Simnel cake

[sarah.t]

Making a simnel cake over easter prompted a religious question - do the 11 balls on top represent apostles or disciples, and more importantly what is the difference between the two?

[Quizmonster]

I'm sorry I can't answer the cake element of your question, but 'apostle' comes from the Greek meaning 'one sent away'...in other words, as a sort of missionary to spread the word. 'Disciple' comes from Latin and basically means 'learner' in the sense of someone who is being taught or who is 'getting the message'. A combination of both suggests you learn the 'Word' and then go out and spread it.

Over to someone else for the cake significance.

[sarah.t]

Thanks Quizmonster, that clarifies the meaning of the two words, but I'm still not clear whether in the bible the disciples were different people from the apostles or whether they were the same i.e. those that were disciples later became apostles?

[buttons]

According to Delia Smith it represents the disciples - less Judas.

[sarah.t]

Although according to some other recipes its the apostles - hence the confusion !

[molly]

I could be wrong here, but I always understood that disciples were Jesus's followers before his crusifixion, and apostles were the same followers after his death.

[incitatus]

the apostles were the ones who spread the word- hence Paul is one, though he was never a disciple. So technically are people like barnabas and timothy whom paul recruited

[Cetti]

The two words are more or less interchangeable. The Disciples were the ones Jesus gathered to him at the beginning of His ministry to teach them and let them learn from him all they needed to know.

Then they were given the name Apostles (by Jesus) and sent out into the world - each with his own mission.

The book after the four Gospels is Acts (of the Apostles). This is the full title and gives the account of their mission after the Resurrection.

The Cake - I've always made the Simnel Cake with 11 marzipan balls for the Discples as Judas wasn't around on Easter Sunday, but there's no hard and fast rule.

NB. Written in a hurry, so hope it makes sense!