Apostles, the twelve
apostles, the twelve
the twelve men chosen by jesus to follow him and to spread the gospel after his death. they included peter, james, john, thomas, matthew, and judas iscariot (who was later replaced). paul, even though he was not one of the twelve, is generally considered an apostle because of his crucial role in the spread of christianity.
note: in general usage, an apostle is someone who preaches or promotes a cause, particularly a religious one. the term also connotes a disciple.
Read Also:
- Apostleship
any of the early followers of jesus who carried the christian message into the world. (sometimes initial capital letter) any of the original 12 disciples called by jesus to preach the gospel: simon peter, the brothers james and john, andrew, philip, bartholomew, matthew, thomas, james the son of alpheus, thaddaeus, simon the zealot, judas iscariot. […]
- Apostolic age
the earliest period of christianity, lasting through the death of the last apostle.
- Apostolic church
the christian church as founded by the apostles. (def 2).
- Apostolic delegate
a representative of the pope in a country that has no regular diplomatic relations with the vatican. noun (rc church) a representative of the pope sent to countries that do not have full or regular diplomatic relations with the holy see
- Apostolic fathers
the fathers of the early christian church whose lives overlapped those of any of the apostles. the collection of works attributed to them. plural noun the fathers of the early church who immediately followed the apostles