Seventy disciples

Seventy disciples
The seventy disciples or seventy-two disciples, known in the Eastern Christian traditions as the seventy apostles or seventy-two apostles, were early emissaries of Jesus mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. The correct Greek terminology is evdomikonta (ἑβδομήκοντα) apostoli or evdomikonta mathetes.
According to the Gospel of Luke, the only gospel in which they appear, Jesus appointed them and sent them out in pairs on a specific mission which is detailed in the text. The number of those disciples varies between either 70 or 72 depending on the account.
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: apesteilen) whereas a disciple is a student, but the two traditions differ on the scope of the words apostle and disciple.
The passage from Luke 10 reads (in Douay–Rheims Bible):
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. It 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 Mark , which however recounts the sending out of the twelve apostles, rather than seventy, though with similar details. The parallels (also Matthew , ) suggest a common origin in the hypothesized Q document. 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 :
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
The feast day commemorating the seventy is known as the "Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles" in Eastern Orthodoxy, and is celebrated on January 4. Each of the seventy apostles 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
Thaddeus, who conveyed the epistle to Augarus (Abgar V)
Ananias, who baptized Paul, and was bishop of Damascus
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
Timon, bishop of Bostra
Parmenas, bishop of Soli.
Nicolaus, bishop of Samaria
Barnabas, bishop of Milan
Mark the Evangelist, bishop of Alexandria
Luke the Evangelist
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.
Silas, bishop of Corinth
Silvanus, bishop of Thessalonica
Crisces (Crescens), bishop of Carchedon in Galatia
Epænetus, bishop of Carthage
Andronicus, bishop of Pannonia
Amplias, bishop of Odessus
Urban, bishop of Macedonia
Stachys, bishop of Byzantium
Barnabas, bishop of Heraclea
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
Apelles, bishop of Smyrna
Aristobulus, bishop of Britain
Narcissus, bishop of Athens
Herodion, bishop of Tarsus
Agabus the prophet
Rufus, bishop of Thebes
Asyncritus, bishop of Hyrcania
Phlegon, bishop of Marathon
Hermes, bishop of Dalmatia
Patrobulus, bishop of Puteoli
Hermas, bishop of Philippopolis (Thrace)
Linus, bishop of Rome
Caius, bishop of Ephesus
Philologus, bishop of Sinope
Olympus and ...
...Rhodion were martyred in Rome
Lucius, bishop of Laodicea in Syria
Jason, bishop of Tarsus
Sosipater, bishop of Iconium
Tertius, bishop of Iconium
Erastus, bishop of Paneas
Quartus, bishop of Berytus
Apollos, bishop of Cæsarea
Cephas
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
Mark, cousin to Barnabas, bishop of Apollonia
Justus, bishop of Eleutheropolis
Artemas, bishop of Lystra
Clement, bishop of Sardinia
Onesiphorus, bishop of Corone
Tychicus, bishop of Chalcedon
Carpus, bishop of Berytus in Thrace
Evodus, bishop of Antioch
Aristarchus, bishop of Apamea
Mark, who is also John, bishop of Bibloupolis
Zenas, bishop of Diospolis
Philemon, bishop of Gaza
Aristarchus
Pudes
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
Joses
Simon
Judah
Barnabas
Manaeus (?)
Ananias, who baptised Paul
Cephas, who preached at Antioch
Joseph the senator
Nicodemus the Archon
Nathaniel the chief scribe
Justus, that is Joseph, who is called Barshabbâ
Silas
Judah
John, surnamed Mark
Mnason, who received Paul
Manaël, the foster-brother of Herod
Simon called Niger
Jason, who is (mentioned) in the Acts (of the apostles)
Rufus
Alexander
Simon the Cyrenian, their father
Lucius the Cyrenian
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;
Stephen;
Prochorus;
Nicanor;
Timon;
Parmenas;
Nicolaus, the Antiochian proselyte;
[the next three are listed with the preceding seven]
Andronicus the Greek;
Titus;
Timothy.
These are the five who were with Peter in Rome:
Hermas [of Philippopolis];
Plîgtâ;
Patrobas;
Asyncritus;
Hermas [of Dalmatia].
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 (?);
Apollos.
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;
Hymenaeus;
Candarus;
Clithon (?);
Demas;
Narcissus;
Slikîspus (?);
Thaddaeus;
Mârûthâ.
In their stead there came in these:
Luke the physician;
Apollos the elect;
Ampelius;
Urbanus;
Stachys;
Popillius (or Publius);
Aristobulus;
Stephen (not the Corinthian);
Herodion the son of Narcissus;
Olympas;
Mark the Evangelist;
Addai;
Aggai;
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, since John Mark ("John, surnamed Mark", "Mark, who is also John") is typically identified with Mark the Evangelist.
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
Life of Jesus in the New Testament
Dispersion of the Apostles
Notes
References
External links
Luke 10 in Greek
Luke 10 in Greek transliterated
The Seventy Apostles
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)
"Oldest Church" in Rihad Jordan Discovery "Ridiculous," Critics Say
Christian missions
Christian terminology
Followers of Jesus
Gospel episodes
Gospel of Luke
Groups of Eastern Orthodox saints
Groups of Roman Catholic saints
Lists of saints
Unnamed people of the Bible