Apostle (Greek: Apostolos, derived from apo [away] + stellein [to send])
The Apostles were, for the most part, ordinary folk transformed by Jesus Christ to assist and continue in his spiritual mission.
For Christians, the number twelve suggests that the apostles are a divinely chosen group since this number parallels the twelve tribes of Israel, as outlined in the Old Testament.
Collectively the apostles are: Simon Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholemew (possibly Nathanael), Matthew (possibly Levi), Thomas, James the Less, Thaddaeus (possibly Judas the son of James), Simon the Zealot or Cananean, and Judas Iscariot.
Judas Iscariot, who helped with the accounting, was the one who betrayed Jesus.
Matthias was chosen to replace Judas after his death by suicide.
Paul was another later addition.
Since one apostle went bad and two new apostles were added, critics could say that the emphasis on the number twelve does not really make sense.
Biblical defenders reply with various theological arguments, which in essence say that apparent discrepancies such as these amplify rather than nullify the “Living Word.” » Bible
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“Altar mosaic” by Platform 3 at http://www.flickr.com/photos/platform3/381073540/, Creative Commons License
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