apostle

apostle [Gr.,=envoy], one of the prime missionaries of Christianity. The apostles of the first rank are saints Peter , Andrew , James (the Greater), John , Thomas , James (the Less), Jude (or Thaddaeus), Philip , Bartholomew , Matthew , Simon , and Matthias (replacing Judas Iscariot ). Traditionally the list of the Twelve Disciples includes Judas and not Matthias, and the list of the Twelve Apostles includes Matthias and not Judas. St. Paul is always classed as an apostle, and so sometimes are a few others, such as St. Barnabas . The principal missionary to any country is often called its apostle, e.g., St. Patrick is the apostle of Ireland, and St. Augustine of Canterbury the apostle of England. For the Apostles' Creed, see creed ; for the Teaching of the Apostles, see Didache ; for the earliest account of their activities, see Acts of the Apostles .

Bibliography: See E. J. Goodspeed, The Twelve: The Story of Christ's Apostles (1957, repr. 1962).

Apostle (Gk., apostolos, ‘one sent out’).
1. An important early Christian title, used in two senses: (i) an authoritative missionary; and (ii) one of Jesus' chosen twelve disciples.

2. The name given to the Epistle in the Orthodox liturgy.

3. An official of the Catholic Apostolic Church.

Apostle Missionary sent out and empowered by divine authority to preach the gospel and heal the sick. Jesus commissioned his 12 original disciples to carry out the purpose of God for man's salvation (Mark 3, Matthew 10, Luke 6). The first qualification for being an apostle was to have “seen the Lord”. The 12 disciples thus became the first and original Apostles. The term is also applied in the New Testament to St Paul. In modern usage, it is sometimes given to the leader of the first Christian mission to a country. For example, Saint Patrick is described as the “Apostle of Ireland”.