ABSTRACT
The Danish word Apostel derives from the Greek ἀπόστολος, meaning “messenger” or “emissary.”1 In the New Testament the word refers mainly to the twelve disciples and to Paul-men who were called and sent forth by God on a divine mission.2 While Kierkegaard sometimes uses “apostle” in a non-theological sense (as when Socrates is described as an “apostle of finitude”3 and “the unhappiest one” of Either/ Or is described as an “apostle of grief”4), he is chiefly concerned to elucidate the theological meaning of the term noted above and to draw out the implications of that meaning for understanding other key concepts, such as divine authority. Kierkegaard’s reflections on apostleship also shed light on the requirements of Christian discipleship. The most important discussions of the concept are found in his unpublished papers and in the pseudonymously published essay entitled “The Difference between a Genius and an Apostle.” The meaning of apostleship articulated in these writings is operative in the upbuilding discourses and reaffirmed by various pseudonyms.
