Twelve (brief historical data from the life of the apostles of Jesus). Apostles

The wise faith of Jesus Christ attracted to him some of the best people of the Israeli people. Many, having heard his words, decided to become his disciples. When Jesus Christ was already 31 years old, he selected only 12 people from all his disciples. He designated them to be apostles of the new teaching:

1. Simon (Jesus called him Peter).

2.James (son of Zebedee, brother of John, because of their noisy disposition Jesus called them sons of thunder)

3.John (marriage of Jacob).

6.Bartholomew.

9.Jacob (son of Alpheus).

10. Thaddeus.

11.Simon the Zealot.

12. Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver).

The apostles called Jesus - Jesus the Nazarene Messiah.

According to the accepted Gospels, we know 12 apostles:

Peter (aka Simon and Cephas)

Andrew, he is the brother of Peter, and at first he is mentioned as a disciple of John the Baptist

John and James Zebedee were from Bethsaida.

Levway, nicknamed Thaddeus

Thomas the Twin The name Thomas is consonant with the Aramaic word twin)

Matthew was a tax collector

Bartholomew.

Jacob Alfeev is the leader of the last four.

Judah son of Jacob

Simon Zelot.

According to biblical teaching (New Testament), Jesus Christ had twelve apostles.







There are also apostles from the seventy, but their names are not so common.

I suggest you watch an educational video that tells the story of the election of the twelve apostles.

Jesus Christ had 12 apostles

Simon, called Peter

Jacob Zebedee

Bartholomew

Jacob Alfeev

Levway nicknamed Thaddeus

Simon the Canaanite

Judas Iscariot

There were 12 apostles.

Below, for your reference, are their names in the quote:

Surely, if you ask everyone you meet a similar question, most will remember the famous Judas, and without a doubt Matthew.

This question is interesting, first of all, if you study the Bible and try to understand it completely for yourself, and this is the path of light and clarity for a person.

There are two lists of apostles.

The first - the most famous - is the apostles from the twelve. These are the closest disciples of Jesus Christ.

1. Andrew the First-Called.

1. His brother Peter
2. John the Theologian
3. James, brother of John
4. Philip
5. Bartholomew
6. Matthew, publican
7. Jacob Alfeev
8. Thomas the Twin
9. Simon Zealot
10. Faddey Alfeev
11. Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Christ. He was replaced by lot by Matthias.

And there are also apostles from seventy. Jesus Christ chose them in the last year of his earthly life. As we read in the Gospel of Luke (which also applies to them)

Then some other followers of Jesus Christ, disciples of his disciples, were also included among them.

The Apostle Paul stands out separately, who, although he is one of the most revered, is not included in any of these lists.

There are twelve of the Chief Apostles, direct disciples of Christ, who believed in his teaching almost as soon as they heard it and immediately became companions. Then there were many more, disciples of disciples (they call them seventy). These are the first twelve -

Judas was then excluded from this list(. In general, the Christian teaching spread very quickly (I almost said that it was like a fire - but it was not a fire), it fell on well-prepared social soil - people living in very difficult, unbearable conditions wanted to have some kind of then an outlet... the confidence that relief will come in at least one of the worlds - if not in this, then in the next(.

But in fairness it must be said that there was strong resistance to this teaching on the part of the authorities, and

That is why there were such a large number of adherents, and among them were the apostles (and there were seventy of them in the second list).

Jesus' apostles were different, just like ordinary people.

For example, Peter was a fisherman, and Pavel was born to rich parents. Peter denied Jesus three times, but having repented, he was faithful to him and accompanied him throughout his life.

Paul is considered an enemy of Christ, Paul was completely different.

There were 12 apostles in total.

Here is a map of the path of the apostles and their names.



There were 12 close disciples of Christ who later became apostles. Their names are widely known and they are also called chief apostles. These include the Apostle Paul, who was not formally a disciple of Christ, but was considered the first of the apostles along with Peter and in fact the founder of Christianity. It was thanks to the efforts of Paul that the church was replenished with many apostles from the so-called list of 70. At first these were 70 disciples of Christ, whom he only took as disciples, but did not have time to teach anything, but later the disciples of the first disciples began to be added to this list of apostles. Very little is known about many of them; there is only a description of their appearance, which consisted only in the phrases old with a beard or young without a beard. Some of these 70 apostles fell into heresy, for example, Nicholas of Antioch was a follower of Simon Magus, others were included in confusion twice under different names. In the list below, Judas Iscariot, who was originally an apostle of the 12, has already been excluded and Matthias has been added instead, who was chosen by lot in the dispute with Barnabas



These are the ones that the Christian world knows about.

1) The Apostle Peter is also known in the Bible under the names Simon and Cephas

2) Andrew, Peter’s brother was first a disciple of John the Baptist

3 4) John and James of Zebedee, like Peter and Andrew, were also from Bethsaida.

5) Philip was also a native of Bethsaida

6) Philip had a friend Nathanael

7) Thomas the Twin - (the name Thomas is consonant with the Aramaic word twin)

8) Matthew was a tax collector

9)Bartholomew.

10) Jacob Alfeev is the leader of the last four.

11) Judah son of Jacob

12)Simon Zelotes.

13) Paul can also be counted among the famous apostles.

Jesus Christ had a total of twelve apostles, that is, close disciples.

Here are their names:

1.Andrey was the first, so he was called Andrew the First-Called.

1. Peter, he was the brother of Andrew the First-Called.

3 and 4 - two brothers John and Jacob. John later received the nickname Theologian and was Jesus' favorite disciple.

The rest, less significant, are Bartholomew, Philip, Saint Thomas, James Alphaeus, Matthew, Simon the Zealot, Judas and Matthias.

Apostles(from Greek άπόστολος - messenger, messenger) - the closest disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, chosen by Him and sent to preach the gospel of Kingdom of God and dispensations Churches.

The names of the nearest twelve apostles are as follows:

• Andrey(Greek Andreas, “courageous”, “strong man”), brother of Simon Peter, nicknamed in legend the First-Called, because, as a disciple of John the Baptist, he was called by the Lord earlier than his brother on the Jordan.
• Simon(Heb. shimon- “Heard” in prayer), son of Jonah, nicknamed Peter(Acts 10:5,18). Greek the word petros corresponds to the Aramaic kipha, rendered by the Russian word “stone”. Jesus confirmed this name for Simon after His confession as the Son of God in Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:18).
• Simon Canaanite or Zealot (from Aram. Kanai, Greek. zelotos, which means “Zealous”), a native of the Galilean city of Cana, according to legend, was the groom at whose wedding Jesus Christ and His Mother were, where Christ turned water into wine (John 2: 1-11).
• Jacob(from the Hebrew verb Akav- “to conquer”) Zebedee, son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of the Evangelist John. The first martyr among the apostles, put to death by Herod (42 - 44 AD) through the beheading (Acts 12:2). To distinguish him from James the Younger, he is usually called James the Elder.
• Jacob Jr., son of Alpheus. He was called by the Lord Himself to be one of the 12 apostles. After the descent of the Holy Spirit, he preached first in Judea, then accompanied St. to Apostle Andrew the First-Called in Edessa. He spread the gospel gospel in Gaza, Eleutheropolis and neighboring places, and from there he went to Egypt. Here, in the city of Ostratsina (a seaside town on the border with Palestine), he was crucified on the cross.
  (Many sources associate Jacob Alpheus with James, the brother of the Lord, commemorated by the Church at the Council of the 70 Apostles. Probably the confusion occurred due to the fact that both apostles were called James younger).
• John(Greek form Ioannes from euro name Yochanan, “The Lord is merciful”) Zebedee, son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of James the elder. The Apostle John was nicknamed the Evangelist as the writer of the fourth Gospel and the Theologian for his deep disclosure of Christian teaching, the author of the Apocalypse.
• Philip(Greek “horse lover”), a native of Bethsaida, according to the Evangelist John, “the same city with Andrew and Peter” (John 1:44). Philip brought Nathanael (Bartholomew) to Jesus.
• Bartholomew(from Aram. son of Talmay) Nathanael (Heb. Netanel, “Gift of God”), a native of Cana of Galilee, about whom Jesus Christ said that he was a true Israelite, in whom there is no guile (John 1:47).
• Thomas(aram. Tom, in Greek translation Didim, which means “twin”), famous for the fact that the Lord Himself allowed him to put his hand into His side and touch His wounds in order to eliminate his doubts about His resurrection.
• Matthew(Greek form of ancient Hebrew name Mattathias(Mattathiah) - “gift of the Lord”), is also mentioned under his Hebrew name Levi. Author of the Gospel.
• Judas(Heb. Yehuda, “praise of the Lord”) Thaddeus (Heb. praise), brother of the Apostle James the Younger.
• And betrayed the Savior Judas Iscariot (nicknamed after his place of birth in the city of Kariot), instead of whom, after the ascension of Christ, he was chosen by the apostles by lot Matthias(one of the forms of the ancient Hebrew name Mattathias (Mattatiah) - “gift of the Lord”) (Acts 1:21-26). Matthias followed Jesus from His baptism and witnessed His resurrection.

The apostle is also ranked among the closest apostles Paul, a native of the city of Tarsus in Cilicia, miraculously called by the Lord himself (Acts 9:1-20). Paul's original name is Saul (Saul, Hebrew Shaul, "asked (of God)" or "borrowed (to serve God)"). The name Paul (Latin Paulus, “lesser”) is the second Roman name adopted by the apostle after his conversion for the convenience of preaching in the Roman Empire.

Besides the 12 apostles and Paul, 70 more chosen disciples are called apostles Lord (Luke 10:1), who were not constant eyewitnesses and witnesses to the works and life of Jesus Christ. Tradition refers to the 70 apostles Brand(Latin for “hammer”, second name of John of Jerusalem) and Luke(short form of the Latin name Lucius or Lucian, which means “luminous”, “bright”).

The apostles who wrote the Gospel - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - are called Evangelists. The apostles Peter and Paul were the supreme apostles, that is, the first of the supreme ones.

Those who preached Christian teaching among the pagans, for example, Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine the Great and his mother Queen Helena, and Prince Vladimir of Kiev, are sometimes equated with the apostles.

Celebrating the memory of each of the 12 apostles of Christ separately, the Orthodox Church from ancient times also established the celebration of the Council of the Glorious and All-Praised 12 Apostles on July 13 (new style) (see). Also, on the previous day (July 12), a celebration takes place.

Apostles of Christ: Twelve
What are they?
You and I, dear ones, are starting to get acquainted with an extremely interesting and useful topic. We will talk about the Apostles of Christ.
Who are these people? The people who made up the group to whom Christ entrusted a sacred mission: to bring the Gospel to the whole world?
We will talk about each Apostle personally. Today is an introductory topic to our story, and then we will get acquainted with the Apostles of Christ by name.
Do not just discover for yourself through these essays the personality of each Apostle, but mentally turn to him with prayer, make yourself a friend in Heaven. Feel in your heart the closeness to us of these people, about whom we often undeservedly forget (maybe we still remember about Apostles Peter and Paul, and others...), but who, nevertheless, were the closest people to Christ (after Mother ).
Who are the Apostles?
"Apostle" (Greek) apostolos ) means "messenger". This famous Greek word denotes people called by Jesus Christ, who became His Disciples and sent by Him to preach the Gospel and to build the Church.
Why Twelve?
There is no doubt that Christ wanted to create a New people, which He called the Church. So, the foundation of this People was laid by the creation of the community of the Twelve."Twelve" was their name and essence. They are the representatives and harbingers of the New Israel, messengers to Israel today and its judges at the end of time. This explains the special nature of their calling, namely, to be a very specific circle that cannot be expanded at will. The importance of maintaining this number in its integrity while they carry out their mission is evidenced by at least the desire of the Apostles to restore the number after the betrayal of Judas (See: Acts 1, 15-26). Matthew is chosen to replace the fallen Judas.
The number 12 was not chosen by chance. The number 12 as the number of the tribes of Israel (according to the number of the sons of Jacob, from whom all the people of God descended) was a sacred number, denoting the “number of perfection.” It was this number that in the minds of the Jews began to mean the fullness of God's people. By the time of Christ’s preaching, only two and a half clans remained out of the twelve clans of Israel: Judah, Benjamin and half of Levi. The remaining nine and a half clans were considered extinct since the conquest of the Northern Kingdom (722 BC). Only at the advent of eschatological times, as the Jews believed, would God bring these disappeared, dissolved among others, assimilated peoples to their homeland and thus restore the people of God, consisting of twelve tribes. Christ’s election of the Twelve clearly indicates that this long-awaited time is coming, the eschatological era is coming.
However, instead of gathering these disappeared twelve generations somewhere, that is, instead of restoring the former, Old Israel, Christ creates a New Israel: the Church. For this purpose, Christ chooses 12 ancestors of the New People of God - the Apostles - and sends them into the world. The twelve form forever the foundation of the Church: “The wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Rev. 21:14).
Pre-Christian parallels with the New Testament Apostles
Since ancient times, attempts have been made to identify the Apostles of Christ with some institution that existed in pre-Christian times. Thus, it is known that the Jews sent authorized representatives to carry out certain tasks. They called them shaliach.
At a time close to the ministry of Christ, such envoys, authorized by the Sanhedrin, carried out communication between Jews scattered around the world and carried out other assignments. The Jews even had an important formula that helped them understand the place and meaning shaliach: “The messenger of man, like the one who sent” (Berachot V. 5). This formula showed that the messenger has the same legal rights as the one who sent him, that is, he speaks and acts as the sender himself would speak and act.
If we remember Christ’s statement on this topic, we will see that the Savior treats the mission of his messengers in the same way: “A servant is not greater than his Master, and a messenger is not greater than him who sent him” (John 13:16). They are His successors, the Apostles bring the Message of Christ as authorized representatives of Christ to the whole world.
However, while bringing the ministry of the Apostles closer to the institutions that existed in Judaism, they cannot be considered identical. The apostles received not legal rights, but grace; they were sent not for administrative purposes, but for charismatic ones. Their task: to be witnesses of Jesus Christ and continuers of His work. All the most important things (the Salvation of the world, the reconciliation of the world and man with God, the sending of the Holy Spirit, etc.) were accomplished by Christ, but the task of the Apostles is much more modest:
- inform the world about what happened;
- and thus allow every person to accept Salvation and grace.
Tasks of the Apostles
The Apostles ignite the souls of people with the Gospel, found Christian communities, and pray for the descent of the Holy Spirit on people.
The ministry of the Apostles is dynamic; it consists in spreading the Christian Gospel to the ends of the earth. “It is not good for us to leave the word of God and worry about the tables” (Acts 6:2), say the Apostles, emphasizing that they cannot even afford to take care of the needs of the Christian community in view of another, priority service for them - the ministry of the word. We read about the same thing in Ap. Paul, called by Christ Himself and received from Him the Apostolic appointment: “If I preach the gospel, then I have nothing to boast about, because this is my necessary duty, and woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Cor. 9:16)
If we remember this task of the unique Apostolic ministry, we will understand the categorical words of the ancient Christian document “Didache” (early 2nd century): “Concerning the apostles and prophets, according to the commandment of the Gospel, do this. Let every Apostle who comes to you be accepted as the Lord. But he should not stay more than one day, and if there is a need, then another, but if he stays three days, then he is a false prophet. When leaving, let the Apostle accept nothing except bread (as much as is needed) to his place of lodging for the night, but if he demands silver, he is a false prophet.”
We see that the Apostle is a person who should not know any life and no service other than the Gospel. His task is to found a community and bring people to Christ. The further care of the community lies with other people (bishops, priests), but the Apostle must hurry further, to where they still do not know about Christ. The Orthodox Church believes that the ministry of the Apostles in our world can still take place today. A number of people who went to new lands, preached in territories that did not know about Christ, sometimes with a threat to their lives, were named in the Church equal to the apostles. These are:
Mary Magdalene (preaching in Gaul - present-day France);
Nina (Georgia);
Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Helena (Italy and other lands);
Prince Vladimir and Princess Olga (Rus);
Bishop Nikolai (Kasatkin) (Japan), etc.
Why are these particular people called?
At all times, people have tried to understand: why did Christ call these particular people and not others to be His disciples? We can give any arguments for or against this or that idea, but it must be said that we do not know for sure why these and not others were called upon. “Then He went up the mountain and called to Him whom He Himself wanted; and came to Him. And he appointed twelve of them, that they might be with Him” (Mark 3:13-14). Whom he wanted- a key phrase for understanding why these, perhaps imperfect, or even downright unworthy ones, like Judas, were called, and not others.
This calling did not happen suddenly, not spontaneously. When Christ began His ministry, many people came to Him. Many considered themselves, to one degree or another, His disciples. Someone came, someone left...
The creation of the community of the Twelve most likely occurred in the second year of Christ's ministry. “In those days He went up the mountain to pray and spent the whole night in prayer to God. When the day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he named apostles” (Luke 6:12-13). From these words of Ap. Luke we see that the creation of this community was preceded by a conversation between Jesus and the Heavenly Father.
The Gospels recorded a touching moment of Christ’s explanation with the Apostles about the many confusing words and actions of Jesus: “From that time on, many of His disciples departed from Him and no longer walked with Him. Then Jesus said to the Twelve, “Will you also go away?” Simon Peter answered Him: Lord! who should we go to? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:66-68).
The Apostles are endowed with special grace-filled gifts
“Then He went up the mountain and called to Him whom He Himself wanted; and came to Him. And he appointed twelve of them to be with Him and to send them to preach, and so that they would have the power to heal diseases and cast out demons” (Mark 3:13-15).
About what Christ called whom he himself wanted, we already said. Now let's turn our attention to the second part of the above fragment. Christ creates a group of disciples so that they go to preach, and in order for their mission to be successful, so that people believe them, Christ gives the Apostles grace-filled opportunities.
The ability to work miracles, which the Apostles had in early Christian times, seems doubtful to many today, because today we do not observe such abilities. But this is not surprising. This is explained by the fact that the Apostles received special gifts of grace from Christ: “As you go, preach that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand; Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons; Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:7-8). These gifts contributed to the fact that the world believed in Christ and was inspired by the Gospel.
The Apostles were faced with an incredibly difficult task: to move the rusty wheel of human History...
The attitude of the world towards the Apostolic preaching
The Savior warned the disciples: “Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves” (Matthew 10:16). These words may seem unusual if we remember what was said to the Apostles who were going to preach in Galilee. This period of preaching was serene. The apostles were received in homes, listened to, and were shown respect... However, these words began to be perceived completely differently by the disciples when Christ was crucified and His name began to be blasphemed by the Jewish elders and spiritual leaders. In Israel itself, the Apostles began to be persecuted; their mission was even more terrible outside Israel, in pagan lands.
The Apostle Paul writes about his ministry: “I... was in labor... in wounds... in prison and many times at the point of death. Five times the Jews gave me forty stripes minus one; three times I was beaten with sticks, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the depths of the sea; I have been on travels many times, in dangers on rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from fellow tribesmen, in dangers from pagans, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the desert, in dangers at sea, in dangers between false brothers, in labor and in exhaustion, often in watching, in hunger and thirst, often in fasting, in cold and nakedness” (2 Cor. 11: 23-27).
Apostleship is a ministry that takes place in all times of the Church. Neither the lack of holy orders nor female gender is an obstacle to the exercise of this ministry (we have already said that those who have worked in the field of apostolic ministry and have succeeded are called equal to the apostles). However, every Christian who wishes to strive in the apostleship must remember that this service requires complete dedication and is fraught with difficulties and trials.
We can talk at length about the different facets of the Apostolic ministry, however, having revealed Gospel, let's take a closer look at the Twelve Pillars of our Faith.

Despite the fact that Christianity remains the leading religion in the territories of the countries of the former Soviet Union, many people are still poorly aware of the terminology of this belief. For example, some believers do not know the origin and meaning of the word “apostle” and would very much like to correct this unfortunate misunderstanding. If you are one of these types of people, then you have come to the right place. In this article you will find all the necessary information that interests you.

Apostle. What does this word mean?

This term has Greek roots. In order to answer the question “what is an apostle?”, it is necessary to know its original translation. Translated from Greek, the word "apostle" means "messenger", "disciple", "adherent" or "follower". In the context of gospel history, the word “apostle” was used to describe the disciples of Jesus Christ who spread his wisdom. Initially there were 12 of them: Peter, Andrew, James and John Zebedee, James Alphaeus, Bartholomew, Philip, Matthew, Simon the Zealot, Thomas, Judas Jacob and Judas Iscariot. After the betrayal and death of the latter, Matthew was chosen as the new apostle, so that the total number of disciples would again be 12.

After these events, Jesus Christ chose 70 followers, whose names are not mentioned in the Gospel. Among them are Mark, Luke, and also Paul, who became acquainted with the teachings of the Lord after his death and resurrection. Despite the fact that Paul was not initially associated with Christ and those around him, by his actions he fully demonstrated the true meaning of the word “apostle.” Thanks to him, Christian teaching spread widely throughout the Roman Empire.

In Orthodoxy, apostles are also called other saints who were involved in spreading the Gospel in pagan states and tribes (for example, St. Gregory the Illuminator, Apostle of Armenia). In church literature, such people bear the title of “equal to the apostles.”

But the above facts are not the only explanations of what an apostle is. In church terminology, this word also means a book that contains part of the Gospel and the Epistles of the Holy Apostles.

The original meaning of the concept "Gospel"

In addition to the question “what is an apostle?”, an equally common question is about the meaning of the term “Gospel”. Like the previous word, it is of Greek origin and literally means positive and good news. In ancient Greece, the word "Gospel" was used in the following cases:

1. To describe a gift to a messenger who brought good news.
2. To describe a sacrifice made to ancient deities in honor of receiving positive news.
3. To describe positive news.

Christian meaning of the concept "Gospel"

In church understanding it means the following:

1. The good news is that the Lord lifted the curse of the very first sin from humanity and told us how you can save your spiritual component.
2. A generalized name for the Savior’s teaching, which he gave to his disciples. The word "Gospel" describes the disciples' account of the activities of Jesus of Nazareth and his moral teachings. At the center of their story is the idea that Jesus is the head of the Kingdom of Heaven, the messiah and the redeemer of human sins.
3. In certain cases, this designation describes New Testament wisdom in the form of the Christian religion, telling about significant events in the life of the Son of God, as well as the morality that he preached and disseminated. Also, the word “Gospel” is used to interpret certain events that happened to Christ and the people around him.
4. The story is about the sacrifice that Jesus made in the name of all mankind, for the sake of its salvation and the further continuation of life in the Kingdom of God.
5. The word "Gospel", as well as its synonym "Good News", describes the spread of Christian ideals. Consequently, “Evangelization” is a full-scale missionary activity, the essence of which is the preaching of biblical teaching.

The Beginning of Christianity

You already know what “apostle” means. Now the time has come to talk about where exactly the disciples of Jesus Christ spread his teachings and what difficulties they encountered.

The government of the Roman Empire initially had a negative attitude towards the teachings spread by the followers of the true God. People who converted to Christianity were persecuted and severely punished for a long time for their worldview. The first Christians had to hide in the catacombs and, secretly from the authorities, spread the good news about the Savior. That is why fish was chosen as a symbol of the first followers of Christ - a sign of silence and silence.

Despite all the persecution and persecution, the young religion continued to spread throughout the territory of the powerful Roman state, attracting new followers. More and more people began to learn about Christ, the afterlife, the holy letter and what an apostle is.

Changes

Time passed, the persecution of Christians continued, but at a certain moment the government leadership of Rome decided to stop fighting the adherents of the new religious movement. After some time, Christianity received official approval from the authorities, and soon became the official religion of Rome. After these events, everyone knew the meaning of the word "apostle", as well as the philosophy that these people spread.

Impact on language and culture

As you might have guessed, such a popular word could not help but leave its mark in the language and culture of the Slavic peoples. You already know the original meaning and origin of the word “apostle”; now it’s time to talk about other uses of this term.

For example, the surname Apostle is very common among representatives of Eastern European peoples. This surname belonged to the dynasty of Ukrainian Cossacks, from which famous hetmans emerged, as well as the Russian family of the Muravyov-Apostolovs, who took part in the Decembrist movement. In addition, the word “apostle” denotes certain terms used in a particular field of activity. Among lawyers, for example, it was synonymous with the word “appeal.” In our times, “apostles” are called adherents of a certain idea who are 100% convinced of the correctness of their worldview.

At the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, this is what happened, as described by Luke: “When the day had come, he called his disciples and chose twelve from them, whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James Alphaeus and Simon, called the Zealot, Judas Jacob and Judas Iscariot, who later became a traitor.” Who are they, why and why were they chosen?

Crowds followed Jesus, especially after they saw His miracles. He selected from these hundreds or even thousands only twelve people who did not stand out in any way - neither by education, nor by occupation, or even by any special spiritual insight - the evangelists constantly tell how much they did not understand, how often they thought about their own, and not what Jesus told them.

John, however, gives one story about how after some sermon (and without any miracles) the people began to disperse... It is one thing to admire miracles, but quite another to follow the Teacher even on those days when there are no special spectacles or was. “Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Would you also like to go away?” Simon Peter answered Him: “Lord! who should we go to? You have the words of eternal life: and we have believed and known that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Maybe He noticed in them this desire for the Truth, this willingness to be with it to the end... Yes, they were extremely far from perfection, one of them (Judas Iscariot) would completely betray Him. But He was also given a chance, which means we have the right to assume that he made this most important and most terrible choice of his life later.

The Greek word itself apostolos means "messenger, messenger." This could be the name of a messenger sent with a message to another city, or even an ambassador whom the king sends to negotiate on his behalf. Such an honorary title went to very ordinary people, most of them were fishermen from Galilee! Christ chose these people and sent them to preach even before His crucifixion and resurrection, when, it would seem, they were not at all ready for this. They had to learn everything as they went along, and there were inevitable mistakes and doubts. The number twelve was also symbolic, it meant completeness: that was the number of “tribes”, that is, tribes in the Israeli people.

When one of the twelve, Judas Iscariot, turned out to be a traitor, the apostles decided to choose by lot another person from among the disciples of the “second rank” (he turned out to be a certain Matthias) to fill the vacant seat; Gradually, others were added to the twelve apostles, numbering seventy. Not all of them were acquainted with Christ during His earthly ministry, but their preaching and life itself fully followed the pattern that the first apostles showed.

In general, Scripture tells little about most of the apostles; we mainly learn about their fate from Tradition - for example, from their lives, which, of course, may not always be factually accurate in detail. And yet there is one book in the Bible that is dedicated to them - the Acts of the Apostles. She talks mainly about Peter and Paul, although she mentions other apostles as well. But the most important thing is that through these few examples she shows us the basic principles of the apostolic preaching and the very life of the disciples of Christ.

The sermon was a response to the call of Jesus “go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you” (Matthew ends his Gospel with these words) - in fact, it was the only specific the task He left for them.

Yes, but how to do it? The Book of Acts cites other words of Christ from the very beginning: “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.” These brief words sum up the whole essence of apostolic missionary work: they will act themselves, but the power of preaching will lie not in their own skills or outstanding achievements, but in the Spirit Whom they will accept - but the Spirit will also act through them. The sermon will begin in the most holy city; it will be addressed primarily to its own people (the Jews), but will not be limited to them. First, the apostles will go to neighboring nations (the Samaritans), and then they will reach countries about which they have not yet heard anything.

But the most important words are “you will be my witnesses.” The essence of the sermon will be witness to Christ, and not only verbal testimony. Their whole life will henceforth show people what new Christ brought into the world and what it means to be his disciple. It is no coincidence that this word, “witness” (in Greek martis), later came to mean a martyr - one who is ready to accept a painful death, if only in this way he can show Christ to people.

Then, about two thousand years ago, the apostles offered people a new teaching, wrote the history of the Church from scratch - today this will no longer work, Christianity is perceived as something long ago and well known. In addition, today we find ourselves the custodians of a huge historical and cultural heritage; it attracts people in itself, and often there is a desire to talk about it, and not about Christ. The apostles traveled light, without all this luggage... or did they travel with their own luggage? They came to the Jews, who were awaiting the coming of the Messiah - and then to the Hellenes, among whom these Jews lived (apparently, the first here were not pagans, but proselytes who accepted faith in the One and therefore were already familiar with the religion of Israel). The apostles spoke the language of the people of that time, answered their doubts and questions, said that their long-standing expectations had been fulfilled, and therefore they were heard.

Actually, at first they did not go on any missionary trips. They simply gathered together: they not only prayed, but also lived as a single community. And on the day of Pentecost the Spirit descended on them, and all who gathered from different countries for the holiday in Jerusalem heard the apostles speaking in their native languages. Some listened and thought, others considered the apostles drunk, but in any case, it was this event that became the true beginning of the mission. The community lived an authentic Christian life and was influenced by the Spirit - and this did not go unnoticed. Now it was necessary to explain to people what was so special about this community.

Peter's speech in the second chapter of Acts is a summary of the message that the apostles delivered to their fellow people of Israel. The apostle begins with the Old Testament prophecy and shows that it was fulfilled here and now. Then he speaks of only one thing: Christ. Amazing if you think about it! People were attracted by the miracle, they became interested in the community - and how easy it was to start explaining to them the rules of behavior, teaching them prayers, etc. But they, like clear window glass, did not attract glances to themselves, but allowed them to see the Main thing.

The sermon was a huge success: “those who willingly accepted his word were baptized, and about three thousand souls were added that day. And they continued constantly in the teaching of the Apostles, in fellowship and in the breaking of bread and in prayers.” Conversion marked the beginning of their church life, and in this life the apostles became mentors to the converts, but the book mentions this in passing, without specifying how exactly this all happened. She only emphasizes that the first Christians lived as a single community, not only prayed together, but also “were together and had everything in common.” It is this ideal that the communists will subsequently adopt, discarding faith as something superfluous.

The forms of church life are secondary for the author of the book: it will all somehow work out with the assistance of the Spirit, but how exactly is not too important. Without saying anything about worship, asceticism and other things that we consider paramount today, the author of the book, Apostle Luke (after all, he was a member of this community!) talks first of all about social service: how believers sold their property and divided it among themselves, how daily distribution of food to the poor was organized. It was for this purpose that deacons were first appointed - then this word essentially meant a social worker.

Probably, if the apostles had simply spoken, their preaching would not have been so successful. They set an effective example of a completely different life - and people wanted to become part of such a community. It is not surprising that the spiritual and political leaders of Judea saw in this community a challenge to their own well-being and authority. At first they tried to come to an agreement with the apostles, albeit from a position of strength: live for yourself as you want, that’s fine, just don’t say anything about Christ to the others. The apostles answered: “We must obey God rather than men.” They did not denounce the high priests, Pharisees and scribes for their sins, did not fight with them for power - they simply defended the right to be themselves and bring their teaching to people without resorting to violence and disorderly conduct.

Then violence was used against them: we read about prisons and executions, about persecutions that sometimes forced the apostles to disperse to surrounding cities, but this only meant that the space for preaching expanded. And one of the most furious persecutors named Saul himself converted to a new faith, taking the name Paul.

But his history is a special subject, and in future publications we will talk about individual apostles from among the twelve in the order in which they are mentioned in Luke.

Apostles(from the Greek ἀπόστολος - messenger, ambassador) - the closest disciples of the Lord, chosen by Him and sent to preach the gospel and dispensation.

The names of the nearest twelve apostles are as follows:

– Andrey(Greek Andreas, “courageous”, “strong man”), brother of Simon Peter, nicknamed in legend the First-Called, because, as a disciple of John the Baptist, he was called by the Lord earlier than his brother on the Jordan.
– Simon(Heb. shimon- “Heard” in prayer), son of Jonah, nicknamed Peter (). Greek the word petros corresponds to the Aramaic kipha, rendered by the Russian word “stone”. Jesus approved this name for Simon after confessing Him as the Son of God in Caesarea Philippi ().
– Simon Canaanite or Zealot (from Aram. Kanai, Greek. zelotos, which means “Jealous”), a native of the Galilean city of Cana, according to legend, was the groom at whose marriage Jesus Christ and His Mother were, where Christ turned water into wine ().
– Jacob(from the Hebrew verb Akav- “to conquer”) Zebedee, son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of the Evangelist John. The first martyr among the apostles, put to death by Herod (42 - 44 AD) through the beheading (). To distinguish him from James the Younger, he is usually called James the Elder.
– Jacob Jr., son of Alpheus. He was called by the Lord Himself to be one of the 12 apostles. After the descent of the Holy Spirit, he preached first in Judea, then accompanied St. to Apostle Andrew the First-Called in Edessa. He spread the gospel gospel in Gaza, Eleutheropolis and neighboring places, and from there he went to Egypt. Here, in the city of Ostratsina (a seaside town on the border with Palestine), he was crucified on the cross.
(Many sources associate Jacob Alpheus with James, the brother of the Lord, commemorated by the Church at the Council of the 70 Apostles. Probably the confusion occurred due to the fact that both apostles were called James younger).
– John(Greek form Ioannes from euro name Yochanan, “The Lord is merciful”) Zebedee, son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of James the elder. The Apostle John was nicknamed the Evangelist as the writer of the fourth Gospel and the Theologian for his deep disclosure of Christian teaching, the author of the Apocalypse.
– Philip(Greek “horse lover”), a native of Bethsaida, according to the Evangelist John, “the same city with Andrew and Peter” (). Philip brought Nathanael (Bartholomew) to Jesus.
– Bartholomew(from Aram. son of Talmay) Nathanael (Heb. Netanel, “Gift of God”), a native of Cana of Galilee, about whom Jesus Christ said that he was a true Israelite in whom there is no guile ().
– Thomas(aram. Tom, in Greek translation Didim, which means “twin”), famous for the fact that the Lord Himself allowed him to put his hand into His side and touch His wounds in order to eliminate his doubts about His resurrection.
– Matthew(Greek form of ancient Hebrew name Mattathias(Mattatiah) - “gift of the Lord”), is also mentioned under his Hebrew name Levi. Author of the Gospel.
– Judas(Heb. Yehuda, “praise of the Lord”) Thaddeus (Heb. praise), brother of the Apostle James the Younger.
– And betrayed the Savior Judas Iscariot (nicknamed after his place of birth in the city of Kariot), instead of whom, after the ascension of Christ, Matthias was chosen by the apostles by lot (one of the forms of the ancient Hebrew name Mattathias (Mattathia) - “gift of the Lord”) (). Matthias followed Jesus from His baptism and witnessed His resurrection.

Among the closest apostles is the Apostle Paul, a native of the city of Tarsus in Cilicia, miraculously called by the Lord himself (). Paul's original name was Saul (Saul, Hebrew Shaul, “asked (from God)” or “borrowed (to serve God)”). The name Paul (Latin Paulus, “lesser”) is the second Roman name adopted by the apostle after his conversion for the convenience of preaching in the Roman Empire.

In addition to the 12 apostles and Paul, 70 more chosen disciples of the Lord (), who were not constant eyewitnesses and witnesses to the deeds and life of Jesus Christ, are called apostles. Their names are not mentioned in the Gospel. In the liturgical tradition, on the day of the celebration of the seventy apostles, their names appear. This list was compiled in the 5th–6th centuries. and is symbolic in nature, it includes all the famous names of the followers and disciples of Christ, the apostles and apostolic men. Tradition refers to the 70 apostles as Mark (Latin for “hammer”, the second name of John from Jerusalem) and Luke (short form of the Latin name Lucius or Lucian, which means “luminous”, “bright”). Thus, on this day, not only the 70 apostles are remembered, but also the entire first Christian generation.