APOSTLE (a-pos's'1). (Gr. 'Aaba.roXos, trfi-os'to/ os, one sent).
(1) In General. It occurs only once in the Septuagint (1 Kings xiv :6), and there, as uni formly in the New Testament, it signifies a per son sent by another, a messenger (Heb. :1, 2).
(2) Hebrew. It has been asserted that the Jews were accustomed to term the collector of the half-shekel, which every Israelite paid annu ally to the Temple, an apostle; and we have better authority for asserting•that they used the word to denote one who carried about encyclical letters from their rulers. It is even yet a custom among the Jews to call those who carry about circular letters from their rulers by the name of 'apostles.' To this use of the term Paul has been supposed to refer (Gal. i:1) when he asserts that he was 'an apostle, not of men, neither by men'—an apos tle, not like those known among the Jews by that name, who derived their authority and received their mission from the chief priests or principal men of their nation. The import of the word is strongly brought out in John xiii :16, where it occurs along with its correlate, 'The servant is not greater than his Lord, neither he who is sent greater than he who sent him.' (3) Christian. The term is generally employed in the New Testament as the descriptive appella tion of a comparatively small class of men, to whom Jesus Christ entrusted the organization of his church and the dissemination of his religion among mankind At an early period of his min istry he ordained twelve of his disciples that they should be with him. These he named apos tles. Some time afterwards he gave to them power against unclean spirits to cast them out, and to heal all manner of disease; and he sent them to preach the kingdom of God (Mark iii :14; Matt. x:1-5; Mark vi :7; Luke vi:13 ; ix:1). To them he gave the keys of the kingdom of God, and con stituted them princes over the spiritual Israel, that 'people whom God was to take from among the Gentiles, for his name' (Matt. xvi :19; xviii : 18; xix :28; Luke xxii :28-3o). Previously to his death he promised to them the Holy Spirit, to fit them to be the founders and governors of the Christian church (Luke xxiv :49; John xiv :16, 17, 26, 28; xv :26, 27; XVI :7-15). After his resur rection lie solemnly confirmed their call. saying:
As the Father bath scut me, so I send you, and gave them a commission to preach the gospel to every creature (John xx :21-23 ; Matt. xxviii :18 2o). After His ascension (Acts ii), on the day of Pentecost, he communicated to them those supernatural gifts which were necessary to the performance of the high functions lie had com missioned them to exercise; and in the exercise of these gifts they, in the Gospel history and in their epistles, with the Apocalypse, gave a com plete view of the will of their Master in reference to that new order of things of which lie was the author.
There was among the apostles no external dis tinction of rank; indeed, the whole teaching of Jesus was directed to do away with all such dis tinction, had it been otherwise possible for it to exist (Matt. XX :24, 27, sq.; XXiii:11, 12; Alark 35; x:44). Nevertheless, there appears to have been a difference of character and standing among them in respect to influence and activity, so far as this, that Peter, and James, and John act a more prominent part than any of the others, both during the lifetime of Christ and also after his death, when they became especially pillars in the church at Jerusalem (Gal. ii :9).
The names of the twelve apostles are: t. Peter. 8. Matthew (Levi).
2. Andrew. 9. Simon.
3. John. to. Jude (Lebbeus, 4. Philip. Thaddeus).
5. James Major. it. James Minor.
6. Bartholomew. 12. Judas Iscariot.
7. Thomas.
The last betrayed his Master; and, having hanged himself, Matthias was chosen in his place (Acts i:15-26).
They were, for the most part at least, Gali leans, and from the lower class of society. The greater part of them were fishermen, who prose cuted their employment on the shores of the lake of Tiberias. Matthew was a publican or tax gatherer employed by the Romans; an occupation regarded by the Jews in general with the utmost contempt and abhorrence. They were 'unlearned and ignorant men' (Acts iv :13), and Paul justly regards it as a proof of the wisdom and power of God that he had chosen, through the preaching of unlearned men, to overthrow the whole edifice of human wisdom, and lead the world to the light of truth (i Cor. i :19, 27, seq.).