APOSTLE (Gr. 'Ar6o-roXos, from ciroarIXXce, to send forth). In Attic Greek the term is used to denote a fleet, or naval armament. It occurs only once in the Sept. (t Kings xiv. 6), and there, as uniformly in the New Testament, it signifies a person sent by another, a messenger. It has been asserted that the Jews were accustomed to term the collector of the half-shekel, which every Israelite paid annually 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. CEcumenius states that chroo-roXovs lb do-en, Sal 10P b8st ETTLY 10VaatOUS aVOACEPECP robs E7KUKXta ypc49.tara lrapfl px6v clvaxok4ogevovs, ' It is even yet a custom among the Jews to call those who carry about cir cular 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 apostle, not like those known among the Jews by that name, who derived their authority and re ceived their mission from the chief priests or prin cipal 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 (67r6o-roXos) greater than he who sent him.' The term is generally employed in the New Testament as the descriptive appellation of a com paratively 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 ministry he ordained twelve' of his disciples that they should be with him.' These he named apostles.' Some time after wards 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 constituted 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. 30). Previously to his death he promised to them the Holy Spirit, to fit them to be the founders and governors of the Christian church (John xiv.
17, 26 ; xv. 26, 27 ; xvi. 7-15). After his re surrection he solemnly confirmed their call, saying, haBWS drfrraXrd p 6 Mu*, Kciyal 7r4uro, 'As the Father bath sent me, so send I you; and gave them a commission to 'preach the Gospel to every creature' (John xx. 21-23; Matt. xviii. 18 2o). After his ascension he, on the day of Pente cost, communicated to them those supernatural gifts which were necessary to the performance of the high functions he had commissioned them to exercise; and in the exercise of these gifts, they, in the Gospel history and in their epistles, with the Apocalypse, gave a complete view of the will of their Master in reference to that new order of things of which he was the author. They 'had the mind of Christ.' They spoke 'the wisdom of God in a mystery.' That mystery 'God revealed to them by his Spirit,' and they spoke it 'not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth.' They were ambassadors for Christ,' and besought men, 'in Christ's stead, to be reconciled to God.' They authoritatively taught the doctrine and the law of their Lord ; they or ganized churches, and required them to keep the traditions,' i. the doctrines and ordinances de livered to them' (Acts ii.; I Cor. ii. 16 ; U. 7, to, 13 ; 2 Cor. V. 20; I Cor. xi. 2). Of the twelve origi nally ordained to the apostleship, one, Judas Iscariot, fell from it by transgression,' and Mat thias, who had companied ' with the other Apostles all the time that the Lord Jesus went out and in among them,' was by lot substituted in his place (Acts i. 17.26). Saul of Tarsus, after wards termed Paul, was also miraculously added to the number of these permanent rulers of the Chris tian society (Acts ix.; xxii.; xxvi. 15-18 ; I Tim. 1. 12 ; ii. 7 ; 2 Tim. 1. II).