Hombres del pote de flor

This article relates to the description of the apostles. the apostolic adjective corresponds to this name.

Direction of the word Apostle

Apôtre comes from the Greek apostolos who usually indicates the achievement of a mission, or the letters describing this mission. It is only in the Greek Bible of the Seventy that this word is applied to people (1R 14,6); it translates Hebrew shaliah , with the direction of " envoy plénipotentiaire". It is in New Testament that the word apostle is generally employed. He applies to three categories of quite distinct people:

witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus, sent to announce this event.
One of the ministries of the primitive Church.
Only once in the Gospel (MT 10,2): the group of the Twelve chosen by Jesus " to be with lui" and symbolically to mean the people of the end of time (MT 19,28).

Apostles, witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus

The first direction of the word apostle, or at least that which is in the past attested in the New Testament, designates the witness of the Resurrection of Jesus. It is the title which Paul allots in the letter to the Galates, written in the years 1950. In the letter with the Romans, he says " put aside to announce the Gospel of Dieu" , " to lead to the obedience of the faith all the people païens" : it thus locates its mission like fundamental in the Church, at the sides of the other witnesses of Resurrection who are the Twelve and some family members of Jesus (such as Jacques, brother of the Lord ), apostles them too.

The apostolic ministry in the primitive Church

The New Testament also testifies to a conceived apostolate, in the first Church, like one of the essential ministries.

The letters of Paul (e.g. 2 Co 11,13) speak about " forgery apôtres". The first apostolic example of text is undoubtedly the apostolic Lettre sent to the Église of Antioche following the speeches of Pierre (ac 15,7-12) and Jacques (ac 15,13-21) on the decision of the Concile of Jerusalem on the observance of the traditional rules of the Judaïsme, in particular the Circoncision (towards 50).

The texts are not always explicit on the contents of this ministry, which one can think that it comprised a dimension itinerant missionary: thus the Didachè (11, 3-6) attests of their existence in Syria at the beginning of the 2nd century.

The rule of the apostolic Tradition was defined by Saint Hippolyte of Rome at the beginning of the 3rd century.

It is on the existence of this ministry for the ancient Church that Calvin will rest to restructure the ministries Churches of the Réforme.

the apostolic ministry today

The apostolic ministry does not exist today any more in its primitive form; the apostles, with the strong direction of the term, designates the twelve witnesses of the ressuscity, chosen by Jesus during his ministry, to which Paul is added, “the last of the apostles” (1 Horn 15:8). It is them which are agents of the base of the universal Church (Ep 2:20), having consigned in writing in New Testament, the final and final revelation of God for the Church of all times. However, parallel to the twelve, the title “of apostles” also applies to other individuals, like Barnabas (Act 14:4,14), Sylvain and Timothée (1Th 2:7), Andronicus and Junia (Romanian 16:7), all collaborators of the Paul apostle. In 1 Horn 15:6 - 7, Paul mentions a group “of apostles” with share “of the twelve”, and the 500 pilot brothers of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. These “other apostles” are introduced like to have seen Christ ressuscity; and one can affirm the same thing for Barnabbas, Andronicus and Junia; however, the text of 1 Horn 15, does not mention the 500 witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus like apostles; it thus seems that there are other additional conditions to deserve this title; moreover, Timothée did not see Ressuscité, Sylvain perhaps but nothing is less sure; and yet, Paul seems to regard them as “apostles of Christ” (1 Th 2:7). Both accompanied Paul in his voyages missionaries besides to announce the Gospel and to found new churches. On the basis of these data, one can thus affirm the existence of an apostolic ministry, which seems to find all its legitimacy and its prolongation today, with the proviso of differentiating it rigorously, of the apostolate founder and specific “of the twelve”, for which one cannot consider succession. The apostle (with the weak direction) has as a function essential to announce the Gospel in virgin ground to establish new churches; nowadays, it is indicated under the term of “itinerant missionary”, “pioneer founder of churches”; as of the birth of the new church, it tries to form and establish the old ones and persons in charge, able to direct the community. It can then reasonably think of a new foundation of church; “sent” in another situation pionnière, it remains nevertheless in close contact with the churches already create, visiting them regularly to encourage them to progress in the faith. The apostolic ministry today includes/understands also an important pastoral function because it is a question of building, of organizing and of directing the new community in place; the pioneer should not however deviate from his vocation first, which is to keep and develop a vision and an action constant missionary. The conditions of exercise of this apostolic ministry and the strategies of establishment of churches can vary and evolve/move according to the situations met and the statute of " the apostle envoyé" ; as a member of a mission, this one can change area radically, see country according to the growth of the church where it is, but also according to the orientations and of the projects of the mission. He can also be sent by his church of fastening in a new situation pionnière, in order to establish " churches filles" ; its role will be able to evolve to the creation of a network of new churches on a given territory; the work of follow-up, teaching, of formation, within the churches create, will be then facilitated by the geographical proximity of the existing communities. Beyond the pastoral concern for the development of these churches lately born, the missionary remains before all “Pasteur evangelist”, a “gagnor of hearts” to the image of Timothée, Sylvain, Barnabbas and “the other apostles”, who following the Paul Apostle were “apostle-missionaries” in their time.

Apostles and the group of the Twelve

Identification of the apostles to the group of twelve disciples chosen by Jesus " to be with lui" is undoubtedly a relatively late creation, as the existence of apostles external with this group shows it. The only passage of the Gospel where one speaks explicitly about the " Twelve Apôtres" is MT 10,2; cf also Ap 21,14, and ac 1,26. It is better thus to speak on their subject about Groupe about the Twelve : figure 12 is indeed essential to include/understand the role of these disciples constituent around Jesus a restricted circle with the strong significance symbolic system.

The Twelve are instituted by Jesus to be a distinguishing mark for Israel: they represent the new people such as it will be gathered by God at the end of times (MT 19,28); the figure twelve evoking the twelve tribes of Israel, but also the totality and the integrity of the people. He thus returns to the fact that Jesus received for mission of gathering the totality of the people and to lead it to its achievement.

The group of the Twelve residence after the Resurrection. After the treason and the death of Judas, the Eleven which remain decide to draw a disciple with the fate, Matthias, for " to become with us pilot of the résurrection". They are, with other disciples, the recipients of the gift of the Spirit to the Pentecost (ac 2). Pierre and Jean are considered, with Jacques " brother of Seigneur" who seems to hold in the Church of Jerusalem the central place, like " columns of Église" (cf Gall 2,9).

After the death of the last member of the Twelve, this group is not renewed any more. The catholics and the orthodoxe ones regard the bishops as the successors of the Apostles, and attach an particular importance to the fact that the bishops are located in the apostolic succession , i.e. the tradition to which they are attached goes back to the Apostles.

The Gospels of Matthieu, Marc and Luc tell the vocation of these twelve disciples of Jesus de Nazareth chosen and give their list in the following way:

Matthieu

Marc

Luc

See Too

Gospel
Bible
Christianity
apostolic Apostolate
Constitution
Priesthood

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