Judas' Apostleship Despite Not Witnessing the Resurrection
The apostleship of Judas Iscariot is a complex topic, particularly given that he did not witness the resurrection of Jesus. The New Testament defines an apostle as one who was sent by Christ and had witnessed his resurrection [1]. In 1 Corinthians 9:1, Paul writes, "Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?" The Greek word for "seen" here is crucial, as it implies a direct encounter with the resurrected Christ [3].
The early Christian tradition understood apostleship to be tied to having seen the risen Christ. Tertullian notes that the apostles "had nothing else to do, at least among the Jews, than to explain the Old Testament and confirm the New, and above all, to preach God in Christ" [2]. This implies that witnessing the resurrection was a key aspect of their mission.
However, Judas Iscariot did not fulfill this criterion, as he died before Jesus' resurrection. Charles Hodge argues that the office of the Apostles was "from its nature incapable of being transmitted, and has not been" [1]. This raises questions about Judas' status as an apostle.
One tradition interprets Judas' apostleship as being limited to the period before his betrayal and death. According to this view, Judas was indeed an apostle, but his actions and subsequent death disqualified him from being considered a witness to the resurrection [3].
The early Church Fathers grappled with the implications of Judas' apostleship. Augustine, for example, emphasizes the importance of the resurrection in establishing the authority of the apostles [4]. In contrast, the Catholic tradition, as represented by Aquinas, focuses on the nature of Christ's resurrection body, which is seen as a model for the believer's future resurrection [6].
The differing views on Judas' apostleship reflect broader debates within Christian theology about the nature of apostolic authority and the significance of witnessing the resurrection. While some traditions emphasize the importance of direct encounter with the risen Christ, others focus on the role of the apostles in the broader narrative of salvation history.
The complexities surrounding Judas' apostleship highlight the nuances of early Christian thought on the subject. As Athanasius notes, the coming of Christ marked a significant turning point in salvation history, with the cessation of prophecy and the destruction of Jerusalem serving as signs of his arrival [5]. The apostles, including Judas, played a crucial role in this narrative, even if their individual experiences and fates varied greatly.
Sources
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, section 38: The world has never seen or suffered a greater imposture than that weak, ignorant, and often immoral men, should claim the same authority to teach and rule that belonged to men to whom the truth was supernaturally revealed, who were confessedly infallible in its communication, and to whose divine mission God himself bore witness in signs and wonders, and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost. The office of the Apostles as described in the New Testament, was, therefore, from its nature incapable of being transmitted, and has not in f”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 3: Tertullian — CHAP. XXXIX.--ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE AFFORDED TO US IN THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. (part 1): The Acts of the Apostles, too, attest[2] the resurrection. Now the apostles had nothing else to do, at least among the Jews, than to-explain[3] the Old Testament and confirm[4] the New, and above all, to preach God in Christ. Consequently they introduced nothing new concerning the resurrection, besides announcing it to the glory of Christ: in every other respect it had been already received in simple and intelligent faith, without any question as to what sort of resurrection it was t”
- 1 Corinthians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Corinthians 9 (introduction): HE CONFIRMS HIS TEACHING AS TO NOT PUTTING A STUMBLING-BLOCK IN A BROTHER'S WAY (Co1 8:13) BY HIS OWN EXAMPLE IN NOT USING HIS UNDOUBTED RIGHTS AS AN APOSTLE, SO AS TO WIN MEN TO CHRIST. (1Co. 9:1-27) Am I not an apostle? am I not free?--The oldest manuscripts read the order thus, "Am I not free? am I not an apostle?" He alludes to Co1 8:9, "this liberty of yours": If you claim it, I appeal to yourselves as the witnesses, have not I also it? "Am I not free?" If you be so, much more I. For "am I not an apostle?" so that I can claim n”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 7: Augustine — Homilies on John — CHAPTER V. 19-30. (part 15): resurrection the Lord has just now, made mention, and inflamed our desire, because "the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, nd shall live." It is not same of those who hear shall live, and others shall die; but "all that hear shall live," because all that obey shall live. Behold, we see a resurrection of the mind; let us not therefore let go our faith of the resurrection of the flesh. And unless Thou, O Lord Jesus, declare to us this, whom shall we oppose to those who assert the contrary? For truly all sects that”
- CCEL (Patristic) “Athanasius of Alexandria, Select Works and Letters, section 137: §40. Argument (1) from the withdrawal of prophecy and destruction of Jerusalem, (2) from the conversion of the Gentiles, and that to the God of Moses. What more remains for the Messiah to do, that Christ has not done? So the Jews are trifling, and the time in question, which they refer to the future, is actually come. For when did prophet and vision cease from Israel, save when Christ came, the Holy of Holies? For it is a sign, and an important proof, of the coming of the Word of God, that Jerusalem no longer stands, nor is any p”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of the Quality of Christ Rising Again, Art. 3: Article: Whether Christ's body rose again entire? I answer that, As stated above (Article [2]), Christ's body in the Resurrection was "of the same nature, but differed in glory." Accordingly, whatever goes with the nature of a human body, was entirely in the body of Christ when He rose again. Now it is clear that flesh, bones, blood, and other such things, are of the very nature of the human body. Consequently, all these things were in Christ's body when He rose again; and this also integrally, ”