicated to them, according to his promise, supernatural gifts to qualify them for the discharge of their duties (Ac 2:4; 1Co 2:16,7,10,13; 2Co 5:20; 1Co 11:2). Judas Iscariot, one of "the twelve," fell by transgression, and Matthias was substituted in his place (Ac 1:21). Saul of Tarsus was afterwards added to their number (Ac 9:3-20; 20:4; 26:15-18; 1Ti 1:12; 2:7; 2Ti 1:11).
Luke has given some account of Peter, John, and the two Jameses (Ac 12:2,17; 15:13; 21:18), but beyond this we know nothing from authentic history of the rest of the original twelve. After the martyrdom of James the Greater (Ac 12:2), James the Less usually resided at Jerusalem, while Paul, "the apostle of the uncircumcision," usually travelled as a missionary among the Gentiles (Ga 2:8). It was characteristic of the apostles and necessary (1) that they should have seen the Lord, and been able to testify of him and of his resurrection from personal knowledge (Joh 15:27; Ac 1:21-22; 1Co 9:1; Ac 22:14-15). (2.) They must have been immediately called to that office by Christ (Lu 6:13; Ga 1:1). (3.) It was essential that they should be infallibly inspired, and thus secured against all error and mistake in their public teaching, whether by word or by writing (Joh 14:26; 16:13; 1Th 2:13).
(4.) Another qualification was the power of working miracles (Mr 16:20; Ac 2:43; 1Co 12:8-11). The apostles therefore could have had no successors. They are the only authoritative teachers of the Christian doctrines. The office of an apostle ceased with its first holders.
In 2Co 8:23 and Php 2:25 the word "messenger" is the rendering of the same Greek word, elsewhere rendered "apostle."
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And having called to him his twelve disciples, he gave to them power over unclean spirits, so as to be casting them out, and to be healing every sickness, and every malady. And of the twelve apostles the names are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James of Zebedee, and John his brother;
And of the twelve apostles the names are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax-gatherer; James of Alpheus, and Lebbeus who was surnamed Thaddeus;
Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax-gatherer; James of Alpheus, and Lebbeus who was surnamed Thaddeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who did also deliver him up.
Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who did also deliver him up. These twelve did Jesus send forth, having given command to them, saying, 'To the way of the nations go not away, and into a city of the Samaritans go not in,
And having come near, Jesus spake to them, saying, 'Given to me was all authority in heaven and on earth; having gone, then, disciple all the nations, (baptizing them -- to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, read more. teaching them to observe all, whatever I did command you,) and lo, I am with you all the days -- till the full end of the age.'
and he appointed twelve, that they may be with him, and that he may send them forth to preach,
and he doth call near the twelve, and he began to send them forth two by two, and he was giving them power over the unclean spirits,
and they, having gone forth, did preach everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word, through the signs following. Amen.
and when it became day, he called near his disciples, and having chosen from them twelve, whom also he named apostles,
and when it became day, he called near his disciples, and having chosen from them twelve, whom also he named apostles, (Simon, whom also he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
And having called together his twelve disciples, he gave them power and authority over all the demons, and to cure sicknesses,
and I will ask the Father, and another Comforter He will give to you, that he may remain with you -- to the age; the Spirit of truth, whom the world is not able to receive, because it doth not behold him, nor know him, and ye know him, because he doth remain with you, and shall be in you.
and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and remind you of all things that I said to you.
and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and remind you of all things that I said to you.
And when the Comforter may come, whom I will send to you from the Father -- the Spirit of truth, who from the Father doth come forth, he will testify of me; and ye also do testify, because from the beginning ye are with me.
and ye also do testify, because from the beginning ye are with me.
'But I tell you the truth; it is better for you that I go away, for if I may not go away, the Comforter will not come unto you, and if I go on, I will send Him unto you; and having come, He will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment; read more. concerning sin indeed, because they do not believe in me; and concerning righteousness, because unto my Father I go away, and no more do ye behold me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world hath been judged. I have yet many things to say to you, but ye are not able to bear them now; and when He may come -- the Spirit of truth -- He will guide you to all the truth, for He will not speak from Himself, but as many things as He will hear He will speak, and the coming things He will tell you;
and when He may come -- the Spirit of truth -- He will guide you to all the truth, for He will not speak from Himself, but as many things as He will hear He will speak, and the coming things He will tell you; He will glorify me, because of mine He will take, and will tell to you. read more. 'All things, as many as the Father hath, are mine; because of this I said, That of mine He will take, and will tell to you;
Jesus, therefore, said to them again, 'Peace to you; according as the Father hath sent me, I also send you;'
and when they came in, they went up to the upper room, where were abiding both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James, of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zelotes, and Judas, of James;
'It behoveth, therefore, of the men who did go with us during all the time in which the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us,
'It behoveth, therefore, of the men who did go with us during all the time in which the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day in which he was received up from us, one of these to become with us a witness of his rising again.'
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, according as the Spirit was giving them to declare.
And fear came on every soul, many wonders also and signs were being done through the apostles,
And in the going, he came nigh to Damascus, and suddenly there shone round about him a light from the heaven, and having fallen upon the earth, he heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why me dost thou persecute?' read more. And he said, 'Who art thou, Lord?' and the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom thou dost persecute; hard for thee at the pricks to kick;' trembling also, and astonished, he said, 'Lord, what dost thou wish me to do?' and the Lord said unto him, 'Arise, and enter into the city, and it shall be told thee what it behoveth thee to do.' And the men who are journeying with him stood speechless, hearing indeed the voice but seeing no one, and Saul arose from the earth, and his eyes having been opened, he beheld no one, and leading him by the hand they brought him to Damascus, and he was three days without seeing, and he did neither eat nor drink. And there was a certain disciple in Damascus, by name Ananias, and the Lord said unto him in a vision, 'Ananias;' and he said, 'Behold me, Lord;' and the Lord saith unto him, 'Having risen, go on unto the street that is called Straight, and seek in the house of Judas, one by name Saul of Tarsus, for, lo, he doth pray, and he saw in a vision a man, by name Ananias, coming in, and putting a hand on him, that he may see again.' And Ananias answered, 'Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how many evils he did to Thy saints in Jerusalem, and here he hath authority from the chief priests, to bind all those calling on Thy name.' And the Lord said unto him, 'Be going on, because a choice vessel to Me is this one, to bear My name before nations and kings -- the sons also of Israel; for I will shew him how many things it behoveth him for My name to suffer.' And Ananias went away, and did enter into the house, and having put upon him his hands, said, 'Saul, brother, the Lord hath sent me -- Jesus who did appear to thee in the way in which thou wast coming -- that thou mayest see again, and mayest be filled with the Holy Spirit.' And immediately there fell from his eyes as it were scales, he saw again also presently, and having risen, was baptized, and having received nourishment, was strengthened, and Saul was with the disciples in Damascus certain days, and immediately in the synagogues he was preaching the Christ, that he is the Son of God.
and he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword,
and he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword,
and having beckoned to them with the hand to be silent, he declared to them how the Lord brought him out of the prison, and he said, 'Declare to James and to the brethren these things;' and having gone forth, he went on to another place.
and after they are silent, James answered, saying, 'Men, brethren, hearken to me;
And there were accompanying him unto Asia, Sopater of Berea, and of Thessalonians Aristarchus and Secundus, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus, and of Asiatics Tychicus and Trophimus;
and on the morrow Paul was going in with us unto James, all the elders also came,
and he said, The God of our fathers did choose thee beforehand to know His will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice out of his mouth, because thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard;
'And I said, Who art thou, Lord? and he said, I am Jesus whom thou dost persecute; but rise, and stand upon thy feet, for for this I appeared to thee, to appoint thee an officer and a witness both of the things thou didst see, and of the things in which I will appear to thee, read more. delivering thee from the people, and the nations, to whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the authority of the Adversary unto God, for their receiving forgiveness of sins, and a lot among those having been sanctified, by faith that is toward me.
whether -- about Titus -- my partner and towards you fellow-worker, whether -- our brethren, apostles of assemblies -- glory of Christ;
Paul, an apostle -- not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who did raise him out of the dead --
for He who did work with Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, did work also in me in regard to the nations,
And I thought it necessary Epaphroditus -- my brother, and fellow-workman, and fellow-soldier, and your apostle and servant to my need -- to send unto you,
being rooted and built up in him, and confirmed in the faith, as ye were taught -- abounding in it in thanksgiving.
and ye are in him made full, who is the head of all principality and authority,
And you -- being dead in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh -- He made alive together with him, having forgiven you all the trespasses,
Let no one, then, judge you in eating or in drinking, or in respect of a feast, or of a new moon, or of sabbaths,
whose mouth it behoveth to stop, who whole households do overturn, teaching what things it behoveth not, for filthy lucre's sake. A certain one of them, a prophet of their own, said -- 'Cretans! always liars, evil beasts, lazy bellies!'
concerning all things thyself showing a pattern of good works; in the teaching uncorruptedness, gravity, incorruptibility,
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the apostle and chief priest of our profession, Christ Jesus,
Fausets
("one sent forth".) The official name of the twelve whom Jesus sent forth to preach, and who also were with Him throughout His earthly ministry. Peter states the qualifications before the election of Judas' successor (Ac 1:21), namely, that he should have companied with the followers of Jesus "all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among them, beginning from the baptism of John unto the day that He was taken up, to be a witness with the others of His resurrection." So the Lord, "Ye are they that have continued with Me in My temptations" (Lu 22:28). The Holy Spirit was specially promised to bring all things to their remembrance whatever Jesus had said, to guide them into all truth, and to enable them to testify of Jesus with power to all lands (Joh 14:26; 15:26-27; 16:13-14). They were some of them fishermen, one a tax collector, and most of them unlearned.
Though called before, they did not permanently follow Him until their call as apostles. All were on a level (Mt 20:20-27; Mr 9:34-36). Yet three stood in especial nearness to Him, Peter, James, and John; they alone witnessed the raising of Jairus' daughter, the transfiguration, and the agony in Gethsemane. An order grounded on moral considerations is traceable in the enumeration of the rest: Judas, the traitor, in all the lists stands last. The disciples surrounded Jesus in wider and still wider expanding circles: nearest Him Peter, James, and. John; then the other nine; then the Seventy; then the disciples in general. But the "mystery" was revealed to all alike (Mt 10:27). Four catalogues are extant: Matthew's (Matthew 10), Mark's (Mr 3:16), Luke's (Lu 6:14) in the Gospel, and Luke's in Ac 1:13.
In all four the apostles are grouped in three classes, four in each. Philip heads the second division, i.e. is fifth; James the son of Alpheus heads the third, i.e. is ninth. Andrew follows Peter on the ground of brotherhood in Matthew and Luke; in Mark and Acts James and John, on the ground of greater nearness to Jesus, precede Andrew. In the second division Matthew modestly puts himself after Thomas; Mark and Luke give him his rightful place before Thomas. Thomas, after his doubts were removed (Joh 20:28), having attained distinguished faith, is promoted above Bartholomew (or Nathanael) and Matthew in Acts. In Matt, hew and Mark Thaddaeus (or Lebbaeus) precedes Simon Zelotes (Hebrew "Canaanite," i.e. one of the sect the Zealots). But in Luke and Acts Simon Zelotes precedes Jude (Thaddaeus) the brother of James. John gives no catalogue, but writing later takes it for granted (Re 21:14,19-20).
In the first division stand Peter and John, New Testament writers, in the second Matthew, in the third James and Jude. The Zealot stood once the last except the traitor, but subsequently became raised; bigotry is not always the best preparation for subsequent high standing in faith. Jesus sent them in pairs: a good plan for securing brotherly sympathy and cooperation. Their early mission in Jesus' lifetime, to preach repentance and perform miracles in Jesus' name, was restricted to Israel, to prepare the way for the subsequent gospel preaching to the Jews first, on and after Pentecost (Ac 3:25). They were slow to apprehend the spiritual nature of His kingdom, and His crucifixion and resurrection as the necessary preliminary to it. Even after His resurrection seven of them returned to their fishing; and it was only by Christ's renewed call that they were led' to remain together at Jerusalem, waiting for the promised Comforter (John 21; Ac 1:4).
From the day of the Pentecostal effusion of the Holy Spirit they became new men, witnessing with power of the resurrection of Jesus, as Jesus had promised (Lu 24:45,49; Ac 1:8,22; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 13:31). The first period of the apostles' working extends down to Ac 11:18. Excepting the transition period (Acts 8-10) when, at Stephen's martyrdom, the gospel was extended to Samaria and. to the Ethiopian eunuch by Philip, Jerusalem is its center, and Peter' the prominent figure, who opened the kingdom of heaven (according to Jesus' promise to him, Mt 16:18-19) to the Jews and also to the Gentiles (Acts 2; 10). The second period begins with the extension of the kingdom to idolatrous Gentiles. (Ac 11:19-26).
Antioch, in concert with Jerusalem, is now the center, and Paul the prominent figure, in concert with the other apostles. Though the ideal number always remained twelve (Re 21:14), answering to the twelve tribes of Israel, yet just as there were in fact thirteen tribes when Joseph's two sons were made separate tribal heads, so Paul's calling made thirteen actual apostles. He possessed the two characteristics of an Apostle; he had" seen the Lord," so as to be an eye witness of His resurrection, and he had the power which none but an Apostle had, of conferring spiritual gifts (1Co 9:1-2; 2Co 12:12; Ro 1:11; 15:18-19). This period ends with Ac 13:1-5, when Barnabas and Saul were separated by the Holy Spirit unto missionary work. Here the third apostolic period begins, in which the twelve disappear, and Paul alone stands forth, the Apostle of the Gentiles; so that at the close of Acts, which leaves him evangelizing in Rome, the metropolis of the world, churches from Jerusalem unto Illyricum had been founded through him.
Apostle is used in a vaguer sense of "messengers of the churches" (2Co 8:23; Php 2:25). But the term belongs in its stricter sense to the twelve alone; they alone were apostles of Christ. Their distinctive note is, they were commissioned immediately by Jesus Himself. They alone were chosen by Christ Himself, independently of the churches. So even Matthias (Ac 1:24). So Paul (Ga 1:1-12; Ro 1:1; 1Co 15:9-10). Their exclusive office was to found the Christian church; so their official existence was of Christ, and prior to the churches they collectively and severally founded. They acted with a divine authority to bind and loose things (Mt 18:18), and to remit or retain sins of persons (Joh 20:21-23), which they exercised by the authoritative ministry of the word. Their infallibility, of which their miracles were the credentials, marked them as extraordinary, not permanent, ministers.
Paul requires the Corinthians to acknowledge that the things which he wrote were the Lord's commandments (1Co 14:37). The office was not local; but "the care of all the churches." They were to the whole what particular elders were, to parts of the church (1Pe 5:1; 2Jo 1:1). Apostles therefore could have strictly no successors. John, while superintending the whole, was especially connected with the churches of Asia Minor, Paul with the W., Peter with Babylon. The bishops in that age coexisted with, and did not succeed officially, the apostles. James seems specially to have had a presidency in Jerusalem (Ac 15:19; 21:18).
Once the Lord Himself is so designated, "the Apostle of our profession" (Heb 3:1); the, Ambassador sent from the Father (Joh 20:21). As Apostle He pleads God's cause with us; as" High Priest," our cause with God. Appropriate in writing to Hebrew, since the Hebrew high priest sent delegates ("apostles") to collect the temple tribute from Jews in foreign countries, just as Christ is the Father's Delegate to claim the Father's due from His subjects in this world far off from Him (Mt 21:37).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And it cometh to pass after the death of Moses, servant of Jehovah, that Jehovah speaketh unto Joshua son of Nun, minister of Moses, saying,
And it cometh to pass after the death of Moses, servant of Jehovah, that Jehovah speaketh unto Joshua son of Nun, minister of Moses, saying,
that which I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light, and that which you hear at the ear, proclaim on the house-tops.
that which I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light, and that which you hear at the ear, proclaim on the house-tops.
'And I also say to thee, that thou art a rock, and upon this rock I will build my assembly, and gates of Hades shall not prevail against it;
'And I also say to thee, that thou art a rock, and upon this rock I will build my assembly, and gates of Hades shall not prevail against it; and I will give to thee the keys of the reign of the heavens, and whatever thou mayest bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever thou mayest loose upon the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens.'
and I will give to thee the keys of the reign of the heavens, and whatever thou mayest bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever thou mayest loose upon the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens.'
'Verily I say to you, Whatever things ye may bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever things ye may loose on the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens.
'Verily I say to you, Whatever things ye may bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever things ye may loose on the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens.
Then came near to him the mother of the sons of Zebedee, with her sons, bowing and asking something from him,
Then came near to him the mother of the sons of Zebedee, with her sons, bowing and asking something from him, and he said to her, 'What wilt thou?' She saith to him, 'Say, that they may sit -- these my two sons -- one on thy right hand, and one on the left, in thy reign.'
and he said to her, 'What wilt thou?' She saith to him, 'Say, that they may sit -- these my two sons -- one on thy right hand, and one on the left, in thy reign.' And Jesus answering said, 'Ye have not known what ye ask for yourselves; are ye able to drink of the cup that I am about to drink? and with the baptism that I am baptized with, to be baptized?' They say to him, 'We are able.'
And Jesus answering said, 'Ye have not known what ye ask for yourselves; are ye able to drink of the cup that I am about to drink? and with the baptism that I am baptized with, to be baptized?' They say to him, 'We are able.' And he saith to them, 'Of my cup indeed ye shall drink, and with the baptism that I am baptized with ye shall be baptized; but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but -- to those for whom it hath been prepared by my father.'
And he saith to them, 'Of my cup indeed ye shall drink, and with the baptism that I am baptized with ye shall be baptized; but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but -- to those for whom it hath been prepared by my father.' And the ten having heard, were much displeased with the two brothers,
And the ten having heard, were much displeased with the two brothers, and Jesus having called them near, said, 'Ye have known that the rulers of the nations do exercise lordship over them, and those great do exercise authority over them,
and Jesus having called them near, said, 'Ye have known that the rulers of the nations do exercise lordship over them, and those great do exercise authority over them, but not so shall it be among you, but whoever may will among you to become great, let him be your ministrant;
but not so shall it be among you, but whoever may will among you to become great, let him be your ministrant; and whoever may will among you to be first, let him be your servant;
and whoever may will among you to be first, let him be your servant;
'And at last he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son;
'And at last he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son;
and they were silent, for with one another they did reason in the way who is greater;
and they were silent, for with one another they did reason in the way who is greater; and having sat down he called the twelve, and he saith to them, 'If any doth will to be first, he shall be last of all, and minister of all.'
and having sat down he called the twelve, and he saith to them, 'If any doth will to be first, he shall be last of all, and minister of all.' And having taken a child, he set him in the midst of them, and having taken him in his arms, said to them,
And having taken a child, he set him in the midst of them, and having taken him in his arms, said to them,
(Simon, whom also he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
(Simon, whom also he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
And ye -- ye are those who have remained with me in my temptations,
And ye -- ye are those who have remained with me in my temptations,
Then opened he up their understanding to understand the Writings,
Then opened he up their understanding to understand the Writings,
And, lo, I do send the promise of my Father upon you, but ye -- abide ye in the city of Jerusalem till ye be clothed with power from on high.'
And, lo, I do send the promise of my Father upon you, but ye -- abide ye in the city of Jerusalem till ye be clothed with power from on high.'
and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and remind you of all things that I said to you.
and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and remind you of all things that I said to you.
And when the Comforter may come, whom I will send to you from the Father -- the Spirit of truth, who from the Father doth come forth, he will testify of me;
And when the Comforter may come, whom I will send to you from the Father -- the Spirit of truth, who from the Father doth come forth, he will testify of me; and ye also do testify, because from the beginning ye are with me.
and ye also do testify, because from the beginning ye are with me.
and when He may come -- the Spirit of truth -- He will guide you to all the truth, for He will not speak from Himself, but as many things as He will hear He will speak, and the coming things He will tell you;
and when He may come -- the Spirit of truth -- He will guide you to all the truth, for He will not speak from Himself, but as many things as He will hear He will speak, and the coming things He will tell you; He will glorify me, because of mine He will take, and will tell to you.
He will glorify me, because of mine He will take, and will tell to you.
Jesus, therefore, said to them again, 'Peace to you; according as the Father hath sent me, I also send you;'
Jesus, therefore, said to them again, 'Peace to you; according as the Father hath sent me, I also send you;'
Jesus, therefore, said to them again, 'Peace to you; according as the Father hath sent me, I also send you;'
Jesus, therefore, said to them again, 'Peace to you; according as the Father hath sent me, I also send you;' and this having said, he breathed on them, and saith to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit;
and this having said, he breathed on them, and saith to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit; if of any ye may loose the sins, they are loosed to them; if of any ye may retain, they have been retained.'
if of any ye may loose the sins, they are loosed to them; if of any ye may retain, they have been retained.'
And Thomas answered and said to him, 'My Lord and my God;'
And Thomas answered and said to him, 'My Lord and my God;'
And being assembled together with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, 'Ye did hear of me;
And being assembled together with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, 'Ye did hear of me;
but ye shall receive power at the coming of the Holy Spirit upon you, and ye shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the end of the earth.'
but ye shall receive power at the coming of the Holy Spirit upon you, and ye shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the end of the earth.'
and when they came in, they went up to the upper room, where were abiding both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James, of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zelotes, and Judas, of James;
and when they came in, they went up to the upper room, where were abiding both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James, of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zelotes, and Judas, of James;
'It behoveth, therefore, of the men who did go with us during all the time in which the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us,
'It behoveth, therefore, of the men who did go with us during all the time in which the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day in which he was received up from us, one of these to become with us a witness of his rising again.'
beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day in which he was received up from us, one of these to become with us a witness of his rising again.'
and having prayed, they said, 'Thou, Lord, who art knowing the heart of all, shew which one thou didst choose of these two
and having prayed, they said, 'Thou, Lord, who art knowing the heart of all, shew which one thou didst choose of these two
'This Jesus did God raise up, of which we are all witnesses;
'This Jesus did God raise up, of which we are all witnesses;
and the Prince of the life ye did kill, whom God did raise out of the dead, of which we are witnesses;
and the Prince of the life ye did kill, whom God did raise out of the dead, of which we are witnesses;
'Ye are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant that God made unto our fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall be blessed all the families of the earth;
'Ye are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant that God made unto our fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall be blessed all the families of the earth;
and we are His witnesses of these sayings, and the Holy Spirit also, whom God gave to those obeying him.'
and we are His witnesses of these sayings, and the Holy Spirit also, whom God gave to those obeying him.'
And they, having heard these things, were silent, and were glorifying God, saying, 'Then, indeed, also to the nations did God give the reformation to life.'
And they, having heard these things, were silent, and were glorifying God, saying, 'Then, indeed, also to the nations did God give the reformation to life.' Those, indeed, therefore, having been scattered abroad, from the tribulation that came after Stephen, went through unto Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to none except to Jews only;
Those, indeed, therefore, having been scattered abroad, from the tribulation that came after Stephen, went through unto Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to none except to Jews only; and there were certain of them men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who having entered into Antioch, were speaking unto the Hellenists, proclaiming good news -- the Lord Jesus,
and there were certain of them men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who having entered into Antioch, were speaking unto the Hellenists, proclaiming good news -- the Lord Jesus, and the hand of the Lord was with them, a great number also, having believed, did turn unto the Lord.
and the hand of the Lord was with them, a great number also, having believed, did turn unto the Lord. And the account was heard in the ears of the assembly that is in Jerusalem concerning them, and they sent forth Barnabas to go through unto Antioch,
And the account was heard in the ears of the assembly that is in Jerusalem concerning them, and they sent forth Barnabas to go through unto Antioch, who, having come, and having seen the grace of God, was glad, and was exhorting all with purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord,
who, having come, and having seen the grace of God, was glad, and was exhorting all with purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord, because he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit, and of faith, and a great multitude was added to the Lord.
because he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit, and of faith, and a great multitude was added to the Lord. And Barnabas went forth to Tarsus, to seek for Saul,
And Barnabas went forth to Tarsus, to seek for Saul, and having found him, he brought him to Antioch, and it came to pass that they a whole year did assemble together in the assembly, and taught a great multitude, the disciples also were divinely called first in Antioch Christians.
and having found him, he brought him to Antioch, and it came to pass that they a whole year did assemble together in the assembly, and taught a great multitude, the disciples also were divinely called first in Antioch Christians.
And there were certain in Antioch, in the assembly there, prophets and teachers; both Barnabas, and Simeon who is called Niger, and Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen also -- Herod the tetrarch's foster-brother -- and Saul;
And there were certain in Antioch, in the assembly there, prophets and teachers; both Barnabas, and Simeon who is called Niger, and Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen also -- Herod the tetrarch's foster-brother -- and Saul; and in their ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Separate ye to me both Barnabas and Saul to the work to which I have called them,'
and in their ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Separate ye to me both Barnabas and Saul to the work to which I have called them,' then having fasted, and having prayed, and having laid the hands on them, they sent them away.
then having fasted, and having prayed, and having laid the hands on them, they sent them away. These, indeed, then, having been sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia, thence also they sailed to Cyprus,
These, indeed, then, having been sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia, thence also they sailed to Cyprus, and having come unto Salamis, they declared the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews, and they had also John as a ministrant;
and having come unto Salamis, they declared the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews, and they had also John as a ministrant;
and he was seen for many days of those who did come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
and he was seen for many days of those who did come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
wherefore I judge: not to trouble those who from the nations do turn back to God,
wherefore I judge: not to trouble those who from the nations do turn back to God,
and on the morrow Paul was going in with us unto James, all the elders also came,
and on the morrow Paul was going in with us unto James, all the elders also came,
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, having been separated to the good news of God --
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, having been separated to the good news of God --
for I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, that ye may be established;
for I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, that ye may be established;
for I will not dare to speak anything of the things that Christ did not work through me, to obedience of nations, by word and deed,
for I will not dare to speak anything of the things that Christ did not work through me, to obedience of nations, by word and deed, in power of signs and wonders, in power of the Spirit of God; so that I, from Jerusalem, and in a circle as far as Illyricum, have fully preached the good news of the Christ;
in power of signs and wonders, in power of the Spirit of God; so that I, from Jerusalem, and in a circle as far as Illyricum, have fully preached the good news of the Christ;
Am not I an apostle? am not I free? Jesus Christ our Lord have I not seen? my work are not ye in the Lord?
Am not I an apostle? am not I free? Jesus Christ our Lord have I not seen? my work are not ye in the Lord? if to others I am not an apostle -- yet doubtless to you I am; for the seal of my apostleship are ye in the Lord.
if to others I am not an apostle -- yet doubtless to you I am; for the seal of my apostleship are ye in the Lord.
if any one doth think to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge the things that I write to you -- that of the Lord they are commands;
if any one doth think to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge the things that I write to you -- that of the Lord they are commands;
whether -- about Titus -- my partner and towards you fellow-worker, whether -- our brethren, apostles of assemblies -- glory of Christ;
whether -- about Titus -- my partner and towards you fellow-worker, whether -- our brethren, apostles of assemblies -- glory of Christ;
Paul, an apostle -- not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who did raise him out of the dead --
Paul, an apostle -- not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who did raise him out of the dead -- and all the brethren with me, to the assemblies of Galatia:
and all the brethren with me, to the assemblies of Galatia: Grace to you, and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ,
Grace to you, and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who did give himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of the present evil age, according to the will of God even our Father,
who did give himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of the present evil age, according to the will of God even our Father, to whom is the glory to the ages of the ages. Amen.
to whom is the glory to the ages of the ages. Amen. I wonder that ye are so quickly removed from Him who did call you in the grace of Christ to another good news;
I wonder that ye are so quickly removed from Him who did call you in the grace of Christ to another good news; that is not another, except there be certain who are troubling you, and wishing to pervert the good news of the Christ;
that is not another, except there be certain who are troubling you, and wishing to pervert the good news of the Christ; but even if we or a messenger out of heaven may proclaim good news to you different from what we did proclaim to you -- anathema let him be!
but even if we or a messenger out of heaven may proclaim good news to you different from what we did proclaim to you -- anathema let him be! as we have said before, and now say again, If any one to you may proclaim good news different from what ye did receive -- anathema let him be!
as we have said before, and now say again, If any one to you may proclaim good news different from what ye did receive -- anathema let him be! for now men do I persuade, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if yet men I did please -- Christ's servant I should not be.
for now men do I persuade, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if yet men I did please -- Christ's servant I should not be. And I make known to you, brethren, the good news that were proclaimed by me, that it is not according to man,
And I make known to you, brethren, the good news that were proclaimed by me, that it is not according to man, for neither did I from man receive it, nor was I taught it, but through a revelation of Jesus Christ,
for neither did I from man receive it, nor was I taught it, but through a revelation of Jesus Christ,
And I thought it necessary Epaphroditus -- my brother, and fellow-workman, and fellow-soldier, and your apostle and servant to my need -- to send unto you,
And I thought it necessary Epaphroditus -- my brother, and fellow-workman, and fellow-soldier, and your apostle and servant to my need -- to send unto you,
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the apostle and chief priest of our profession, Christ Jesus,
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the apostle and chief priest of our profession, Christ Jesus,
Elders who are among you, I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of the Christ, and of the glory about to be revealed a partaker,
Elders who are among you, I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of the Christ, and of the glory about to be revealed a partaker,
and the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
and the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
and the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
and the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
and the foundations of the wall of the city with every precious stone have been adorned; the first foundation jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;
and the foundations of the wall of the city with every precious stone have been adorned; the first foundation jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.
the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.
Morish
The Greek word ????????? signifies 'a messenger,' 'one sent,' and is used in this sense for any messenger in 2Co 8:23; Php 2:25; and as 'one sent' in Joh 13:16. It is also used in a much higher and more emphatic sense, implying a divine commission in the one sent, first of the Lord Himself and then of the twelve disciples whom He chose to be with Him during the time of His ministry here. The Lord in His prayer in Joh 17:18 said, "As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world." He was the Sent One, and in Heb 3:1 it is written "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Jesus."* They were to consider this One who had been faithful, and who was superior to Moses, to the Aaronic priests, and to angels, and was in the glory. The ordering of a dispensation depended on the apostolic office as divinely appointed.
* The word 'Christ' is omitted by the Editors.
APOSTLES, THE TWELVE. The Lord appointed these "that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out demons," and also to carry out the various commissions given by Christ on earth. It will be seen by the lists that follow that Lebbaeus, Thaddaeus and Judas are the same person; and that Simon the Canaanite (Cananaean) and Simon Zelotes are the same; Peter is also called Simon; and Matthew is called Levi.
Mt 10:2-4. Mr 3:16-19. Lu 6:14-16. Ac 1:18.
1 Peter and 1 Peter. 1 Simon. 1 Peter.
2 Andrew. 3 James. 2 Andrew. 3 James.
3 James and 4 John. 3 James. 4 John.
4 John. 2 Andrew. 4 John. 2 Andrew.
5 Philip and 5 Philip. 5 Philip. 5 Philip.
6 Bartholomew. 6 Bartholomew. 6 Bartholomew. 7 Thomas.
7 Thomas and 8 Matthew. 8 Matthew. 6 Bartholomew.
8 Matthew. 7 Thomas. 7 Thomas. 8 Matthew.
9 James and 9 James. 9 James. 9 James.
10 Lebbaeus. 10 Thaddaeus. 11 Simon Zelotes. 11 Simon Z.
11 Simon the Cana- 11 Simon C. 10 Judas. 10 Judas.
naean and 12 Judas 1. 12 Judas I.
12 Judas Iscariot.
Peter is always named first; he with James and John was with the Lord on the mount of transfiguration and also with the Lord at other times, though no one apostle had authority over the others: they were all brethren and the Lord was their Master. Judas Iscariot is always named last. In Matthew the word 'and' divides the twelve into pairs, perhaps corresponding to their being sent out two and two to preach. Bartholomew and Simon Zelotes are not mentioned after their appointment except in Acts 1.
When the Lord sent the twelve out to preach He bade them take nothing with them, for the workman was worthy of his food: and on their return they confessed that they had lacked nothing. Their mission was with authority as the sent ones of the Lord; sicknesses were healed and demons cast out; and if any city refused to receive them it should be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgement than for that city. Mt 10:5-15.
They received a new mission from the Lord as risen: see Luke 24; John 20. And before the ascension the apostles were bidden to tarry at Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. This was bestowed at the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. They are also viewed first among the gifts with which the church was endowed by the Head of the body when He ascended up on high. Eph 4:8-11. These gifts were for "the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." The mystery hitherto hid in God was now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, namely, that the Gentiles should be joint heirs, and a joint body, and partakers of His promise in Christ Jesus. Eph. 3. Paul was the special vessel to make known this grace. His apostleship occupies a peculiar place, he having been called by the Lord from heaven, and being charged with the gospel of the glory. See PAUL.
On the death of Judas Iscariot, Matthias, an early disciple, was chosen in his place, for there must be (irrespective of Paul, who, as we have seen, held a unique place) twelve apostles as witnesses of His resurrection, Ac 1:22; Re 21:14 as there must still be twelve tribes of Israel. Jas 1:1; Re 21:12. At the conference of the church in Jerusalem respecting the Gentiles 'the apostles' took a prominent part, with the elders. Acts 15. How many apostles remained at Jerusalem is not recorded: we do not read of 'the twelve' after Acts 6. Tradition gives the various places where they laboured, which may be found under each of their names. Scripture is silent on the subject, in order that the new order of things committed to Paul might become prominent, as the older things connected with Judaism vanished away: cf. 2Pe 3:15-16.
There were no successors to the apostles: to be apostles they must have 'seen the Lord.' Ac 1:21-22; 1Co 9:1; Re 2:2. The foundation of the church was laid, and apostolic work being complete the apostles passed away, there remain however, in the goodness of God, such gifts as are needed "till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Eph 4:12-13.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And of the twelve apostles the names are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax-gatherer; James of Alpheus, and Lebbeus who was surnamed Thaddeus; read more. Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who did also deliver him up. These twelve did Jesus send forth, having given command to them, saying, 'To the way of the nations go not away, and into a city of the Samaritans go not in, and be going rather unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 'And, going on, proclaim saying that, the reign of the heavens hath come nigh; infirm ones be healing, lepers be cleansing, dead be raising, demons be casting out -- freely ye did receive, freely give. 'Provide not gold, nor silver, nor brass in your girdles, nor scrip for the way, nor two coats, nor sandals, nor staff -- for the workman is worthy of his nourishment. 'And into whatever city or village ye may enter, inquire ye who in it is worthy, and there abide, till ye may go forth. And coming to the house salute it, and if indeed the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it; and if it be not worthy, let your peace turn back to you. 'And whoever may not receive you nor hear your words, coming forth from that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet, verily I say to you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.
And he put on Simon the name Peter; and James of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, and he put on them names -- Boanerges, that is, 'Sons of thunder;' read more. and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who did also deliver him up; and they come into a house.
(Simon, whom also he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, read more. Judas of James, and Judas Iscariot, who also became betrayer;)
verily, verily, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his lord, nor an apostle greater than he who sent him;
as Thou didst send me to the world, I also did send them to the world;
this one, indeed, then, purchased a field out of the reward of unrighteousness, and falling headlong, burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed forth,
'It behoveth, therefore, of the men who did go with us during all the time in which the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day in which he was received up from us, one of these to become with us a witness of his rising again.'
beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day in which he was received up from us, one of these to become with us a witness of his rising again.'
whether -- about Titus -- my partner and towards you fellow-worker, whether -- our brethren, apostles of assemblies -- glory of Christ;
wherefore, he saith, 'Having gone up on high he led captive captivity, and gave gifts to men,' -- and that, he went up, what is it except that he also went down first to the lower parts of the earth? read more. he who went down is the same also who went up far above all the heavens, that He may fill all things -- and He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as proclaimers of good news, and some as shepherds and teachers, unto the perfecting of the saints, for a work of ministration, for a building up of the body of the Christ, till we may all come to the unity of the faith and of the recognition of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to a measure of stature of the fulness of the Christ,
And I thought it necessary Epaphroditus -- my brother, and fellow-workman, and fellow-soldier, and your apostle and servant to my need -- to send unto you,
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the apostle and chief priest of our profession, Christ Jesus,
James, of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ a servant, to the Twelve Tribes who are in the dispersion: Hail!
and the long-suffering of our Lord count ye salvation, according as also our beloved brother Paul -- according to the wisdom given to him -- did write to you, as also in all the epistles, speaking in them concerning these things, among which things are certain hard to be understood, which the untaught and unstable do wrest, as also the other Writings, unto their own destruction.
I have known thy works, and thy labour, and thy endurance, and that thou art not able to bear evil ones, and that thou hast tried those saying themselves to be apostles and are not, and hast found them liars,
having also a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve messengers, and names written thereon, which are those of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel,
and the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Smith
(one sent forth), in the New Testament originally the official name of those twelve of the disciples whom Jesus chose to send forth first to preach the gospel and to be with him during the course of his ministry on earth. The word also appears to have been used in a non-official sense to designate a much wider circle of Christian messengers and teachers See
It is only of those who were officially designated apostles that we treat in the article. Their names are given in
and Christ's charge to them in the rest of the chapter. Their office.-- (1) The original qualification of an apostle, as stated by St. Peter on the occasion of electing a successor to the traitor Judas, was that he should have been personally acquainted with the whole ministerial course of our Lord from his baptism by John till the day when he was taken up into heaven. (2) They were chosen by Christ himself (3) They had the power of working miracles. (4) They were inspired.
Joh 16:13
(5) Their world seems to have been pre-eminently that of founding the churches and upholding them by supernatural power specially bestowed for that purpose. (6) The office ceased, a matter of course, with its first holders-all continuation of it, from the very condition of its existence (cf.
), being impossible. Early history and training.--The apostles were from the lower ranks of life, simple and uneducated; some of them were related to Jesus according to the flesh; some had previously been disciples of John the Baptist. Our Lord chose them early in his public career They seem to have been all on an equality, both during and after the ministry of Christ on earth. Early in our Lord's ministry he sent them out two and two to preach repentance and to perform miracles in his name Matt 10; Luke 9. They accompanied him in his journey, saw his wonderful works, heard his discourses addressed to the people, and made inquiries of him on religious matters. They recognized him as the Christ of God,
Mt 16:16; Lu 9:20
and described to him supernatural power
Lu 9:54
but in the recognition of the spiritual teaching and mission of Christ they made very low progress, held back as they were by weakness of apprehension and by national prejudices. Even at the removal of our Lord from the earth they were yet weak in their knowledge,
Lu 24:21; Joh 16:12
though he had for so long been carefully preparing and instructing them. On the feast of Pentecost, ten days after our Lord's ascension, the Holy Spirit came down on the assembled church, Acts 2; and from that time the apostles became altogether different men, giving witness with power of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus, as he had declared they should.
Lu 24:48; Ac 1:8,22; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 13:31
Later labors and history.--First of all the mother-church at Jerusalem grew up under their hands, Acts 3-7, and their superior dignity and power were universally acknowledged by the rulers and the people.
ff. Their first mission out of Jerusalem was to Samaria
where the Lord himself had, during his ministry, sown the seed of the gospel. Here ends the first period of the apostles' agency, during which its centre is Jerusalem and the prominent figure is that of St. Peter. The centre of the second period of the apostolic agency is Antioch, where a church soon was built up, consisting of Jews and Gentiles; and the central figure of this and of the subsequent period is St. Paul. The third apostolic period is marked by the almost entire disappearance of the twelve from the sacred narrative and the exclusive agency of St. Paul, the great apostle of the Gentiles. Of the missionary work of the rest of the twelve we know absolutely nothing from the sacred narrative.
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And of the twelve apostles the names are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax-gatherer; James of Alpheus, and Lebbeus who was surnamed Thaddeus; read more. Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who did also deliver him up.
and Simon Peter answering said, 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.'
and he said to them, 'And ye -- who do ye say me to be?' and Peter answering said, 'The Christ of God.'
and we were hoping that he it is who is about to redeem Israel, and also with all these things, this third day is passing to-day, since these things happened.
and ye -- ye are witnesses of these things.
I have yet many things to say to you, but ye are not able to bear them now; and when He may come -- the Spirit of truth -- He will guide you to all the truth, for He will not speak from Himself, but as many things as He will hear He will speak, and the coming things He will tell you;
but ye shall receive power at the coming of the Holy Spirit upon you, and ye shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the end of the earth.'
beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day in which he was received up from us, one of these to become with us a witness of his rising again.'
'This Jesus did God raise up, of which we are all witnesses;
and the Prince of the life ye did kill, whom God did raise out of the dead, of which we are witnesses;
And through the hands of the apostles came many signs and wonders among the people, and they were with one accord all in the porch of Solomon;
and we are His witnesses of these sayings, and the Holy Spirit also, whom God gave to those obeying him.'
and he was seen for many days of those who did come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
Am not I an apostle? am not I free? Jesus Christ our Lord have I not seen? my work are not ye in the Lord?
whether -- about Titus -- my partner and towards you fellow-worker, whether -- our brethren, apostles of assemblies -- glory of Christ;
Watsons
APOSTLE, ?????????, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ, commissioned by him to preach his Gospel, and propagate it to all parts of the earth. The word originally signifies a person delegated or sent; from ?????????, mitto; in which sense it occurs in Herodotus, and other profane authors. Hence, in the New Testament, the term is applied to divers sorts of delegates; and to the twelve disciples by way of eminence. They were limited to the number twelve, in allusion to the twelve tribes of Israel. See Mt 19:28; Lu 22:30; Re 21:12-14; and compare Ex 24:4; De 1:23; and Jos 4:2-3. Accordingly care was taken, on the death of Judas, to choose another, to make up the number, Ac 1:21-22,26. Of the first selection and commission of the twelve Apostles, we have an account, Lu 6:13, &c.; Mt 10:1, &c. Having chosen and constituted twelve persons, under the name of Apostles, our blessed Lord determined that for some time they should be continually with him, not only to attend upon his public ministry, but to enjoy the benefit of his private conversation, that he might furnish them the better for the great work in which they were to be employed; and that, at length, after suitable preparation, he might, with greater advantage, send them abroad to preach his Gospel, and thus make way for his own visits to some more distant parts, where he had not yet been; and to enable them more effectually to do this, he endowed them with the power of working miracles, of curing diseases, and casting out demons. About the commencement of the third year of his ministry, according to the common account of its duration, he sent them out two by two, that they might be assistants to each other in their work; and commanded them to restrict their teaching and services to the people of Israel, and to avoid going to the Gentiles or to the Samaritans, to declare the approach of the kingdom of heaven, and the establishment of the Gospel dispensation; to exercise the miraculous powers with which they had been endowed gratuitously; and to depend for their subsistence on the providence of God, and on the donations of those to whom they ministered. Their names were, Simon Peter; Andrew, his brother; James the greater, the son of Zebedee; and John his brother, who was the beloved disciple; Philip of Bethsaida; Bartholomew; Thomas, called Didymus, as having a twin brother; Matthew or Levi, who had been a publican; James, the son of Alpheus, called James the less; Lebbeus, surnamed Thaddeus, and who was also called Judas or Jude, the brother of James; Simon, the Canaanite, so called, as some have thought, because he was a native of Cana, or, as Dr. Hammond thinks, from the Hebrew ???, signifying the same with Zelotes, or the Zelot, a name given to him on account of his having before professed a distinguishing zeal for the law; and Judas Iscariot, or a man of Carioth, Jos 15:25, who afterward betrayed him, and then laid violent hands on himself. Of these, Simon, Andrew, James the greater, and John, were fishermen; Matthew, and James the son of Alpheus, were publicans; and the other six were probably fishermen, though their occupation is not distinctly specified.
After the resurrection of our Saviour, and not long before his ascension, the place of Judas the traitor was supplied by Matthias, supposed by some to have been Nathaniel of Galilee, to whom our Lord had given the distinguishing character of an "Israelite indeed, in whom there was no guile;" and the twelve Apostles, whose number was now completed, received a new commission, of a more extensive nature than the first, to preach the Gospel to all nations, and to be witnesses of Christ, not only in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and in Samaria, but unto the uttermost parts of the earth; and they were qualified for the execution of their office by a plenteous effusion of miraculous powers and spiritual gifts, and particularly the gift of tongues. In consequence of this commission, they preached first to the Jews, then to the Samaritans, and afterward to the idolatrous Gentiles. Their signal success at Jerusalem, where they opened their commission, alarmed the Jewish sanhedrim, before which Peter and John were summoned, and from which they received a strict charge never more to teach, publicly or privately, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. The noble reply and subsequent conduct of the Apostles are well known. This court of the Jews was so awed and incensed, as to plot the death of the twelve Apostles, as the only effectual measure for preventing the farther spread of Christianity. Gamaliel interposed, by his prudent and moderate counsel; and his speech had so good an effect upon the sanhedrim, that, instead of putting Peter and John to death, they scourged them, renewed their charge and threats, and then dismissed them. The Apostles, however, were not discouraged nor restrained; they counted it an honour to suffer such indignities, in token of their affection to their Master, and zeal in his cause; and they persisted in preaching daily in the courts of the temple, and in other places, that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised and long expected Messiah. Their doctrine spread, and the number of converts in Jerusalem still increased. During the violent persecution that raged at Jerusalem, soon after the martyrdom of St. Stephen, several of the leading men among the Christians were dispersed; some of them travelled through the regions of Judea and Samaria, and others to Damascus, Phoenicia, the Island of Cyprus, and various parts of Syria; but the twelve Apostles remained, with undaunted firmness, at Jerusalem, avowing their attachment to the persecuted interest of Christ, and consulting how they might best provide for the emergencies of the church, in its infant and oppressed state.
When the Apostles, during their abode at Jerusalem, heard that many of the Samaritans had embraced the Gospel, Peter and John were deputed to confer upon them the gift of the Holy Spirit; for to the Apostles belonged the prerogative of conferring upon others spiritual gifts and miraculous powers. In their return to Jerusalem, from the city of Samaria, they preached the Gospel in many Samaritan villages. The manner of its being sent to Ethiopia, by the conversion of the eunuch who was chief treasurer to Candace, queen of the country, is related in Ac 8:26, &c. After the Christian religion had been planted in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and sent into Ethiopia, one of the uttermost parts of the earth, Ac 1:8; and after it had been preached about eight years to the Jews only, God, in his wise and merciful providence, disposed things for the preaching of it among the Gentiles. Caesarea was the scene in which the Apostle Peter was to open his commission for this purpose; and Cornelius, one of the devout Gentiles, and a man distinguished by his piety and charity, was the first proselyte to Christianity. After Peter had laid the foundation of a Christian church among the devout Gentiles, others imitated his example, and a great number of persons of this description embraced the Christian faith, more especially at Antioch, where the disciples, whom their enemies had hitherto called Galileans, Nazarenes, and other names of reproach, and who, among themselves, had been called "disciples," "believers," "the church," "the saints," and "brethren," were denominated, probably not without a divine direction, Christians.
When Christianity had been preached for about eight years among the Jews only, and for about three years more among the Jews and devout Gentiles, the next stage of its progress was to the idolatrous Gentiles, in the year of Christ 44, and the fourth year of the emperor Claudius. Barnabas and Saul were selected for this purpose, and constituted in an extraordinary manner Apostles of the Gentiles, or uncircumcision. Barnabas was probably an elder of the first rank; he had seen Christ in the flesh, had been an eye witness of his being alive again after his crucifixion, and had received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, as being one of the hundred and twenty. Saul also, since his conversion had preached as a superior prophet, about seven years to the Jews only, and about two
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And Moses writeth all the words of Jehovah, and riseth early in the morning, and buildeth an altar under the hill, and twelve standing pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel;
and the thing is good in mine eyes, and I take of you twelve men, one man for a tribe.
Take for you out of the people twelve men, one man -- one man out of a tribe; and command ye them, saying, Take up for you from this place, from the midst of the Jordan, from the established standing-place of the feet of the priests, twelve stones, and ye have removed them over with you, and placed them in the lodging-place in which ye lodge to-night.'
And having called to him his twelve disciples, he gave to them power over unclean spirits, so as to be casting them out, and to be healing every sickness, and every malady.
And Jesus said to them, 'Verily I say to you, that ye who did follow me, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man may sit upon a throne of his glory, shall sit -- ye also -- upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel;
and when it became day, he called near his disciples, and having chosen from them twelve, whom also he named apostles,
that ye may eat and may drink at my table, in my kingdom, and may sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.'
but ye shall receive power at the coming of the Holy Spirit upon you, and ye shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the end of the earth.'
'It behoveth, therefore, of the men who did go with us during all the time in which the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day in which he was received up from us, one of these to become with us a witness of his rising again.'
and they gave their lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
And a messenger of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, 'Arise, and go on toward the south, on the way that is going down from Jerusalem to Gaza,' -- this is desert.
'And it came to pass when I returned to Jerusalem, and while I was praying in the temple, I came into a trance,
but rise, and stand upon thy feet, for for this I appeared to thee, to appoint thee an officer and a witness both of the things thou didst see, and of the things in which I will appear to thee, delivering thee from the people, and the nations, to whom now I send thee, read more. to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the authority of the Adversary unto God, for their receiving forgiveness of sins, and a lot among those having been sanctified, by faith that is toward me. 'Whereupon, king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem, to all the region also of Judea, and to the nations, I was preaching to reform, and to turn back unto God, doing works worthy of reformation;
salute Andronicus and Junias, my kindred, and my fellow-captives, who are of note among the apostles, who also have been in Christ before me.
And I thought it necessary Epaphroditus -- my brother, and fellow-workman, and fellow-soldier, and your apostle and servant to my need -- to send unto you,
having also a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve messengers, and names written thereon, which are those of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel, at the east three gates, at the north three gates, at the south three gates, at the west three gates; read more. and the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.