Summary
Summary of The Epistle of the Apostles
The Epistle of the Apostles at a glance
Summary: 8 min to read
- Reading time
- About 35 min30 min fast, 45 min slow
- Length
- 8,760 words20 chapters
- Pages
- 44 pages64 in large print
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- about AD 150by Various early Christian authors
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
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Key ideas
Key idea 1
Faith begins with a real body
Eleven apostles address churches in every direction, grounding their message in what they have seen, heard and touched after Jesus rose from the dead. Their opening statement joins the maker of the world to the Son who became flesh.
Jesus took a body from Mary and grew to full age. This matters because the letter does not separate creation from redemption or treat his body as an appearance. Its account begins with a claim to eyewitness knowledge and a firm statement of faith.
Key idea 2
Miracles give believers reasons to trust
The letter recalls Jesus healing the sick, raising the dead and calming the sea.
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Key idea 3
Doubt leads to touch and sight
Women find the tomb empty and meet the risen Jesus, but the apostles refuse to believe their reports.
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Key idea 4
The heavenly Son truly becomes flesh
After the apostles touch Jesus, they confess their unbelief.
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Key idea 5
The promised return calls for love
The apostles ask how Jesus will return.
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Key idea 6
Faith leaves room for honest questions
Can flesh that has dissolved become whole again?
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Key idea 7
Authority grows through teaching and love
Jesus foretells the coming of Saul, also called Paul, who will turn from attacking the church to bearing witness before kings.
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Key idea 8
Belief must become faithful conduct
The parable of the ten virgins gives names to the wise and foolish groups, then presses a question beyond what people claim to believe: have they fulfilled Jesus' commandments?
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Key idea 9
Bodily hope belongs with daily love
The letter and dialogue hold together a claim about Jesus and a way of living.
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Go deeper: the whole of The Epistle of the Apostles
The full book, start to finish.Open the bookStart freeWho it’s for
This is for readers drawn to the earliest centuries of Christianity, to Ethiopian Christian heritage, to lost writings, and to questions about resurrection and the end of the world.
What this book is
What did the risen Jesus say to his friends in the forty days before he left them? One early Christian writer thought he knew, and set it down as a letter from the eleven apostles themselves. Drawing on what they have witnessed, listened to and touched, they address churches in every direction, north, south, east and west.
This is the Epistle of the Apostles. It was written in Greek, most scholars think between about 140 and 170, by an unknown author. It survives most fully in Ethiopic. It warns against two teachers, Simon and Cerinthus, and answers the apostles' questions about the dead, the end and the flesh.
In this summary
- 1Faith begins with a real bodyFree
- 2Miracles give believers reasons to trust
- 3Doubt leads to touch and sight
- 4The heavenly Son truly becomes flesh
- 5The promised return calls for love
- 6Faith leaves room for honest questions
- 7Authority grows through teaching and love
- 8Belief must become faithful conduct
- 9Bodily hope belongs with daily love
A letter from the eleven opens with a creed
The letter begins as a letter should. Eleven apostles greet the churches in the four directions of the world. They say they write from what they have seen, heard and touched after he was risen from the dead.
Then comes a statement of belief. Jesus Christ is God, the Son of God, sent by the Father who made all things. By his word the Son made the heavens and formed the earth, set bounds to the sea, and created man in his own image. The Son is the Word become flesh. He took a body from Mary the holy virgin, by the will of God. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes in Bethlehem and grew to full age.
A small tale from his childhood follows. A teacher tells the boy to say Alpha, and he asks the teacher to tell him first what Beta is. The tale is not in the four Gospels.
Why begin with a creed? The author wants readers to know where the letter stands. The maker of the world and the Redeemer are one God's work, and the body of Jesus is real.
The letter rests on eyewitness claim and a firm statement of faith.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
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Check yourself
Why does Jesus invite the apostles to touch his wounds?
Right. “The resurrection here is bodily, tested by touch and sight.”Not quite. “The resurrection here is bodily, tested by touch and sight.”
How does Jesus finally respond to the apostles' sincere questions about resurrection?
Right. “He says he rejoices over them, and so does the Father, because they question him in faith with their whole heart.”Not quite. “He says he rejoices over them, and so does the Father, because they question him in faith with their whole heart.”
What makes the apostles' authority a form of service?
Right. “Authority in this letter is a service, rooted in teaching and love.”Not quite. “Authority in this letter is a service, rooted in teaching and love.”
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About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 8,760 words
- Reading timeAbout 35 min
Questions about The Epistle of the Apostles
What is the Epistle of the Apostles about?
It is a letter in the name of the eleven apostles, giving the teaching of the risen Jesus. It covers his incarnation, the resurrection of the flesh, judgment, his return, and a warning against false teachers.
When was the Epistle of the Apostles written?
Most scholars date it to the second century, probably between about 140 and 170, though some suggest earlier or later dates. It was written in Greek by an unknown author.
Who are Simon and Cerinthus in the Epistle of the Apostles?
They are the false teachers the letter names as enemies of the truth. The apostles say they go about the world corrupting the word, and they tell believers to keep far from them.
Why is the Epistle of the Apostles not in most Bibles?
Most churches did not accept it as canonical, and it survived mainly in Ethiopic, preserved among Ethiopian Orthodox writings. Scholars see the process as gradual rather than a plot.
What is the main message of the Epistle of the Apostles?
The main message is that Jesus truly became flesh, truly rose in the body, and will return. Believers must hold to that faith, love one another, keep his commandments, and beware of false teaching.
Cite this edition
The Epistle of the Apostles. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-epistle-of-the-apostles.
The epistle of the apostles. (2026). Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-epistle-of-the-apostles (Original work published ca. 150)
The Epistle of the Apostles. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-epistle-of-the-apostles.
@book{anonymous2026epistle,
title = {The Epistle of the Apostles},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-epistle-of-the-apostles},
note = {First published ca. 150}
}
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