The Twelve Apostles.

the descriptive appellation of a comparatively small class of men to whom Jesus Christ entrusted the organization of his Church, and the dissemination of his religion among mankind.

592. He ordained twelve of his disciples "that they should be with Him." These He named apostles. "He gave to them power against unclean spirits to cast them out, and to heal all manner of disease," and "He sent them to preach the kingdom of God." To them He gave the keys of the kingdom of God, and con

ST. PETER.

stituted them princes over the spiritual Israel.
Previously to his death He promised to them the
Holy Spirit, to fit them to be the founders and
After his
governors of the Christian Church.
resurrection He solemnly confirmed their call,
saying, "As the Father hath sent me, so send I
you;" and gave them a commission to preach the
gospel to every creature. At the Feast of Pen-
tecost they received the plenitude of these spiritual
gifts through the infusion of the promised Com-
forter, or Holy Ghost. Then, for the first time,
they had "the mind of Christ"-"thenceforth
they spoke not in words which man's wisdom
teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth."
They authoritatively taught the doctrine and the
law of their Lord, and organized churches.
the twelve originally ordained to the apostleship,
one, Judas Iscariot, fell, and Matthias was, by
lot, substituted for him. After the martyrdom
of St. James, St. Paul, miraculously converted and
called to the office, filled the vacancy in the
apostolic college. The word apostle, signifying a
messenger, is beautifully alluded to by the prophet
Malachi (iii. 1).

Of

593. Why were twelve apostles

chosen?

Because that was the number of the tribes of Israel-the apostles being mystically constituted the heads of the tribes of the new Israel, or Church of the gospel dispensation.

594. The number twelve had a mystical signification, symbolizing just proportion, beauty, stability, and the like. Thus, Exod. xxiv. 4, twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes; 1 Kings xviii. 31, Elijah took twelve stones and built an altar; 1 Kings xix. 19, Elisha ploughed with twelve yoke of oxen; Job xxxviii. 32, "Canst thou bring forth the twelve signs ?" Ezek. xliii. 16, "The altar shall be twelve

The Twelve Apostles.

cubits long and twelve broad;" Matthew xiv. 20, "They took up of the fragments twelve baskets." Here we see that the multiplication of the loaves being strictly miraculous, our Lord chose that the overplus should bear a symbolical proportion. Matt. xxvi. 53, "twelve legions of angels;" Luke ii. 42, "When Jesus was twelve years old." Bossuet says upon this point, "We are to observe in the numbers a certain figurative proportion which the Holy Ghost deigns to point out to observation. This number of twelve (Rev. vii. 4), multiplied by itself and then by a thousand makes 144,000. In the solid proportion of

this square number, the unchangeable nature of God and his promises are indicated."

595. Who was St. Peter?

He was the son of Jonas, and, as well as his brother Andrew, a fisherman, who lived in the state of wedlock at Capernaum; having, however, been born at Bethsaida. Peter may be briefly described as one who, having been called by the Saviour of the world, earned, by the fine traits of his character, the honour of being regarded as their speaker and representative by his fellow-disciples, and the high esteem of his Master, who reposed great confidence in him, which, eventually at least, was proved to be deserved by the zeal and wisdom with which he preached the gospel, especially among his fellow countrymen, the Jews.

Tradition represents him as having visited Rome, and been the first bishop of that imperial city, where he was crucified about the same time that his fellow-labourer, the Apostle Paul, suffered.

596. Who was St. Andrew?

He was

one of the first disciples of Christ, and brother of the Apostle Peter. His native place was Bethsaida, on the lake Genesareth, where he and his brother carried on the trade of fishing. Before he joined Jesus, he had

The Twelve Apostles.

been a disciple of John the Baptist. In the gospel narrative we find him in constant and intimate connection with our Saviour. The book of Acts mentions him only once, a fact which, with others of a similar nature, may serve to show that the accounts of the early Church, that have come down to us, by no means contain the entire history; probably, more has

been lost than we actually possess. Tradition makes him travel as a missionary in various countries-Scythia, Asia Minor, Thrace, Macedonia, and Achaia; and, at the order of the Roman pro-consul, whose wife and brother he had converted, to suffer martyrdom at Patræ, in Achaia, on the gulf of Lepanto, on a kind of cross, something like a letter X, and named from him a "St. Andrew's cross."

597. Who was St. James the Elder?

He was a son of the Galilean Zebedee and Salome, and brother of the Apostle John (the beloved disciple), in conjunction with whom he, while pursuing his occupation as a fisherman, was called to the high office of being an apostle of Jesus Christ. The two, with Peter, were admitted to the special confidence of the Lord, so that James was present at His transfiguration, and at His humiliation in the garden; a privilege which may have been the occasion why their mothers preferred a petition for their pre-eminence ("That they might sit, the one on His right hand, and the other on His left in His kingdom").

598. The activity which James displayed during the lifetime of our Lord, appears to have been resumed with correspondent power after His ascension and the establishment of the infant Church, for he was made an object of the wrath of Herod Agrippa, who, A.D. 43, caused him to be beheaded.

The Twelve Apostles.

599. Who was St. John? *

He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and younger brother of the Apostle James the Elder. Like the other members of Zebedee's family, he was a fisherman. As his father employed hired servants, it is understood that he was in good circumstances, having a house of his own, to which, at the direction of Jesus from the cross, he took our Lord's mother.

600. This apostle was related to the family of Jesus, and is numbered, on that account, with our "Lord's brethren." John at

first attached himself to the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, being probably present when the former gave his testimony to Jesus and proclaimed Him to be the Lamb of God. Soon after this meeting, our Lord expressly called John and his brother, with Peter and Andrew, their companions, while engaged in their calling, to be his followers and apostles.

In illustration of his peculiarly amiable character in after life, tradition has preserved the following anecdotes :-On one occasion, being engaged in his apostolic duties, he saw a young man distinguished for bodily and mental endowments, whom, on leaving the place, he commended to the special care and oversight of the bishop. At first no pains were spared to inform the mind and enrich the soul of this pupil; but when he had undergone baptism, the bishop utterly neglected him. In consequence, the youth was by degrees estranged from the Christian life, fell a prey to temptation, and became chief of a band of robbers, all of whom he outdid in cruel and bloodthirsty deeds. After some time St. John returned, learned the sad fate of his pupil, and at once set out to seek and save him, regardless of his own age and feebleness, and the dangers of his errand. He found the object of his search, induced him to quit his evil companions, and, by the gentle persuasion of Christian love, brought him to sincere repentance.

ST. PHILIP.

Many years after the above occurrence, when, through the weight of years, he could appear in the temple of public worship only when carried thither by the pious hands of his disciples, and was no longer in a condition to give utterance to a continued discourse, he was wont to say on all occasions nothing but these words, "Little children, love one another." At last, some persons being dissatisfied

*St. John is here considered as an Apostle.

The Twelve Apostles.

at always hearing the same thing, asked him, "Master, why sayest thou always this ?" He answered, "Because it is the command of the Lord; and when this is done, it is enough."

601. Who was St. Philip?

He was one of the twelve apostles, born at Bethsaida of Galilee. It is probable that previously to his call to the

apostleship he was personally known to Jesus. Very little is recorded of Philip in the gospels. We find him in connection with the miraculous multiplication of the loaves and fishes (John vi. 5, 7), and his request to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us," proves that, like the other apostles previous to their enlightenment through the descent of the Holy Ghost, he had but a very low view of the nature of the new dispensation.

602. According to the ecclesiastical tradition, Philip preached the gospel in Phrygia, and suffered crucifixion under the Emperor Domitian.

603. Who was St. Bartholomew ?

He was the same person, with Nathaniel, whom our Lord so highly praises in the words, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile." Very little is known of this apostle's history-perhaps less than that of any other. He is said to have preached in India, and to have suffered death by flaying. For this reason St. Bartholomew is represented in ancient pictures and sculptures with a knife in his hand.

ST. BARTHOLOMEW.

604. An eminent writer," says, "There is a great disproportion between the amount of good which the Apostles wrought, and the space that their names

"People's Dictionary of the Bible."