CHAPTER 1 – LUKAS AND THE APOSTLES

The life of Jesus is recorded in four accounts: the Gospels. All the Gospels mention a special circle of Jesus’ companions. This circle consists of twelve men, the Apostles. Jesus chose them from a larger group of disciples. Paul was not among them. Two Gospels are attributed to Jesus’ Apostles: the Gospel of John and the Gospel of Matthew. The other two Gospels, those of Mark and Luke, originate from the circle of the Apostles. In the Bible, the Gospels are followed by the Acts of the Apostles. It recounts the subsequent history of the early Christian community following Jesus’ resurrection. Paul plays an important role in the Acts of the Apostles. Alongside Paul’s letters, it is one of the two biblical sources concerning his life. Traditionally, the evangelist Luke is regarded as its author. However, there are doubts regarding this attribution.

The Gospels rarely use the term ‘apostles’ to refer to Jesus’ companions. Instead, they speak of the Twelve or the disciples.
The Twelve assisted Jesus in his ministry. He sent them out, both before and after his resurrection, to proclaim the faith. The term ‘apostles’ therefore refers to those twelve men who were personally chosen by Jesus to proclaim the faith. One exception is the apostle Matthias. He was called after Jesus’ death to replace Judas, who had also died.

Of some of Jesus’ twelve companions, we know only their names. Others, such as Peter, feature prominently in the texts. We also learn personal details about them.

In his own accounts, Paul refers to himself as an apostle. In doing so, he places himself in the tradition of the Twelve. Like them, he sees himself as having been personally chosen by Jesus to proclaim the faith.