John, an apostle of Jesus

   The apostle John wrote 5 books of the Bible: the book of John which is sometimes termed a “gospel,” three epistles, and Revelation.
I John 4:8   “…God is love.”

   We learn of his ministry from statements like this from Irenaeus, who had known Polycarp, who had been taught by John [1]: “Afterwards, John, the disciple of the Lord, who also had leaned upon His [chest], did himself publish a Gospel during his residence at Ephesus in Asia.” [2]

   After much ministry in Ephesus, he was exiled during the reign of Emperor Domitian.  The one year of Domitian’s reign was so bad Eusebius stated: “…even historians that are very far from befriending our religion have not hesitated to record this persecution and its martyrdoms in their histories” [3].

   John was exiled to Patmos, which is southwest of ancient Ephesus.  On Patmos he wrote Revelation!
Revelation 1:9   “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (NIV).

   After Nerva became the Roman emperor in 96 A.D., people who had been exiled due to religious persecution were permitted to return home.  John returned to Ephesus, which is where he apparently passed away [4].

   The strong tradition is that John was the only one of the twelve apostles not murdered.

Hunter Irvine

[1] William McBirnie, The Search for the Twelve Apostles
(Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1973), 110.
[2] Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., The Ante-Nicene
Fathers: The Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325 (1867; digital repr.,
Albany, Oregon: SAGE Software, 1996), 1:857.
[3] Eusebius, Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, trans. by C.F. Cruse
(Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1998), 83.

[4] Eusebius, Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, trans. by C.F. Cruse

(Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1998), 85.

James, an apostle of Jesus

   James, the brother of John, is the only one of the twelve apostles whose death is recorded in Scripture:  “It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.  He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword” (Acts 12:1-3 NIV).

   For me, it is perplexing his death gets only two sentences in the Bible.  Why does Luke not tell us about the homage paid to this apostle who was devoted to Jesus unto physical death?

   Maybe God did not want people idolizing James.  Much apostle idolizing has gone on in past times in church history, including the relic obsession.

   Yet I do not know why the lack of details about the sole recorded death of an apostle.  Yet James’ story does not end there.

   There is a passage in the Bible termed by people “the transfiguration,” a time when Jesus went to a mountain and appeared with Moses and Elijah.  The kicker is this; Moses had died, and Elijah was taken to heaven about 900 years before.  Yet there they were talking with Jesus!  James was one of three apostles to witness the event!

   Just as James witnessed Moses who was still alive, and just as James witnessed Jesus after His resurrection, James himself has eternal life in Christ.

   The promise of Jesus is that all people who believe in Him will not spiritually die; (see John 11:25-26).  James is in heaven, praise be to God!

   I add the reason he has sea shells on his emblem is the tradition that before he was martyred he did ministry work in Sardinia and Spain.  Though the evidence is weak, it is possible.

Hunter Irvine

Andrew, an apostle of Jesus

   Andrew was a fisherman.  We only know the occupations of five of the apostles; Andrew, Peter, James, and John were all fisherman, and Matthew was a tax collector.  With God leaving the occupations of the other apostles unknown to all later generations, may we be reminded God uses people of all different occupations to be a witness for him!

   Shields, or "emblems," of the twelve apostles are not of ancient origin!  Found as art in some churches today, such as in stain glass windows, I have not read documentation on their origin, but the origin is apparently from the denomination of the Church of England, though Anglicans may have utilized some symbols originating in the Roman Catholic denomination.
   Andrew was crucified on a cross which had an X shape, thus his emblem usually depicts this X cross with two fish below it.  The two fish are said to symbolize both the fact that Andrew answered the call to be a ‘fishers of people,’ just as his brother Peter did, and the fact it was he who “spoke up” and pointed out the boy with five loaves and two fish as recorded in John 6:8-9.

   And though the shields do not have a long history, some of the emblems may.  Andrew’s cross is on Scotland’s official flag, and he has long been their patron apostle.  Encyclopaedia Britannica states: “The first corroborated use of the symbol dates from 1286, when it appeared in the government seal of the “guardians” of Scotland.”[1]

   John 1:40   “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.  The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ)” (NIV).

   I think it is cool the first thing Andrew did after hearing Jesus for the first time was to go and tell his brother.  This illustrates to me brotherly love.

   The writing I mentioned in the last post which is disputed as to whether actually from Hippolytus, which Eusebius most likely used, stated Andrew preached to the Scythians.[2]

   Like many ancient countries, Scythia was different sizes at different times, yet the area north of the Black Sea where Ukraine is today was part of the country, and it probably went into modern Russia.

   In later years Andrew went to Achaia (Greece), and that is where he was martyred in Patras, crucified on the X shaped cross as I said above.

   I close by examining why Scotland has adopted the apostle Andrew when most scholars claim he was never there?  Apparently there are no early writings which tell he ministered in Scotland.  Yet there is a tradition he was there.  I think he could have been!  Traveling in the Mediterranean Sea vicinity, and beyond, was common.  For example, Paul states he was going to Spain in his letter to the Romans, recorded in Romans 15:24 and Romans 15:28.
   And though his plan to go straight to Spain after his trip to Jerusalem at the conclusion of his "third missionary journey" was thwarted, since he ended up being arrested in Jerusalem and put in prison in Caesarea for two years, Paul did get to visit Spain for a year in the midst of his time in Rome.[3]
   What definitely did happen was someone in the 4th or 5th century brought some bones reported to be Andrew’s to Scotland, which were buried at a place which would later become the famous St. Andrews.[4]
Hunter Irvine

   I am proud to have seen Phil Keaggy in concert six times in Colorado.  Phil gave his heart to Jesus in February of 1970.  He has been following Jesus for forty-five years.  Wow.  He is a humble Christian man.  This is my favorite Phil Keaggy song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiMnjcPhTdE

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[1] Encyclopaedia Britannica (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1355495/flag-of-Scotland) (Accessed 2/19/15).
[2] Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., The Ante-Nicene Fathers: The Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325 (1867; digital repr., Albany, Oregon: SAGE Software, 1996), 5:535.

[3] J. Daniel Hays and J. Scott Duvall, The Baker Illustrated Guide to the Bible (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2016), 102.
[4] William McBirnie, The Search for the Twelve Apostles

(Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1973), 82.

Peter, an apostle of Jesus

   In this brief examination of the apostles, I am going in the order the apostles are listed by Matthew.

   Peter was the apostle who had the courage to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, who had the faith to walk on water, who had the enthusiasm to jump out of the boat to greet Jesus after His resurrection, and who had the guts to cut off the ear of a high priest’s servant the night Jesus was betrayed.

   Peter was also the apostle who had the selfishness to lie in saying he did not know Jesus, three times.

   This was the apostle who has been highlighted in many sermons I have heard over the past twenty-four years.  I think this is because so many of us can relate to him.  Yet ironically most of those same sermons neglected to inform the congregation that Peter, after being baptized by the Holy Spirit, preached to people on the day of Pentecost which resulted in over 3,000 people turning to Christ.

   I add, as a Christian who is on fire for Christ who fits the categorization of a non-denominational Protestant, that in my church experience past I have heard little on the teaching from the two books of Scripture which Peter wrote, the epistles of I Peter and II Peter.  Yet they are rich epistles, which should be relished by any Christian!

   An article in National Geographic in December of 1971 discussed how a professor from the University of Rome, Dr. Margherita Guarducci, was convinced she located the bones of Peter.[1]  Found in a niche in a wall in the crypt under St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the evidence is strong this was Peter’s burial place.  This is an appropriate topic to start off this brief examination of the apostles, since the graves of the apostles, which contain bones, are of interest to Christian historians.  Their interest is for a different reason than the interest developed by Emperor Constantine and others even into the Middle Ages.  Through many years, some people, including some church leaders, treated “relics” (bones) of the apostles as if they were holy.

   On the flip side, historians want to track down where the bones supposedly ended up so they can verify a location where the apostle did ministry work!  Dr. McBirnie devoted himself to evidence regarding the graves of apostles in his book The Search for the Twelve Apostles for this very reason.[2]  Peter’s grave in Rome is affirmed by many, but scholars today dispute whether his bones were identified by Margherita Guarducci.

   Compared to some apostles who are rarely mentioned, because he was a natural leader Peter is mentioned much in Scripture.  This one verse I give here shows the apostles were given by Jesus unique apostolic gifts.

   Acts 9:40   “Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up” (NIV).

   Near the close of the epistle of I Peter, Peter states Babylon is his location at the time.  Yet many think Babylon was a code word for Rome.  I am not sure.  From a questioned writing of Hippolytus, we have the statement that Peter did ministry work in various locations: “Peter preached the Gospel in Pontus, and Galatia, and Cappadocia, and Betania, and Italy, and Asia…”[3]  Note that Eusebius apparently quoted this writing, which I think gives it more weight, though it might have some corruption.[4]

   Peter's death in Rome during the reign of the Emperor Nero is not disputed.  And the reason an upside down cross is associated with Peter are statements he was crucified upside down, since he wanted to be in a different position than Christ had been in when crucified.  Sounds like Peter to me.

   Picking up where I left off in the quote above from the Hippolytus writing, which I think is legit: "...and was afterwards crucified by Nero in Rome with his head downward, as he had himself desired to suffer in that manner."[5]

Hunter Irvine

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[1] Aubrey Menen, “St. Peter’s,” National Geographic, Vol. 140, no.6 (1971).

[2] William McBirnie, The Search for the Twelve Apostles

(Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1973).

[3] Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., The Ante-Nicene
Fathers: The Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325 (1867; digital repr.,
Albany, Oregon: SAGE Software, 1996), 5:535.

[4] Eusebius, Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, trans. C.F. Cruse

(Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1998), 67.
[5] Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., The Ante-Nicene
Fathers: The Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325 (1867; digital repr.,
Albany, Oregon: SAGE Software, 1996), 5:535.

The Twelve Apostles

   The twelve apostles of Jesus were special!  Sometimes in Scripture, they are simply called the Twelve, such as in Matthew 20:17.  Yet there are numerous misconceptions about the twelve apostles.  First, some think of the apostles as being Western.  They were not.  They were twelve Jewish followers of Jesus.  Second, some think of the apostles as the sole church rulers.  They were not. Apostle does not mean ruler, rather more of an emissary, a word G.A. Williamson fittingly used.  “Apostolos…is, (literally), one sent forth….Apostle… a sending, a mission…”[1]  Billy Graham has often been called an ambassador for Christ, one appropriate title for him, which follows on this line of being sent out to give a message.  Really all Christians are called to be ambassadors for Christ to various degrees.

   Now apostles did have church governmental authority.  Yet early on they were working with elders and others in the church, as can be seen in places like Acts 15.  I propose early Christian ministry was more of a team effort involving many disciples of Jesus.  For example, early historians note the intriguing fact that the first overseer, also called a bishop, of Jerusalem was James, one of the natural children of Mary who came after the birth of Jesus.  Also nicknamed James the just or James the righteous, he was chosen instead of one of the apostles!  Eusebius quotes Clement on this.[2]  And from Scripture we learn the apostles were humble rather than flaunting their positions.  Look at the opening of 2 Peter; “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ…” (2 Peter 1:1-2 NIV). Peter puts the title servant before apostle.  Consider the apostle John.  He did not even include his name in his “gospel.”  He could have started out the book by stating who he was and the fact that he was an apostle in order to give authority to his book.  Instead, he starts out talking about the “Word,” and then near the conclusion he writes, “This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true" (John 21:24 NIV).  He simply calls himself a disciple instead of apostle, and he speaks in the plural, an eastern thing to do, to show group participation and validation.
   I also disagree with the concept of "apostolic succession," agreeing with Martin Luther on that subject.  It is the view in some denominations that apostles laid hands on new church leaders, especially overseers, and then those "bishops" laid hands on ministers, and that has gone down the line.  Jesus said nothing about this, and there are no specific records of who laid hands on who early on, the reason Eusebius had such a challenge in his mission to find successors of the apostles, and the reason he did not come out with a line of overseers following in an apostle's city except in Rome, which simply had strong documentation.  And though Rome had strong documentation, Eusebius records overseers in various cities, such as Alexandria and Ephesus, treating them all equal.

   Now most know the calling of the apostles.  Like all disciples of Jesus, they were called to preach, teach, and heal, though they were given a primary authority by Jesus to do so.  Jesus sent them to preach: “He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach…” (Mark 3:14 NIV).  Jesus sent them to teach: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42 NIV).  Jesus sent them to heal, and they did.  All disciples today are supposed by be preaching, teaching, and healing, though the healing call today is spiritual I would claim.  Again, the twelve apostles were special!  My theological conviction is the apostles were given unprecedented gifts, not counting the gifts of God incarnate.  These time period specific gifts for that beginning age of the “Church” included the ability to do physical miracles.  For example, Peter brought a woman who was a follower of Jesus, Tabitha, back to life from physical death.  So on one hand they were doing what the other disciples of Jesus were doing, yet on the other hand they had a primary authority, and special apostolic gifts!
   And a key call of their apostolic authority was to produce Scripture.  Regarding Scripture, I think an apostolic connection was a key for the canon, thus the Scripture of the New Testament is an apostolic witness.  It is accurate to say the “church” is apostolic, since Jesus entrusted and enabled the witness of Him to apostles.  Jesus never wrote any Scripture Himself!  And regarding their ministry all over the place, one reason Christianity spread so fast was the apostles were not fighting among each other or with other disciples to gain power or prestige.  And though even they had their disagreements, they continued working together with other disciples of Jesus to proclaim the Gospel.  The Holy Spirit was the enabler!  Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (NIV).  Against all odds, the truth of the Messiah was told to Jewish people and to non-Jewish people in countries with extremely different cultures than Judea, and many people believed.

   A look at the twelve apostles is a history which mirrors the ministry of the One they followed.  Discounting Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus, and instead acknowledging Matthias who took his place, of the twelve apostles, at least ten, and probably eleven of them were murdered for their ministry work.  John was probably the only one of the twelve apostles to die a natural death, yet in his life, he knew much persecution.  Thus we have tragedy with all, yet it was followed by triumph.  Matthew 19:28 records the promise by Jesus that the apostles will have thrones in heaven.  And the largest triumph is that the martyring of eleven apostles only enhances the fact that these men who were willing to die for Jesus were likewise willing to live for Him.

   For the next 12 blog posts, I am going to write a bit about all twelve apostles.  One of my great used Christian bookstore finds of all time was a paperback entitled, The Search of the Twelve Apostles by Dr. William McBirnie.  That book is still in print though it was first published in the 1973.  Considering the limited written information available about this team of Jewish religious zealots who ended up scattered in multiple countries, the travelling and research by Dr. McBirnie to gain information about the Twelve is unprecedented.  When it comes to theories about countries where apostles ministered in, I have gotten most facts from the writings of early Christians or from Eusebius, a church historian, yet my starting point was the extensive research of Dr. McBirnie, a man I have never met, yet whom I cannot wait to talk to, though I will probably have to wait until heaven.

   At this point I say: Enjoy!

Hunter Irvine

I like the group effort of this video, and it has a sweet finale.  Do know that Man from Galilee was the Messiah, God incarnate:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsi7nwkEp7k

Bibliography for the common sources for the twelve posts on the Twelve Apostles

Eusebius. Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History.  Translated by C.F. Cruse.

   Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1998.

McBirnie, William. The Search for the Twelve Apostles.

   Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1973.

Roberts, Alexander, and James Donaldson. eds. The Ante-Nicene

   Fathers: The Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325. 1867.

   Digital Reprint, Albany, Oregon: SAGE Software, 1996.

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[1] W.E. Vine, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words: Comprehensive Dictionary of the Original Greek Words with their Precise Meanings for English Readers (McLean, Virginia: MacDonald Publishing Company, [no date]), 65.

[2] Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, trans. C.F. Cruse (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1998), 35.

11 Apostles died for Jesus

   Christmas Eve, in 2008 I think it was, I sat in the small church where I was a member at the time amidst people who were my church family, along with people I had not seen in awhile as well as people who were there at the church for the first time.  The sermon was early in the service, and Reverend Scott Anderson stood before us and spoke.  He proposed some related questions: Why do I believe this Christmas story?  Why do I believe in Jesus?  Why do I believe what the Bible teaches?

   Pastor Scott Anderson said there are three reasons he believes the Bible is true.  First, he believes the witnesses of the Apostles recorded in the Bible.  Second, he believes the witnesses of Christians for the past 2000 years.  Thirdly, he believes the witnesses of a number of Christians he knows now.  In a soft spoken manner, he elaborated on these three clear points.  I thought it was the best Christmas sermon I have ever heard.

   One witness I would add is the witness of the Holy Spirit to the truth of Jesus.  The Bible teaches all of those people needed to rely on the Holy Spirit to be a witness.  And on a personal level, no one besides God knows how much Jesus has done in an individuals heart beside that individual, and hopefully he or she will recognize it as the work of the Holy Spirit.

   Jesus only ministered in this world for three years, an extremely short time in the scope of world history.  Yet He promised the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, would come after Him.  Jesus stated: “All this I have spoken while still with you.  But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you" (John 14:25-26 NIV).  The hope of all followers of Jesus rested on this promise, because only by the Holy Spirit could Jesus be followed in the wake of His return to heaven.  Otherwise the early believers in Jesus would have been trying to follow on their own strength the One who would have otherwise left them.  And besides that, since God loves people, He wants to be with people, for more than a three year stint.  If Jesus did not send the Holy Spirit, people would still not be united with God.  Yet thanks to Jesus atonement on the Cross, and the offering of the Holy Spirit, people can be united with God.

   A person receives the Holy Spirit if he or she believes in Jesus because Jesus atoned for sins on the cross, thus He is able to cleanse a person who is not Holy.  Thus a believer is “justified,” and the Holy Spirit can indwell in his or her heart.  And a person with the Holy Spirit in his or her heart can rely on Him to be illuminated by the witnesses Pastor Scott Anderson talked about.

   Having considered some classic Christian books in recent weeks, I was thinking about More Than A Carpenter by Josh McDowell.  Only the second Christian book I read, I read it on the Washington D.C. subway travelling to and from work back around 1992.  The book helped me, a young Christian, at that delicate beginning stage of my journey following Jesus.  The chapter which most impacted me was where he talked about how 11 of the 12 Apostles died for Jesus.  Mr. McDowell argued that eleven men would not all die for a lie.  I thought the historical evidence he gave was the best support for the legitimacy of the apostle’s witness.  As a person who did not receive Jesus until I was 22, and who had learned about many other subjects at Virginia Tech, this application of history and logic was convincing to me.

   Dr. Craig Blomberg, distinguished New Testament scholar who has taught at Denver Seminary for coming on 30 years, spoke at my church Bethel Grove Bible Church last weekend for a special seminar.  Dr. Blomberg talked about how he turned to Jesus when he was age fifteen, and how the premise of Josh McDowell’s book was a key for his growing faith.  McDowell gave the argument that the teaching and claims of Jesus were such that He was either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord.  Yet the time came when a person challenged Dr. Blomberg on a different issue.  The person claimed the Bible was not historically accurate, so rather than Jesus being a liar, a lunatic, or Lord, Jesus was no more than a fictional character, and the Bible was a fantasy.  Thus there was another consideration to add to McDowell’s list: that Jesus could have been a “legend.”  Dr. Blomberg in faith began a search to learn of the historical accuracy of the Scriptures.  The result was his discovery of support galore for the accuracy of the Bible.  One of his talks this past Saturday, my favorite, examined the issue of whether the Bible transcripts have been corrupted.  His scholarship is extensive.

   Yet after a weekend of much scholarly engagement, Dr. Blomberg, who was also the guest preacher for the Sunday services, closed the sermon saying the Holy Spirit was necessary to produce a historically accurate witness, and the Holy Spirit is necessary for our faith today.  Then my question is; why?  Ultimately the Bible is a witness to God, and we imperfect people need the perfect Holy Spirit to be involved in all facets of the process as we learn about Jesus, our Savior and Lord.

   Though 22 years ago, I still remember the ending of that book where Mr. McDowell talked about how he was quite the popular guy on his college campus, but that on the inside he was suffering, struggling to make it to each weekend.  After he turned to Jesus, his life was radically changed.  The ending of the book went from ancient history to the history of one human being right there in the 20^th century, one human being who is totally loved by God, and who was blessed by receiving Jesus.

   Reading that book 22 years ago sitting on the D.C. subway, I had no idea that one day I would spend much time over the period of years doing my own research, as a believer, to learn more and more about the historical accuracy of the Bible.  This happened in two ways.  First and foremost, I studied the Bible by faith that it is historically accurate.  And wow, my conviction of its historical accuracy went out the roof.  Second, I have read many secondary sources which support the Biblical witness.  For example, after learning from Mr. McDowell that 11 apostles of Jesus were martyred, I will be presenting a series of pieces on the Twelve Apostles.

   “Church” history is full of sinful stuff including fights for power and money.  Yet an extensive look reveals a history full of the mercy and grace of Jesus in the lives of those who followed Him.  And Jesus invites you to join His adventure, even today.

   That leads to my final point.  You and I can experience the truth of Jesus!

   I have read, and I continue to read, the Bible witnesses.

   I have read some witnesses from history.

   I have heard witnesses in my own day and age.

   I have received the Spirit of Christ in my heart.

   AND, I have witnessed Jesus working in my life!

      I have lived a journey with Jesus!!!

   Jesus Christ died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone.  Jesus was the substitute for the consequences of sins, which is spiritual death.  If you believe in Jesus, you will have eternal life in heaven with the Lord God Almighty, who loves you with all of His heart.

Hunter Irvine