The apostles were the twelve men whom Jesus supposedly selected to attend him during his ministry, and to promulgate his religion. Their names were as follows: Simon Peter, and Andrew his brother; James, and John his brother, sons of Zebedee; Philip; Bartholomew; Thomas; Matthew; James, the son of Alpheus; Lebbeus his brother, called Judas or Jude; Simon, the Canaanite; and Judas Iscariot. To these were subsequently added Matthias (chosen by lot in place of Judas Iscariot) and Paul. The Bible gives the name of apostle to Barnabas also, who accompanied Paul on his missions. In a wider sense those preachers who first taught Christianity in heathen countries are sometimes termed apostles; for example, St Denis, the apostle of the Gauls; St Boniface, the apostle of Germany; St Augustin, the apostle of England; Francis Xavier, the apostle of the Indies; Adalbert of Prague, apostle of Prussia Proper. Their subsequent history is only imperfectly known. According to one interpretation of Matthew XVI 18 Christ seems to appoint St Peter the first of the apostles; and the pope claims supreme authority from the power which Christ thus gave to St Peter, of whom all the popes, according to the Catholic dogma, are successors in an uninterrupted line. Research Apostles
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