The Life of Jesus in Harmony | Index

apostles

APOSTLE (Gk. apostolos, a "delegate").

One sent with a special message or commission. In this sense the word is used in the LXX (1 Ki 14:6; Is 18:2), and in the NT: (Jn 13:16), "Neither is one who is sent [apostle] greater than the one who sent him"; (2 Cor 8:23; Phil 2:25), where persons sent out by churches on special errands are called their apostles, or messengers. In (Heb 3:1) Jesus is called "the Apostle and High Priest of our confession."

The official name of those twelve of the disciples chosen by our Lord to be with Him during His ministry and to whom He entrusted the organization of His church. These He chose early in His ministry and ordained "that they might be with Him."

The number twelve was, doubtless, with reference to the twelve tribes of Israel and was fixed, so that the apostles were often called simply "the twelve" (Matt. 26:14).

Their names were (1) Simon Peter (Cephas, Barjona); (2) Andrew; (3) John; (4) Philip; (5) James; (6) Bartholomew (perhaps same as Nathanael); (7) Thomas (Didymus); (8) Matthew (Levi); (9) Simon the Zealot; (10) Jude (Thaddaeus); (11) James the Less; (12) Judas Iscariot.