Theseventy disciples (Greek: ἑβδομήκοντα μαθητές,hebdomikonta mathetes), known in theEastern Christian traditions as theseventy apostles (Greek: ἑβδομήκοντα απόστολοι,hebdomikonta apostoloi), were early emissaries ofJesus mentioned in theGospel of Luke. The number of those disciples varies between either 70 or 72 depending on the manuscript.
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.
InWestern Christianity, they are usually referred to asdisciples,[2] whereas in Eastern Christianity they are usually referred to asapostles.[3] Using the originalGreek words, both titles are descriptive, as anapostle is one sent on amission (the Greek uses the verb form ἀποστέλλειν (apostéllein), whereas adisciple is a student, but the two traditions differ on the scope of the wordsapostle anddisciple.
This is the only mention of the group in theBible. The number isseventy in some manuscripts of theAlexandrian (such asCodex Sinaiticus) andCaesarean text traditions butseventy-two in most other Alexandrian andWestern texts.Samuel Dickey Gordon notes that they were sent out as thirty-five deputations of two each.[4]
A Greek text titledOn the Seventy Apostles of Christ is known from several manuscripts, the oldest inCodex Baroccianus 206, a ninth-centurypalimpsestlectionary.[6] The text is ancient, but its traditional ascription toHippolytus of Rome is now considered dubious.[6] An 1886 translation is:[6]
These two [Mark and Luke] belonged to the seventy disciples who were scattered by the offence ofthe 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.
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 ofCerinthus. Of these Luke [recte1 John] said, "They went out from us, but they were not of us;" andPaul called them "false apostles and deceitful workers".
^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."
^abcRoberts, 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.
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