Wikipedia / Seventy disciples
Wikipedia / Seventy disciples
The seventy disciples (Greek: ἑβδομήκοντα μαθητές, hebdomikonta mathetes), known in the Eastern Christian traditions as the seventy apostles (Greek: ἑβδομήκοντα απόστολοι, hebdomikonta apostoloi), were early emissaries of Jesus mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. The number of those disciples varies between either 70 or 72 depending on the manuscript.
The passage from Luke 10 in the Gospel of Luke, the only gospel in which they are mentioned, includes specific instructions for the mission, beginning with (in Douay–Rheims Bible):
In Western Christianity, they are usually referred to as disciples, whereas in Eastern Christianity they are usually referred to as apostles. Using the original Greek words, both titles are descriptive, as an apostle is one sent on a mission (the Greek uses the verb form ἀποστέλλειν – ’apostéllein), whereas a disciple is a student, but the two traditions differ on the scope of the words apostle and disciple.
Analysis
This is the only mention of the group in the Bible. The number is seventy in some manuscripts of the Alexandrian (such as Codex Sinaiticus) and Caesarean text traditions but seventy-two in most other Alexandrian and Western texts. Samuel Dickey Gordon notes that they were sent out as thirty-five deputations of two each.
The number may derive from the seventy nations of Genesis 10 or the many other occurrences of the number seventy in the Bible, or the seventy-two translators of the Septuagint from the Letter of Aristeas. In translating the Vulgate, Jerome selected the reading of seventy-two.
The Gospel of Luke is not alone among the synoptic gospels in containing multiple episodes in which Jesus sends out his followers on missions. The first occasion () is closely based on the "limited commission" mission in , which, however, recounts the sending out of the twelve apostles, rather than seventy, though with similar details. The report of the second commission is likely a Lukan construct. The text has parallels with the Gospel of Thomas, which is likely dependent on Lukan redaction in 14.4. Luke also mentions the Great Commission to "all nations" () but in less detail than Matthew's account, and mentions the Dispersion of the Apostles.
What has been said to the seventy (two) in is referred in passing to the Twelve in :
Feast days
The feast day commemorating the seventy is known as the "Synaxis of the Seventy Disciples" in Eastern Orthodoxy, and is celebrated on January 4. Each of the seventy disciples also has individual commemorations scattered throughout the liturgical year (see Eastern Orthodox Church calendar).
Lists of the disciples' names
Attributed to Hippolytus
A Greek text titled On the Seventy Apostles of Christ is known from several manuscripts, the oldest in Codex Baroccianus 206, a ninth-century palimpsest lectionary. The text is ancient, but its traditional ascription to Hippolytus of Rome is now considered dubious. An 1886 translation is:
James the Lord's brother, bishop of Jerusalem
Cleopas, bishop of Jerusalem
Matthias, who supplied the vacant place in the number of the twelve apostles
Stephen, the first martyr
Philip, who baptized the Ethiopian eunuch
Prochorus, bishop of Nicomedia, who also was the first that departed, 11 believing together with his daughters
Nicanor died when Stephen was martyred
Parmenas, bishop of Soli (either in Cyprus or in Asia Minor) .
Mark the Evangelist, bishop of Alexandria
These two [Mark and Luke] belonged to the seventy disciples who were scattered by the offence of the word which Christ spoke, "Except a man eat my flesh, and drink my blood, he is not worthy of me." But the one being induced to return to the Lord by Peter's instrumentality, and the other by Paul's, they were honored to preach that Gospel on account of which they also suffered martyrdom, the one being burned, and the other being crucified on an olive tree.
Silvanus, bishop of Thessalonica
Crisces (Crescens), bishop of Carchedon in Galatia
Andronicus, bishop of Pannonia
Phygellus, bishop of Ephesus. He was of the party also of Simon
Hermogenes. He, too, was of the same mind with the former
Demas, who also became a priest of idols
Aristobulus, bishop of Britain
Agabus the prophet
Asyncritus, bishop of Hyrcania
Patrobulus, bishop of Puteoli
Hermas, bishop of Philippopolis (Thrace)
Caius, bishop of Ephesus
Philologus, bishop of Sinopee
Olympus and ...
Lucius, bishop of Laodicea in Syria
Tertius, bishop of Iconium
Sosthenes, bishop of Colophonia
Tychicus, bishop of Colophonia
Epaphroditus, bishop of Andriaca (there are at least two ancient towns called Andriaca, one in Thrace and one in Asia Minor),
Cæsar, bishop of Dyrrachium
Justus, bishop of Eleutheropolis
Onesiphorus, bishop of Corone
Aristarchus, bishop of Apamea
Mark, who is also John, bishop of Byblos
Aristarchus, bishop of Apamea
Trophimus, who was martyred along with Paul
Book of the Bee
Similar to an earlier list attributed to Irenaeus, Bishop Solomon of Basra of the Church of the East in the 13th century Book of the Bee offers the following list:
James, the son of Joseph
Simon the son of Cleopas
Cleopas, his father
Barnabas
Manaeus (?)
Ananias, who baptised Paul
Cephas, who preached at Antioch
Nathaniel the chief scribe
Justus, that is Joseph, who is called Barshabbâ
Judah
Mnason, who received Paul
Manaël, the foster-brother of Herod
Jason, who is (mentioned) in the Acts (of the apostles)
Alexander
Simon the Cyrenian, their father
Another Judah, who is mentioned in the Acts (of the apostles)
Judah, who is called Simon
Eurion (Orion) the splay-footed
Thôrus (?)
Thorîsus (?)
Zabdon
Zakron
These are the seven who were chosen with Stephen:
Philip the Evangelist, who had three daughters that used to prophesy
Nicolaus, the Antiochian proselyte
[the next three are listed with the preceding seven]
Andronicus the Greek
These are the five who were with Peter in Rome:
Plîgtâ
These are the six [sic; seven names follow] who came with Peter to Cornelius:
Criscus (Crescens)
Milichus
Kîrîțôn (Crito)
Simon
Gaius, who received Paul
Abrazon (?)
These are the twelve who were rejected from among the seventy, as Judas Iscariot was from among the twelve, because they absolutely denied our Lord's divinity at the instigation of Cerinthus. Of these Luke [recte 1 John] said, "They went out from us, but they were not of us;" and Paul called them "false apostles and deceitful workers".
Simon
Levi
Bar-Ḳubbâ
Cleon
Candarus
Clithon (?)
Demas
Narcissus
Slikîspus (?)
Thaddaeus
Mârûthâ
In their stead there came in these:
Apollos the elect
Popillius (or Publius)
Stephen (not the Corinthian)
Herodion the son of Narcissus
Mâr Mârî
Others
Other lists are
One attributed to Dorotheus of Tyre, completed some time before AD 811.
One attributed to Epiphanius of Salamis
Matthias, who would later replace Judas Iscariot as one of the twelve apostles, is also often numbered among the seventy.
Some accounts of the legendary Saint Mantius of Évora regard him as one of the disciples, having witnessed the Last Supper and Pentecost.
See also
References
External links
by Solomon, Nestorian bishop of Basra, 13th century (edited by Ernest A. Wallace Budge, 1886)