Apostle And Apostleship
Foundation Scriptures
Apostle the word
General/Secular use
From Herodotus on, apostolos refers to the bearer of a message, such as the herald sent by Alyattes to Miletus (1.21). Varus authorizes a “delegation” (ton apostolon) of Jews to Rome (Josephus, Ant. 17.300, the only occurrence; 1.146 is very poorly attested). The word means someone sent on a mission out of the country, or an “expedition,” or a group of colonists (Dionysius of Halicarnassus 9.5).
Greek Usage. The Greek word for “apostle” is not used outside the NT in the same sense as it is in the NT. It is derived from the verb “to send” and is at home in the language of the sea meaning a particular “ship” or “group of ships,” a “marine expedition” or “the leader” of such. Its usage is almost always impersonal and thoroughly passive. There is no hint of personal initiative or authorization, merely the connotation of something being sent. Later papyri use the word to mean “bill” or “invoice” or even a “passport,” continuing to reflect the vocabulary of maritime affairs.
None of these meanings from everyday or legal parlance, except for the basic meaning “envoy, emissary,” can explain the extreme theological density of this term in the NT, especially in St. Paul. Paul’s usage presupposes a Semitic substrate, namely that of the šaliaḥ, an institution apparently going back to Jehoshaphat. This person is not a mere envoy but a chargé d’affaires, a person’s authorized representative; his acts are binding upon the “sender.”11 At this point the principal and the proxy are equivalent: “A person’s šaliaḥ is as the person himself.”
Scriptures
What Is An Apostle?
In the New Testament, apostle was used to designate a special group among the disciples. Out of Jesus’ seventy-two disciples, he selected twelve to be His apostles. These were the men who were sent by Jesus to take his message to the world and then raise up churches (Matt. 10:1–4; Mark 3:13–19; Luke 6:12–16). They maintained a particularly close relationship with Jesus, received private instruction, and witnessed His miracles and controversy with the Jewish authorities. On one occasion, Jesus sent these men out to preach the message of repentance, to cast out demons, and to heal the sick—that is, to minister in ways that were characteristic of His own work (Matt. 10:1–15; Mark 6:7–13, 30; Luke 9:1–6). This relationship between Jesus and His apostles is best expressed in the saying, “The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me” (Luke 10:16, NASB). Jesus makes it quite clear that the purpose of the twelve disciples is not merely to share Jesus’ teachings with others, but to also represent His very person. After the resurrection, Jesus commissioned the Twelve to proclaim the gospel. Only those who had been with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry to His resurrection were qualified to be His apostolic witnesses (Acts 1:21–22). Paul qualified because he had seen the risen Christ (1 Cor. 15:4–10). His apostleship was accompanied by a great deal of suffering, including false teachers in the Corinthian church who doubted his authority. Thus, in 2 Corinthians, Paul had to repeatedly defend the genuineness of his apostleship.
Paul’s writings demonstrate two characteristic uses of the word “apostle.” On occasion, it refers to persons authorized by local congregations and entrusted with the safe delivery of specific gifts for other members of the Christian community (2 Cor. 8:23; Phil. 2:25). The other meaning is far more common and refers to those who are the “sent ones of Jesus Christ” (Rom. 16:7; 1 Cor. 9:1, 5; 12:28; Gal. 1:17–19). Apostles are the chosen vessels of Christ’s message and love.