#REDIRECT An '''Apostle''' is one who is sent out by our Lord [[Jesus Christ]] to spread the [[gospel]] that he is the Messiah, that he is risen, and that we are being saved as a result. The word ''apostle'' comes from the Greek αποστολος, literally meaning "one who is sent out." Originally a military term referring to a sortie sent out against the enemy, ''apostle'' has in the Christian context come to refer to missionaries spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. ==The Twelve==Our Lord originally appointed twelve apostles as his initial Church community, commissioned with the task of sharing the faith. As told in the [[Gospels]], [[Judas Iscariot]] was originally one of them, but with his [[apostasy]] and death, he was replaced with [[Apostle Matthias|Matthias]]. After Judas' replacement, the Twelve consisted of: {| align="center" width="90%" cellpadding="2" border="0"| width="50%" align="left" valign="top"|*[[Apostle Peter|Simon Peter]]*[[Apostle Andrew|Andrew the First-called]], brother of Peter*[[Apostle James (son of Zebedee)|James (son of Zebedee)]]*[[Apostle John|John the Theologian]], brother of James*[[Apostle Philip (of the Twelve)|Philip]]*[[Apostle Bartholomew|Bartholomew]], also called Nathaniel | width="50%" align="left" valign="top"|*[[Apostle Thomas|Thomas]]*[[Apostle Matthew|Matthew]], also called Levi*[[Apostle James (son of Alphaeus)|James (son of Alphaeus)]]*[[Apostle Jude|Jude]], also called Lebbaeus, surnamed Thaddeus, brother of James, brother of God*[[Apostle Simon|Simon the Zealot]], also called "the Cananite"*[[Apostle Matthias|Matthias]], who replaced Judas Iscariot|} ==The Seventy==The Seventy Apostlesare those whom the Lord chose (described in [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 10:1-16) in addition to the Twelve and sent forth to assist in the work of preaching. Over time, the Twelve added others to their number, who were sent out with the original Seventy to preach the gospel. Although this number eventually exceeded seventy, they were all nevertheless referred to as "of the Seventy" out of reverence to the number which the Lord originally chose. Not all the names of the Seventy are known, but some are remembered by the Church: [[Apostle Achaicus|Acaichus]], [[Apostle Agabus|Agabus]], [[Apostle Alphaeus|Alphaeus]], [[Apostle Amplias|Amplias]], [[Apostle Ananias|Ananias]] (who baptized [[Apostle Paul|Paul]]), [[Apostle Andronicus|Andronicus]], [[Apostle Apelles|Apelles]], [[Apostle Apphia|Apphia]], [[Apostle Aquila|Aquila]], [[Apostle Archippus|Archippus]], [[Apostle Aristarchus|Aristarchus]], [[Apostle Aristobulus|Aristobulus]], [[Apostle Artemas|Artemas]], [[Apostle Asyncritus|Asyncritus]], [[Apostle Barnabas|Barnabas]] (leader of the Seventy), {{stub}} [[Apostle Onesimus|Onesimus]], [[Apostle Philip (of the Seventy)|Philip]], [[Apostle Timothy|Timothy]] (companion of [[Apostle Paul|Paul]]), ==Other Apostles==The [[Apostle Paul]] is also referred to as an apostle, though he is not part of the Twelve or of the Seventy. Other saints are also referred to as apostles, though usually not as an initial title, but rather as an epithet, e.g., "Apostle to the North." [[Category:Missionaries]][[Category:Saints]]