The Twelve Apostles
A concise account of the life
of the Twelve Apostles of Christ, their mission and movement to establish the
Church of Christ; their mission to hand down the oral and written Sacred
Christian Tradition, along with a short biography on each Apostle.
JESUS CHRIST endowed His Church with Himself
and His divine Message. He handed it down to His disciples, who constituted His
Church. Jesus Christ selected from among them Twelve Apostles to carry on with
authority His Gospel, and He sent them to preach it and to baptize converts all
over the world.
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost;
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I
am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Mtt. 28, 19-20).
The Apostles kept their mission with integrity
and faithfulness. They dedicated their lives to it; they injected the new faith
in the' true God into society to heal its infirmities.
The Apostles organized the converts into
groups called Churches. To these Churches the Apostles handed down the treasure
of the new Gospel, their eyewitness account of the Word as they actually saw it
take place, preserving it forever through the Church. This is the Gospel-the
Tradition in the broad sense of the word - which we cherish today. Taking the
Truth from the Apostles, the Orthodox Church is an "Apostolic"
Church; it has its roots in the apostolic ministry and succession, the
apostolic faith and creed, and the apostolic word and scriptures by which the
Apostles and their immediate successors defended the Orthodox Faith and kept it
undefiled against heresies and persecutions.
But who are these blessed Apostles who were
chosen to hand down the new Gospel and establish the Church to which we belong
today? Who empowered them to preach the Gospel and disregard all the threats
which endangered and, in the end, took their lives? Who are these mighty
personalities who were the instrumental figures behind the worldwide movement
which has changed the pace of life of men thereafter?
Sometimes the voice of the past is the
clearest and most vivid guide for the minds and hearts of men of today, taking
them out of the confused values of this life. Sometimes the lives and deeds of
men of the past are unforgettable and stand as lightposts to illuminate the
road for a future achievement. They stand as unshakable rocks on which the
waves of disappointment of life lose their force and disappear. The Apostles of
Christ are both the rocks and the lightposts for our life. To them, our ancestors
in the Christian heritage and faith, this pamphlet is humbly dedicated, that
both the writer and the reader might imitate their devotion and work and
appreciate their convictions in Christ, "in Whom they lived and moved and
had their being" (Acts 1 7, 2 8 ).
The only sources on the subject of the Twelve
Apostles are the four Gospels and the first chapter of the Acts, describing the
relationship between Jesus and His Apostles during His ministry on earth.
Although the Apostles are the ultimate authors of the Gospels they do not
appear prominently in them; they are never magnified in them. The Gospels refer
to them only because Jesus Himself was occupied with them, teaching and
training them to understand His origin and mission, in order to transmit to
others correctly His personality, His Gospel and His deeds.
Whenever they appeared later in their
ministry, they spoke with authority and determination on behalf of the Lord Who
sent them to present His Gospel to the world. They never usurp or appropriate
for themselves the new teachings. It is true that the Gospel took some human
aspects of their individual personalities. But these aspects were such that
they
showed their understanding and limitation of
the words and deeds of their Lord; a reflection of the good news in their own
simple and humble life. The Apostles are both the preachers and the examples of
the New Creation.
The Greek word "apostle" conveys to
us the meaning of messenger, delegate, envoy or collector of tribute paid to
the temple service. In the Gospels the Twelve were simply to be Christ's
envoys. As Jesus was sent by His Father, so the Apostles were sent by Jesus.
Jesus Christ used contemporary terms for "apostle" and gave it His
own content and interpretation stressing the idea of being "sent,"
which means that an Apostle is a man with a mission throughout his entire life.
Jesus Christ Himself gave the title
"Apostle" to the Twelve in Luke 6, 13 and Mark 3, 14, "whom he
also named apostles." The term "apostle" (apostolos" in
Greek; a derivative from "apostellein", meaning "to send")
signifies a special mission. An apostle is the commissioner of the person who
sent him. Therefore, the term apostle is more definite than the term messenger
(in Greek "angelos"). The apostle does not merely transmit a message,
but he works to put it into practice among the recipients, both to let them
understand it aright and to apply its contents in their faith and life.
SOME OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES were disciples of
the Forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist. They were acquainted with the
Scripture and the expectations of their master. When John the Baptist was
"looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, 'Behold the Lamb of God"'
(John],36). Andrew, one of John's disciples, with another, "heard him
speak, and they followed Jesus" (v. 37). They followed him without asking!
Thus the Apostolic Church began. The took of
their own to find out-to discover the truth for themselves. They persisted, and
"came and saw where he (Jesus) dwelt, and abode with him that day"
(v. 39).
They had a long audience with Jesus. What did
they discuss? We do not know. What we do know is that they came out of this
sanctuary with, a definite faith in Him. He was the One they were expecting.
Andrew felt the impulse to express his belief to others. He first found his
brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah", which
means Christ, and "he brought him to Jesus" (v. 42). St. Andrew's act
stands as
an example for every disciple and apostle
thereafter. First, the pure desire to seek the Truth; second, acquaintance with
revelation and obedience to it; third, acceptance and conviction of the Truth,
and then a full confession and proclamation of the faith. These acts make the
Church a growing and moving entity.
After Andrew and Peter and John, "one of
the two", Jesus found Phillip in Galilee, and called him to His crew;
Phillip not only followed Him, but stated his conviction to Nathanial, we have
found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote . . . come and
see" (John 1, 45, 46), and Nathanial saw Him and believed in Him:
"You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel," he exclaimed in
words to be echoed by millions in the generations to come.
One day passed and five promising people were
His devoted companions. Christ was no longer alone-except at His agony, and on
the Cross.
After the acquaintance of Jesus with His first
disciples both in Judea and in Galilee, a recess took place. The center of His
ministry had to be selected. After the imprisonment of John the Baptist, Jesus
stated in Galilee that the city of Capernaum would be the center of His
expedient strategy. The inhabitants of that city were Jewish people, and its
position was more suitable to command Galilee.
Walking along the shore of the "sea of
Galilee", which actually is a lake, Jesus met again the two brothers,
Simon and Andrew, who were casting their nets. He commanded them now to follow
Him and become fishers of men. At the same time and place Jesus found James and
his brother John, fishers at the shore of the sea of Galilee. He called them to
follow Him.
All obeyed instantly
(Mark 1, 16-20). Jesus called Matthew, Levi, in the
same way (Mark 2,16; Mtt. 9,9) in Capernaum.
He was a collector of taxes, probably of the customhouse of this city. Matthew
left this position, bade
farewell to his fellow officials and followed
the Lord. What a challenge for us today-for the merchants and the white collar
workers! They left work and home, pleasures and habits; they discarded the
dreams of their youth and on the ruins built firmly a new fortress of defense
and appeal. They demonstrated that an immutable conviction in the living God
can move mountains.
What was the intention for calling these
disciples? They were to capture men instead of fish, once they had passed
through a period of training. He did not send them immediately on a special
mission. The disciples were to take intensive training in divine attitudes, in
the new interpretation of the Scriptures and in obedience to the Lord. They
were invited to meet the new standards of moral life and to grow in courage to
spread the Gospel and nourish its growth in mankind. The loyal Eleven have
proven themselves worthy of the Mission. They have changed the orbit of the
world in the name of Jesus.
Jesus attracted many disciples. He knew them
all, but He also knew that not all would be capable of being fishers of men. He
had determined to make a formal selection of a definite number from the body of
His disciples (Mk. 3, 13; Lk. 6, 13). It was one of the crucial moments for the
destiny of His mission. Even for human activities the founders of a
organization look carefully for co-workers of integrity and the capability to
promote their ideals. The farsightedness of leadership is in being able to
select capable men to accomplish the mission, rather than attempting the work
alone, regardless of the wonders one man may be capable of. A good leader is
not afraid of co-workers, but is very careful I selecting them. Jesus Christ
spent one night praying to His Father for the right choice
(Lk. 6, 12). He sought specific guidance in
this critical hour of His life. His choice would affect the future mission, and
the world.
For this reason "He went out into a
mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was
day, He called unto Him His disciples. And of them He chose twelve, whom also
He named apostles: Simon (whom he also named Peter) and Andrew, his brother;
James and John, Phillip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of
Alphaeus, Simon called Zelotes, Judas the brother of James and Judas Iscariot,
which also was the traitor" (Lk. 6., 12-16).
In the New Testament there are. four lists of
the Apostles, in Mtt. 10, 2-4; - Mk. 3, 16-19; - Lk. 6, 14-16 and in Acts 1,
13. The arrangement of names in these lists are made in three steps, with changes
occurring in each step. Peter appears first and Judas last. There is no primacy
of Peter in the sense of jurisdiction or authority over his fellow Apostles.
Such an authority Peter never received and never exercised. "His position
is that of the foremost among equals; a position due not to any formal or
official appointment, but to the ardor and force of his nature."
(Hastings)
What was our Lord's aim in selecting His
special group? St. Mark states that the purpose was that they might be with Him
so He might send them forth to proclaim the approach of the Kingdom of God, and
so He could endow them with the power to heal and to exercise. St. Mark (3, 14,
15) records, "He ordained twelve that they should be with Him, and that He
might send them forth to preach and to have power to heal sickness and to cast
out devils."
But the Lord's aim was more than that. It is
described by Him on the eve of His death. He expected them to be His envoys on
earth. Their supreme duty was to bear witness to Him; to teach the world how He
lived, what He said, what He wrought. Jesus prayed for them: "As Thou hast
sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world"
(John 1 7, 18).,
The Apostles were God-fearing people. Only a
religious tie bound them to Jesus. Their integrity, justice and mercy cannot be
denied. They were diligent, honest and pious people, and above all dedicated to
the Lord and to His command. They were not men of high education, but neither
were they illiterate. Most of them spoke Aramaic and Greek. They were educated
in the knowledge of. God in synagogues, and they managed a discipline of high
standards.
Four of them were fishermen, one was a
collector of taxes and the rest belonged to the general working classes. They
were not of rank or distinction. They worked to sustain themselves. The Gospels
do not present them as men of genius, or original thinkers. All of them were
young men about the same age as our Lord or younger. They were men of different
background, temperament and habits. They had in common their devotion to Jesus
and their pious life. They came together under the same roof to learn and to
obey.
The Apostles accompanied the Lord from place
to place. They heard all His preaching and admonition, His private advice to
the people and His ambitions. They witnessed the healing of people and learned
the causes of sickness and the power of the evil spirits. They learned not only
in the clinic of preaching and pastoral work. The Twelve formed a Jesus Christ
was the head. They had a common purse and one was appointed treasurer. The
sources of their supplies came from their own property and gifts, especially
the generosity of several women who accompanied them on some of their journeys
(Lk. 8, 2-3).
They were together for living and training.
First of all they were training in the personality of Jesus. His presence was
an education in itself. His acts and words in everyday life, in dealing with
the depressed and humble, meeting the sinners, protecting the underprivileged
and encouraging people of the rank an file-all these things were an education
to them. They saw Him preaching and praying, healing infirmities and restoring
broken hearts. Again they were aware of the Master's acts against dry customs
and aware of the Sabbath, circumcision, foods and times of prayer. They learned
much from the Sermon on the Mount, from the parables and statements such as,
"God is spirit-and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and
truth" (John 4,24).
A second phase of their Apostle's training
involved the miracles performed by Jesus. The Messiah was expected to work
miracles, but the actual performance of the miracles kept the Apostles
astounded. The nature of these works was beyond explanation then and still is
today. The Apostles bore witness to many miracles-the catch of fish (Lk. 3,
1-7), the stilling of the storm (Mk. 4, 39), walking on the sea (John 6, 16)
and many others. They learned, too, that the miracles were made nor only for
the sake of the miracles, but also as a sign of conviction and faith, and a
lesson of moral uprightness, as in the case of the fig tree.
Finally, the Apostles were trained in Jesus'
teaching. For them He was the Teacher. He spoke with confidence.
THE APOSTLES spent less than three years with
their Master. He called them "that they might be with Him" (Mk. 3,
14) to be trained and educated, and then "that He might send them forth to
preach" the Gospel and minister unto the people. Their work between these
two stages is in agreement. It has been changed only in the stages of
advancement. But what a change! From pupils they became teachers; from
followers of Christ, they became leaders, bringing people to Christ. They
started as disciples and in three years advanced as Apostles. Their visible
Guide, their Lord, became the Invisible One, "The Spirit of Jesus"
(Acts 1.6, 7), always present as He was before.
Jesus Christ selected them after devoting one
night in prayer for their ministry. After their training, Jesus prayed for them
and their future, even up to a few moments before His arrest. The prayer was
recorded by one of His Apostles. He empowered them with the Holy Spirit on the
day of the Pentecost The mighty Spirit as "tongues of fire" descended
on the Apostles and transfigured their doubts and fears and attitudes in such a
marvelous way that they became heralds of the new mission.
Their chief duty was to bear witness to the
Savior Jesus Christ, His life, teaching, and atoning work, and especially to
bear witness to Christ's resurrection, "a witness to his
resurrection", "proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the
dead." "And with great power the Apostles gave their testimony to the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 1,22; 4,2,33).
The influence of their witness and testimony
was enormous. They simply stated what they knew. There was no doubt in their
minds as to the certainty of their knowledge. St. John, in finishing his
Gospel, sealed it thus: "This is the disciple who bears witness to these
things" ( 2 1,2 4 ); and in starting his first Epistle he states firmly
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have
looked upon and our hands have handled, of the Word of life . . . That which we
have seen and heard we declare unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with
us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son, Jesus
Christ" (I John 1, 1-3 ).
The ministry of the Apostles was guided and
blessed, and they were aware of this. They felt the presence of Christ and the
companionship of the Holy Spirit in every step and turn of their work. Also,
they were aware of their appointment. They were not presenting themselves, but
were representing the Lord as Prophet, Priest and King, with authority and
effectiveness. They appointed their successors and thus established the special
priesthood of the Church. In the Orthodox Church there is no ordination of
deacon, priest and bishop without referring to the Apostles through the lists
of names of predecessors. Thus, the Apostolic succession is very important not
only for the teaching of the Church, but also for its sanctification. It is
accepted in the Orthodox Church that the bishops of the Church are the
successors to the Apostles.
The Orthodox Church upholds the Creed in
which, for centuries, the beliefs of the Orthodox Faith have been stated. In
the ninth article of the Creed the Church is defined as "one, holy,
catholic and apostolic." One for its unique Lord; holy for its
sanctification; catholic as preserving for all ("katholou") the whole
truth, and apostolic through its establishment by the Apostles, whereby
Scripture and Tradition refers to the Apostles and, through them, to Christ.
The Church is the bulwark of the Truth because the Apostles who established the
Church trained and appointed its "Proestos" (religious leaders) and
bequeathed to it the oral and written teachings. The Apostles exercised in
worship and prayer, in preaching and pastoral work ' the New Testament of the
Lord. By them and through them the believers of the Church, in the past and the
present, rejoice in learning the atoning truth and will of the living God.
The personal life of the Apostles is not very
well known. For some of them we know nothing except names. But their work
remains for generations to come. It was their intention to carry on the Lord's
work and will, rather than their own. From the fruits of their work we
visualize their character and intentions.
Following is a biographical note in brief on
each of the Apostles. The names are taken from the list according to St. Luke
6, 12f.
Born in Bethsaida in Galilee, be was a
fisherman and was named by Jesus Christ "Cephas" (in Greek, Peter),
and called to be a fisher of men, an Apostle. In all lists of the Twelve he is
named first, and belonged to the inner group of Apostles. He was present at the
Transfiguration and at the Agony of Christ. When he professed his belief that
Jesus is the Christ, the Lord promised that "Thou art Peter and on this
rock will I build My Church", meaning on the rock of faith in the Savior.
Peter's confession of faith was soon followed by a sharp rebuke,from the Lord.
Peter said that he would never leave his Lord, and was answered by the
prediction of his triple denial, which later took place. Later, Peter made
reparation for his triple denial by a triple protestation of love.
After the Ascension, Peter took the leadership
of the Apostles. He spoke on the day of Pentecost and was the first to perform
a miracle in the name of Jesus. He accepted Cornelius for baptism and thus
opened the Church to the Gentiles. His authority is evident at the Apostles'
Council at Jerusalem, although Paul rebuked him for giving in to the demands of
the Jewish Christians to disassociate himself from the Gentiles.
Peter is the founder of the Church in Antioch.
He probably went to Rome and was crucified head downward during the reign of
Nero (54-68).
A disciple of John the Baptist, Andrew heard
him refer to Jesus as the Lamb of God. Andrew asked for an audience and saw
Jesus for a day, then proclaimed, "We have found the Messiah," in
itself a creed and confession for the Christian faith. He brought his brother,
Simon-Peter, to Christ. Although not one of the inner circle, he played the
first role in several events which are recorded. Eusebius in his Church History
states that Andrew later went to Scythia. According to tradition he was
martyred at Patras, Greece, crucified on an X-shaped cross, which since has
become known as St. Andrew's Cross. He is regarded as being connected with the
writing of St. John's Gospel. According to tradition, he is the founder of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
(The Greater)-He was the son of Zebedee. He,
with his elder brother John and with Peter, constituted the privileged
group-the inner circle of the disciples. James was present at the
Transfiguration and the Agony in Gethsemane. His zeal was ardent and he and his
brother were named by the Lord "Boanerges", which means "sons of
thunder". 'James was beheaded by Herod Agrippa I in A. D. 44, the first of
the Twelve to suffer martyrdom. A theory that he preached in Spain is counter
to the tradition of the Church and the Epistle to the Romans, 15, 20 and 24,
which concur that he did not leave Jerusalem. According 'to an old Spanish
tradition, the body of St. James was transferred to Santiago de Compostela,
Spain, where St. James was one of the most revered Spanish saints during the
Middle Ages.
He was one of the inner circle with Peter and
James. The son of Zebedee, he and his brother James were named the "sons
of thunder". John is the author of the fourth Gospel, the Book of
Revelation and three Catholic Epistles. He was imprisoned with Peter and later
appeared in the Sanhedrin. John also was sent with Peter to Samaria, where they
prayed that the converts might receive the Holy Spirit. In Jerusalem, he was
present at the Council of the Apostles. John was "one of the two"
with Andrew who first had an audience with the Lord, He was the one "whom
Jesus loved" and who reclined on his bosom at the Mystic Supper.
Jesus from His cross entrusted His mother to
John at the foot of the cross. He was the one who ran with Peter to the tomb on
the morning of the resurrection, and who recognized the Risen Lord at the Sea
of Tiberius, where our Lord spoke to him the words that he would not die (John
21,7).
According to tradition,
he went to Asia Minor and settled in Ephesus. Later he was exiled to Patmos, an
island.
He is the Apostle from Bethsaida who obeyed
the call of Jesus and led Nathaneal to Christ. At the feeding of the 5,000
people, Jesus said to Phillip to buy bread, and Phillip answered Him, "Two
hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a
little." Phillip on another occasion asked Jesus, "Lord, show us the
Father and Jesus retorted, "Yet you; do, not know me Phillip?"
Phillip the Apostle should not be confused with Phillip, one of the seven
Deacons. The Apostle Phillip preached the Gospel in Asia and suffered
crucifixion, according to tradition.
His name is patronymic, meaning "son of
Tolmai". Sometimes he is identified with Nathaneal whom Phillip led to
Christ. According to the historian Eusebius, when Pantainus of Alexandria
visited India between 150 and 200 A. D., he found there the Gospel according to
Matthew left behind by Bartholomew one of the Apostles. According to tradition,
Bartholomew was flayed to death at Albanapolis in Armenia.
He was the evangelist who was a Jew and a
tax-collector referred to as Levi before he was called by Christ, Whom be
followed. He is the author of the First Gospel. In his genealogy of Jesus
Christ, he emphasizes the Lord's human nature and origin. Therefore, in
Christian symbolism.
Matthew has been represented by the figure of
man (cf Rev 4.7). The icon of Matthew in the Orthodox Church is to be found in
one of the four triangles which are formed by the arches connected to the dome
of the Church.
He was called the Twin. On the way to Bethany
He offered to die with Jesus. He interrupted the last discourse of Jesus with
the question "We know not whither thou goest; how know we the way?".
Thomas doubted the resurrection of Christ unless he were to touch the wounds of
the Risen Lord, but later confessed his faith in Him: "My Lord and My
God"-the first to confess so explicitly the Lord's divinity.
According to tradition, Thomas evangelized the
Parthians. The Syrian Christians of Malabar called themselves "Christians
of St. Thomas" and claimed they were evangelized by the Apostle Thomas,
who was martyred and buried at Mylapore near Madras.
JAMES (THE LESSER)
He was the son of Alphaeus. Was he the Lord's
relative? This is doubted. Was he James the younger (or the "lesser",
Mtt. 15, 40)? There are insufficient reasons to establish this either. Nothing
is known of him.
He was called Cananaean and Zealot, two terms of
the same Hebrew word. According to the Apocryphal "Passion of Simon and
Jude", both of them preached and underwent martyrdom in Persia. In the New
Testament, Simon, one of the brethren of the Lord, was identified with Simon
the Apostle. There were many others bearing the same name in the New Testament.
He is the Apostle referred to in the Gospel as
"Judas of James", "Judas not the Iscariot". He also is
known as Thaddaeus or Lebbacus. Jude was the brother of Tames (or the son of
James RV), the "brethren of the Lord"-the Lord's relative. Jude is
the author of the Epistle of Jude. The Apocryphal "Passion of Simon and
Jude" depicted them in Persia where they preached and underwent martyrdom.
A selected Apostle, one of the Twelve, he
betrayed Christ to the Jewish Sanhedrin-the supreme council and highest court
of justice in Jerusalem-and kissed the Lord at the time of the arrest. He later
committed suicide. The title "Iscariot", meaning in the Hebrew
"man of Kerioth", a place in South Palestine, implies that Judas was
from Judea. He was the only one from there, whereas the other Apostles were
from Galilee. After his suicide the Apostles elected Matthias to replace him as
one of the Twelve Apostles.
THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST started in
Bethlehem with His birth in the manger it was sanctioned in His presence with
angels and shepherds worshipping Him. The Church was developed and enriched
through Christ's efforts in Palestine, and was established with His Cross on
Golgotha. Finally, after the resurrection of its Lord, the Church flourished in
the upper room in Jerusalem with "tongues of fire" of the Holy Spirit
guiding the Apostles in triumph. Thus Jesus Christ, the Founder and Lord of the
new sacred society, bequeathed his precious endowment to His Church and made it
the treasurer of salvation and eternal freedom. The Church of Christ, to which
saints and sinners belong, constitutes His Sacred Body forever. It is, indeed,
the realm of His Covenant, which the Apostles received from Christ and handed
down to us. What is this Covenant? The Lord's new will of life was wrought by
Himself and handed down to all generations for all time. It contains the
long-awaited reconciliation between God and man. It is the new covenant through
the mercies of God, and empowered by His Son-the incarnate Logos. What is the
content Of this covenant, and who is the warrantor who secures its riches to
its heirs? Christ and His Gospel are the answer to both questions. In Him man
is destined to live anew, crossing again into Eden, the Kingdom of Heaven. This
is the New Covenant which the Apostles received and handed down.
The new covenant is "good news of a great
joy". Its title was given by the angel proclaiming in Luke 2, 10, 11 that
"to you is born . . . a Savior . . . Christ the Lord," in Bethlehem
at the incarnation of the Logos. The contents of this covenant were endorsed in
Christ's baptism with His Father's statement, "Thou art my beloved
Son" (3,22). Indeed, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have
everlasting life" (John 3, 16). ' John the Baptist bore witness to Him,
and in his admiration for Him proclaimed, "Behold the Lamb of God."
The signature on this covenant was placed by
Christ's new order of Love at His mystic supper-the new testament-and ratified
by His Cross and His last words, "Father, forgive them, for they know not
what they do." Lastly, the eternal seal was placed on this covenant by His
triumphal resurrection, assuring the victory and joy of life.
This covenant was heralded by the First-called
Apostle Andrew in his conviction and exclamation that "we have found the
Messiah," and his brother Peter's confession, "Thou art the
Christ." His believers and devoted followers are destined to cover the
globe in all centuries. His reign is everlasting.
This mighty covenant of reconciliation-the New
Testament and Will-was handed down to the Church and entrusted to the hands of
the eyewitnesses, the Apostles of Christ. They proclaimed the Orthodox faith in
the True God and organized the new divine society in local Churches for men to
believe and worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, One living
Triune God. The Apostles are the first golden links in our inherited Faith,
which we today so dearly proclaim. The Lord sent them and the faithful accepted
and honor them.
REV. GEORGE MASTRANTONIS
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