Apostle 

Summary

A title indicating one sent forth to preach; later designated as a specific ecclesiastical office.1 By 1830, JS and Oliver Cowdery were designated as apostles.2 The articles and covenants of the church explained that an “apostle is an elder” and, as such, had the same responsibilities as an elder, though an apostle’s main duty was apparently to preach.3 Individuals with proselytizing responsibilities were sometimes referred to as apostles.4 In June 1829, a revelation commanded Cowdery and David Whitmer to call twelve disciples, similar to the twelve apostles in the New Testament and the twelve disciples in the Book of Mormon.5 Acting on that revelation, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was organized on 14 February 1835, and twelve men were selected as apostles in that quorum.6 These apostles had the responsibility to act as “special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world”;7 they were also designated “Prophets and Seers.”8 After the Twelve Apostles were appointed, usage of the term became increasingly restricted to members of that quorum, although occasionally members of the Quorums of the Seventy were referred to as apostles.9 See also “Disciple” and “Seer.”