LIFE TOGETHER: AN INTERACTIVE STUDY OF 1 CORINTHIANS

APOSTLE

The term “apostle” is a translation of the Greek word apostolos, which is rooted in the word apostellein, meaning “to send.” In the New Testament, apostellein always emphasizes the authority and responsibility of the sender. The apostle is therefore a person who is commissioned and sent forth by the sender with full authority to act on behalf of the sender. The term apostle is used by the Church to refer to individuals who are specifically sent by God to share the Gospel with non-Christians, and to establish churches in the areas in which they engage in their apostolic work.

The foremost apostle is Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 3:1, Jesus is described as “the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.” The term apostle can be applied to Jesus because, as He often stated, He was sent by the Father (for example, see John 5:23, 30, 36, 37; 6:39, 44, 57; 8: 16, 18, 29, 42).

The term apostle is most commonly used for the twelve Disciples who followed Jesus and, most importantly, witnessed that He was resurrected (Acts 1:21-22); because the number of Apostles was to be twelve, St. Matthias replaced Judas Iscariot (1:26). The twelve Apostles were specially commissioned by Jesus to preach, and were given the power to heal diseases and exorcise demons (Mark 3:13-19; Matthew 10:1-4; Luke 6:12-16), and before His Ascension were commissioned to go forth into the world preaching, baptizing, and teaching (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-18; Luke 24:44-49).

St. Justin the Philosopher (more popularly known as St. Justin Martyr) wrote in the second century about these Apostles, “When they had seen Him ascending into heaven, and had believed, and had received the power He sent upon them from heaven, they went to every race of men. And they taught these things and were called apostles.”

St. Paul was appointed to be an apostle by the resurrected Christ (Galatians 1:1); he was therefore given a miraculous witness to the fact of Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 26:16-18; 1 Corinthians 1:9). St. Paul explains both his role and function as an apostle with great humility:

For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. (1 Corinthians 15:9-11).

Apostleship is listed first among the spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11). The primary responsibilities of an apostle were preaching, teaching, and overseeing the life of the Christian communities they founded. St. Paul’s epistles clearly demonstrate how he fulfilled these responsibilities.

The Church also recognizes specific saints as “Equal to the Apostles” for their great missionary work. Among these saints are St. Mary Magdalene, Ss. Constantine and Helen, St. Nina, Ss. Cyril and Methodius, St. Olga, St. Vladimir, and others.

Orthodox bishops are successors to the apostles. The “Apostolic Succession” of the bishops means that their consecration to the episcopacy can be traced back to the original Apostles; in other words, the Apostles consecrated individuals to be bishops, who consecrated later individuals, down through the centuries to the present bishops. Furthermore, our bishops teach and practice the apostolic faith: the Orthodoxy they teach and maintain is the same faith handed down from the Apostles (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-3).