Who are the apostles?

[vince2paul]

Who are the apostles? and what is the criteria to be an apostle?
I thought they were only the 12 +1, but when I read St. Paul’s letters, he considered himself an apostle also.

I’m a bit confused here. Thanks.

 

[patrick457]

Who are the apostles? and what is the criteria to be an apostle?
I thought they were only the 12 +1, but when I read St. Paul’s letters, he considered himself an apostle also.

I’m a bit confused here. Thanks.

Apostle means ‘One sent forth’. Basically, anyone who was sent is an Apostle; the reason the Twelve were called that is because Jesus sent them out to ‘make disciples of all nations’ and ‘teaching them whatsoever He has commanded to them.’

The reason Paul is an Apostle is because he had been instructed by Jesus to preach to the Gentiles about him. Evidently, one need not be a member of the Twelve to be called an ‘Apostle’.

For example, St. Faustina is called the ‘Apostle of Mercy’ since she was tasked to proclaim the Mercy of God to the World, but obviously she isn’t one of the Twelve.

St. Francis Xavier is the ‘Apostle to the Indies and Japan’ since he evangelized here and in India but he never met Jesus when He was still here (nor was he born yet).

 

[Benadam]

When a replacement for Judas was chosen by the Apostles a requirement was that he be someone who had been with them from the beginning. This particular office , that is, one of the twelve, required that one had been a with them since the beginning. St John stesses the physicality of the Apostolic witness. That witness is the most intimate possible on earth. It’s that particular witness that the most powerfull heresies attack. The Witness establishes a teaching authority that is recognized by the Bereans for example. The unique and exclusive witness of the original 12 possesses because of that original, physical, material, witness of God on earth a knowing of the Truth , Way, and Life and consequently a teaching authority that no other can take away or possess without it being handed down physically, materially. St Paul experienced a first hand witness of Christ in vision and this witness also makes one an apostle but as scripture reveals it is subordinate too and subject to the judgement of the Witness of those who share in the original Bond established by Jesus, Confimed by the Father in Peter and strengthened by the Holy spirit at Pentecost.