Login
Login

Seventy disciples

{{Short description|Early students of Jesus mentioned in the Gospel of Luke}}

{{Infobox saint

| name = Seventy disciples

| image = Ikonë e të Shtatëdhjetë Apostujve.jpg

| imagesize =

| alt =

| caption = Icon of the Seventy Apostles

| titles = Disciples

| birth_name =

| birth_date =

| birth_place =

| home_town =

| residence =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| venerated_in = {{plainlist|

}}

| beatified_date =

| beatified_place =

| beatified_by =

| canonized_date = Pre-Congregation

| canonized_place =

| canonized_by =

| major_shrine =

| feast_day = 4 January (Eastern Orthodoxy)

| attributes = Scroll
Cross

| patronage =

| issues =

| suppressed_date =

| suppressed_by =

| influences =

| influenced =

| tradition =

| major_works =

| module =

}}

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):{{bibleref2|Luke|10:1–21|DRA}}

{{quote|And after these things the Lord appointed also other seventy-two: and he sent them two and two before his face into every city and place whither he himself was to come.}}

In Western Christianity, they are usually referred to as disciples,[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05029a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Disciple]: "The disciples, in this disciples, in this context, are not the crowds of believers who flocked around Christ, but a smaller body of His followers. They are commonly identified with the seventy-two (seventy, according to the received Greek text, although several Greek manuscripts mention seventy-two, as does the Vulgate) referred to ({{bibleref2|Luke|10:1}}) as having been chosen by Jesus. The names of these disciples are given in several lists (Chronicon Paschale, and Pseudo-Dorotheus in Migne, P.G., XCII, 521–24, 543–45, 1061–65); but these lists are unfortunately worthless." whereas in Eastern Christianity they are usually referred to as apostles.{{cite web|url=http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=100017|title=Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles|work=oca.org}} Using the original Greek words, both titles are descriptive, as an apostle is one sent on a mission (the Greek uses the verb form: apesteilen) 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.Gordon, S. D. (1906), [https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12529/pg12529-images.html#ch03-1 Quiet Talks on Service], Project Gutenberg, accessed 15 January 2024

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.Bruce Metzger, Textual Commentary on the Greek NT 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 ({{bibleverse|Luke|9:1–6}}) is closely based on the "limited commission" mission in {{bibleverse|Mark|6:6–13}}, which, however, recounts the sending out of the twelve apostles, rather than seventy, though with similar details. The parallels (also {{bibleverse|Matthew|9:35}}, {{bibleverse|Matthew|10:1}}, and {{bibleverse|Matthew|10:5–42}}) suggest a common origin in the hypothesized Q document. Luke also mentions the Great Commission to "all nations" ({{bibleverse|Luke|24:44–49}}) but in less detail than Matthew's account, and {{bibleverse|Mark|16:19–20}} mentions the Dispersion of the Apostles.

What has been said to the seventy (two) in {{bibleverse|Luke|10:4}} is referred in passing to the Twelve in {{bibleverse|Luke|22:35}}:

He said to them, "When I sent you forth without a money bag or a sack or sandals, were you in need of anything?" "No, nothing", they replied.

Feast days

File:Erastus, Olympus, Rhodion, Sosipater, Quartus and Tertius (Menologion of Basil II).jpg

File:Stachys, Amplias, Urban (Menologion of Basil II).jpg

File:Patrobulus, Hermas, Linus, Caius, Philologus of 70 disciples (Menologion of Basil II).jpg

File:Sosthenes, Apollo, Cephas, Tychicus, Epaphroditus, Cæsar and Onesiphorus of 70 disciples (Menologion of Basil II).jpg

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:{{cite book |editor1-last=Roberts |editor1-first=Alexander |others=translated by J. H. McMahon |editor2-last=Donaldson |editor2-first=James |editor3-last=Coxe |editor3-first=A. Cleveland |title=The Ante-Nicene Fathers: Translations of the Writings of the Fathers Down to A. D. 325 |date=1886 |volume=V |publisher=Christian Literature Company |location=Buffalo |pages=–256 |edition=American reprint of the Edinburgh |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HjE8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA255 |language=en |chapter=Appendix to the Works of Hippolytus; containing Dubious and Spurious Pieces}}

  1. James the Lord's brother, bishop of Jerusalem
  2. Cleopas, bishop of Jerusalem
  3. Matthias, who supplied the vacant place in the number of the twelve apostles
  4. Thaddeus, who conveyed the epistle to Augarus (Abgar V)
  5. Ananias, who baptized Paul, and was bishop of Damascus
  6. Stephen, the first martyr
  7. Philip, who baptized the Ethiopian eunuch
  8. Prochorus, bishop of Nicomedia, who also was the first that departed, 11 believing together with his daughters
  9. Nicanor died when Stephen was martyred
  10. Timon, bishop of Bostra
  11. Parmenas, bishop of Soli (either in Cyprus or in Asia Minor) .
  12. Nicolaus, bishop of Samaria
  13. Barnabas, bishop of Milan
  14. Mark the Evangelist, bishop of Alexandria
  15. Luke the Evangelist
  16. : 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.
  17. Silas, bishop of Corinth
  18. Silvanus, bishop of Thessalonica
  19. Crisces (Crescens), bishop of Carchedon in Galatia
  20. Epænetus, bishop of Carthage
  21. Andronicus, bishop of Pannonia
  22. Amplias, bishop of Odessus
  23. Urban, bishop of Macedonia
  24. Stachys, bishop of Byzantium
  25. Barnabas, bishop of Heraclea
  26. Phygellus, bishop of Ephesus. He was of the party also of Simon
  27. Hermogenes. He, too, was of the same mind with the former
  28. Demas, who also became a priest of idols
  29. Apelles, bishop of Smyrna
  30. Aristobulus, bishop of Britain
  31. Narcissus, bishop of Athens
  32. Herodion, bishop of Tarsus
  33. Agabus the prophet
  34. Rufus, bishop of Thebes
  35. Asyncritus, bishop of Hyrcania
  36. Phlegon, bishop of Marathon
  37. Hermes, bishop of Dalmatia
  38. Patrobulus, bishop of Puteoli
  39. Hermas, bishop of Philippopolis (Thrace)
  40. Linus, bishop of Rome
  41. Caius, bishop of Ephesus
  42. Philologus, bishop of Sinope
  43. Olympus and ...
  44. ...Rhodion were martyred in Rome
  45. Lucius, bishop of Laodicea in Syria
  46. Jason, bishop of Tarsus
  47. Sosipater, bishop of Iconium
  48. Tertius, bishop of Iconium
  49. Erastus, bishop of Paneas
  50. Quartus, bishop of Berytus
  51. Apollos, bishop of Cæsarea
  52. Cephas, bishop of Iconium of Colophon
  53. Sosthenes, bishop of Colophonia
  54. Tychicus, bishop of Colophonia
  55. Epaphroditus, bishop of Andriaca (there are at least two ancient towns called Andriaca, one in Thrace and one in Asia Minor),
  56. Cæsar, bishop of Dyrrachium
  57. Mark, cousin to Barnabas, bishop of Apollonia
  58. Justus, bishop of Eleutheropolis
  59. Artemas, bishop of Lystra
  60. Clement, bishop of Sardis
  61. Onesiphorus, bishop of Corone
  62. Tychicus, bishop of Chalcedon
  63. Carpus, bishop of Berytus in Thrace
  64. Evodus, bishop of Antioch
  65. Aristarchus, bishop of Apamea
  66. Mark, who is also John, bishop of Byblos
  67. Zenas, bishop of Diospolis
  68. Philemon, bishop of Gaza
  69. Aristarchus, bishop of Apamea
  70. Pudes
  71. Trophimus, who was martyred along with Paul

=''Book of the Bee''=

Similar to an earlier list attributed to Irenaeus,{{cite web |last1=Burke |first1=Tony |website=e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha |publisher=North American Society for the Study of Christian Apocryphal Literature |title=List of Apostles and Disciples, by Pseudo-Irenaeus |url=https://www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-christian-apocrypha/list-of-apostles-and-disciples-by-pseudo-irenaeus/ |date=25 February 2022 |access-date=25 May 2022 }} Bishop Solomon of Basra of the Church of the East in the 13th century Book of the Bee offers the following list:{{cite book |editor-last=Budge|editor-first=Ernest A. Wallis|editor-link=E. A. Wallis Budge|title=The Book of the Bee: The Syriac Text Edited from the Manuscripts in London, Oxford, and Munich with an English Translation|date=1886 |series=Anecdota Oxoniensia: Semitic series |volume=2 |location=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press |pages=113–114 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eJNJAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA113 |language=en |chapter=Chapter XLIX; The Names of the Apostles in Order}}

  1. James, the son of Joseph
  2. Simon the son of Cleopas
  3. Cleopas, his father
  4. Joses
  5. Simon
  6. Judah
  7. Barnabas
  8. Manaeus (?)
  9. Ananias, who baptised Paul
  10. Cephas, who preached at Antioch
  11. Joseph the senator
  12. Nicodemus the Archon
  13. Nathaniel the chief scribe
  14. Justus, that is Joseph, who is called Barshabbâ
  15. Silas
  16. Judah
  17. John, surnamed Mark
  18. Mnason, who received Paul
  19. Manaël, the foster-brother of Herod
  20. Simon called Niger
  21. Jason, who is (mentioned) in the Acts (of the apostles)
  22. Rufus
  23. Alexander
  24. Simon the Cyrenian, their father
  25. Lucius the Cyrenian
  26. Another Judah, who is mentioned in the Acts (of the apostles)
  27. Judah, who is called Simon
  28. Eurion (Orion) the splay-footed
  29. Thôrus (?)
  30. Thorîsus (?)
  31. Zabdon
  32. Zakron
  33. : These are the seven who were chosen with Stephen:
  34. Philip the Evangelist, who had three daughters that used to prophesy
  35. Stephen
  36. Prochorus
  37. Nicanor
  38. Timon
  39. Parmenas
  40. Nicolaus, the Antiochian proselyte
  41. : [the next three are listed with the preceding seven]
  42. Andronicus the Greek
  43. Titus
  44. Timothy
  45. : These are the five who were with Peter in Rome:
  46. Hermas [of Philippopolis]
  47. Plîgtâ
  48. Patrobas
  49. Asyncritus
  50. Hermas [of Dalmatia]
  51. : These are the six [sic; seven names follow] who came with Peter to Cornelius:
  52. Criscus (Crescens)
  53. Milichus
  54. Kîrîțôn (Crito)
  55. Simon
  56. Gaius, who received Paul
  57. Abrazon (?)
  58. Apollos
  59. : 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".
  60. :# Simon
  61. :# Levi
  62. :# Bar-Ḳubbâ
  63. :# Cleon
  64. :# Hymenaeus
  65. :# Candarus
  66. :# Clithon (?)
  67. :# Demas
  68. :# Narcissus
  69. :# Slikîspus (?)
  70. :# Thaddaeus
  71. :# Mârûthâ
  72. : In their stead there came in these:
  73. Luke the physician
  74. Apollos the elect
  75. Ampelius
  76. Urbanus
  77. Stachys
  78. Popillius (or Publius)
  79. Aristobulus
  80. Stephen (not the Corinthian)
  81. Herodion the son of Narcissus
  82. Olympas
  83. Mark the Evangelist
  84. Addai
  85. Aggai
  86. Mâr Mârî

=Others=

Other lists are

  • One attributed to Dorotheus of Tyre, completed some time before AD 811.{{cite web |last1=Burke |first1=Tony |title=List of the Apostles and Disciples, by Pseudo-Dorotheus of Tyre |url=https://www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-christian-apocrypha/list-of-the-apostles-and-disciples-by-pseudo-dorotheus-of-tyre/ |website=e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha |publisher=North American Society for the Study of Christian Apocryphal Literature |access-date=25 May 2022 |date=February 2022}}
  • One attributed to Epiphanius of Salamis{{cite web |title=List of the Apostles and Disciples by Pseudo-Epiphanius of Salamis |url=https://www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-christian-apocrypha/list-of-the-apostles-and-disciples-by-pseudo-epiphanius-of-salamis/ |last1=Burke |first1=Tony |website=e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha |publisher=North American Society for the Study of Christian Apocryphal Literature |access-date=25 May 2022 |date=January 2022}}

Matthias, who would later replace Judas Iscariot as one of the twelve apostles, is also often numbered among the seventy. {{cite Catholic Encyclopedia|wstitle=St. Matthias}}

Some accounts of the legendary Saint Mantius of Évora regard him as one of the disciples, having witnessed the Last Supper and Pentecost.{{cite book |last=Cardoso |first=Jorge |date=1666 |title=Agiologio lusitano dos sanctos, e varoens illustres em virtude do Reino de Portugal, e suas conquistas |trans-title=Lusitanian hagiology of the saints and men illustrious in their virtue from the Kingdom of Portugal |url=http://purl.pt/12169 |language=pt |location=Lisbon |publisher=Officina de António Craesbeeck de Mello |volume= 3 |pages=337–342}}

See also

{{Portal|Christianity}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category|Seventy Disciples}}

  • [http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~fisher/cgi-bin/gnt?id=0310 Luke 10 in Greek]
  • [http://bibledbdata.org/onlinebibles/greek_translit/42_010.htm Luke 10 in Greek transliterated]
  • [http://www.orthodox.net/saints/70apostles.html The Seventy Apostles]
  • [http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/bb/bb49.htm The Book of the Bee, chapter XLIX "The names of the Apostles in order"] by Solomon, Nestorian bishop of Basra, 13th century (edited by Ernest A. Wallace Budge, 1886)
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20080614140736/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/06/080613-old-church.html {{"'}}Oldest Church' in Rihad Jordan Discovery 'Ridiculous,' Critics Say"]

{{Gospel of Luke}}

{{Catholic saints}}

{{New Testament people}}

{{Apostles}}

{{History of Christianity}}

Category:Christian missions

Category:Christian terminology

Category:Followers of Jesus

Category:Gospel episodes

Category:Gospel of Luke

Category:Groups of Eastern Orthodox saints

Category:Groups of Roman Catholic saints

Category:Lists of saints

Category:Unnamed people of the Bible