Apostle

Overview

• An apostle is "one who is sent" (Greek apostolos) — one sent out by the risen Christ to proclaim the Gospel. In the strict sense the apostles are the Twelve, together with St. Paul: the eyewitnesses Christ chose and commissioned to found and shepherd His Church.

Summary

The word apostle comes from the Greek ἀπόστολος, "one who is sent out," and in Christian use it names those sent by our Lord Jesus Christ to spread the good news that He is the risen Messiah.[^1] What gives the apostles their authority is that they are eyewitnesses to Christ: they proclaim "what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes… concerning the Word of life" (1 John 1.1-2), for they "did not follow cleverly devised myths" but "were eyewitnesses of His majesty" (2 Peter 1.16-18). That eyewitness authority is handed on in the Church through Apostolic Succession.

Sources

[^1]: OrthodoxWiki, Apostle — an apostle is one sent out by Jesus Christ to spread the gospel; from Greek ἀπόστολος, "one who is sent out.".