What's the Difference between an Apostle and a Disciple?
Throughout the New Testament, the words “disciple” and “apostle” are used over times. In most cases, the references are made regarding Jesus and His followers. But what’s the difference between a disciple and an apostle?
What Do the Terms "Apostle" and "Disciple" Mean?
A disciple can be commonly referred to as a student who adheres to a teacher (or a school of thought). In the New Testament, most references to disciples are to Jesus’ students.
A general definition of an apostle is one who is sent with an important message or business. Different political and ethnic groups used apostles as:
- Officers sent to far regions to oversee obedience to the Law (Judaism).
- Admirals, their fleets of ships, and/or those who traveled with and aided them (Greeks in the fourth century B.C.). They used the term, apostolos.
- Emissaries or ambassadors who spoke acted with the authority of the one who sent them (first century A.D. Roman government).
Christ selected that common term (apostle) and magnified it when He called a specific group of men to serve as His Apostles. Apostleship is a unique office held by the few men appointe
Was Paul a Disciple or Apostle? (And Who Decided!)
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily match my own. - Dr. Bart D. Ehrman
The question of whether Paul was an apostle or a disciple is an interesting one. What is a disciple? What is an apostle? In this article, I’ll differentiate between the two terms. Then I’ll discuss which term defined Paul’s role and by what authority he got it.
First Things First: Definition of Disciple
The term disciple has become so common after two thousand years of Christian history that many never think about what it actually meant in Jesus’ time. So where does this term originally come from?
Remember that the entire New Testament was written in Greek. The Greek word we translate into English as “disciple,” is mathetes (our word “disciple” comes from the Latin equivalent discipulus). These days, some might consider a disciple a follower of any charismatic leader. However, when we look at how the word was used before the New Testament, another translation suggests itself: student.
This is illustrated in a passage in the philosopher Plato’s famous work The Republic w
Paul claims to be called to be an apostle in each of the undisputed letters (Rom , 1 Cor , 2 Cor , Gal ) as well as several other letters (Eph , Col , Tim, Titus). In addition to the headings of these letters, Paul refers to his apostleship in several other contexts. In Rom he calls himself the “apostle to the Gentiles” and in 1 Corinthians 9 Paul defends his status as an apostle on a par with Peter or Barnabas. But Paul never claims to be one of the Twelve. With the exception of Matthias, the replacement for Judas, this group were chosen by Jesus before the crucifixion.
In fact, in Galatians 1 Paul emphasizes his commission as an apostle but distinct from the Twelve. An “apostle” is someone who is sent as a representative of another, usually some kind of a group. Most lexicons suggests the English “ambassador, delegate, messenger” for the Greek concept of an apostle. Most scholars now associate the Greek apostolos (ἀπόστολος) with the Hebrew shaliach. A person who was sent as a representative or agent acts on the same authority of the sending group.
For example, when the Jerusalem church sent Barnabas to Antioch, it is possible he was send as a shaliach or apostle o
What is the difference between a disciple and apostle?
Answer
Every apostlewas a disciple, but not every disciplewas an apostle. Every person who believes in Jesus is called His disciple. Matthew –20 records Jesus saying, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The Greek word for “disciple” simply refers to a learner and is used throughout the New Testament to refer to people who believed in Jesus and followed Him (Luke –33). For example, Acts says, “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing.” The word disciplessimply means “believers” or “Christians” in this context.
The Greek word for “apostle” literally means “one who is sent” and can refer to an emissary or anyone sent on a mission. An apostle is given the authority of the one who sent him. All of the apostles were disciples—they were among the many believers in Jesus—but only a select group of disciples were chosen as the Twelve Apostles (Matthew –4; Mark ; Acts
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