Apostles

Peter Stuhlmacher says in his commentary on Romans (Westminster/John Knox) that "apostolo s ” in Greek literature meant “one who leads a naval expedition” or “admiral.” Though he says this has nothing to do with the NT usage, I suspect that Luke is making some play on the term when he describes Paul’s sea voyage to Rome. There’s little doubt that Paul has become the admiral of the ship after their shipwreck. I also suspect that the word is used partly to highlight the NT’s emphasis on the mission to the Gentiles. Paul the apostle is the one who leads expeditions into the sea of Gentiles.