Apostle

Look up apostle in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. An apostle is a (religious) messenger and ambassador. Apostle and apostles may refer to:

Paul the Apostle, by Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn An apostle , from Classical Greek ἀπόστολος ( apóstolos ), meaning "one who is sent away", is a messenger and ambassador. The purpose of such "sending away" is to convey messages, and thus " messenger " is a common alternative translation. The term may be used metaphorically in various contexts, but is mostly found used specifically for early associates of the founder of a religion, who were important in spreading his teachings. The word in this sense derives from New Testament Greek and was used for the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus, as well as a wider group of Early Christian figures including Paul . Some other religions use the term for comparable figures in their history. The adjective "apostolic" is claimed as a continuing characteristic by many Christian churches, and so used far more widely, as in the Apostolic See as the official name for the Roman Catholic Papacy .

Paul the Apostle, by Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn An apostle ( / ə ˈ p ɒ s əl / ), in its most literal sense, is an emissary, from Greek ἀπόστολος ( apóstolos ), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν ( apostéllein ), "to send off". The purpose of such sending off is usually to convey a message, and thus "messenger" is a common alternative translation; other common translations include " ambassador " and " envoy ". The term derives from the Greek of the New Testament and was used for Jesus's original Twelve Apostles (including Peter , James , and John ), as well as a wider group of early Christian figures, including Paul , Barnabas , and Junia . Some other religions use the term for comparable figures in their history. The word in this sense may be used metaphorically in various contexts, but is mostly found used specifically for early associates of the founder of a religion, who were important in spreading his or her teachings. The adjective apostolic ( / ˌ æ p ə ˈ s t ɒ l ɪ k / ) is claimed as a continuing characteristic by a number of prominent Christian churches (i.e., that a given church's traditions, practices, and teachings descend directly from the original apostles), and so finds wider modern application. The word is found, for example, in the " Apostolic See ", the official name for the Roman Catholic Papacy ; in the doctrine of apostolic succession , held by many branches of Christianity; and in the Four Marks of the Church ("one, holy, catholic, and apostolic") found in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed .

Title given to a messenger or receiver of knowledge, especially in Christianity For the primary historical disciples of Jesus, see Apostles in the New Testament . Some of the Twelve Apostles , mosaic in the Euphrasian Basilica Aeschines (389–314 BC), who throughout his life was sent as member of some embassy missions . The Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος ( apóstolos ) can be translated to " ambassador " and " envoy " and was in some instances used this way in Ancient Greece . An apostle ( / ə ˈ p ɒ s əl / ), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος ( apóstolos ), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν ( apostéllein ), "to send off". The purpose of such sending off is usually to convey a message, and thus "messenger" is a common alternative translation; other common translations include " ambassador " and " envoy ". The term in Ancient Greek also has other related meanings. The term derives from the Ancient Greek. In Christianity , the term was used in the New Testament for Jesus ' Twelve Apostles (including Peter , James , and John ), as well as a wider group of early Christian figures, including Paul , Barnabas , and Junia . The term is also used to designate an important missionary of Christianity to a region, e.g. the " apostle of Germany ". Some other religions use the term for comparable figures in their history. The word in this sense may be used metaphorically in various contexts, but is mostly found used specifically for early associates of the founder of a religion, who were important in spreading his or her teachings. The term is also used to refer to someone who is a strong supporter of something.