Twelve Apostles
Preserved but no longer current.
The last twelve names on the poll or list of ordinary degrees were so called, when the list was arranged in order of merit, and not alphabetically, as now; they were also called the Chosen Twelve. The last of the twelve was designated "St. Paul," from a play on the verse 1 Cor. xv, 9. The same term was later applied to the last twelve in the Mathematical Tripos.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Twelve Apostles” mean?
The last twelve names on the poll or list of ordinary degrees were so called, when the list was arranged in order of merit, and not alphabetically, as now; they were also called the Chosen Twelve. The last of the twelve was designated "St. Paul," from a play on the verse 1 Cor. xv, 9. The same term was later applied to the last twelve in the Mathematical Tripos.
Is “Twelve Apostles” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.