Archelaus and Apostles

Upon the death of Herod the Great, his sons ruled the land of Israel. Antipas ruled Galilee in the north, and his brother Archelaus ruled Judea in the south. Whereas Antipas was kind to his people, Archelaus was not. He killed 700 Pharisees, several aristocrats, and hundreds of Israelites. The people could no longer endure him, so they sent apostles to Caesar, begging him to replace Archelaus. Caesar heard the apostles and exiled Archelaus to France. Then he appointed Roman prefects to rule Judea, including Pontius Pilate.

Outside the NT, this report alone references who the apostles were and their role in the time of Jesus. Josephus, a Hebrew historian who served in Rome, wrote this incident and the word apostles to refer to those who went from Jerusalem to Rome to bring a charge against Archelaus before Caesar.

After traveling through Judea and Galilee, Jesus had many followers, i.e., disciples. But Jesus wanted more.

“He went up to a mountain to pray and prayed to God all night long. When the day came, he called all his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles.

Simon, whom he also called Peter, and Andrew, his brother. Jacob and John. Philip and Bartholomew. Matthew and Thomas. Jacob ben Alphaeus and Simon, whom he called Zealot. Judas ben Jacob and Judas Iscariot, who became the betrayer.” (Luke 6:12–15) (Ben meant “son of.”)

Luke named them in pairs for easy recollection. He paired the brothers: Simon and Andrew and Jacob and John. There were two Simons, two Jacobs, and two Judases. For convenience, they had nicknames: Peter [rock] and Zealot for the two Simons; Jacob and Ben Alphaeus for the two Jacobs; and Ben Jacob and Iscariot (meaning "from Issachar") for the two Judases.

This would be a turning point in Jesus’s ministry. No longer would he do the ministry alone but with the help of his apostles – people who represented him with the power to heal and the authority over demons. They would represent God’s rule in a chaotic world.

Because of verses like Matthew 28:18–20, making disciples has become a key phrase in contemporary Christianity, ignoring that disciples are one step removed from the apostles. A few passages in the NT affirm that apostleship extended beyond the twelve disciples and Paul. Andronicus and Junian (Junius or Junia) were considered notable apostles who preceded Paul in their conversion and apostleship (Rom 16:7). One particular Jacob (perhaps Jesus’s brother, Gal 1:19) and other apostles saw Jesus after Peter and the Twelve saw him first (1 Cor 15:6–7). Paul referred to people whom Titus ministered to, perhaps in Create, as “apostles of the churches” (2 Cor 8:23; Titus 1:5). Paul referred to Epaphroditus as Philippians’ apostle (Phil 2:25). And Peter wrote that the churches that he ministered to had their own apostles (2 Pet 3:2). All these references show that the early church had disciples as well as apostles.

Following Jesus as a disciple is the first step. Serving him as an apostle – who represents him, defends him, and even dies for him – is the second step. May we boldly move from being his disciples to being his apostles.