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The Catechism in Questions & Answers
- Introduction
- Contents
- 365. What does the term “church” mean in general?
- 366. What does “church” mean with respect to faith?
- 367. Is church necessary
- 368. Who established the church?
- 369. Who is the “head” of the church of Jesus Christ?
- 370. What are the functions of the church of Jesus Christ?
- 371. Is there a difference between the church of Jesus Christ and the New Apostolic Church?
- 372. With what actions did Jesus Christ establish the church?
- 373. Are there references to the church of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament?
- 374. How is the church of Jesus Christ described in the New Testament?
- 375. What does the image of the body of Christ mean?
- 376. What parallel is there between the church and the person of Jesus Christ?
- 377. How do we experience the invisible side of the church of Jesus Christ?
- 378. How do we experience the visible side of the church of Jesus Christ?
- 379. Is the invisible side of the church of Jesus Christ perfect?
- 380. Is the visible side of the church of Jesus Christ perfect?
- 381. What are the identifying features of the church of Jesus Christ?
- 382. What do we mean when we talk about the “oneness of the church of Jesus Christ”?
- 383. What do we mean when we talk about the “holiness of the church of Jesus Christ”?
- 384. What do we mean when we talk about the “universality of the church of Jesus Christ”?
- 385. What do we mean when we talk about the “apostolicity of the church of Jesus Christ”?
- 386. Where are the four characteristics of the church of Jesus Christ manifest?
- 387. What tasks are fulfilled in the Lord’s work of redemption?
- 388. At what point did the church of Jesus Christ appear?
- 389. What distinguished the early Christians?
- 390. Where can we learn about the most important developments of the early congregations?
- 391. How did the church of Jesus Christ develop?
- 392. Where did the Apostles spread the gospel?
- 393. How did their missionary activity proceed?
- 394. What is recorded about the end of the early Apostles?
- 395. What happened after the death of the early Apostles?
- 396. How did the members of the early Christian congregations fare?
- 397. Did the church of Jesus Christ continue to grow?
- 398. How did the Christian doctrine develop?
- 399. When did the church of Christ receive Apostles again?
- 400. How did the renewed occupation of the Apostle ministry come about?
- 401. What did this mean for the church of Christ?
- 402. What are the tasks of the Apostles in the church of Christ?
- 403. Where are the Apostles active at present?
- 404. Who dispenses the sacraments in the church of Jesus Christ?
- 405. What happens to the church at the return of Christ?
- 406. Do all baptised individuals belong to the church of Jesus Christ?
- 407. Why are there different Christian denominations?
- 408. Where can the church of Jesus Christ be experienced?
- 409. What can be said of the future of the church of Jesus Christ?
- 410. What do the individual Christian denominations have in common?
394. What is recorded about the end of the early Apostles?
There are only a few vague references to this in Holy Scripture. From extra-biblical texts we learn that many Apostles died a martyr’s death. Apostle John was likely the one who lived and was active the longest of all the Apostles. After the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem (in the year AD 70) he stayed in Asia Minor and worked predominantly in the congregation of Ephesus.
The term ‘martyr’ is derived from the Greek word martys, which means “witness”. Individuals who suffer or even endure a violent death for the sake of their faith are described as “martyrs”. An example of this is Deacon Stephen, who was stoned to death for professing Jesus Christ. The events surrounding his stoning are related in Acts 7.