Between Ascension and Pentecost, the surviving eleven apostles replaced Judas and appointed the thirteenth apostle. This is the story …
Between Ascension and Pentecost
The word Pentecost comes from the Greek for ‘fiftieth’ and refers to Feast of Pentecost which happened 50 days after Passover.
One piece of necessary apostolic business occurred between these two events. The story is told in the primary chapter of Acts, that after the Ascension the surviving apostles walked from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem (Acts 1:12). They went to the upper room of a house in Jerusalem where they joined by ‘the ladies’ which included Mary the mother of Jesus and his half-brothers. (Acts 1:13). It says that there they joined together consistently in prayer (Acts 1:14), whilst they waited for the Feast of Pentecost.
Some of them would have been preparing for the Jewish feast of Pentecost, which was one among the three great feats of Judaism. These three great feasts were the Festival of Unleavened Bread (Passover), Festival of Harvest (Pentecost) and Festival of Ingathering (Tabernacles), during which each adult male was required to be present in Jerusalem (Exodus 23:14-17). Knowing this explains why all of them stayed in Jerusalem, and didn’t immediately return to Galilee.
Replacing Judas
On one among as of late between the Ascension and Pentecost – it will not be clear which one – St Peter stood up among the many believers, which numbered about 120, to provide a speech. He told the story of how Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, had committed suicide (Acts 1:15-20). He proposed that they elect one other one among their number to switch Judas as apostle. The criterion was that the candidate needed to be someone who had been with Jesus through his ministry since John’s baptism, was a witness to the resurrection, and was still amongst them. (Acts 1:21-22)
It seems likely that the lads chosen were from among the many 70 (or 72 depending on the manuscript) disciples mentioned in Luke 10:1-24. Jesus said, “God in his wisdom said: ‘I’ll send them prophets and apostles, a few of whom they’ll kill and others they’ll persecute'” (Luke 11:49, NIV). It could have been from this wider group of seventy disciples that Jesus chosen his closest twelve apostles (Luke 6:13).
Two men were proposed. One was called Joseph Barsabbas, who was also often called Justus, and one other called Matthias (Acts 1:23). It will not be clear if these two were the one ones who fulfilled the standards, or whether or not they were the 2 best suited candidates from amongst those that qualified, or in the event that they were simply the one two willing to take the role. The disciples then prayed.
It seems it was not obvious which of the 2 needs to be chosen, in order that they prayed and solid lots. Casting lots could seem to us like an odd method to discern the Lord’s will to us, however it had biblical precedence. In the Old Testament, Joshua and Samuel are each recorded as casting lots to make decisions, and there’s a Proverb, ‘The lot is solid into the lap, but the choice is the LORD’s alone’ (Proverbs 16:33).
The thirteenth apostle
It was Matthias who was chosen to switch Judas. Matthias was the thirteenth apostle to be appointed, but numbered among the many apostles, and his appointment restored the variety of apostles to 12.
Who was Barsabbas?
Joseph Barsabbas was also often called Justus. Many of the Jews had a Hebrew name and a Greek or Roman name. We see this with Saul, which was his Hebrew name, also often called Paul which was his Roman name, and Simon who was also often called Peter. Likewise Justus is probably going his Roman name. Other than this, he will not be mentioned within the New Testament. The silence of Scripture is usually filled in by tradition, and the Christian tradition, is that this Justus went on to develop into the primary bishop of Eleutheropolis, which lies on the road between Jerusalem and Gaza, where he died a martyr. He is taken into account a saint within the Orthodox tradition and often called Saint Justus of Eleutheropolis, with a feast day on 20 July.
Who was Matthias?
Matthias was appointed by the surviving eleven apostles to switch Judas Iscariot. Matthias can be a little bit of a mystery. He was with Jesus all through his ministry but doesn’t appear named in any of the 4 Gospel accounts. There are different traditions about him. In one tradition he was martyred in Jerusalem, and in one other that he went to Cappadocia and died in Georgia. Saint Matthias is taken into account a saint within the Orthodox and Catholic traditions. He is remembered within the Catholic and Anglican calendars on 14 May. In the Orthodox tradition he’s recalled on 9 August.
The Twelve
Matthias, the thirteenth apostle, restored the variety of apostles to 12. The idea of twelve apostles might be symbolic of the twelve tribes of Israel. In Acts 6:2 the apostles are once more known as ‘The Twelve’, which included Matthias. The story is then told that they appointed the seven deacons Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus.
Other apostles
By Acts 14:14, Paul and Barnabas are called apostles. Paul regarded himself as Apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13) and wrote that he was ‘the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God’ (1 Corinthians 15:8-9).
James, half-brother of Jesus, known as an apostle by St Paul in Galatians 1:19, and possibly in in 1 Corinthians 15:7.
Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus that the Church was ‘built on the muse of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself because the chief cornerstone’ (Ephesians 2:20) and went onto explain that that some were called to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists and a few to be pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). This seems to suggest that being an apostle was a calling and apostles shall be a part of Church life.
There is an intriguing verse at the tip of Romans 16:7 where St Paul writes, ‘Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives who were in prison with me; they’re distinguished among the many apostles, they usually were in Christ before I used to be.’ Andronicus and Junia are likely a married couple, like Priscilla and Aquila mentioned in Romans 16:3. The verse is ambiguous. Some people read it to mean that they were well-known and distinguished people to the apostles, but others read it to mean that they themselves were distinguished apostles, and if that is so, it signifies that Junia is the one named female apostle within the New Testament. Those who support female ministry jump on this possibility, and people who don’t support female ministry highlight the ambiguous nature of the text.
It will not be clear if the concept of needing exactly twelve apostles was dropped because the Church developed, or alternatively if the technique of maintaining twelve apostles was continued and these people replaced other apostles who died or were martyred to take care of the number at twelve. However, some self-proclaimed apostles weren’t recognised as such, and there are warnings against false apostles in 2 Corinthians 11:13 and Revelation 2:2. This perhaps only is smart if the apostles weren’t limited to 12. The appointment of the seven deacons mentioned in Acts 6:2 may suggest that Jesus didn’t leave a hard and fast blueprint for the structure of the Church, they usually developed the model because the Church grew.
The term apostle as utilized in Church history
Throughout the history of the Church the term apostle has been applied to individuals who brought the Gospel to latest areas. Sometimes Mary Magdalene known as the Apostle to the Apostles because she was on the empty tomb and proclaimed the excellent news of the resurrection to the surviving eleven apostles.
Apostles through history
The fourth century St Frumentius is usually often called the Apostle to Ethiopia. The fifth century St Patrick is taken into account the Apostle to Ireland. The sixth century St Augustine of Canterbury is usually considered the apostle to the English. The eighth century Saint Boniface is often called the Apostle to the Germans. The ninth century Saints Cyril and Methodius are sometimes often called the Apostles to the Slavs. In newer history the English Primitive Methodist evangelists John Ride (1790-1862) and Thomas Russell (1806-1889) are sometimes often called the Apostles to Berkshire. The Welsh John Griffith (1831-1912) was often called the Apostle to Central China.
Ascensiontide
In the Christian calendar Ascension Day falls 40 days after Easter, and Pentecost is 10 days after that, meaning Pentecost Sunday is seven weeks after Easter Sunday. The Sunday between Ascension and Pentecost known as the seventh Sunday of Easter, or the Sunday of Ascensiontide. In churches which follow the lectionary, the story of Matthias is usually recalled on that Sunday between Ascension and Pentecost, which in 2024 is 12 May.
