Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Apostle |
ApostleNoun1. An ardent early supporter of a cause or reform; "an apostle of revolution". 2. Any important early teacher of Christianity or a Christian missionary to a people. 3. (New Testament) one of the original 12 disciples chosen by Christ to preach his gospel. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "apostle" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1050. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Bible | Apostle a person sent by another; a messenger; envoy. This word is once used as a descriptive designation of Jesus Christ, the Sent of the Father (Heb. 3:1; John 20:21). It is, however, generally used as designating the body of disciples to whom he intrusted the organization of his church and the dissemination of his gospel, "the twelve," as they are called (Matt. 10:1-5; Mark 3:14; 6:7; Luke 6:13; 9:1). We have four lists of the apostles, one by each of the synoptic evangelists (Matt. 10:2-4; Mark 3:16; Luke 6:14), and one in the Acts (1:13). No two of these lists, however, perfectly coincide. Our Lord gave them the "keys of the kingdom," and by the gift of his Spirit fitted them to be the founders and governors of his church (John 14:16, 17, 26; 15:26, 27; 16:7-15). To them, as representing his church, he gave the commission to "preach the gospel to every creature" (Matt. 28:18-20). After his ascension he communicated to them, according to his promise, supernatural gifts to qualify them for the discharge of their duties (Acts 2:4; 1 Cor. 2:16; 2:7, 10, 13; 2 Cor. 5:20; 1 Cor. 11:2). Judas Iscariot, one of "the twelve," fell by transgression, and Matthias was substituted in his place (Acts 1:21). Saul of Tarsus was afterwards added to their number (Acts 9:3-20; 20:4; 26:15-18; 1 Tim. 1:12; 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11). Luke has given some account of Peter, John, and the two Jameses (Acts 12:2, 17; 15:13; 21:18), but beyond this we know nothing from authentic history of the rest of the original twelve. After the martyrdom of James the Greater (Acts 12:2), James the Less usually resided at Jerusalem, while Paul, "the apostle of the uncircumcision," usually travelled as a missionary among the Gentiles (Gal. 2:8). It was characteristic of the apostles and necessary (1) that they should have seen the Lord, and been able to testify of him and of his resurrection from personal knowledge (John 15:27; Acts 1:21, 22; 1 Cor. 9:1; Acts 22:14, 15). (2.) They must have been immediately called to that office by Christ (Luke 6:13; Gal. 1:1). (3.) It was essential that they should be infallibly inspired, and thus secured against all error and mistake in their public teaching, whether by word or by writing (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Thess. 2:13). (4.) Another qualification was the power of working miracles (Mark 16:20; Acts 2:43; 1 Cor. 12:8-11). The apostles therefore could have had no successors. They are the only authoritative teachers of the Christian doctrines. The office of an apostle ceased with its first holders. In 2 Cor. 8:23 and Phil. 2:25 the word "messenger" is the rendering of the same Greek word, elsewhere rendered "apostle." Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The Christian Apostles were Jewish men who were (as indicated by the Greek word apostolos) "sent forth", by Jesus to preach Christianity to both Jews and Gentiles, across the world.
- Alternate meaning: See Apostle (Mormonism)
The original 12 apostles
According to the Gospels of Mark (3:16-19) and Matthew (10:2-4), the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus Christ near the beginning of his ministry were:The list in the Gospel of Luke omits Thaddaeus (6:13-16), but includes Judas, son of James; Thaddaeus is also called "Judas the Zealot" in some Old Latin translations of Matthew 10:3.
- Simon Peter
- Andrew
- James and John, the sons of Zebedee
- Philip
- Bartholomew
- Matthew (sometimes identified with Levi, son of Alphaeus)
- Thomas (a.k.a. Didymus or "the twin")
- James son of Alphaeus
- Thaddaeus (called in some manuscripts of Matthew Lebbaeus)
- Simon the Canaanite (called in Luke and Acts "Simon the Zealot")
- Judas Iscariot
The Gospel of John, unlike the Synoptic Gospels, does not offer a list of apostles, nor does the author even state their number. However, the following apostles appear in the fourth gospel: Andrew, Peter, Philip, Nathanael, Thomas, Judas "not Judas Iscariot", Judas Iscariot, the 'Beloved Disciple' (usually thought to be John himself), and "the sons of Zebedee (James and John)".
The 12th apostle
Judas Iscariot having betrayed Christ, and then in guilt hanged himself before Christ's resurrection, the apostles were then eleven in number.. According to Acts 1:23-26, between the ascension of Christ, and the day of Pentecost, the remaining apostles selected a twelfth apostle by casting lots. The lot fell upon Matthias, who then became the last of the "twelve apostles."
Additional apostles
In his writings, Paul also described himself as an apostle (e.g. Romans 1:1 and other letters); specifically he referred to himself as 'the Apostle to the Gentiles' (Romans 11:13). He also described some of his companions as apostles (Romans 16:7).The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews refers to Jesus as the first apostle of the Christian confession.
In the eighth century, the Anglo-Saxon Saint Boniface was named the "Apostle to the Germans." In the ninth century, saints Cyril and Methodius earned the title "Apostles to the Slavs." The word Apostle, in this sense, is precisely equivalent to a missionary of a Christian church.
Some saints are given the title "equal-to-the-apostles." The myrrh-bearing women, who went to anoint Christ's body and first learned of his resurrection, are sometimes called the "apostles to the apostles" because they were sent by Jesus to tell the apostles of his resurrection.
Many Charismatic churches consider apostleship to be a gift of the Holy Spirit still given today (based on 1 Corinthians 12:28). The gift is associated with church leadership or church planting.
See also apostolic succession -- New Testament
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Apostle."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
In Mormonism, an Apostle is a person ordained to be a special witness of Jesus Christ, to govern and administer to the entire Church and to hold the highest Priesthood authority in the Church for life. In Mormon theology, modern-day apostles have the same status and authority as the Biblical apostles.In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest and most well-known Mormon religion, there is a Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In addition, the three members of the First Presidency, the highest governing body of the Church, are considered to be apostles.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Apostle (Mormonism)."
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Judeo-Christian Revelation | Prophet; (seer); evangelist, apostle, disciple, saint; the Fathers, the Apostolical Fathers; Holy Men of old, inspired penmen. |
Learner | Disciple, follower, apostle, proselyte; fellow-student, condisciple. |
Teacher | Expositor; preceptor, guide; guru; mentor; (adviser); pioneer, apostle, missionary, propagandist, munshi, example; (model for imitation). |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | I am Bishop Mandible, Transultimate Apostle of the Antisecular Conclave of Clerics (Loom; writing credit: Brian Moriarty) | |
Movie/TV Titles | The Apostle of Vengeance (1916) D.N.A: Dark Native Apostle (2002) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Theater & Movies | |
Music |
|
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Apostle Islands National Seashore. Credit: NPS. |  | Oscar the apostle. Puck's "Wilde" dream of an aesthetic future for America / F. Opper. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Sand Island, Temple Gate, Apostle Islands, Wis. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Washington Arch, Apostle Islands, Lake Superior. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | "Stella Cove", Apostle Islands, Lake Superior. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Rock in Apostle Islands, Lake Superior. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Temple Gate, Apostle Islands, Lake Superior. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | The Sphynx, Apostle Islands, Lake Superior. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Section no. 1, The International Religious Congress of Triumph, The Church and Kingdom of God in Christ, lasting fifty days beginning July 20, 1919, Elder E. D. Smith, Apostle. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | The Death of St. Patrick, the apostle of Ireland. At the Monastery of Saul in Ulidia, March 17th A.D. 465, aged 78 years. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Scarlet Letter | Hawthorne, Nathaniel | Be, if thy spirit summon thee to such a mission, the teacher and apostle of the red men. |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | The apostle may be bold, but the bishop should be timid |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | He is called, as you know, the apostle of the Indies |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Civil Liberties | Uganda | There were no developments in the case of Nabi Besweri Kiswabuli, the apostle of the Issa Massiya religious group in Iganga district, who in 2000 was charged with assaulting and injuring Daniel Tusubira, a former follower, in 1999. The case was pending at year's end. (references) |
India | He said that "they should sever their links with the Mecca and the Pope and instead become swadeshi." Catholics took special exception to this; the Archbishop of Delhi pointed out that the Indian Christian church is 2,000 years old (traditionally dating from the Apostle Thomas), and that although the spiritual head was the Pope, the day-to-day administration of the church was entirely in Indian hands. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | OVEREAT, v. To dine. Hail, Gastronome, Apostle of Excess, Well skilled to overeat without distress! Thy great invention, the unfatal feast, Shows Man's superiority to Beast. John Boop |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Apostle" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 94.61% of the time. "Apostle" is used about 167 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 94.61% | 158 | 24,965 |
| Noun (proper) | 3.59% | 6 | 143,867 |
| Noun (common) | 1.2% | 2 | 245,945 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 0.6% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 167 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes names derived from the word "apostle". | |||
| Name | Gender | Language | Meaning |
| Apostolis | Male | Greek | An apostle |
| Apostolos | Male | Greek | An apostle |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references.
| |||
Expressions using "apostle": apostle of the Gentiles ♦ apostle Paul ♦ Apostle spoon ♦ Paul the Apostle ♦ Saint Andrew the Apostle ♦ Saint James the Apostle ♦ Saint John the Apostle ♦ Saint Matthew the Apostle ♦ Saint Peter the Apostle ♦ St James the Apostle ♦ St John the Apostle ♦ St Matthew the Apostle ♦ St Peter the Apostle ♦ Thomas the doubting Apostle. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "apostle": apostle-mentors. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "apostle"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | apostel. (various references) | |
Albanian | apostull (disciple), anëtar (acolyte, adherent, cardholder, confederate, entrant, member, puisne, supporter). (various references) | |
Arabic | حوارى, رسول (courier, emissary, herald, messenger, prophet), رائد إصلاح. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | апостол, поборник (combatant, veteran, vindicator). (various references) | |
Chinese | 使' . (various references) | |
Czech | apoštol. (various references) | |
Danish | apostel. (various references) | |
Dutch | voorvechter (champion), apostel. (various references) | |
Esperanto | apostolo. (various references) | |
Faeroese | ápostul. (various references) | |
Farsi | فرستاده (Emissary, Messenger, Sent), پیغ،امبر, حواری (Disciple), عالیترین مرجع روحانی , رسول (Messenger). (various references) | |
Finnish | apostoli. (various references) | |
French | apôtre. (various references) | |
German | Apostel (crusader). (various references) | |
Greek | απόστολοσ, απόστολος. (various references) | |
Hebrew | מ "י' "ת ח"ש". (various references) | |
Hungarian | apostol. (various references) | |
Indonesian | rassul. (various references) | |
Irish | aspal. (various references) | |
Italian | apostolo. (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 開祖 (founder, inventor, originator), 使' (disciple). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | しと (disciple, purpose for which money is spent, the way money is spent), かいそ (breaking up an organization, founder, inventor, originator, reorganization). (various references) | |
Manx | ostyl (disciple). (various references) | |
Papiamen | apòstel. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | apostleay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | apóstolo. (various references) | |
Romanian | apostol (acts, disciple), trimis (delegate, envoy, officer). (various references) | |
Russian | апостол. (various references) | |
Scottish | abstol. (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | apostol (disciple). (various references) | |
Spanish | apóstol. (various references) | |
Swedish | apostel. (various references) | |
Turkish | apostol, lider (Archpriest, captain, conductor, fugleman, fuhrer, head, headman, leader), havari (disciple, follower), öncü (advance, advance guard, advanced, avant garde, bannerbearer, high priest, initiator, pilot, pioneer, pole star, precursor, spearhead, trailblazer, vanguard). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | ревнитель (devotee), апостол (disciple), проповідник (ecclesiast, homilist, preacher, predicant, prophet, sermoner, teacher), прихильник (adherent, advocate, assertor, believer, encourager, endorser, friend, henchman, lover, patron, pretendant, protagonist, sympathizer, upholder), поборник (champion, devotee, protagonist, vindicator, zealot). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | người đề xướng cuộc cải cách. (various references) | |
Welsh | apostol (leader of a reform). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Greek | 700 BCE-300 CE | apostolos. (various references) |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | apostoli, apostolis, apostolorum, apostolos, apostolum, apostolus, pseudoapostoli. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | Romans Chapter 11, Verse 13 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Umin gar legw toiV eqnesin ef oson men eimi egw eqnwn apostoloV thn diakonian mou doxazw |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Vobis enim dico gentibus quamdiu quidem ego sum gentium apostolus ministerium meum honorificabo |
| Old English | 990 | West Saxon | Ic sprecie æt eow, hæðenum. Forþy ic eom hæðenum apostol, þynceð me min þegnscipe micel |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | But Y seie to you, hethene men, for as longe as Y am apostle of hethene men, Y schal onoure my mynysterie, |
| Renaissance English | 1526 | Tyndale | I speake to you gentyls in as moche as I am the Apostle of ye gentyls I will magnify myn office |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify my office: |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | But I say to you, Gentiles, in so far as I am the Apostle of the Gentiles, I make much of my position: |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Romans Chapter 11, Verse 13 |
| Cebuano | Karon magasulti ako kaninyong mga Gentil. Tungod kay apostol man ako ngadto sa mga Gentil, magapasidungog ako sa akong pag-alagad, |
| Chinese | 我 對 們 外 邦 人 說 這 話 ． 我 是 外 邦 人 的 使 ' 、 所 以 敬 重 我 的 職 分 ． " 敬 重 原 文 作 榮 耀 〕 |
| Croatian | Vama pak, poganima, velim: ja kao apostol pogana službu svoju proslavljam |
| Danish | Og til eder, I Hedninger, siger jeg: For så vidt jeg nu er Hedningeapostel, ærer jeg min Tjeneste, |
| Dutch | Want ik spreek tot u, heidenen, voor zoveel ik der heidenen apostel ben; ik maak mijn bediening heerlijk; |
| Finnish | Teille, pakanoille, minä sanon: Koska olen pakanain apostoli, pidän minä virkaani kunniassa, |
| French | Je vous le dis vous, païens: en tant que je suis apôtre des païens, je glorifie mon ministère, |
| German | Mit euch Heiden rede ich; denn dieweil ich der Heiden Apostel bin, will ich mein Amt preisen, |
| Hungarian | Mert néktek mondom a pogányoknak, a mennyiben hát én pogányok apostola vagyok, a szolgálatomat dicsõítem, |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | Tetapi sekarang baiklah saya berbicara kepada Saudara-saudara yang bukan Yahudi! Selama ini, sebagai rasul untuk bangsa-bangsa yang bukan Yahudi, saya sangat menjunjung tinggi tugas saya. |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Tetapi kepada kamu, yang asalnya daripada kafir, aku berkata, "Sepanjang aku ini menjadi rasul untuk orang kafir, aku memuliakan jawatanku, |
| Italian | Pertanto, ecco che cosa dico a voi, Gentili: come apostolo dei Gentili, io faccio onore al mio ministero, |
| Latvian | Un jums, pagâniem, es saku: Kamçr es esmu pagânu apustulis, es savu kalpoðanu pagodinâðu, |
| Maori | Ki a koutou, ki nga Tauiwi tenei kupu aku, I te mea he apotoro ahau ki nga Tauiwi, e whakanui ana ahau i taku mahi minita: |
| Norwegian | For til eder taler jeg, I hedninger! Så sant som jeg er hedningenes apostel, priser jeg mitt embede, |
| Rumanian | V`o spun vouq, Neamurilor: ,,Kntruckt sknt apostol al Neamurilor, kmi slqvesc slujba mea, |
| Russian | чБН ЗПЧПТА, СЪЩЮОЙЛБН. лБЛ б ПУФПМ СЪЩЮОЙЛПЧ, С ТПУМБЧМСА УМХЦЕОЙЕ НПЕ. |
| Shuar | Israer-shuarchatirmea, atumin uwempratin chichaman etserkatniun Yus akupkamu asan nu takatan ti takaajai. |
| Swahili | Basi, sasa nawaambieni ninyi watu wa mataifa mengine: Maadamu mimi nimekuwa mtume kwa watu wa mataifa mengine, ninajivunia huduma yangu, |
| Swedish | Men till eder, I som ären av hednisk börd, säger jag: Eftersom jag nu är en hedningarnas apostel, håller jag mitt ämbete högt -- |
| Uma | Lolita-ku tohe'i kutoa' hi koi' ompi' -ompi' -ku to bela-koi to Yahudi. Aku' toi suro Pue' Yesus, to nasuro mpokeni Kareba Lompe' hi koi' to bela-koi to Yahudi. Bago-ku toi kutu'u oa' hi tanuana' -ku. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "apostle": apostles, apostleship, apostleships. (additional references) | |
| |
"Apostle" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: alpestre, apistle, apolste, Aponte, aposlte, apostal, apostel, apostele, Aposteln, apostile, apostili, apostille, apostl, apostlye, apostol, apostole, postle. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "apostle" (pronounced upÄ"sul) |
| 4 | -Ä" s u l | colossal, docile, fossil, jostle, microfossil. |
| 3 | -s u l | antimissile, Axel, axle, basal, brasil, bristle, bustle, cancel, capsule, Castle, consul, council, counsel, diesel, dismissal, dispersal, dorsal, epistle, facile, fissile, gracile, gristle, Hansel, Hassel, hassle, housel, hustle, imbecile, stencil, tassel, Tattersall, tensile, Tercel, missal, missel, missile, morsel, mucosal, muscle, mussel, Nestle, parcel, Passel, pencil, pixel, Proconsul, rehearsal, reversal, rustle, Thistle, tinsel, tonsil, Tressel, trestle, tussle, universal, unsell, utensil, vassal, vessel, whistle, wrestle. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: pelotas. | |
| Words within the letters "a-e-l-o-p-s-t" | |
-1 letter: aslope, osteal, palest, palets, pastel, pelota, petals, plates, pleats, postal, sapote, septal, solate, staple, tepals. | |
-2 letters: aloes, altos, estop, lapse, leaps, leapt, least, lepta, lopes, lotas, opals, pales, palet, paseo, paste, pates, peals, peats, pelts, pesto, petal, plate, plats, pleas, pleat, plots, poets, poles, psoae, salep, sepal, septa, setal, slate, slept, slope. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-e-l-o-p-s-t" | |
+1 letter: apostles, outleaps, paletots, petalous, petrosal, polecats, polentas, polestar, potables, spoliate, tadpoles, tapholes. | |
+2 letters: allotypes, antelopes, antipoles, apetalous, apholates, calotypes, clodpates, conepatls, copulates, ectoplasm, gantlopes, lakeports, oppilates, palmettos, pantofles, pastorale, pectorals, pentanols, pilotages, plethoras, plottages, polestars, populates, portables, postulate, potlaches, preallots, saprolite, scapolite, soleplate, spoliated, spoliates, sporulate, spottable, stoppable, tabletops, telophase, temporals, toeplates. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Crosswords 3. Usage: Modern 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Slideshow 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Quotations: Fiction 8. Quotations: Non-fiction | 9. Usage Frequency 10. Names: Derived from 11. Expressions 12. Expressions: Internet | 13. Translations: Modern 14. Translations: Ancient 15. Bible Trace 16. Derivations | 17. Rhymes 18. Anagrams 19. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
