Arrogance On the Road

                                                           Arrogance on the

                                                   road.  A blinding flash of light.

                                                          Saul has become Paul.

The World's Oldest Existing Christian Church Structure

The world's oldest existing Christian church structure is Thiruvithancode Arapally (aka: Thomaiyar Kovil) in the village of Thiruvithancode in Tamil Nadu State in India.

What Does It Mean?: Apostle

ἀπόστολος  The Greek word apostolos (apostle) comes from the words “apo (away from)” and “stellein (to send),” meaning, “sent off.”  The idea is that of an “emissary” or “messenger,” sent with a message.  The designation of “apostle” was a function, not an office or position. Sometimes apostles were elected and at other times they were appointed. (Galatians 2:8; Romans 11:13; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 2 Corinthians 5:20, 8:18-23, 9:13; 1 Thessalonians 3:2.)

Remember that the early Christians operated from a Jewish understanding.  The Greek "apostle" is equivalent to the Hebrew “shaliah.” A shaliaḥ (שָלִיחַ‎; pl. שְלִיחִים, sheliḥim) was a Jewish legal emissary or agent who performed an act of legal significance for the sender(s).

The Twelve Apostles were called “emissaries” when they were “sent” (Matthew 10:1-8) They were usually called “the Twelve (τοῖς δώδεκα)” or “followers” (mathetai, μαθηταὶ). They were not leaders of individual churches, and others (Junia, Andronicus, Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Apollos, and Paul himself) were called apostles.

In the biblical sense, it is entirely appropriate to refer to Padraig/Patrick (ca 387 - 493) as the Apostle to the Irish; John Eliot (ca 1604 -1690) as the Apostle to the Indians; and John G. Lake (1870-1935) as the Apostle to Africa. 

I Didn't Recognize the High Priest

"And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest? Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people." (Acts 23:1-5) (Note: Here Paul paraphrases from Exodus 22:28)


"I didn't recognize him."  Of course Paul knew that Ananias was the High Priest!  In the next passage, Paul declares to the group that he is a Pharisee and a Pharisee would know the High Priest.  Paul was using the words in the same way we might today.  He was being sarcastic, telling Ananias that he did not recognize Ananias' authority.  He also was asking Ananias how he dared to judge Paul (Acts 23:3).  Paul knew exactly who he was, God's apostle, and he was not shy about exerting his own authority.

What Eventually Happened to the Apostles Named in the Bible?

What eventually happened to the Apostles named in the Bible?

According to Christian tradition:

1.    Peter (aka: Simon bar Jonah, Simon bar Jochanan, Cephas, and Simon Peter), a fisherman from Bethsaida in Galillee, was crucified upside-down in Rome c. AD 64-67.2.    James, son of Zebedee was beheaded in AD 44 in Judea.

                       John, son of Zebedee, no biblical record of death, he is believed to have died of natural causes due to old age.  The only one of the original Twelve not to be martyred.  He apparently died ca 100 at Ephesus (Efes, Turkey) and is buried at Selcuk.

Andrew, Peter's brother and also originally a fisherman, was crucified upside-
down on a diagonal or X-shaped cross in Patras.

Philip, from Bethsaida in Galilee, was crucified in AD 54 -80, probably in Hierapolis
Bartholomew (aka: Bartholomew, son of Tolmai/Talemai; Nathaniel) was skinned 
alive and then beheaded; possibly in Derbend (a city in Dagestan in Russia) or 
in Albanopolis (near Zgerdhesh), Armenia.

Matthew (possibly also known as Levi), the tax collector, was killed by an axe in AD 
60 near Hierapolis in Ethiopia.

Thomas (aka: Judas Thomas Didymus, Didymos) was killed by a spear in 
Mylapore, Madras, India in AD 72.  Didimus (Greek) and t’oma (Aramaic) both 
mean “twin.”

James, son of Alphaeus (aka: James the Less, James the Just) was , beaten to death 
with a club after being crucified.

Jude was crucified.  Possibly the same man as Thaddeus (aka: Lebbaeus) 
Armenian tradition says he was martyred in Beirut ca. 65.

Simon the Zealot (possibly also known as Simeon of Jerusalem or Simon 
the Cananean) was crucified in AD 74.

Judas Iscariot (Judas the son of Simon), according to Matthew, hanged himself 
after betraying Jesus. In Acts, he is described as falling in a field and bursting open.

Matthias, the replacement for Judas Iscariot picked by the surviving  
eleven original Apostles, was stoned and beheaded, possibly ca, 80,
at Colchis (in modern Georgia.)

Barnabas (Acts 14:14), a Cypriot, was martyred in 61 at Salamis, Cyprus.

Andronicus (Romans 16:7), was probably the husband of Junia.

Junia (Romans 16:7) is the only woman named in the Bible as an apostle.  The 
name is clearly female, the male form of the name would be Junius.

Silas (1Thessalonians 1:1 and 2:6) was Paul’s travelling companion.

Timothy (1Thessalonians 1:1 and 2:6) was close enough to Paul to be called his “son.”

Apollos (1 Corinthians 4:9) is thought by some to have been the author of Hebrews.

Paul (aka: Saul of Tarsus) was, according to Christian tradition, he was beheaded ca. 67, in Rome. 
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I edited this post because the formatting didn't look right. JFM

Book Comment: The Lost Apostle: Searching for the Truth About Junia

Romans 16:7 says that Junia was "of note among the apostles."  A female apostle?  The early Church Fathers, Jerome and John Chrysostom, thought so.  The Eastern and oriental Orthodox Churches think so.  Desiderus Erasmus thought so.  The majority of textual evidence favors it.  The translators of the King James Version of the Bible thought so.

The name Junia is clearly a female name and was common during the first century.  The male form of the name, Junias, does not occur in the Bible and is only known to have occurred once in the extra-biblical Greek literature.

A female apostle would put a large dent in the world view of many conservative Christians who seem to have forgotten what Paul said in Romans (but they remember his seemingly contradictory statement in Galatians).  The full participation of women in the Church challenged the "order of things" as did many Christian practices.

Pederson points out that many modern commentators feel that Paul, in each of his letters to the churches, was addressing local questions.  The seeming inconsistency between his statements may reflect that fact.

In his letters Paul clearly and often spoke of women who taught and prophesied.  He even sent one woman, Phoebe,  as his official representative, carrying his personal letter, to the leaders of the church in Rome.

Pederson is insistent that this is not some sort of faddish, liberal-feminist reinterpretation of biblical history but a return to the original customs of the churches before an official church hierarchy rose up and imposed, intentionally or unintentionally, the male domination which was the norm in the outside world.

Everything that is possible to be known about the Apostle Junia is tracked down using church traditions, the early Church Fathers, and secular history.  Branching off from this, Pederson chases down whatever information is available on other prominent early female Christian leaders such as Prisca, Lydia, Chloe, Theda, Agnes, and Phoebe.

She is correct in her assertion that, in discarding the veneration of the saints and their relics, protestants have lost some of their connection to their own history.  Pederson calls not for a return to Catholic practice, but for a renewed commitment to studying the lives of the saints.

This is an excellent, well-researched book which is, at the very least, challenging to some very strongly held modern Christian beliefs which may or may not be correct.  Quoting Cyprian, the Bishop of Carthage (d. 858), "A custom without Truth is merely an ancient error."
  
Pederson, Rena, The Lost Apostle: Searching for the Truth About Junia (San Francisco: Josse-Bass, 2006)

     Pope Benedict has announced that bone fragments found in a white marble sarcophagus under the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Walls (Rome) have been dated to the late First Century or early Second Century.  The burial box contained bones, incense, blue cloth, and purple linen.  The site is the traditional burial place of the Apostle Paul and a cracked marble slab found there says in Latin, "Paul apostle martyr."  

      Church tradition says that Paul was beheaded in Rome.  It is claimed that bone fragments from his head are enshrined in Rome at St. John Lateran Basilica.  It would be very interesting to see if DNA analysis indicated that the bones from the two sites came from the same person.  It would be a strong indication that the bones might actually be from Paul.  It would not be proof.