Was Paul an Apostle?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Cursilista
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

Cursilista

Guest
Paul was not one of the original 12 Apostles and when Judas died, Barnabus was chosen to replace him. Why wasn’t Paul chosen? We always refer to Paul as an Apostle. I believe the term Apostle means sent by God and i do believe Paul was touched by
God to be his servant. However, there is a distinction between Apostle and desciple and if Paul is an Apostle when did this title get applied to him.
 
After Jesus’ Ascension, He personally converted (by blinding him) and then had Saul baptised with the Holy Spirit and then gave Paul his mission to the various gentile (non-JudeoChristian) communities.
 
Yes im aware of this conversion and mission Jesus gave to Paul. When the Apostles met to discuss who would replace Judas, it seemed imperative that a 12th Apostle be named. The Bible shows where this was done and Barnabus was chosen. My Question is Why isnt Paul’s ascension to the title Apostle, mentioned. Why wasn’t Paul named as the 12th Apostle. Today we bestow that title on Paul but where is it substanitated in the Bible that Paul was an Apostle. Did the Church bestow that title at a later time?
 
Saul was persecuting Christians for many years. He was with the crowd that martyred St. Stephen.

Hard to convert a person, when he’s trying to kill you 🙂
 
Cursilista said:
Yes im aware of this conversion and mission Jesus gave to Paul. When the Apostles met to discuss who would replace Judas, it seemed imperative that a 12th Apostle be named. The Bible shows where this was done and Barnabus was chosen. My Question is Why isnt Paul’s ascension to the title Apostle, mentioned. Why wasn’t Paul named as the 12th Apostle. Today we bestow that title on Paul but where is it substanitated in the Bible that Paul was an Apostle. Did the Church bestow that title at a later time?
Click to expand...
Because at the time that they replaced the 12th apostle with Matthias, Paul was still off being a pharisee and trying to persecute Christians. But it shows us an important detail… that the office of the Apostles was not limited to 12. (Many use the argument that we have many bishops to mean that we don’t follow the original Apostles, because there were only 12).

(It was Matthias not Barnabas. “Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.” Acts 1:29
 
Excuse me Mathias was the replacement for Judas. I guess i was looking for an apoligist who could point me to when was the title of apostle applied to Paul. The Bible points to the need that was felt to get the apostles to 12 again. Does it indicate somewhere that more apostles were added at a later time?
 
Apostle is not a term specific to the 12. It is a Greek term that meant one who is sent…Like an ambassador…So yes - St Paul would definitely be called an Apostle.

Peace
James
 
Cursilista said:
Excuse me Mathias was the replacement for Judas. I guess i was looking for an apoligist who could point me to when was the title of apostle applied to Paul. The Bible points to the need that was felt to get the apostles to 12 again. Does it indicate somewhere that more apostles were added at a later time?
Click to expand...
To give you the entirety of it without going into all of the theology of it, it was when he Jesus sent Paul the message through Ananias who then put his hands on Paul. This was the beginning of his ‘sending’, for that’s what Apostle means.
 
Cursilista said:
Paul was not one of the original 12 Apostles and when Judas died, Barnabus was chosen to replace him. Why wasn’t Paul chosen? We always refer to Paul as an Apostle. I believe the term Apostle means sent by God and i do believe Paul was touched by
God to be his servant. However, there is a distinction between Apostle and desciple and if Paul is an Apostle when did this title get applied to him.
Click to expand...
Paul wasn’t with them when Barnabas was selected. Barnabas also is one of the many disciples of Christ that has accompanies them through His ministry.

Not that Luke and Mark were also ranked among the Apostles eventually. When the Church grew, they appointed more Apostles and didn’t limit it to just the 12.
 
Paul’s conversion can be nailed down only to about a three year period (AD33-36). This means that the office of Judas could have remained vacant for as long as three years. Yet, the need to spread the faith was immediate, and called for an immediate replacement. Jesus gave the Church the authority to replace Judas, and they did. The Lord could have converted Paul while He was yet on earth, but chose not to. His conversion came at a time when his persecution of the early Church was clearly a threat to the body of believers. The fact that we know almost nothing about Judas’ replacement, Matthias, means little, as we know nothing about many of the twelve.
 
Paul was a religious zealot for Judaism who martyred the first Saint, Stephen.

After his conversion he became the pre-eminent apostle to the gentiles.

It’s good to remember in this day and age when Christianity seems besieged from all sides, that if someone like Paul can convert and be so important in evangelizing the gentiles, that this is possible today. It gives hope that the enemies of the faith will be converted.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top