Apostles

Peter Stuhlmacher says in his commentary on Romans (Westminster/John Knox) that ” apostolos ” in Greek literature meant “one who leads a naval expedition” or “admiral.” Though he says this has nothing to do with the NT usage, I suspect that Luke is making some play on the term when he describes Paul’s sea voyage to Rome. There’s little doubt that Paul has become the admiral of the ship after their shipwreck. I also suspect that the word is used partly to highlight the NT’s emphasis on the mission to the Gentiles. Paul the apostle is the one who leads expeditions into the sea of Gentiles.

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Rome and the Church in the United States

George Weigel

Archbishop Michael J. Curley of Baltimore, who confirmed my father, was a pugnacious Irishman with a taste…

Marriage Annulment and False Mercy

Luma Simms

Pope Leo XIV recently told participants in a juridical-pastoral formation course of the Roman Rota that the…

Undercover in Canada’s Lawless Abortion Industry

Jonathon Van Maren

On November 27, 2023, thirty-six-year-old Alissa Golob walked through the doors of the Cabbagetown Women’s Clinic in…