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,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 ) 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. 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.Gordon, S. D. (1906), Quiet Talks on Service, via 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 () 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 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 (either in Cyprus or in Asia Minor) . 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, bishop of Iconium of Colophon 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 Sardis Onesiphorus, bishop of Corone Tychicus, bishop of Chalcedon Carpus, bishop of Berytus in Thrace Evodius, bishop of Antioch Aristarchus, bishop of Apamea Mark, who is also John, bishop of Byblos Zenas, bishop of Diospolis Philemon, bishop of Gaza Aristarchus, bishop of Apamea 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.

Some accounts of the legendary Saint Mantius of Évora regard him as one of the disciples, having witnessed the Last Supper and Pentecost.

Seventy disciples

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