A Thought From Scripture.
Jesus had twelve disciples, but we know a larger number of people, including some women (Mark 15:40; Luke 23:55), were associated with him in his work. Because Jesus was calling Israel back to its true faith in God, there had to be twelve designated apostles as a symbol of the fulness of the twelve tribes. But the membership in this group may have been a bit fluid, since we have as least fifteen names plus Matthias, who was enrolled after the Resurrection:
Simon (Bar-Johan, matt. 16;17, also called Peter)
Andrew, brother of Simon
James, son of Zebedee
John, son of Zebedee
Philip
Bartholomew
Thomas (called the Twin, John 20;24)
Matthew
James, son of Alphaeus
Thaddaeus
Simon the Cananaean (or Zealot, Luke 6:15)
Judas Iscariot
Levi (Luke 5;27,usually equated with Matthew)
Nathanael of Cana
Judas, son of James (Luke 6:16; "not Iscariot," John 14:22)
Matthias (replacing Judas Iscariot, Acts 1;26
2 comments:
Personally, I have never worried about how many then or now. What is your take on the office of the Apostle in today's time?
I do not believe that there are apostles today nor was there an apostolic succession as some claim
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