The 12 and the 70 disciples who followed Jesus

FOUR
The Beginning of Orthodoxy
2 Timothy is the last letter Paul wrote and was written towards the end of Paul’s life. It was probably written between 65 AD and 68 AD. It is then the letter of Paul handing over to his disciple and child in the faith Timothy, the things Paul considers most important for the truth of the Church. This letter is in the same place as Yeshua’s goodbye speech to the Church on the Mount of Olives (Matt 28). It is in the same place as David’s charge to his son Solomon. It is like the transfer of the authority of Eliyahu to Elisha. We will look into it then to see what Paul’s sees as vital for the right teaching of the Church. We are looking in this letter for the laying down of the principles of Orthodoxy.

What is orthodoxy? It is made up of two Greek words according to the Webster’s New World Dictionary 1974 “Orthos correct” which is an adjective and “doxa opinion”, this is its etymology. It is then “conforming to the usual beliefs or established doctrines esp. in religion” (ibid). The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English defines it as follows “Having opinions beliefs etc which are generally accepted or approved”. The noun which goes with the adjective orthodox is orthodoxy.
We are looking in this paper at the development of Orthodoxy in the Church. If we go into the Dictionary of Strong’s Concordance we find Orthws (3723) as an adverb meaning in a straight manner which comes from Orthos (3717) meaning right(as rising perpendicularly or erect or horizontally level or direct.
Doxa appears to be linked to two words in the New Testament. First “doxa”, The meanings of this word divide themselves conformably with the use of the second, the verb dokeo(1380) to think, recognize for what a person or a thing is. Or in NASB Hebrew Greek Study Bible to think, imagine, consider, appear and expresses “the subjective mental estimate or opinion about a matter which men form”
Biblical Background of Orthodoxy
In the history of Israel as recorded in the scripture, Yahwah reveals himself to Moses and sends him to deliver Israel from Egypt. He takes the people out of Egypt into the wilderness. There he begins to teach them his ways. They approach Mount Sinai and there Yahwah will establish a covenant with the people. Just before this he says to them
“Now therefore , if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all the people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Ex 19:5-6)
Yahwah them establishes a covenant with Yisrael on Mount Sinai. The touch stone of orthodoxy then for Israel was the obedience to the voice of Yahwah and the guarding of the covenant of Yahwah. Throughout their history when they went astray Yahwah would send prophets to tell them to return to him. To be orthodox then in Israel was first to listen to the voice which usually came through the prophet.

The Right glory of the Church
If we count a generation as forty years we have from the ascension of the Yeshua to the acceptance of the Church by the Roman Empire about 7 generation. I will number the Generation 1 – 7 and label the for conveniencc
The appear as follows
Generation 1 30-70 AD The Period of the Apostles and Prophets
Generation 2 70-110 AD The Period of the Episkopoi and Presbyters
Generation 3 110-150 AD The Period of Apologists and Evangelists
Generation 4 150-190 AD
Generation 5 190-240 AD
Generation 6 240-290 AD Persecutions and Great Suffering the Holocaust
Generation 7 290-340 AD The Period of Ascension
In these generations, although the numbering may be considered a little artificial, we have the development and growth of what we will call the true and Apostolic Church built on the foundations of Apostles and prophets. And we have the heresies of men who went out from the Church and mixed the teaching and practice of the Church with their own opinions. In this period we have many discussions and the debate about the way the Church was to live and what the Church actually believed. Over this period the Church of Yeshua jumped from perhaps the 120 who were there at Pentecost to the hundreds of thousands who were believers at the death of Constantine in AD 337. In the Easter Church Constantine is considered a Saint because of his halting the gross and terrible horrors of the persecution of the Church. The worst of which occurred with Diocletian just before Constantine ascended the throne of the Empire. From these period we have many written documents left to us. As time passes these documents become more and more numerous. We need to be aware that the writers from those days were far closer to the time of Yeshua and so things they say can, Ceteris Paribus, be taken as a safer witness than things which scholars say today unless supported by incontrovertible evidence. Clearly if two writers from that period clash or a writer is proved to be unreliable he must be judged in that light. But Ceteris Paribus if we have two independent witnesses for an event, with as ancient testimony it is far more reliable that the speculations of secondary literature or the theories of modern scholars with unbelief as a presupposition.
Generation 1: The Period of Apostles and Prophets
From this period of the Church we have all the writings of the New Testament except the Gospel, letters, and Revelation of John. John is the only Apostle to survive this period and by the time the Temple is destroyed in 70 AD all the Apostles to the Circumcision have passed to be with Yeshua. We have a tradition handed down from Hippolytus of Rome, who was ministering around 200 AD in Rome. He was then in the fifth generation (AD 190-240) from the Ascension. He wrote a number of works and worked on a Church calendar and chronology of the man from creation (Fox 1986 pg 267). His work is sometimes influenced by Ireneus bishop of Lyons but is considered by Lietzmen (1953 p245) to be continuing the line of Apology through Justin Martyr and was in sympathy with the Greek manner of thought. He hands down a tradition related to the structure of the Church in the period of Yeshua and the Apostolic and Prophetic period. He hands down about the ministry and deaths of the Apostles and also about the names of the 70 whom Yeshua sent out on mission in Luke 10. Ireneus gives a list of the episkopoi (overseers or Bishops) of Rome from its founding as a Church which is traditionally considered to be AD 42 by the Apostle Peter (Freemantle 1953 - Introduction) to his time which is around 177 AD to 200 AD. He is doing this to show that the tradition held by what we will call the Church of Orthodoxy came straight from the Apostles unlike that of the Gnostic Valentius or the arch heretics Marcion of Pontus and Basilides of Egypt. In his Against Heresies Book III chapter 3 section 3 he states
“ The blessed Apostles, then having founded and built up the Church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of episcopate, Paul makes mention in the Epistles to Timothy. To him succeeded Anacletus; and after him, in the third place from the apostles, Clement was allotted the bishopric This man as he had seen the blessed apostles, and had been conversant with them, might be said to have the preaching of the apostles still echoing (in his ears), and their traditions before his eyes. Nor was he alone (in this), for there were many still remaining who had received instructions from the apostles. In the time of this Clement, no small dissension having occurred among the brethren at Corinth…To this Clement there succeeded Evaristus. Alexander followed Evaristus ; then sixth from the apostles, Sixtus was appointed; after him, Telephorus, who was gloriously martyred; then Hyginus; after him, Pius; then after him Anicetus. Soter having succeeded Anicetus, Eleutherius does now, in the twelfth place from the Apostles hold the inheritance of the Episcopate. In this order and by this succession, the ecclesiastical tradition, from the apostles, and the preaching of the truth, have come down to us. And this is most abundant proof that there is one and the same vivifying faith, which has been preserved in the Church from the Apostles until now, and handed down in truth.”
So we see that assuming each of the episkopoi (overseers or bishops) mentioned oversaw the Roman Church in the succession mentioned; and assuming they were faithful to what was taught them, we can see that what we hear in the fifth generation from the Acension, from the leaders of the Church, is the similar to that believed and taught in the first generation. If we do not hold these assumptions the list can help to establish the connection and chain which is important for assessing legitimacy of ministry as opposed to those who created their own churches yesterday, but the content of the teaching can not be confirmed this way.
This is the first such list of overseers according to Liebnitz and is felt it could rest on “sound historical tradition”. However since according to the same Liebnitz, the first centuries churches were governed by a team or synod or presbyteroi, the earlier names may be historical but probably did not rule the Church consecutively. Rather they were prominent members of the synod.
It is also clear from the first century New Testament writings that Yeshua sent the disciples out not one by one but two by two to proclaim the gospel. This was the case with the sending of the twelve and the sending of the 70. We find the same case when Peter and John were preaching in Jerusalem. And Paul hardly every traveled alone, first he was with Barnabus and then he was with Silas and later Timothy was added to the team. When Barnabus split with Paul he did not travel alone either but took John Mark. However we do also have examples of Evangelists ministering alone as Stephen (Acts 7) and Philip (Acts 8), so it is possible that the list of 70 given by Hippolytus could fit the model of ministry laid down by the new Testament. We will first give his list of the Apostles and then of the 70.
Peter ministered in Rome and then was crucified with his head downward for he asked to be killed this way.
“Andrew preached to the Scythians and Thracians, and was crucified, suspended on an olive tree, at Patrae, a town in Achaia; and there too he was buried
John, again, in Asia, was banished by Domitian the king to the isle of Patmos, in which also he wrote the Gospel and saw the apocalyptic vision; and in Trajan’s time he fell asleep at Ephesus, where his remains were sought for , but could not be found
James, the brother, when preaching in Judea, was cut off with the sword by Herod the tetrach, and was buried there.
Philip preached in Phrygia, and was crucified in Hierapolis with his head downwards in the time of Domitian, and was buried there
Bartholomew, again, preached to the Indians, to whom he also gave the gospel according to Matthew , and was crucifiedwith his head downwards, and was buried in Allanum, a town of the great Armenia,
And Matthew wrote the Gospel in the Hebrew Tongue, and published it at Jerusalem and fell asleep at Hierees, a town of Parthia.
And Thomas preached to the Parthians, Medes, Persians, Hycanians, Bactrians, and Magians, and was thrust through in the four members of his body with a pine spear at Calamene, the city of India, and was buried there.
And James the son of Alphaeus, when preaching in Jeruslaem, was stoned to death by the Jews, and was buried therebeside the temple.
Jude, who was also called Lebbaeus , preached to the people of Eddess, and to all Mesopotamia, and fell asleep at Berytus, and was buried there.
Simon the Zealot, the son of Clopas, who is called Jude, became bishop of Jerusalem after James the Just, and fell asleep and was buried there at the age of 120 years.
And Matthais, who was one of the seventy, was numbered along with the Eleven Apostles, and preached in Jerusalem, and fell asleep and was buried there.
And Paul entered into the Apostleship a year after the assumption of Chrsit; and beginning at Jerusalem, he advanced as far as Illyricum, and Italy and Spain, preaching the gospel for 25 years. And in the time of Nero he was beheaded at Rome.”
Hippolytus is writing more than a hundred years after all these events. We have then the need to ask the question where did he get his information from? We can also ask the question is Hippolytus a reliable writer? And then thirdly our issue would be how did communications take place in those days so that we could for example know about the death of Thomas in India. Since our canonical writings do not cover the ministries of the bulk of the Apostles it would be interesting to make a collection of the early Apocryphal writings which seek to fill this gap. But all this question can not be dealt with now and may have to be left for another paper.
The Seventy
1 James the Lord’s brother, bishop of Jerusalem
2 Cleopas, bishop of Jerusalem
3 Matthias, who supplied the vacant place in the number of the twelve apostles
4 Thaddeus, who conveyed the epistle to Augarus
5 Ananias, who baptized Paul, and was Bishop of Damascus
6 Stephen, the first martyr
7 Philip, who baptized the Eunuch
8 Prochrus, bishop of Nicodemia, who also was the first that departed, believeing together
with his daughters.
9 Nicanor, died when Stephen was martyred
10 Timon, Bishop of Bostra
11 Parmenas, Bishop of Soli
12 Nicolaus, bishop of Samaria
13 Barnabus, bishop of Milan
14 Mark the evangelist, bishop of Alexandria
15 Luke the Evangelist
“These two belonged to the seventy disciples who were scattered by the offence of the word which Christ spake “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 honoured to preach that Gospel on account of which they also suffered martyred, the one being burned and the other being crucified on an olive tree.
16 Silas, bishop of Corinth
17 Silvanus, bishop of Thessalonica.
18 Cisces (Crescens) bishop of Carchedon in Gaul.
19 Epaenetus, bishop of Carthage
20 Andonicu, bishop of Pannonia.
21 Amplias, Bishop of Odyssus.
22 Urban, bishop of Macedomia
23 Stachys, bishop of Bayzantium.
24 Barnabus bishop of Heraclea.
25 Phygellus, bishop of Ephesus, He was of the party of Simon also.
26 Hermogenes. He too , was of the same mind as the former
27 Demas, who also became a priset of idols.
28 Appelles, bishop of Smyrna
29 Aristobolus, bishop of Britain
30 Narcisus, bishop of Athens.
31 Herodion, bishop of Tarsus
32 Agabus the prophet
33 Rufus, bishop of Thales.
34 Asyncritus, bishop of Hycania.
35 Phlegon, bishop of Marathon
36 Hermes, bishop of Dalmatia
37 Patrobolus, bishop of Puteoli.
38 Hermas, bishop of Philippi.
39 Linus, bishop of Rome
40 Caisu, bishop of Ephesus
41 Philologus, bishop of Sinope
42 Olympus martyred in Rome
43 Rhodion Martyred in rome
44 Lucius, bisahop of Laodicea in Syria
45 Jason, bishop of Tarsus.
46 Sosipater, bishop of Iconium.
47 Teritus , bishop of Iconium
48 Erastus, bishop of Panellas
49 Qartus, bishop of Berytus
50 Appolo, bishop of Caeserea
51 Cephas
52 Sosthenes, bishop of Colophonia
53Tychicus, bishop of Colophonia
54 Epaphroditus, bishop of Andirace.
55 Caeser, bishop of Dyrrachium.
56 Mark, cousin to barnabus, bishop of Apollonia
57 Justus, bishop of Eleutheropolis.
58 Artemas, bishop of Lystra.
59 Clement, bishop of Sardinia
60 Onesophoris, bishop of Corone
61 Tychicus, bishop of Chalcedon
62 Carpus, bishop of Berytus in Thrace.
63 Evodus bishop of Antioch
64 Aristarchus, bishop of Apamea
65 Mark, who is also John, bishop of Biblioupolis
66 Zenas, bishop of Diospolis
67 Philemon bishop of Gaza
68 Aristarchus and
69 Pudes
70 Trophimus, who was martyred along with Paul.
As to the legitimacy of this list we can not at present tell, however we can say it is early for it is in the fifth generation after the ascension. As I noted above in the first generation between 30 and 70 it is likely that Yeshua and the Apostles after him sent out the disciples 2 by 2. This was not always the case as we can see from the case of Philip and Stephen. However this list shows clear signs that many of the persons on it probably worked in pairs. So we have 1 James and 2 Cleopas. They are both bishops (the Greek word for bishop being Episkopos) of Jerusalem. It has been noted Liebnitz and is clear from the New Testament that “For the period covered by the first century, the leadership of the Church was almost with out exceptionin the hands of a synod-special conditions surrounded the first Church in Jerusalem. The members of the synod were called presbyteroi wherever Jewish influence was decisive”
The synod consisted ‘not only those who possessed an office, charismatics as well as technical officials, but also other revered persons” Even up until the year 140 AD according to Liebnitz a “college of presbyters were at the head of the Church in Rome and bishop and deacons were “special officers entrusted in particular with the care of the poor, the widows, and the orphans. But they were of equal rank with the Apostles and teachers of the earlier period”pg 60 Libnitz (1953) Another witness to the fact that the Apostolic church and the Church of the first century was in general run by a group of presbyters, is the fact that the letters of Paul, whne written to Churches, are not written to one leader or episkopos but to to whole Church, in some cases as in the letters to the Thessalonians. In another case like Philippians he writes to “all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers (episkopois) and deacons (diakonois)”. The fact that the terms episkopos and presbyterus are used interchangeably in this period, and often used in the plural also points to this position. At the end of Paul and Barnabus’ mission to central Turkey or Galatia they appointed presbyterous in every Church with prayer and fasting. The government of those local Ekklesias (churches) was left in the hands of the presbyters. When Paul in Acts 20 was heading back to Jerusalem, he stopped at Miletus and called for the presbyterous of the ekklesia and then told them “Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you episkopous” Acts So the term presbyterous which technically meant elders or older men and the term episkopous which mean over(epi) seers (skopus) were used interchangeably and in the plural in the first century.
So whe we see the list of episkopous of Hippolytus which although written in the 3rd century purports to tell us data from the first century we would expect this plurality and technical use of the term overseer (bishop) to be reflected. We should also note that most of the 70 would be dead by the year 110 that is the end of the second generation after the ascension.
In fact we see in the list the element this plural aspect of and some of the 70 are specifically put as pairs. We can also see some interesting connections with the scripture from the list. Let us make some observation on the list,
which can help build our confidence in it.
A number of pairs are mentioned
We have 1 James and 2 Cleopas both called epikopos of the Jerusalem Church. This is interesting because in the traditional the list of Jerusalem’s bishops Cleopas is not there. It runs James, Simeon, Justus. So here perhaps we see James partner in ministry over the circumcision party of the church in Jerusalem. Here perhaps we see episkopos used in the technical meaning of overseeing. Cleopas would be one of the presbyterwn who joined in the council of Acts 15. Other pairs mentioned are Aristarchus and Pudes, 68 and 69 who are listed together. Phygellus and Hermogenes who are probably the same two mentioned by Paul in 2 Timothy. Sine these pairs are clearly shown it is probable that many more pairs are represented in the list.
The List illuminates some Biblical statements and Personalities
To be more certain of these facts we would need ancient eye witnesses who wrote of these facts. But we must for now just look with interest at what we have.
27 Demas is a name we know from 2 Timothy where Paul says “Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica” This is a strong statement of Paul but clearly since Demas is listed along with Titus and Cresences he is a person of some weight in the Church. Hippolitus tells us that the Demas of the 70 became a priest of Idols. If this is the same Demas this illuminates Paul’s statement.
25 Phygellus and Hermogenes are said to be of the party of Simon. The foot note in the Ante Nicene fathers says Magus. For there is a strong tradition in the first 7 generation of the Church that Simon Magus was the father of heretics. He was the man who took baptism from Philip in Samaria (Acts 8) and yet was rebuked by Peter for offering money to obtain the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Ireneus in his Against Heresies calls him the “father of all heretics” (Bk III preface). According to this reading Simon had a party in Ephesus where Phygellus was an overseer in the first century. And these two are mentioned in 2 Timothy. In this letter Paul says to Timothy “You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me , among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes”. Is it then possible that Ephesus which is the capital of pro consular Asia had a massive apostasy turning to Simon Magus and his teaching in the first century even in about 65-68 AD? It is unlikely the word weigh more towards the fact that all in Asia turned from Paul but stayed in the Church. However it is clear from the tradition that Simon had a party, probably in Ephesus and Hermogenes and Phygellus , respected leaders in the Church turned from orthodoxy into heresy or from the gospel to the teachings of Simon Magus who had a great power according to those in Samaria (Acts 8).
Trophimus is also mention by Paul in 2 Timothy. He left him sick at Miletus, he is probablythe same Torphimus mentioned in our list for this Trophimus number 70 was clearly also a companion of Paul for he was martyred with Paul in Rome.
Luke reckoned by Tradition to be the writer of the Gospel and Acts is 15 in our list and is called “The Evangelist”. He was in Rome with Paul in this period is said by Hippolytus to have died as a martyr I think by burning.
Mark Now we have an issue in the list of Hippolytus there are no less than three Marks. And out question is how do we match or indeed do we match them with the Mark in the New Testament. First there is Mark the Evangelist the bishop of Alexandria. He is reckoned to have been part of the original seventy which according to Hippolytus deserted Yeshua after he taught they had to eat his flesh and drink his blood (John 6: 53,66). Hippolytus does not refer the event to John’s gospel and gives more details to the statement of John “As a result of this many of his disciples withdrew, and were not walking with him any more Jesus said therefore to the twelve, You do not want to go away also do you?” Hippolytus explains that the many disciples were the 70 Yeshua had initially selected. Peter and Paul then went and talked to Mark and Luke the evangelists who stopped walking with Yeshua after his hard saying. Both were won back to the master. They both became preachers. The association of these two to Peter and Paul is also mentioned by Ireneus who is of the generation before Hippolytus. He says Luke wrote down the gospel Paul preached and that Mark was the interpreter and disciple of Peter and wrote down the gospel he preached. Both of them are said to be martyrs but it doesn’t say where.
Paul mentions Luke and then immediately afterwards he says to Timothy “Pick up Mark and bring him with you”.