Answer: Of course, we know Jesus had 12 men following him during his short earthly ministry. We correctly call them his apostles, rather than disciples. A disciple is a learner or follower, and all ...

On this Easter Sunday, I’d like to ask one deceptively simple question: Who were the apostles? As a child in Sunday school, I dimly lumped the apostles and disciples together. But that’s too neat.

The apostles were an odd conglomeration of men whom Jesus chose not for their intellects or influence but for their loyalty and ability to learn. There were numerous disciples, or students, but only ...