Crumbs from the Table

At this time of year, we are remembering and reflecting on Christ's resurrection from the dead, and we think of the Apostles who were witnesses of that resurrection.  Not all those who saw the risen Christ were Apostles. For example, Mary Magdalene who was the first to encounter the Lord after his resurrection, or the 500 brothers mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15.  An "Apostle of Jesus Christ" was someone personally chosen by Christ to be an Apostle (Acts 1), and who had seen the risen Christ first-hand (1 Corinthians 9:1-3).  There are at least four categories of people who can be described as "Apostles of Jesus Christ".   1)  First there were Simon Peter and the rest of the Twelves minus Judas, who was replaced by Matthias  (see Acts 1) 2)  Then there were the brothers of the Lord , which definitely included James and most likely also Jude (1 Corinthians 15:7; 9:5) 3) Besides these, there were also "other Apostles" who were not one of the Twel...

The history of the first Christian decades is partly covered in the book of Acts. At the same time, the focus from Acts 13 onwards is on the Apostle Paul, and the book concludes with Paul's first imprisonment at Rome.  While there is much that remains unknown, we can piece together a rough chronology of the early years of the Christian church and the life and ministry of the original Twelve Apostles (minus Judas who was replaced by Matthias). Tentatively, we may say that the Ascension occurred in the year 33 AD , and was followed by the Day of Pentecost and the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. The events in chapters 2 to 8 of the book of Acts must have taken place within 2-3 years if not less.  The persecution following the stoning of Stephen the Protomartyr (Acts 7) caused many to be dispersed near and far, and led to the spread of the gospel to new places. This was followed by the conversion of Paul on the Road to Damascus. Paul did not immediately go to find the oth...

The Apostles whom Jesus chose fulfilled a central role as unique witnesses to the world of his resurrection from the dead. The first Apostle to die was James the brother of John in the year 44; the last to die was John around the year 100. During this time, the "baton" was passed from the Apostles, like Peter, John and Paul, to the next generation of Christian leaders. Ephesus was the place that Paul had "handed over" leadership of the church, and also the place where John was the last Apostle to die, and thus represents the first stage in post-Apostolic church history.  The first generation of post-Apostolic writers were called the Apostolic Men or Apostolic Fathers. They included Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna (see below) and Papias of Hierapolis. Many of these were men who had been discipled by the Apostles. In Polycarp’s case, he had been discipled by John the Apostle at Ephesus. Besides these individuals, there are also a number of tex...