What is the difference between prophet and disciple

He coedited with Vernon K. Ask a Scholar. Apostles in Christian Art Early Christian depictions of the apostles are dominated by Peter and Paul, and these images are typically symbolic presentations of them as foundational figures of the church. Apostle John The Gospels tell of John as a zealous early disciple of Jesus; later traditions attribute to him major parts of the New Testament and tell of his continuing witness into the second century.

Mary and Martha In the Gospels, the sisters Mary and Martha are mentioned only in Luke and John, but they figure prominently in many early and medieval Christian traditions. A gospel is an account that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Mark 14And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message,15and to have authority to cast out demons.

Luke 13And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles:. Gal 19but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord's brother. Term referenced elsewhere "The Apostle" is the title of a blockbuster movie starring Robert Duvall.

Differences in meaning While a disciple is a student, one who learns from a teacher, an apostle is sent to deliver those teachings to others. References in cinema The Apostle is the title of a blockbuster movie starring Robert Duvall. Differences in etymylogy Apostle : Middle English, from Old English apostol and from Old French apostle , both of which are derived from Late Latin apostolus , which in turn is derived from Greek apostolos Disciple : Middle English, from Old English discipul and from Old French desciple , both derived from Latin discipulus , pupil, from discere , to learn; see dek- in Indo-European roots.

Follow Share Cite Authors. Share this comparison: If you read this far, you should follow us: "Apostle vs Disciple. Comments: Apostle vs Disciple. Related Comparisons. Contribute to Diffen Edit or create new comparisons in your area of expertise. Log in ». See Numbers Numbers Thus a prophet was a spokesman for God; he spake in God's name and by his authority Exodus He is the mouth by which God speaks to men Jeremiah ; Isaiah , and hence what the prophet says is not of man but of God 2 Peter 2 Peter ; Compare Hebrews ; Acts ; Prophets were the immediate organs of God for the communication of his mind and will to men Deuteronomy Deuteronomy The whole Word of God may in this general sense be spoken of as prophetic, inasmuch as it was written by men who received the revelation they communicated from God, no matter what its nature might be.

The foretelling of future events was not a necessary but only an incidental part of the prophetic office. The great task assigned to the prophets whom God raised up among the people was "to correct moral and religious abuses, to proclaim the great moral and religious truths which are connected with the character of God, and which lie at the foundation of his government.

Thus Enoch, Abraham, and the patriarchs, as bearers of God's message Genesis ; Exodus ; Psalms , as also Moses Deuteronomy ; ; Hosea , are ranked among the prophets. The seventy elders of Israel Numbers , "when the spirit rested upon them, prophesied;" Asaph and Jeduthun "prophesied with a harp" 1 Chronicles Miriam and Deborah were prophetesses Exodus ; Judges The title thus has a general application to all who have messages from God to men.

But while the prophetic gift was thus exercised from the beginning, the prophetical order as such began with Samuel. Colleges, "schools of the prophets", were instituted for the training of prophets, who were constituted, a distinct order 1 Samuel ; 2 Kings 1 Samuel 1 Samuel ; , which continued to the close of the Old Testament. The "sons" or "disciples" of the prophets were young men 2 Kings ; 2 Kings 2 Kings who lived together at these different "schools" These young men were taught not only the rudiments of secular knowledge, but they were brought up to exercise the office of prophet, "to preach pure morality and the heart-felt worship of Jehovah, and to act along and co-ordinately with the priesthood and monarchy in guiding the state aright and checking all attempts at illegality and tyranny.

Our Lord is frequently spoken of as a prophet Luke ; He was and is the great Prophet of the Church. There was also in the Church a distinct order of prophets 1 Corinthians ; Ephesians ; , who made new revelations from God. They differed from the "teacher," whose office it was to impart truths already revealed. Of the Old Testament prophets there are sixteen, whose prophecies form part of the inspired canon.

These are divided into four groups: The prophets of the northern kingdom Israel , viz. The prophets of Judah, viz. The prophets of the Restoration, viz. Chad said:. Theo said:. Technically Saul's role as an apostle terminated when he reached Damascus. In the New Testament apostolos [ajpovstolo"] is applied to Jesus as the Sent One of God Heb , to those sent by God to preach to Israel Luke , to those sent by churches 2 Col ; Php , and most often, to the individuals who had been appointed by Christ to preach the gospel of the kingdom.

The purpose of such "sending away" is to convey messages, and thus "messenger" is a common alternative translation. The term "disciple" is derived from the Koine Greek mathetes, which means a pupil of a teacher or an apprentice to a master craftsman , coming to English by way of the Latin discipulus meaning a learner while the more common English word is student. While a disciple is one who learns from a teacher, an apostle is one sent to deliver those teachings or a message.

JD Abshire Matthew "And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

As disciples they were followers, students, those that adhered to his teaching. In the same verse "he gave them power". The Biblical signs of an apostle were: 1. Chosen directly by the Lord Jesus himself except for Matthias who was chosen by lot and "numbered with the eleven" Acts and Barnabas,later chosen by the Holy Spirit Acts They were given or endued with sign gifts, miraculous powers which authenticated and validated their calling i.

They were first sent forth to Israel only, announcing the kingdom is at hand, manifesting kingdom powers Matthew 4. They will be judges over the 12 tribes in the kingdom age.

Matthew 5. Acts 6. Essential to the title of apostle, he must have been an eye witness of Christ's resurrection i. There are two interpretations on this office.

On this basis, they may suppose that pioneer missionaries were apostles of Jesus because they were sent by the church to deliver the gospel message to the unreached. The second perspective is to consider an apostle as one who is called by Christ into the office of apostle and hence to limit the application of this title to the 14 apostles, 12 of whom served with Christ and Mathias who was appointed by the church to replace Judas Acts 1 after the Ascension and Paul who was the post resurrection apostle of Jesus Acts 9.