Appointed
Directly By Jesus
Mark 3:14-19, Luke 6:13-16 Peter, James,
John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus),
Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite, Judas Iscariot.
Mark 3:14 Then He appointed twelve, that
they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, 15 and to
have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: 16 Simon, to whom He gave
the name Peter; 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom
He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”; 18 Andrew, Philip,
Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the
Cananite; 19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a
house. (NKJV)
Luke 6:13 And when it was day, He called
His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named
apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and
John; Philip and Bartholomew; 15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus,
and Simon called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who
also became a traitor. (NKJV)
Appointed
by Jesus - Paul
Romans 1:1 1 Corinthians 1:1 and many other
of his Epistles
Appointed
by the Other Apostles
Acts 1:23-26 Matthias - Mentioned here,
appointed by casting of lots, no other mention of again in scriptures.
Acts 1:23 And they proposed two: Joseph
called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and
said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You
have chosen 25 to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas
by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” 26 And they cast
their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven
apostles. (NKJV)
By
Mention in the Book of Acts
Acts 14:14 Barnabas referred to as apostle.
Acts 14:14 But when the apostles Barnabas
and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude,
crying out (NKJV)
By
Mention of Paul in Association
Romans 16:7 Andonicus and Junia - of note
among the apostles. Might be argued that they were well-known or regarded by
the apostles (like some kind of club or brotherhood) but New Century Version
directly translates as "very important apostles".
Romans 16:7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my
countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who
also were in Christ before me. (NKJV)
Romans 16:7 Greetings to Andronicus and
Junia, my relatives, who were in prison with me. They are very important
apostles. They were believers in Christ before I was. (NCV)
1 Corinthians 9:5-6 The "other apostles" seemed to include by implication here "the Lord's brothers", Cephas and Barnabas. Cephas (Peter) was already an apostle, so arguably the last part of the sentence in V5 was referring to other apostles, not another type/group of persons (e.g. perhaps other ministry workers who were not apostles).
1 Corinthians 9:5 Do we have no right to
take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the
Lord, and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain
from working? (NKJV)
By
Implication of Mention
1 Corinthians 3:4-7 Apollos was mentioned
alongside Paul and Cephas in the ministry here and in several other places,
like he was an apostle too.
1 Corinthians 3:4 For when one says, “I am
of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? 5 Who then is
Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord
gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So
then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives
the increase. (NKJV)
1 Corinthians 4:16-17 Timothy can replace
Paul in his absence and was his disciple and is by implication also an apostle.
1 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore I urge you,
imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved
and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I
teach everywhere in every church. (NKJV)
The
Greatest Apostle
Hebrews 3:1 Jesus our Lord!
Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brethren,
partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our
confession, Christ Jesus, (NKJV)
So
here is the complete list as we know:
Definite
by Mention in Scriptures
Peter
James
John
Andrew
Philip
Bartholomew
Matthew
Thomas
James (son of Alphaeus)
Thaddeus
Simon the Cananite
Judas Iscariot
Matthias
Paul
Barnabbas
That's 14 if we discount Mr. Iscariot.
Likely
by Reasonable Implication or Association
Apollos
Andronicus
Junia
Timothy
"The Lord's Brothers" (no mention
of number, but at least 2 for plural)
That's over 20 if we include our Lord!
