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Cal · 08-31-2011, 07:04 AM

From the Internet...

The Meaning of the Word “Apostle”

In the New Testament, there are two basic meanings for the term “apostle.” In the most broad, general sense, any person who might be sent by God through the Church for a particular work, whether of leadership or not (cf. Phil. 2:25), can be classified under the term “apostle.” This broad meaning is derived from the correlation between the noun “apostle” and the Greek verb that means “to send.” Hence, in this very broad sense, there is no difficulty wth the concept that any Christian, in principle, can be called an apostle. For example, any person could be sent by a church to the mission field, and, in a broad, non-technical sense, this person in an “apostle” of God.

In the New Testament, however, the technical and restricted sense of the term is by far the most common. It refers only to the select group of the apostles of Christ. The word normally translated “apostle” (and its variations as noun and verb) is found 80 times in the Greek New Testament. It has the restricted and technical meaning of the word in no less than 73 of those instances. The broad, non-technical meaning (i.e., one who is “sent” for a task) is used only three times (John 13:16; 2 Cor. 8:23; Phil. 2:25). One time it refers to Jesus Christ (Heb. 3:1). The remaining three occurrences (Rom. 16:7; Acts 14:4; 14) present exegetical difficulties that make it difficult to determine with certainty if they are employed in the technical or non-technical sense.

There is no controversy about the broader, non-technical sense of the Word. It could be applied in reference to any person sent by the Church to a specific task – although it is arguably unwise to do so, since it is likely to generate confusion (because the New Testament uses it in the technical sense in the overwhelming majority of the instances).

[emphasis mine]

08-31-2011, 07:04 AM	#118
Cal Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: USA Posts: 4,333	Re: Apostles From the Internet... The Meaning of the Word “Apostle” In the New Testament, there are two basic meanings for the term “apostle.” In the most broad, general sense, any person who might be sent by God through the Church for a particular work, whether of leadership or not (cf. Phil. 2:25), can be classified under the term “apostle.” This broad meaning is derived from the correlation between the noun “apostle” and the Greek verb that means “to send.” Hence, in this very broad sense, there is no difficulty wth the concept that any Christian, in principle, can be called an apostle. For example, any person could be sent by a church to the mission field, and, in a broad, non-technical sense, this person in an “apostle” of God. In the New Testament, however, the technical and restricted sense of the term is by far the most common. It refers only to the select group of the apostles of Christ. The word normally translated “apostle” (and its variations as noun and verb) is found 80 times in the Greek New Testament. It has the restricted and technical meaning of the word in no less than 73 of those instances. The broad, non-technical meaning (i.e., one who is “sent” for a task) is used only three times (John 13:16; 2 Cor. 8:23; Phil. 2:25). One time it refers to Jesus Christ (Heb. 3:1). The remaining three occurrences (Rom. 16:7; Acts 14:4; 14) present exegetical difficulties that make it difficult to determine with certainty if they are employed in the technical or non-technical sense. There is no controversy about the broader, non-technical sense of the Word. It could be applied in reference to any person sent by the Church to a specific task – although it is arguably unwise to do so, since it is likely to generate confusion (because the New Testament uses it in the technical sense in the overwhelming majority of the instances). [emphasis mine]