The Number Beyond the Count
~ Wednesday, April 7, 2021 ~
When Judas Iscariot left the apostolic circle — whether at the moment of the betrayal or earlier in the narrative, depending on which gospel’s chronology one follows — there was a period, however brief, during which the circle stood at eleven. The urgency with which Acts moved to correct this tells us, without ambiguity, why the number twelve was never incidental.