Where Are the Apostles?

 

A reading of Acts makes one thing clear: there were more than 12 apostles.

(A quick note: I was supposed to get back to my Elder Elder and Elder Benjamin stories today, but alas -- my new upgrade to Mac Ventura has destroyed my Scrivener install, and I can't get to the stories -- but don't worry. Apple's shortcomings won't stop the story telling. You just get some good non-fiction musings this week.)

We all know how this story begins. Jesus calls 12 apostles. They were chosen to do missionary work, perform miracles, and lead the Church in His absence. We also know that Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus and then killed himself after the death of Christ. This left 11 apostles.

So what comes next? The Book of Acts 1 continues the story, starting in verse 15. In a meeting with the apostles and others, Peter talked about Judas Iscariot, and in verse 20 he quotes Psalms:

Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

And then they discussed who Judas' replacement should be. They named two men: Barsabas and Matthias. They then prayed and drew lots, and Matthias was chosen. Then their number were 12 again. One might think this was the end of Barsabas, who was rejected -- but no ... his story continues.

The Book of Acts goes on, telling the story of how apostles begin dying. Stephen is stoned to death in Chapter 7. And then Saul persecutes the Church, sees Jesus, is converted, and changes his name to Paul. Peter sees a great vision that Gentiles need to hear the message of Christ. And Paul becomes a great leader and a missionary.

Yet there is no record of Paul becoming an apostle, set apart like Matthias. But he's performing miracles, persuading many, and making important decisions. In other words: acting like an apostle. But when was he ordained?

Suddenly Acts 14:14 says out of the blue:

Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul ... 

Yeah -- now there are not just one, but two new apostles. If there's some doubt, it seems to go away in Acts 15:22, when it talks about the apostles sending men of their own company, naming again Barnabas and Silas. So, now we're up to three new apostles after Matthias?

Plus, Paul refers to himself as an apostle in most of his letters.

In a way, this all makes sense. If Peter felt it was important to replace Judas Iscariot, he would very likely feel it was important to replace apostles who were dying during these times of persecution. I mean: why would he stop? The Church needed leaders, and it seemed important to have 12 apostles.

Oh, and what about Barsabas? He's the same as Barnabas, just now mentioned. So, though he was rejected at first, he later became an apostle. He's pictured above in a kind-of-silly picture. He's holding a book that couldn't possibly exist for at least another millennium. Perhaps one of his miracles as an apostle?

It then looks like Barnabas and Paul have a big fight and separate into different ministries. Oh well -- we're not all perfect.

So, one question some may ask is: where are the apostles today? The Catholic Church has a Pope, which is supposed to be like Peter, but where are the other twelve? Most Protestant churches may have a leader or president, but again ... no apostles. And I'm wondering: when did they become unimportant? 

We do know that after Acts, the persecution became so great that the apostles were basically wiped out -- faster than they could replace themselves. But why did more not get chosen as the Church continued to survive? Was it because of the lack of authority (apostasy)? Or was it because it was determined it was no longer necessary? When did the twelve become one?

Some of the newer Christian denominations also asked this question, and have chosen to institute twelve constant leaders as apostles. My church: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of them. You can see their pictures here.

What other denominations do this? After some quick research, it looks like we have: other branches of the Church of Jesus Christ, such as the Community of Christ. Hmmm ... I'm struggling to find other churches that do this.

The Catholics seem to have a different view on this subject -- an Apostle (big "A") is someone who was chosen by Jesus and sent to minister and witness. There are no more Apostles because there are no leaders later on who knew Jesus personally. Catholics seem to consider Matthias as the 12th Apostle to replace Judas. By tradition, he's even credited in the Apostles' Creed. Barnabas, Paul, and others are deemed to be apostles (little "a") -- important ministers and leaders, but not one of the Twelve.

However, unlike the other 11, Matthias was not hand-picked by Jesus -- so he can't really be "equal" to the 11 in that regard. And Paul (as Saul) saw Jesus himself and was called to his work (similar to how the original twelve were called). So, needless to say, I do not really agree with that logic of the classifications described in the last paragraph. I don't see Paul as a "lesser" leader. I don't see why Peter wouldn't have replaced Stephen and other martyrs. And I see the organization of the Twelve to be fundamental to Christ's Church.

Any thoughts?