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Seventy disciples
Seventy disciples
	Icon of the Seventy Apostles
Disciples
Venerated in	Catholic Church; Eastern Orthodoxy; Oriental Orthodoxy; Lutheran Church; Anglican Church;
Canonized	Pre-Congregation
Feast	4 January (Eastern Orthodoxy)
Attributes	Scroll; Cross

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):^[1]

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,^[2] whereas in Eastern Christianity they are usually referred to as apostles.^[3] 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.^[4]

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

What has been said to the seventy (two) in Luke 10:4 is referred in passing to the Twelve in 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

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.^[6] The text is ancient, but its traditional ascription to Hippolytus of Rome is now considered dubious.^[6] An 1886 translation is:^[6]

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 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 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,^[7] Bishop Solomon of Basra of the Church of the East in the 13th century Book of the Bee offers the following list:^[8]

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".
1. Simon
2. Levi
3. Bar-Ḳubbâ
4. Cleon
5. Hymenaeus
6. Candarus
7. Clithon (?)
8. Demas
9. Narcissus
10. Slikîspus (?)
11. Thaddaeus
12. 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.^[9]
One attributed to Epiphanius of Salamis^[10]

Matthias, who would later replace Judas Iscariot as one of the twelve apostles, is also often numbered among the seventy. ^[11]

Some accounts of the legendary Saint Mantius of Évora regard him as one of the disciples, having witnessed the Last Supper and Pentecost.^[12]

References

^ Luke 10:1–21
^ 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 (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."
^ "Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles". oca.org.
^ Gordon, S. D. (1906), Quiet Talks on Service, Project Gutenberg, accessed 15 January 2024
^ Bruce Metzger, Textual Commentary on the Greek NT
^ ^a ^b ^c Roberts, Alexander; Donaldson, James; Coxe, A. Cleveland, eds. (1886). "Appendix to the Works of Hippolytus; containing Dubious and Spurious Pieces". The Ante-Nicene Fathers: Translations of the Writings of the Fathers Down to A. D. 325. Vol. V. translated by J. H. McMahon (American reprint of the Edinburgh ed.). Buffalo: Christian Literature Company. pp. –256.
^ Burke, Tony (25 February 2022). "List of Apostles and Disciples, by Pseudo-Irenaeus". e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha. North American Society for the Study of Christian Apocryphal Literature. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
^ Budge, Ernest A. Wallis, ed. (1886). "Chapter XLIX; The Names of the Apostles in Order". The Book of the Bee: The Syriac Text Edited from the Manuscripts in London, Oxford, and Munich with an English Translation. Anecdota Oxoniensia: Semitic series. Vol. 2. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 113–114.
^ Burke, Tony (February 2022). "List of the Apostles and Disciples, by Pseudo-Dorotheus of Tyre". e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha. North American Society for the Study of Christian Apocryphal Literature. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
^ Burke, Tony (January 2022). "List of the Apostles and Disciples by Pseudo-Epiphanius of Salamis". e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha. North American Society for the Study of Christian Apocryphal Literature. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "St. Matthias" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
^ Cardoso, Jorge (1666). Agiologio lusitano dos sanctos, e varoens illustres em virtude do Reino de Portugal, e suas conquistas [Lusitanian hagiology of the saints and men illustrious in their virtue from the Kingdom of Portugal] (in Portuguese). Vol. 3. Lisbon: Officina de António Craesbeeck de Mello. pp. 337–342.