CHAPTER XII

OF THE DISCIPLES OF OUR LORD

THE names of our Saviour’s apostles are sufficiently known to every one, from his gospels; but of the seventy disciples, no catalogue is given any where. Barnabas, indeed, is said to have been one of them, of whom there is distinguished notice in the Acts of the Apostles; and also in St. Paul’s epistle to the Galatians. Sosthenes, who at the same time with Paul sent letters to the Corinthians, is said to have been one of these. Clement, in the fifth of his Hypotyposes or Institutions—in which he also mentions Cephas, of whom Paul also says, that he came to Antioch, and “that he withstood him to his face;”—says, that one who had the same name with Peter the Apostle, was one of the seventy; and that Matthias, who was numbered with the apostles in place of Judas, and he who had been honoured to be a candidate with him, are also said to have been deemed worthy of the same calling with the seventy. They also say that Thaddeus was one of them; concerning whom I shall presently relate a narrative that has come down to us. Moreover, if any one observe with attention, he will find more disciples of our Saviour than the seventy, on the testimony of Paul, who says, that “he appeared after his resurrection, first to Cephas, then to the twelve, and after these to five hundred brethren at once.” Of whom, he says, “some are fallen asleep,” but the greater part were living at the time he wrote. Afterwards, he says, he appeared to James; he however was not merely one of these disciples of our Saviour, but he was one of his brethren. Lastly, when, beside these, there still was a considerable number who were apostles in imitation of the twelve, such as Paul himself, he adds, saying, “afterwards he appeared to all the apostles.”

This account may suffice respecting these apostles; but the history of Thaddeus, already mentioned by us, was as follows.