And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying; Send her away: for she cries after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Matthew 15:22-24)
Jesus did not say He was sent for the Jews, Judah, Gentiles or Nations; or the Church. Jesus plainly stated He had come for the House of Israel. Earlier in Matthew we find; …these twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Jesus came only for Israel, told His Apostles go only to them, and asked Peter three times to feed them. (John 21)
We know the Apostles completed their assignment. In his first Epistle, Peter mentions some of Ephraim-Israel was between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea where Pontus, Asia, Cappadocia, Bithynia, and Galatia were located. The Apostle James wrote to; the twelve tribes scattered aboard, so we know all the tribes were in the dispersion. And we know from, Jesus Israel was lost and in need of His Gospel and news of redemption.
The Book of Acts describes Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road, resulting in Paul’s mission, to take the Gospel to the nations, incorrectly rendered Gentiles. He was given two further tasks. Prior to his baptism, he was instructed by Ananias to …bear the Lord’s name before kings, and the children of Israel. (Acts 9:15) Note that: not the lost, but the children of Israel. Paul had an entirely different work, which he carried out exceptionally in word and deed. We should thank the LORD for Paul, and his opening the true significance of God’s Israel in his writing.
In tracing the twelve, we owe a great debt to especially the Greeks; their detailed records hold a vast treasury on the early Church. And we know from the Book of Acts the Apostles travelled throughout the Mediterranean, and surrounding areas. Due to the network of Roman roads, one could get from Palestine to much of Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia Minor with comparative ease. Ships offering passage plied trade routes covering most of the known world, including Britain and Spain.
Manuscripts detailing the activities of Joseph the Arimathean, Mary (mother of James, Jude and Salome) Mary of Magdala; Martha, Mary and Lazarus, Aristobulus and others, gives valuable insight into the location of some of the disciples after 37-AD. The Apostles are also cited in ancient records of Britain and Ireland, throughout the Mediterranean, the Middle East and northern Asia.
The British Museum, the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, and the Vatican Library are the foremost repositories of early church history. The Bodleian Library also holds many important manuscripts pertaining to the growth of the Church in Britain and Western Europe. Herodotus, Diodorus of Sicily; Nicephorus Callistus, Strabo and others, have recorded useful information allowing us to see the LORD’S promise to Abraham through spreading the account of Christ and His Gospel.
By 240-BC, the tribes of Israel-Ephraim had been on the move for well over three centuries, although some were still to be found in the areas where Paul established the Churches in Asia Minor; for example the Galatians and Colossians. But now, we will trace the Apostles in their work to take the Good News to Israel as instructed by the Lord Jesus Christ. Apart from the Edomite, Judas Iscariot, all the Apostles were Israelites from in and around Galilee; all would travel far from home.
Andrew, journeyed through Asia Minor and lower Russia where he met the Scythians, described by the Greeks as a heartless and intractable people. He also met his brother, Peter in Sinope who had travelled there after the Jerusalem council of 50-AD. (Antiquitates Apostolicae Herodotus/William Cave pp.137-138) Simon (the Zealot) took the Good News to Egypt, Cyrene, Africa and later Britain. James, son of Alpheus went to Spain and then crossed over to Ireland.
Thomas, Matthew and Thaddeus, went east to parts of Mesopotamia. Thomas and Thaddeus later went to Afghanistan (it is believed Thomas went as far as northern India) then back to Iran-Iraq area and Assyria. Matthew’s later travels also took him into Assyria, possibly to visit the Magi who visited Jesus at His birth; they are only mentioned in his Gospel. Bartholomew was later in the same area as Peter and Andrew, and parts west of the Caspian Sea.
Philip spent his early years in an administrative role in Palestine with John, when he sent Joseph of Arimathaea and disciples and to Britain. John later went on to Ephesus where he wrote his three Epistles and was later exiled by Rome to Patmos. Philip went to Samaria, Greece, and Greek speaking areas in Asia Minor. Mathias’ journey took him to Dacia; (Romania) and he spent some time in Macedonia. Barnabas spent much of his time with Paul, and later went to Cyprus. James, murdered by Herod Antipas was prevented from carrying the Gospel outside the land of his birth.
Of course, Paul is the most documented. He founded the Churches in Asia Minor, and worked with Barnabas through the Mediterranean; he spent time in Rome and after his trial, went to Britain. According to Clement, the third Bishop of Rome, St. Paul came to Britain and preached in the extremity of the West, and affirmed the Church planted by Joseph the Apostle, Simon Zelotes, and Aristobulus. Theodoretus says, Paul preached the Gospel to the Britons and others in the West.(De Curandis Graecorum Affectionibus Lib. IX)
But, the mystery is Peter; there is no mention of him in the Bible after the Jerusalem Council of 50-AD. Apart from his early ministry in Judea and Samaria where he challenged Simon Magus, and being on the shores of the Caspian, which we know from Greek historians, where did he go? As Jesus had instructed him three times to feed His sheep, it looks as if Peter had forsaken his mission. Of course he feed them another way entirely, with his two remarkable letters, his declaration at Pentecost that Jesus is both LORD and Christ, and we are baptised into His Name. (Acts 2:36-38)
Yet, there is evidence Peter travelled through Europe to Britain. In his volumes on the lives of the Apostles, William Cave records the 4th Century historian, Onuphrius mentioning Peter: …having spent almost the whole reign of Nero in several parts of Europe… Symeon Metaphrastes, the 10th Century Greek historian states; that Peter stayed some time in Britain; where having preached the word, established churches, ordained bishops, priests, and deacons… and returned in the 12th year of Nero, which was 66-AD, just prior to his first Epistle. Nero’s reign ended, June 9, 68AD.
The tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi were all represented in the Apostles. We don’t know for sure how many other tribes were, but we do know, Anna the Prophetess was from the tribe of Asher. Jesus however, knows better than anyone. Of Nathanael He said; behold an Israelite indeed in who is no guile…” (John: 1:47) He knew His Sons, chose them and He was there. Not that this is of life or death importance when it comes to our salvation. What is important is the message they carried. If it was not for the Evangelists and Apostles who preached the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the world would be a very different place.
End of Part 5