The term apostle is derived from the ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos), meaning “he who is sent”, from στέλλειν (“stellein”), “to send” + από (apó), “far, far from”. [1] The literal meaning in English is therefore an “emissary” (from the Latin mittere, “to send” and ex, “from, from, from”). In Islam, an apostle or messenger (Arabic: رسول, romanized: rasūl) is a prophet sent by God. According to the Qur`an, God has sent many prophets to mankind. The five messengers generally accepted in Islam are Ibrahim, Mūsa, Dāwūd, Īsā and Muhammad,[17] as it is assumed that each was sent with a scripture. [i] Muslim tradition also claims that Adam received scrolls, as did some of the other patriarchs of Adam`s generations. [18] The term apostle or messenger also applies to prophets sent to preach in certain regions; The Qur`an also mentions Yunus,[19] Elijah,[20] Ismail,[21] Shuaib[22] and other prophets as messengers. The adjective apostolic (/ˌæpəˈstɒlɪk/) is claimed by a number of prominent Christian churches as an enduring characteristic (i.e. the traditions, practices and teachings of a particular church descend directly from the original apostles) and thus has a wider modern application. The word is found, for example, in the “Apostolic See,” the official name of the Roman Catholic papacy; in the doctrine of apostolic succession, advocated by many branches of Christianity; and in the Four Signs of the Church (“One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic”) found in the Nicene-Constantinople Creed. An apostle (/əˈpɒsəl/) is literally an emissary, from the Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos), literally “he who is sent”, from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (apostellein), “to send”. The purpose of such sending is usually to convey a message, and therefore “messenger” is a common alternative translation; Other common translations are “ambassador” and “messenger.” The term in ancient Greek also has other related meanings. [1] If a person wanted to leave a country, they had to have a travel document, which was essentially an exit visa or passport.
This legal document was called Apostolos – the same word translated “Apostle” The document guaranteed the right of passage and the ability to move freely from one place to another. The term comes from ancient Greek. [1] In Christianity, the term was used in the New Testament for Jesus` twelve apostles (including Peter, James, and John), as well as for a broader group of early Christian figures, including Paul, Barnabas, and Junia. [2] [3] The term is also used to refer to an important missionary of Christianity in a region, for example “the apostle of Germany”. [3] Other religions use the term for comparable personalities in their history. The word in this sense can be used metaphorically in various contexts, but is mostly used specifically for the early collaborators of the founder of the religion, who played an important role in spreading his teachings. The term is also used to refer to someone who is a strong supporter of something. [3] [4] It is easy to see how this definition applied to a New Testament apostle whose main task was to travel with an apostolic team to establish the church in places where the church did not exist. This is a historical use of the word Apostolos that affects its meaning in the New Testament.
The word “apostle” also described a person who had the power to act in a manner similar to that an ambassador represents his government vis-à-vis another government. This classical and secular meaning of the word Apostolos meant an envoy sent to do business on behalf of the one who had sent him. Thus, a government apostle served as a personal representative, emissary, messenger, agent, diplomat, ambassador, or chargé d`affaires. Before they were sent, the Twelve Disciples or “Students” (Latin discipulus; Greek μαθητής mathētḗs; Hebrew לִמּוּד limmûdh; Everything means “someone who learns”). [8] The Bible states that Jesus sent the twelve apostles, “whom he also called apostles” (Luke 6:13), first before his death “to the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 10) and after his resurrection to spread the gospel message to all nations (Matthew 28:16-28:20). In the Eastern Churches there is also a tradition of the “Seventy Apostles” derived from the seventy-two disciples mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. Subscribe to America`s largest dictionary and get thousands of other definitions and an advanced search – ad-free! The term appears only once in the Septuagint. [6] But Walter Bauer, in his Greek-English lexicon of the NT, refers the term to the rabbinical idea of a shaliah or agent: “Judaism had a function known as the apostle (שליח).” The Friberg Greek Lexicon gives a broad definition as someone who is sent on a mission, a commissioned representative of a church, a messenger for God, a person who has the special task of planting and planting churches. The UBS Greek dictionary also generally describes an apostle as a messenger. The Louw-Nida lexicon gives a very narrow definition of a particular messenger, usually limited to Jesus` immediate followers, or extended to a few others, such as Paul or other early Christians, who are actively involved in proclaiming the gospel. These individuals have played a crucial role in the development of the Faith of Bahá`u`lláh, consolidating His followers and bringing His teachings throughout the world.
For Bahá`ís, they fulfilled a role similar to that of the sons of Jacob, the apostles of Jesus, the companions of Muhammad, or the letters of the living of the Báb. In modern parlance, under Pentecostal movements, missionaries often refer to themselves as apostles, a practice derived from the Latin equivalent of apostle, i.e. missio, the source of the English word missionary. [ref. needed] And he himself gave some to be an apostle.