apostle

St John the Evangelist, illustrated in the Lindisfarne Gospels. One of the apostles (the 12 disciples) of Jesus, John is thought to have written the Fourth Gospel and the Book of Revelation, both part of the New Testament of the Bible. John and his brother James, who grew up on the shores of Lake Galilee, were among the first disciples to be called by Jesus.

In the New Testament, any of the chosen 12 disciples sent out by Jesus, after his resurrection, to preach the gospel.

In the earliest days of Christianity, the term was extended to include some who had never known Jesus in the flesh, notably St Paul.

The qualifications for an apostle, in the full sense, are indicated in Acts 1.21-22: personal eyewitness to the life and resurrection of Jesus. An apostle also had to receive a commission either direct from Jesus or mediately through the other apostles, as in the case of Matthias who took the place of Judas.

The chief followers of the apostles are spoken of as ‘evangelists’ and ‘apostolic missionaries’.