Sect. 234Our Lord’s Teaching on the Church During His Public LifeOur Lord’s Teaching on the Church During His Public Life

I. From the very first, as soon as He began to preach “the Kingdom of God,” which He came to found, our Lord called to Himself disciples (μαθηταὶ), who had the privilege of sharing His blessed company, hearing His discourses, and witnessing the wonders which He wrought. From among these, after the Second Passover, He selected twelve to be in a more special manner His associates, and the depositaries of His authority. “And it came to pass in those days that He went out into a mountain to pray, and He passed the whole night in the prayer of God. And when day was come, He called unto Him His disciples (μαθητὰς); and He chose twelve of them, whom also He named apostles (ἀποστόλους)” (Luke 6:12, 13). These twelve are constantly spoken of as constituting a single moral body. They are “The Twelve (οἱ δώδεκα)” (Matt. 10:1; 20:17, 24; 26:14, 20, 47; Mark 3:14; 4:10; 6:7; 9:34; 10:32; 11:11; 14:10, 17, 20, 47; Acts 6:2). They are even so styled when their number was reduced to eleven by the death of the traitor Judas (John 20:24; 1 Cor. 15:5, in the Greek text); and when increased to thirteen by the addition of Matthias and Paul (Matt. 19:28; Apoc. 21:14). That their office was a higher one, is clear not only from the very fact and manner of their election, and from the name “Apostles” (messengers, ambassadors) bestowed upon them, but also from various passages, drawing an express distinction between them and the rest of the disciples and the faithful (e.g. Luke 24:9, 33). Moreover, their special function of being authentic witnesses is expressly pointed out. “Of those men that have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us … one of these must be made a witness with us of His resurrection.… Show whether of these two Thou hast chosen to take the place of the ministry and apostleship (κλῆρον τῆς οἰκονομίας ταύτης καὶ ἀποστολῆς) … and he was numbered with the eleven Apostles” (Acts 1:21–26). Hence our Lord took care to instruct them above all the others in the mysteries of the kingdom of God. They were the chosen companions of His missionary journeys, and were sent by Him, armed with His authority and power, to announce the same message that He announced. “These twelve Jesus sent, commanding them … Going, preach, saying: The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils.… And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words.… Amen, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city” (Matt. 10:5–15; Luke 9:1–6; cf. Matt. 11:20 sqq.). In addition to the twelve, “the Lord appointed also other seventy-two; and He sent them two and two before His face into every city and place, whither He Himself was to come” (Luke 10:1). These, however, were in no way equalled to the Apostles, though as they were sent in His Name He could also say to them: “He that heareth you heareth Me” (Luke 10:16).

II. So far confining ourselves to Our Lord’s teaching before His Passion and Death, we observe that He drew a clear distinction between (1) the body of the faithful, (2) the seventy-two disciples, and (3) the twelve Apostles. As long as He remained upon earth, He Himself was the visible Head of this Apostolic College. But as His stay was to be brief, He took care on every occasion to declare that after His departure one of their number was to preside over them and over the whole Church, in His stead; and that that one was to be Simon, whom He surnamed Peter. This privilege of St. Peter will be treated of later on in a separate chapter.