J. C. Lambert.
APOSTLE.— The term 'Apostle' (Gr. dTrocrroXos) is more definite than ' messenger ' (Gr. &yye\os) in that the apostle has a special mission, and is the commissioner of the person who sends him. This distinction holds good both in classical and in biblical Greek. There is no good reason for doubt- ing that the title ' apo.stle ' was given to the Twelve by Christ Himself (Lk 6i»=Mk 3'-', where 'whom he also named apostles ' is strongly attested). That the title was used in the first instance simply in reference to the temporary mission of the Twelve to prepare for Christ's own preaching is a conjecture which receives some support from the fact that, in the Apostolic Church, Barnabas and Paul are first called 'apostles' (Ac 14*- ") when they are acting as envoys of the Church in Antioch in St. Paul's first missionary journey. On this hypothesis, the temporary apostlesliip, though not identical with the permanent office, was typical of it and pre- paratory to it (Hort, The Christian Ecclesia, 1897, p. 28f.). _
There is fundamental agreement between the work of the apostles during Christ's ministry and their Avork after the Ascension : their functions undergo no radical change. But the changes are considerable. Christ chose tliem in the first in- stance (Mk 3") 'that they might be with him,' to be educated and trained, ' and that he might send them forth to preach ' and do works of mercy
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Instruction is the main thing, and ' disciples ' is the usual designation ; mission work is secondary and temporary. After the Ascension their mission work becomes primary and permanent. Apostle- ship is now the main thing ; in Acts 'apostles' is the dominant ajipellation, and in the Epistles ' disciples ' are not mentioned. Instead of being led and guided, the Twelve now become leaders and guides ; or rather, instead of having a visible Guide, they now have an invisible one — instead of Jesus, ' the Spirit of Jesus ' (Ac 16^), who helps them to lead others. The guidance of the Spirit is the dominant idea in the Apostolic Church. Nevertheless, the other way of stating the change is true ; they have become teachers rather than disciples. But the purpose is the same ; their mission is unchanged. With enlarged experi- ence, with powers greatly augmented at Pente- cost, and with an enormously extended sphere of work, they have to make known the Kingdom of God. Cf. art. Disciple.
This extension of sphere is one of the special marks of the transfigured apostleship. It is no longer restricted to ' the lost sheep of the house of Israel,' but is to embrace ' all the nations ' through- out 'all the world.' The tentative mission to the inhabitants of Palestine at a peculiar crisis has be- come one wliich has no limitations of either space or time (Mt 28'^ Lk 24« Ac !«). But this uni- versality of spliere was not the only or the most important characteristic of the new mission. The chief mark was the duty of bearing witness. The Twelve seem to have been selected originally be- cause of their fitness for bearing witness. They were not specially qualified for grasping or ex- pounding theological doctrines ; nor were such qualifications greatly needed, for the doctrines wiiich the Master taught them were few and simple. Yet they had difficulty in apprehending some of these, and sometimes surprised tiieir Master by tlieir inability to understand (Mk 7'^ 8" 9=*-). But because of their simplicit}' they were very credible witnesses of wiiat they had lieard and seen. They had been men of homely circumstances, and their unique experiences as the disciples of Christ made a deep impression upon them, especially with re- gard to the hopeless sense of loss when He was put to death, and to the amazing recovery of joy when their own senses convinced them that He had risen again. They were thus well qualified to convince others. They evidently had not the wit to invent an elaborate story, or to retain it when it had been elaborated, and therefore what they stated with such confidence was likely to be true. They were chosen to keep alive and extend the knowledge of events that were of the utmost importance to man- kind— the knowledge that Jesus Christ had died on tlie Cross, and had risen from the grave. That He had died and been buried was undisputed and indisputable ; and all of them could te.stify tiiat tiiey had repeatedly seen Him alive after His burial. This was the primary function of an apostle — to bear witness of Christ's Resurrection (Ac l'^^ 4-- ^^), and the influence of the testimony was enormous. The apostles did not argue ; they simply stated what they knew. Every one who heard them felt that they were men who had an intense belief in the truth of what they stated. There is no trace in either Acts or the Epistles of hesitation or doubt as to tiie certaintj- of their knowledge ; they knew that their witness was true (Jn 21-^, 1 Jn V-'^). And tiie confidence with wliich they delivered their testimony was communicated to those who heard it all the more efiectually because, without any sign of collusion or conspiracy, they all told the same story. They difi'ered in age, temperament, and ability, but they did not differ when they spoke of what they had seen and heard.