Seventy disciples
The Seventy or Seventy-two Disciples were early followers of Jesus.
They are mentioned only in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 10.1 to 24 EU). In the biblical narrative of Luke they were chosen by Jesus and sent out in pairs to preach his message. In the Western Church they are usually referred to as disciples, while the Orthodox Church of the Apostles speaks.
The event is in the Orthodox Church called the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles and celebrated on January 4th. The observances of the individual disciples or apostles are distributed throughout the year.
Analysis
Lk 10.1 to 24 is the only mention of the group in the Bible. The number seventy in manuscripts in the Alexandrian (such as the Codex Sinaiticus ) and the Caesarean text tradition, but seventy-two in most other Alexandrian and Western ( Roman ) texts. The number may be from the 70 nations in Gen 10 EU (and many other mentions of the number 70 in the Bible) or of the 72 translators of the Septuagint in Aristeas derived. Jerome has chosen the 72 reading for the edition of the Vulgate.
In the Synoptic Gospels, the Gospel of Luke contains only two pericopes where Jesus sends out his disciples. The first report (Luke 9:1-6 ) is closely related to the transmission report in the Gospel of Mark ( Mk 6,6 b -13) and tells how the text of Mark of the mission of the twelve apostles, and not of the Seventy. In the details there but according to the report of the mission of the seventy. The parallels (even to the Gospel of Matthew 9.35; 10,1.7-11 ) suggest a common origin in the source Q.
In Lk 22,35 there is choice of words here a clear reference back to Luke 10.4, although Jesus turns to the Twelve. The reference back to Lk 9.3 is less direct:
"Then Jesus said unto them, When I sent you without purse, or knapsack and without shoes, did you suffered some distress? They said, no. "
Lists of the Seventy
The Orthodox tradition, attributed to the seventy disciples names, to Dorotheus of Tyre (pseudo - Dorotheus ), one - perhaps legendary - bishop and martyr of the late third century, returned with a list of the Seventy is attributed. However, the list containing the text comes earlier than the eighth century. A similar list is also attributed to Hippolytus of Rome ( pseudo - Hippolytus ). Also the Chronicon Paschale, a Byzantine world chronicle (about 630), in two parts containing such a list. In the thirteenth century Solomon has received from Basra a list of the Seventy in his "Book of the Bee ." Dimitri of Rostov has - by its own account - for his saints (Kiev from 1689 to 1705 ) the list of the (pseudo) Dorotheus revised, in which he ( among other things) the names of some apostles, who are said to have later betrayed the faith emphasized ( Nicholas, Phygellus, Hermogenes and Demus ) and some names of revered as sacred by the church and the Seventy attributed Men added ( Timothy, Titus, Epaphras, Archippus, Aquila, Olympas, Quadratus and Achaicus ).
The lists are considered historically unproductive. Eusebius concluded the existence of such a list, and explicitly mentioned by the Seventy only Barnabas, Sosthenes, Cephas, Matthias, Thaddeus and James.
Many of the people mentioned in the lists have also independent of an independent meaning. This applies, for example, for the Evangelists Mark and Luke.
The various traditional lists differ partly in the recorded name. The following list (including the assignment of Bishop chairs, where specified ) of the Dimitris.
Matthias, who should replace Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve Apostles later, is also often numbered among the Seventy.