{
  "id": "dict_000312",
  "term": "Apostles",
  "slug": "apostles",
  "letter": "A",
  "entry_type": "people_group",
  "entry_family": "historical_person_place",
  "tier": 2,
  "aliases": [],
  "short_definition": "Apostles are the foundational witnesses commissioned directly by the risen Christ.",
  "simple_one_line": "Apostles are the foundational witnesses commissioned directly by the risen Christ.",
  "tooltip_text": "Apostles: the foundational witnesses commissioned directly by the risen Christ",
  "lede_intro": "Apostles are the foundational witnesses commissioned directly by the risen Christ. The group's significance comes into focus when its identity, period, and relation to Israel, the church, or later Jewish-Christian interpretation are carefully specified.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Apostles are Christ's specially commissioned witnesses whose testimony laid the church's foundation.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "The Twelve were appointed by Jesus during his earthly ministry.",
    "Apostolic authority is tied to eyewitness witness to the risen Christ and divine commission.",
    "The church is built on the apostolic and prophetic foundation, with Christ as the cornerstone."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Apostles are Christ's specially commissioned witnesses whose testimony laid the church's foundation. The apostles matter because Christ chose them to bear authoritative witness to the gospel once for all; their testimony, preserved in Scripture, grounds the church's doctrine and mission.",
  "description_academic_full": "Apostles are Christ's specially commissioned witnesses whose testimony laid the church's foundation. Biblically, the apostles appear throughout the Gospels and Acts as the principal witnesses to Jesus' ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension. Historically, the apostolic office belongs to the first-generation, foundational era of the church and is tied to Christ's own commissioning. The apostles matter because Christ chose them to bear authoritative witness to the gospel once for all; their testimony, preserved in Scripture, grounds the church's doctrine and mission.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Biblically, the apostles appear throughout the Gospels and Acts as the principal witnesses to Jesus' ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension.",
  "background_historical_context": "Historically, the apostolic office belongs to the first-generation, foundational era of the church and is tied to Christ's own commissioning.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": null,
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Luke 6:12-16 - Jesus appoints the Twelve.",
    "Acts 1:21-26 - Matthias is chosen to fill Judas's place as a resurrection witness.",
    "Acts 2:42 - The church devotes itself to the apostles' teaching.",
    "1 Corinthians 15:3-8 - Paul lists appearances of the risen Christ tied to apostolic witness.",
    "Ephesians 2:20 - The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets."
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Matthew 10:1-8 - Jesus authorizes the Twelve for representative ministry.",
    "John 20:21-23 - The risen Christ sends his disciples as commissioned witnesses.",
    "Acts 4:33 - The apostles bear powerful testimony to the resurrection.",
    "Revelation 21:14 - The new Jerusalem's foundations are named for the twelve apostles."
  ],
  "original_language_note": null,
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "theological_significance": "The apostles matter because Christ chose them to bear authoritative witness to the gospel once for all; their testimony, preserved in Scripture, grounds the church's doctrine and mission.",
  "philosophical_explanation": null,
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not collapse Apostles into a timeless stereotype or assume every reference uses the group in the same way. Ask who is in view, when they appear, and how Scripture or later history uses the group within the storyline.",
  "major_views_note": null,
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "A faithful doctrine of the church distinguishes the once-for-all apostolic foundation from later pastoral, missionary, or administrative offices.",
  "practical_significance": "This entry directs readers back to apostolic teaching as the norm for faith and practice and guards against claims that compete with the authority of Scripture.",
  "related_entries": [
    "Twelve",
    "Paul",
    "Resurrection appearances",
    "Church"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Pentecost",
    "Great Commission",
    "New Testament"
  ],
  "meta_description": "Apostles are Christ's specially commissioned witnesses whose testimony laid the church's foundation. The apostles matter because Christ chose them to bear…",
  "jsonld_description": "Apostles are Christ's specially commissioned witnesses whose testimony laid the church's foundation. Biblically, the apostles appear throughout the Gospels and Acts as the…",
  "source_basis": "scripture + historical context",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/bible-dictionary/apostles/index.html",
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  "route_mode": "canonical",
  "canonical_id": "dict_000312",
  "canonical_term": "Apostles",
  "canonical_slug": "apostles",
  "authority_status": "editorial_reviewed",
  "review_state": "finalized",
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}