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passed it along as they told it to others.126 That these eyewitnesses were of great importance is
not denied. The Twelve, however, were with him from the beginning, an important aspect of
their authority, as Bauckham points out.127 They were special because they were selected by
Jesus, as his hand-picked apostles to listen and learn from him.128 Bauckham outlines the
special role that the Twelve would have had in the early Church.
It is not difficult to imagine that their role in the earliest Christian community
would include that of authoritative transmitters of the sayings of Jesus and
authoritative eyewitnesses of the events of Jesus’ history. If any group in the
earliest community was responsible for some kind of formulation and
authorization of a body of Jesus traditions, the Twelve are much the most
obviously likely to have been that group.129
126
Bauckham, location 1424-1426, Kindle edition.
Ibid, location 1763-1767, Kindle edition.
128
Ibid, location 1462-1464, Kindle edition.
129
Ibid, location 1466-1468, Kindle edition.
127