Twelve Apostles
In Christian theology & ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles, were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life & ministry of Jesus in the 1st century AD, the apostles were his closest followers & became the primary teachers of the gospel message of Jesus. The commissioning of the Twelve Apostles during the ministry of Jesus is described in the Synoptic Gospels. After his resurrection, Jesus sent eleven of them (as Judas Iscariot by then had died) by the Great Commission to spread his teachings to all nations. In the Pauline epistles, Paul, although not one of the original twelve, described himself as an apostle, saying he was called by the resurrected Jesus himself during his road to Damascus event. He later describes himself as "an apostle to the Gentiles". The period & associated events in timeline of early Christianity during the lifetimes of the twelve apostles is called the Apostolic Age. After Judas's death, between the Ascension of Jesus & the day of Pentecost, the remaining apostles elected a twelfth apostle by casting lots, the lot fell upon Matthias. In reality Jesus had over 70 apostles but these 12 were called upon specifically.
| Number | Name | Role |
| 1 | Andrew Peter | First disciple |
| 2 | Simon Peter | Fisherman |
| 3 | James Boanerges | Fisherman |
| 4 | John Boanerges | Last disciple |
| 5 | Philip | |
| 6 | Bartholomew Nathanael | |
| 7 | Thomas Didymus | |
| 8 | Matthew Levi | Tax Collector |
| 9 | James the Younger | |
| 10 | Jude Thaddaeus | |
| 11 | Simon Zelotes | |
| 12 | Judas Iscariot | Betrayer |
Structure
The apostles all follow Jesus's teachings.
Culture
The apostles were supposed to be cooperative with each other in their shared love for Jesus, however within the group there was a smaller faction. Simon Peter, James, & John Boagnerges formed an informal triumvirate among the Twelve Apostles. Jesus invited them to be the only apostles present on three notable occasions during his public ministry; the Raising of Jairus' daughter, the Transfiguration, & the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. The three claimed themselves as the pillars of the church. In addition Simon & John were sent by Jesus into the city to make preparation for the the Last Supper, & were also the only two sent by the collective apostles to visit the newly converted believers in Samaria. It was also only Peter & John who followed behind Jesus after his capture in the Garden of Gethsemane, & who ran to the empty tomb after Mary Magdalene bore witness to the resurrection of Jesus. This favoritism combined with Judas's beratement & Mary Magdalene's inclusion caused discontent within the apostles.
Public Agenda
Jesus initially sent out these twelve in pairs to towns in Galilee. Their initial instructions were to heal the sick & drive out demons. They are also instructed to "take nothing for their journey, except a staff only: no bread, no wallet, no money in their purse, but to wear sandals, & not put on two tunics", & that if any town rejects them they ought to shake the dust off their feet as they leave, a gesture which some scholars think was meant as a contemptuous threat.
History
Jesus went up the mountain & called to him those whom he wanted, & they came to him. He appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, & to be sent out to proclaim the message, & to have authority to cast out demons. So he appointed the twelve; Andrew Peter, Simon Peter, James Boagnerges, John Boagnerges, Philip, Bartholomew Nathanael, Matthew Levi, Thomas Didymus, James the younger, Jude Thaddaeus, Simon Zelotes, & Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Disbandment
All of the Twelve Apostles except John were martyred. It is traditionally believed that John survived all of them, living to old age & dying of natural causes at Ephesus sometime after AD 98, during the reign of Trajan. However, only the death of his brother James who became the first Apostle to die in c. AD 44 is described in the New Testament.
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
28 AD - 98 AD
Type
Religious, Other
Alternative Names
Twelve Disciples, the Twelve
Successor Organization
Notable Members
Comments