Who was the greatest apostle and why?

Rufus the thirteenth and forgotten apostle.

When the Apostles were arguing over who would be the greatest, they were looking for second place. The Father himself revealed who Jesus was to Peter and there was no doubt in their minds who was the "first among equals". God chose Peter and Jesus gave Peter his 3-fold blessing. Jesus would build his Church on Peter's confession of faith, but that is as far as some are willing to take it.

Matt. 16:18-19 – to rebut the argument that Jesus was speaking only about Peter’s confession of faith (not Peter himself) based on the revelation he received, the verses are clear that Jesus, after acknowledging Peter’s receipt of divine revelation, turns the whole discourse to the person of Peter: Blessed are “you” Simon, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to “you,” and I tell “you,” “you” are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church. I will give “you” the keys to the kingdom, and whatever “you” bind and loose on earth will be bound and loosed in heaven. Jesus’ whole discourse relates to the person of Peter, not his confession of faith.

NOT blessed are is what you said, Simon

NOT for flesh and blood has not revealed this to “your confession,”

NOT whatever "what you said" bind and loose...

A man says to his wife: "Who do you say that I am?

The woman replies, "You are my husband."

How is the woman's confession a distinct and separate entity from the person making it?

I have no problem in accepting the womans confession of who her husband is. The Pope has no problem accepting Peter's confession as the Rock on which the Church would be built, but we know it doesn't stop there.

IMHO, this whole denial of Peter's primacy is suggestive of the Gnostic principle of divorcing the divine from the human. If the Church is not an extension of the Incarnation, then the Eucharist is a mere sentiment.

Sentiments do not give eternal life.

But Jesus turns their understanding of greatness upsidedown. Because authority and greatness are supposed to compliment each other, (that is why Jesus washed their feet at the Last Supper) but one does not need authority to be great in heaven.

None were , all have fallen short of the glory of God , but paul had many works . But a man is not Judged by his works , as corrithians 13 says , though I given my body to be burned I am nothing .

No greater work than that is to given your life , but without love it means nothing .

So it is imposible to Judge seeing that the love in a mans heart as he does a work can only be Judge by God and not man , seeing he is the Judge .

So at best you can only gather a opinion of people not God .

I personally Liked John the disciple , and no one did a better work than Paul . But that is just my opinion .

And the reason I liked John is because , he was the disiple of love , and love is one of the elements of God to have love is to abide with God . So that shows me that John was closer to Christ than anyone . Because the more love in you shows that you are one with Christ .

Plus no one had a deeper revelation that John , look at revelations . No one seen what John seen .

Paul became right into an excellent Antichrist individual to start with. He became right into a Pharisee and a Rabbi. His challenge became into to discover Christians and kill as many as plausible using fact on the time he felt that became into the element to do. Jesus discovered him on the line and blinded him. He instructed him to bypass tell the countries on the subject of the solid information of Christ and the dominion to return. From that 2nd on Paul grew to alter into Christ's Kingdom proclaimer to the Gentiles. It became into theory that Christ in basic terms saved Jews earlier then. using fact all people who became into uncircumcised became into seen unclean and consequently unworthy of salvation. Paul preached a message of salvation for each and all of the international.

Jesus and then Paul because Paul went through so many trials and started so many churches.

Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,

2 Corinthians 11:24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.

The Apostles's put the same question to Christ.... no one is greater than the Lord Jesus Christ!

Judas did what needed to be done, and was killed off for it by his buddies.

Even in spite of that he gets one of the nicer seats in heaven.

Peter.

He did not stop to evaluate his Love for God, he acted upon it.

peter, first pope of the catholic church