From the Bible
1:1
The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began
both
to do and teach,
1:2
Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy
Ghost
had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
1:3
To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many
infallible
proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the
things
pertaining to the kingdom of God:
1:4
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they
should
not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the
Father,
which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
--
Bible: Acts.
6:13
And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he
chose
twelve, whom also he named apostles;
6:14
Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and
John,
Philip and Bartholomew,
6:15
Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called
Zelotes,
6:16
And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was
the
traitor.
6:17
And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company
of
his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea
and
Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came
to
hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;
--
Bible: Luke,
16:18
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I
will
build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
16:19
And
I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and
whatsoever
thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and
whatsoever
thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
--
Bible: Matthew,
2:13
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by
the
blood of Christ.
2:14
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the
middle
wall of partition between us;
2:15
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments
contained
in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man,
so
making peace;
2:16
And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross,
having
slain the enmity thereby:
2:17
And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them
that
were nigh.
2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
2:19
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but
fellowcitizens
with the saints, and of the household of God;
2:20
And
are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus
Christ
himself being the chief corner stone;
--
Bible: Ephesians
1:1
Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God,
and
Sosthenes our brother,
1:2
Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified
in
Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call
upon
the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and our's:
1:3
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord
Jesus
Christ.
1:4
I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is
given
you by Jesus Christ;
1:5
That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in
all
knowledge;
1:6
Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:
--
Bible: 1 Corinthians.
References to the Apostles from the writings of Abdu'l-Baha.
In
each cycle the guardians and holy souls have been twelve. So Jacob had
twelve
sons; in the time of Moses there were twelve heads or chiefs of the
tribes;
in the time of Christ there were twelve Apostles; and in the time
of
Muhammad there were twelve Imáms.
--
`Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 57
Consider!
The station and the confirmation of the apostles in the time of
Christ
was not known, and no one looked on them with the feeling of
importance
-- nay, rather, they persecuted and ridiculed them. Later on it
became
evident what crowns studded with the brilliant jewels of guidance
were
placed on the heads of the apostles, Mary Magdalene and Mary the
mother
of John.
--
`Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 39
Emmanuel
was indeed the Herald of the Second Coming of Christ, and a
Summoner
to the pathway of the Kingdom. It is evident that the Letter is
a
member of the Word, and this membership in the Word signifieth that the
Letter
is dependent for its value on the Word, that is, it deriveth its
grace
from the Word; it has a spiritual kinship with the Word, and is
accounted
an integral part of the Word. The Apostles were even as Letters,
and
Christ was the essence of the Word Itself; and the meaning of the Word,
which
is grace everlasting, cast a splendour on those Letters. Again, since
the
Letter is a member of the Word, it therefore, in its inner meaning, is
consonant
with the Word.
--
Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 60
Significance of Twelve
Thou
didst ask as to the tenth to the seventeenth verses of the twenty-first
chapter
of Saint John the Divine's Revelation. Know thou that according to
mathematical
principles, the firmament of this earth's brilliant day-star
hath
been divided among twelve constellations, which they call the twelve
zodiacal
signs. In the same way, the Sun of Truth shineth out from and
sheddeth
its bounties through twelve stations of holiness, and by these
heavenly
signs are meant those stainless and unsullied personages who are
the
very well-springs of sanctity, and the dawning-points proclaiming the
oneness
of God.
Consider
how in the days of the Interlocutor (Moses), there were twelve holy
beings
who were leaders of the twelve tribes; and likewise in the
dispensation
of the Spirit (Christ), note that there were twelve Apostles
gathered
within the sheltering shade of that supernal Light, and from those
splendid
dawning-points the Sun of Truth shone forth even as the sun in the
sky.
Again, in the days of Muhammad, observe that there were twelve
dawning-points
of holiness, the manifestors of God's confirming help. Such
is
the way of it.
Accordingly
did Saint John the Divine tell of twelve gates in his vision, and
twelve
foundations. By `that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending
out
of heaven from God' is meant the holy Law of God, and this is set forth
in
many Tablets and still to be read in the Scriptures of the Prophets of
the
past: for instance, that Jerusalem was seen going out into the
wilderness.
The
meaning of the passage is that this heavenly Jerusalem hath twelve gates,
through
which the blessed enter into the City of God. These gates are souls
who
are as guiding stars, as portals of knowledge and grace; and within
these
gates there stand twelve angels. By `angel' is meant the power of the
confirmations
of God--that the candle of God's confirming power shineth out
from
the lamp-niche of those souls--meaning that every one of those beings
will
be granted the most vehement confirming support.
These
twelve gates surround the entire world, that is they are a shelter for
all
creatures. And further, these twelve gates are the foundation of the
City
of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and on each one of these foundations is
written
the name of one of the Apostles of Christ. That is to say, each one
maketh
manifest the perfections, the joyous message, and the excellency of
that
holy Being.
--
`Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 165
References to apostles from the Quran
5:13
God did aforetime take a covenant from the Children of Israel, and
we
appointed twelve captains among them. And God said: "I am with
you:
if ye (but) establish regular prayers, practise regular charity,
believe
in my apostles, honour and assist them, and loan to God a
beautiful
loan, verily I will wipe out from you your evils, and admit
you
to gardens with rivers flowing beneath; but if any of you, after
this,
resisteth faith, he hath truly wandered from the path or
rectitude."
--
Qur'an: 5 - AL-MA'IDAH
2:87
We
gave Moses the Book and followed him up with a succession of
apostles;
We gave Jesus the son of Mary Clear (Signs) and
strengthened
him with the holy spirit. Is it that whenever there comes
to
you an apostle with what ye yourselves desire not, ye are puffed up
with
pride?- Some ye called impostors, and others ye slay!
--
Qur'an: 2 - AL-BAQARAH,
14:8
And Moses said: "If ye show ingratitude, ye and all on earth
together,
yet is God free of all wants, worthy of all praise.
14:9
Has not the story reached you, (O people!), of those who (went)
before
you? - of the people of Noah, and 'Ad, and Thámúd? - And
of
those
who (came) after them? None knows them but God. To them came
apostles
with Clear (Signs); but they put their hands up to their
mouths,
and said: "We do deny (the mission) on which ye have been
sent,
and we are really in suspicious (disquieting) doubt as to that
to
which ye invite us."
14:10
Their apostles said: "Is there a doubt about God, The Creator of the
heavens
and the earth? It is He Who invites you, in order that He may
forgive
you your sins and give you respite for a term appointed!"
They
said: "Ah! ye are no more than human, like ourselves! Ye wish to
turn
us away from the (gods) our fathers used to worship: then bring
us
some clear authority."
14:11
Their apostles said to them: "True, we are human like yourselves, but
God
doth grant His grace to such of his servants as He pleases. It is
not
for us to bring you an authority except as God permits. And on
God
let all men of faith put their trust.
14:12
"No reason have we why we should not put our trust on God. Indeed He
Has
guided us to the Ways we (follow). We shall certainly bear with
patience
all the hurt you may cause us. For those who put their trust
should
put their trust on God."
14:13
And the Unbelievers said to their apostles: "Be sure we shall drive
you
out of our land, or ye shall return to our religion." But their
Lord
inspired (this Message) to them: "Verily We shall cause the
wrong-doers
to perish!
--
Qur'an: 14 - IBRAHIM.
26:16
"So go forth, both of you, to Pharaoh, and say: 'We have been sent by
the
Lord and Cherisher of the worlds;
26:17 "'Send thou with us the Children of Israel.'"
26:18
(Pharaoh) said: "Did we not cherish thee as a child among us, and
didst
thou not stay in our midst many years of thy life?
26:19
"And thou didst a deed of thine which (thou knowest) thou didst, and
thou
art an ungrateful (wretch)!"
26:20 Moses said: "I did it then, when I was in error.
26:21
"So I fled from you (all) when I feared you; but my Lord has (since)
invested
me with judgment (and wisdom) and appointed me as one of the
apostles.
--
Qur'an: 26 - ASH-SHU`ARAA',
4:136
O ye who believe! Believe in God and His Apostle, and the scripture
which
He hath sent to His Apostle and the scripture which He sent to
those
before (him). Any who denieth God, His angels, His Books, His
Apostles,
and the Day of Judgment, hath gone far, far astray.
--
Qur'an: 4 - AN-NISA.
