Quote:
Originally Posted by Igzy
Good stuff. But couldn't 1 Cor 15:7 be taken to imply that a true apostle has seen Jesus? Especially when combined with 1 Cor 9:1?
"He also appeared to James, and then to all of the apostles." [emphasis mine] 1 Cor 15:7
"I am free. I am an apostle. I have seen the Lord Jesus and have led you to have faith in him." 1 Cor 9:1
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Many notable Christians have made this claim, and for good reason I suppose, since it is convenient and "clean" to claim there are no more apostles. Personally, I wish this were the case, because by noting ones like Epaphroditus are apostles, a whole host of complications are introduced. I'm sure the ones working with Paul, who were considered to be apostles in his epistles, were legit. Others, however, looked favorably upon the perks of the apostleship, and claimed it for their themselves. These ones caused great damage to the gospel, and Paul referred to them as "super-apostles."
I Cor 15.5-8 indicates an order of witnessing the resurrected Christ (
sorry to the many dear and seeking sisters who were left out of this list) --
- Cephas (Peter)
- The Twelve
- 500 brothers
- James, brother of the Lord, leader in Jerusalem, author of epistle
- All the apostles
- Saul called Paul
Some observations here --
- Paul gets a "dig" into James, by noting how many saw the resurrected Jesus before James, His own brother, indicating how slow James was to finally believe
- Paul differentiates the "Twelve" from "all the apostles." Perhaps he is considering the 120 at Pentecost all to be "apostles." Perhaps these were later considered an expanded grouping beyond the original Twelve. Acts 1.4-8 supports this view, calling them "witnesses."
- Note that Judas was replaced. Apparently there were many "alternate jurors" who had witnessed all the "testimony" over the last 3 plus years with Jesus. Matthias was selected (Acts 1:21-26) as one of many brothers who were with them "all the time from the baptism of John until the ascension."
- Hence, to the earliest disciples with Peter leading at the time, having "Twelve" designated as "witnesses of the resurrection," was extremely important. They felt it was better to pick a replacement themselves, than to be limited to "the eleven" remaining ones, hand-picked by the Lord.
- The "secondary" apostles mentioned in the epistles, like Epaphroditus and Timothy, who were saved in the Gentile world, long after Jesus departed from the earth, could not be included among those listed above who had seen the Lord Jesus.
- Concerning I Cor 9.1, Paul definitely includes himself with the other apostles, at least with the greater number of perhaps 120 apostles. The book of Galatians is Paul's assertion that he should be ranked with or ahead of even the "Twelve." This assertion by Paul identifies the ongoing "battle" which we witness in the Acts and Epistles.
- Actually it was Paul who really "defined" the truth of the N.T. Without his calling and commission by the Head, even the "Twelve" may have deteriorated in time into a modified Jewish-only gospel. As the truth-standard-bearer, Paul uplifted the truth taught by the "Twelve," restoring and preserving it to its original glory, as they had received from the Lord.