APOSTLES (Gk. ἀπόστολος “sent,” from ἀποστέλλω). — Title of the twelve collaborators chosen by Jesus, to whom He entrusted the continuation and completion of His redemptive mission (Mt. 28, 18-20; Jn. 15, 16). Thus Jesus called “the twelve” (Mk. 3, 14; Mt. 10, 1), whom He chose from among an unspecified number of disciples (Lk. 6, 13). The “twelve” was a fixed designation: Mk. 6, 7 (Lk. 9, 1); Mt. 10, 5; 20, 17; 26, 14, etc.; Acts 6, 2; this is especially evident in 1 Cor. 15, 5, where Paul speaks of the appearances of the Risen One to “the twelve.”
This is a tradition that comes from Jerusalem. The fixed number is also evident from Acts 1, 15 ff., where the election of Matthias to replace Judas is narrated, and thus “the eleven” (Mt. 28, 16; Mk. 16, 14; Lk. 24, 9, 33; Acts 1, 26) become once again “the twelve.” It is not possible to explain the formation of the group of the twelve through a historical development subsequent to the earthly life of Jesus. Jesus Himself willed “the twelve,” chosen, as is evident from Mt. 19, 28 (cf. Lk. 22, 30):
“to sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” at the glorious return of the Son of Man.
The “twelve” will thus participate in the judicial function of the “Son of Man” over Israel; they too, like Him, will be revealed in glory. The Greek word (σφέλεια) can also be interpreted in the sense of governance (cf. Mt. 19, 21, and Rev. 20, 4). This glorious future of the “twelve” is the reward for the sacrifices they now make, abandoning all and following Jesus (Mt. 9, 27, 29); they who persevere with Him in tribulations will have a share in His kingdom and will eat and drink at His table (Lk. 22, 28 ff.). John sees (Rev. 21, 14) the wall of the new Jerusalem “which had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” The choice of the “twelve” is thus closely connected with the eschatological teaching of Jesus. To be numbered among the “twelve” means: to abandon all, to be with Jesus in His tribulations in order to become, by participating in His judgment and His kingdom, the foundation of a new city.
From the fact that “the twelve” are placed in relation to the Son of Man, it follows that the concept of “the twelve” was part of the most ancient teaching of the Jerusalem community. It is therefore not surprising that the Jewish Christians also relate “the twelve” to the twelve tribes of Israel. In a fragment of the Gospel used among the Ebionites, Jesus says: “I want you to be the twelve apostles to bear witness over Israel” (St. Epiphanius, *Haer.*, 13, ed. K. Holl, I, Leipzig 1915, p. 350, ll. 1-2); cf. Pseudo-Clement, *Recog.*, I, 40; *Epistle of Barnabas*, 8, 3: “being twelve to bear witness over the tribes.” According to *Praxis Pauli* (ed. C. Schmidt, Hamburg 1936, p. 60, 34), “the twelve” would have been chosen from the twelve tribes.
Jesus Himself gave the title of apostle to “the twelve” (Lk. 6, 13; various manuscripts in Mk. 3, 14). Naturally, the choice of “the twelve” does not coincide with their mission as apostles.
On account of their eschatological function, “the twelve” are charged with bearing witness “over the twelve tribes of Israel” (*Epistle of Barn.*, 8, 3; cf. Mk. 6, 11 and Lk. 9, 5; Mt. 13, 9 and parallels). This primitive concept of apostle thus remains bound to Israel. The apostle is the proclaimer of the near kingdom of God (Mt. 10, 7; Lk. 10, 9) in Israel (Mt. 10, 5 ff.), sent by Jesus. He shares in the sufferings of the Son of Man in order to be finally glorified with Him. The privations imposed upon “the twelve” by Jesus are the lack of a fixed dwelling, the abandonment of family, and poverty; their sufferings reach their climax in arrest (Mk. 6, 7; Mt. 10, 17; Lk. 9, 1 ff.) and in death.
It is therefore well founded the Catholic conviction that the apostle is the model of the ascetic and the martyr. But the apostle is also the great wonder-worker. According to Mk. 6, 7 (cf. 3, 15), “the twelve” receive power over unclean spirits (Mt. 10, 1; Lk. 9, 1). The nearness of the kingdom of God is expressed not only in proclamation but also in the defeat of demonic forces in the world; likewise, the simple greeting of peace given by “the twelve” to those who accept their announcement is transformed into a blessing (Mt. 10, 13; Mk. 6, 10; Lk. 9, 4 ff.). Thus, salvation or ruin is bound to the presence of the apostle as to that of Jesus Himself.
Lk. knows (10, 1-16) also of a mission of seventy (or seventy-two) disciples (v.); the prayer of Jesus directed here to “the seventy” is in Mt. instead directed to “the twelve,” as is evident from Lk. himself in his recapitulation (22, 35).
The position of the seventy (or seventy-two) disciples is not clear; their names are not given; Eusebius, *Hist. eccl.*, I, 12, 1, says that their catalogue has not been preserved. In any case, the name apostle is not granted to them by Lk., although one might think that the seventy correspond to the seventy (or seventy-two) peoples of the world (Gen. 10) and that in them the mission to the Gentiles was prepared. The “seventy” go, like “the twelve,” to the Jews, and according to Lk. 22, 47 (cf. Acts 1, 8) the mission to the Gentiles is entrusted to “the twelve” and not to “the seventy.” Later Tertullian, *Adv. Marcion.*, IV, 24 (ed. E. Kroymann, III, Vienna-Leipzig 1906, p. 499, l. 23), calls them “apostles,” while it is uncertain whether Irenaeus, II, 32, 4, placed them among the apostles.
The term apostle is thus connected with “the twelve,” without, however, the two concepts coinciding completely. The expression apostle is more formal, while the concept of “the twelve” is rich in evocative power.
A new phase in the history of the apostle begins with the resurrection of Jesus. The apostles become witnesses to the resurrection of Christ (Lk. 24, 49 and 46; 1 Cor. 15, 8 ff.), but not all witnesses to the resurrection become apostles, neither the five hundred brethren nor the women. This is clear proof of the fact that the term apostle existed prior to the resurrection of Christ (it remains doubtful whether James, the brother of Jesus, was placed among the apostles). The apostle, who was once a messenger among the Jews, now becomes the missionary of the world; the power over demons, the ability to heal the sick, extends over the entire inhabited world (“miracles of the apostles”: 2 Cor. 12, 12), together with preaching.
The obligation to render account of apostolic labor (Mk. 6, 30; Lk. 9, 10; 10, 17) is now fixed for the second coming of Christ (1 Cor. 4, 4; Phil. 1, 6. 10 ff.). With the ascension of Jesus, the apostles also become the vicars of Christ in a more concrete sense than before (Lk. 10, 16; Mt. 10, 40; Jn. 13, 20; 17, 18; cf. 1 Clem., ch. 42, etc.). For this reason they establish the deacons (Acts 6, 1-6) and the presbyters (Acts 14, 23; cf. 15, 4. 6. 22 ff., etc.). The apostle gathers around himself his presbyters or bishops (Acts 20, 17. 28). Some Protestants acknowledge that the apostles
"to sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" at the glorious return of the Son of Man. The "twelve" will thus participate in the judicial function of the "Son of Man" over Israel; they too, like Him, will be
Luke, who was also a disciple of Paul, though not one of the "Twelve," emphasizes their activity in the Acts of the Apostles. It is "the Twelve" who control the Christian mission from Jerusalem. Peter and John inspect the mission in Samaria (Acts 8:14–15); the movement in Antioch is supervised by Barnabas, who comes from Jerusalem (Acts 11:22). Peter (Acts 11:1–2; 12:17; 15:22) and also Paul (Acts 9:26–27; 11:30; 15:1–2; 18:22; 21:15–17) always return to Jerusalem. This does not mean that "the college" of the "Twelve" always resided in Jerusalem, as K. Holl would have II. Peter and John also carried out their activity outside Jerusalem (Acts 8:14; 9:32–35; 10:1–2; 12:17); Paul (1 Cor 9:5) knew of the missionary activity not only of Peter and the others, but also of the "brothers of the Lord."
The number of the "Twelve" was not considered indispensable: after the death of James, the brother of John (Acts 12:2), no one was elected to replace him. The position of James, "the brother of the Lord," is not clear to us. He seems to have been in Jerusalem among the apostles (Gal 1:19). E. Lohmeyer (*Galilaea und Jerusalem*, Göttingen 1936) believes he was the leader of those Jewish Christians who had come from Galilee to Jerusalem before or after Jesus’ death.
K. Holl, in his famous inaugural lecture *Der Kirchenbegriff des Paulus in seinem Verhältnis zu dem der Urgemeinde* (Sitzungsberichte der Berliner Akademie, 1921, pp. 920–921; *Gesammelte Aufsätze zur Kirchengeschichte*, II: *Der Osten*, Tübingen 1928, pp. 44–45), maintained the thesis that the Jerusalem community, under the rule of the "Twelve," had a divinely ordained hierarchy (p. 54) and that Jerusalem was considered the center of the entire Church (pp. 55–56; cf. pp. 61–62). His thesis is strongly contested (also by K. H. Rengstorf and W. Mundle) and is untenable from a Catholic perspective. Perhaps Jewish Christianity in Palestine after Jesus’ death organized itself, imitating certain forms of ancient Judaism (Sanhedrin, emissaries in the diaspora, tithes); but the evangelical concept of apostleship transcended this organization.
The apostleship created by Jesus was universal and, through apostolic succession, perpetual; in the realm of doctrine, it transmitted the Master’s teaching; after Christ’s ascension, it provided for the governance of the faithful with regulations in the disciplinary and dogmatic spheres (Acts 15).
Alongside that of the "Twelve," the apostleship of St. Paul appears different; Epiphanius (*Haer.*, I, ed. Holl, p. 232, lines 10–11) places Paul outside the "Twelve" and outside the "Seventy." In Galatia, his right to call himself an apostle was questioned, probably because the Christian community in Antioch had sent him (Acts 13:1–2). Paul replied by emphasizing that he was not an apostle by human initiative, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead (Gal 1:1).
Being sent by Christ was a fundamental element in the concept of apostleship; by adding "and God the Father," Paul gives his apostleship a special nuance. He cannot claim to have been with Jesus during His earthly life, as is required for an apostle in Acts 1:21–22 (cf. Mark 3:14), but he can affirm that he saw the Lord (1 Cor 9:1) and, like the others, was a witness to His resurrection (1 Cor 15:5–8). Paul was not instructed by other men, but by Christ Himself (Gal 1:13); nor does he mention Ananias, who baptized him (Acts 9:18; 22:16), nor do the Acts speak of instruction from Ananias. The miracles in the Acts are not lacking in Paul (Gal 3:5; 2 Cor 12:12; Rom 15:18), nor the apostolic hardships and sufferings (2 Cor 6:3–10; 11:23–29), nor visions and revelations (2 Cor 12:1–4). Paul is therefore an apostle like the others. He and Barnabas were acknowledged by the Three—James, Cephas, and John—in their right to go to the Gentiles (Gal 2:9), but the text does not directly state that they were acknowledged as apostles, or rather, in what sense their apostleship was interpreted.
The designation "apostle" was added by Jesus to the concept of the "Twelve." Jesus, speaking Aramaic, certainly used an Aramaic word. In the Syriac Church, the apostle is called *šelīhā*, a word corresponding in rabbinic literature to *šaltah* (K. H. Rengstorf, p. 414), in Aramaic *šelīhā* (cf. St. Jerome, *In Gal.* 1:1: PL 26, 335). The rabbis sent by the Jerusalem center to collect funds or visit the diaspora are called *šelīhīm*. Such an emissary (*šaltah*) was also Paul when he was sent to Damascus (Acts 9:1–2); but the missionary judge never bears this name (Rengstorf, pp. 418–419).
In this older sense, even the "apostles of the churches" who carry alms to the saints in Jerusalem (2 Cor 8:23), or Epaphroditus, who is called "apostle" of the Philippians to Paul, are *šelīhīm*. Difficult is the title "apostle" given to Andronicus and Junia in Rom 16:7. If the word "apostle" in a religious sense was connected with the Twelve, how can these two unknowns call themselves "Christian missionaries"? (Rengstorf, pp. 422–423, lines 33–34; H. Lietzmann, *An die Römer*, 4th ed., Tübingen 1933, p. 24). It seems that here too the Jewish sense of *šelīhīm* as "emissaries" applies, as with the two (Timothy and Erastus) in Acts 19:22.
The assertion that "apostle" was a name to designate the "missionary" (as A. Wikenhauser claims in *Reallexikon für Antike und Christentum*, I, Leipzig 1942, p. 554) does not seem well-founded. The word "apostle" as a translation of *šaltah* "emissary" is also found in Jewish texts (Wikenhauser unjustly denies this, *loc. cit.*, p. 555): cf. CIL, IX, 648, line 622 (J. B. Frey, *Corpus Inscriptionum Judaicarum*, I, Rome 1936, pp. 438–439, no. 611 [Venosa]). The inscription speaks of "duo apostoli et duo rebbites." The Theodosian Code mentions in a law of 399 (XVI, 8, 14) officials "whom they themselves call apostles, who are sent at certain times to collect gold and silver from the patriarchal see." Eusebius, *Comm. in Is.* 18:1: PG 24, 213–214, knows of Jewish apostles who carry encyclical letters from their authorities, even to combat the Christian mission. Eusebius’ account is confirmed by Epiphanius, *Haer.* 30:4:2, ed. K. Holl, *Corpus Berolinense*, XXV, p. 338, lines 21–22 (cf. 4:11), who places them in close relation with the Jewish patriarch (cf. St. Jerome, *In Gal.* 1:1: PL 26, 335). J. B. Frey finds it difficult to accept such an interpretation for the Venosa inscription (*loc. cit.*, pp. cx and 439), but his skepticism does not seem plausible (the date: 9th century, according to Lietzmann, does not appear to be well-founded).
For legends and apocrypha: see the entries on individual apostles; for the names of the apostles, see *CATALOGO DEGLI A.*
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Billerbeck, *Kommentar zum N. T. aus Talmud und Midrasch*, III, Munich 1926, p. 2 sq. — For apocryphal narratives and legends concerning the apostles: R. A. Lipsius, *Die apokryphen Apostelgeschichte und Apostellegenden*, 3 vols., Brunswick 1883–90; R. A. Lipsius–M. Bonnet, *Acta Apostolorum apocrypha*, Leipzig, I (1896) and II (in two parts, 1893 and 1903); Th. Schermann, *Protheten- und Apostellegenden* (*Texte u. Unters.*, 31, III), Leipzig 1907.