Hippolytus of Rome: On the Twelve Apostles & On the Seventy Disciples

 

Notes:

This is a reading of two short annotated lists that are among the literary remains of an early Christian writer name Hippolytus of Rome (c. 170-236). The two briefly annotated lists are of the twelve apostles and then of the Seventy Disciples sent out by Christ (cf. Luke 10:1-20).

First, a brief biography of Hippolytus of Rome. I am making use here of the entry on Hippolytus from the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.

He is described there an ecclesiastical writer and Doctor (teacher) of the church.

He is called “the most important 3^rd cen. theologian of the Roman Church.”

Little is known of his early life, though there is a questionable anecdote from Photius suggesting he was a disciple of Irenaeus of Lyons (so we could trace a line from Hippolytus to Irenaeus to Polycarp to the apostle John). He was not far removed from the time of the apostles.

An indication of his esteem includes the fact that when the celebrated Origen visited Rome in c. 212 he is said to have attended Hippolytus’s sermons.

He is said later to have come into conflict with some of the bishops of Rome, but was later reconciled and died as a martyr.

In 1551 a statue of Hippolytus was discovered in Rome that included a list of his many writings, most of which have not survived. His principal work, “Refutation of All Heresies,” exists only in part. Other works include a commentary on Daniel and on the Song of Songs, as well as a manual on church order, “The Apostolic Tradition.”

The two documents we will be reading may be found in the translation by J.H. MacMahon. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 5. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.). Found online here.

On the Twelve Apostles

On the Seventy Disciples

JTR

The Vision (11.12.21): Five Observations on the Twelve Apostles

 

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Matthew 10:1-8.

Now the names of the twelve apostles are these…. (Matthew 10:2).

Let me offer at least five observations on Matthew’s listing of the twelve (Matthew 10:2-4):

First: Though Christ had many disciples, even thousands, who were following him, he set apart but twelve to special service as apostles.

The number twelve had he spiritual significance (cf. Matt 19:28). It also tells us that Christ as a true man had close friendships. The Gospels tell us that even beyond the twelve he had a special bond with three disciples (Peter, James, and John), and John’s Gospel tells us that perhaps his closest friend was John himself, the beloved disciple.

This reminds us that the Christian faith is a common faith. We are not islands. We do not go it alone. We need fellow travelers on this journey to aid us on the way. We need fellow laborers. Many hands make light work.

Second: Though Jesus had women disciples (followers) during his ministry (Mary and Martha of Bethany, for example), the twelve were all men. Only men were set apart to this extra-ordinary office, just as only men will be set apart to the offices of elder and deacon (cf. 1 Timothy 3). Men and women are spiritual equals before God, but they are not the same. God, in his wisdom, requires that only qualified men service as officers.

Third: Many of these men were brothers in the flesh. How wonderful it is when siblings share a like precious faith in the Lord.

Fourth: One of the twelve betrayed Christ. One wonders what power was given to Judas. Did he preach sermons, cast out demons and heal the sick in Christ’s name? This reminds us that one can have the name of disciple and even fill an office in the church and yet be unconverted. That should make us tremble.

Fifth: These were ordinary men whose lives were changed by their encounter with and calling to serve Christ. They included fishermen, a tax collector, and a political zealot.

It has often been given as a proof both for the truth of the Christian faith and the reality of the resurrection, that these ordinary men turned the world upside down. In Acts 4:13, Luke records the reaction of the religious leaders to the preaching of the apostles, as they perceived “they were unlearned and ignorant men” but “they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” It remains true today that when men are around Jesus, they are transformed by him.

These men were even willing to lay down their lives for Christ. James the son of Zebedee was the first apostle to die as a martyr (see Acts 12:1-2). Christ himself prophesied that Peter would lay down his life (see John 21:18-19).

You don’t lay down your life for a fairy tale or a myth, but you will gladly lay it down for the truth of God.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Eusebius, EH.1.12: The Seventy

Image: Icon of the "Seventy Apostles."

A new installment has been posted to the series on Eusebius of Caesarea’s The Ecclesiastical History: book 1, chapter 12 (Listen here).

Notes and Commentary:

Eusebius here discusses the “Seventy” who were sent out by Jesus, as recorded in Luke 10:1-20 (see vv. 1, 17).

Note: Eusebius is a witness for the traditional text reading of “seventy” (alongside Aleph, A, and W). Some modern translation, like the ESV and NIV, (following p75 and Vaticanus) read “seventy-two.” For my analysis of the text critical issues involved here, see this blog post.

Eusebius says there are no extant lists of the seventy, but suggests they included Barnabas, Sosthenes, “Cephas” (though according to Clement, not the Cephas [Peter] of Galatians 2:11), Matthias (who replaced Judas), and Thaddeus.

He then suggests Jesus has many other disciples, noting Paul’s reference to the more than five hundred brethren who saw the risen Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15:6.

Of 1 Corinthians 15:7: “After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.”, he takes James as a reference to “one of the alleged brethren of the Lord.” He also assumes there were “numberless apostles, on the model of the twelve.” Here he takes “apostle” broadly, as in Acts 14:4, 14 (Barnabas and Paul), 2 Corinthians 8:23 (Titus), and Philippians 2:25 (Epaphroditus).

Later church traditions did, in fact provide a more extensive list of these disciples or apostles (see the Wikipedia article on “The Seventy Disciples”).

JTR

Reflection on Philippians 2:25: Was Epaphroditus an Apostle?

Here’s another reflection spurred by reading D. B. Hart’s translation of the NT (Yale, 2017). He renders Philippians 2:25: “But I deemed it necessary to send you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, as well as your Apostle and attendant to my needs”. I was struck by the description here of Epaphroditus as an “Apostle” (and capitalized at that). The underlying Greek noun is, in fact, apostolos, though the Geneva Bible and KJV renders it as “messenger,” no doubt wanting to distinguish the use of the term here from its usage in reference to the twelve apostles and Paul. Interestingly enough, Tyndale also rendered the noun here as “apostle” (but with a lower case “a”).

The term apostolos has various meanings in the NT, including these four:

First, it can refer to the twelve apostles (cf. cf. Matt 10:2; Mark 3:14; Luke 6:13; Acts 1:20) and to Paul (cf. 1 Cor 15:9; Gal 1:1) as extraordinary officers and the founders of the Christian movement on Christ the chief cornerstone.

Second, it can refer to special disciples who were not the twelve apostles or Paul. These served as distinguished church emissaries (messengers) and assistants to the apostles. The term apostolos is used in Acts 14:4, 14 in reference to both Paul and Barnabas. 2 Corinthians 8:23 makes reference to Titus as being among the apostoloi ekklēsiōn, as Tyndale, Geneva, and KJV all render it, “the messengers of the churches [Tyndale: congregations],” again making a distinction here from the twelve apostles and Paul.

Some also see Andronicus and Junia in Romans 16:7 in this category, if not in the first. Eldon Jay Epp, among others, has even argued that Junia was the first woman apostle (see here). Paul’s point, however, is not to say that Andronicus and Junia were apostles but that their ministry was recognized by the apostles, so the KJV rightly describes them as being “of note among the apostles.”

Third, it can simply refer to one who is sent. The only appearance of the word apostolos in John’s Gospel is found in John 13:16 and reflects this sense. The KJV renders John 13:16b: “neither he that is sent [apostolos] greater than he that sent him.” D. B Hart here uses “messenger”: “nor is a messenger superior to the one sending him.”

It is intriguing that John knows and makes use of the term “the twelve” (cf. John 6:67, 70-71; 20:24), but does not use the term apostoloi in reference to the twelve, as in the other Gospels (again, cf. Matt 10:2; Mark 3:14; Luke 6:13).

Fourth, it is used as a title in reference to Jesus in Hebrews 3:1: “consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus” (KJV).

So, what did Paul mean when he called Epaphroditus an apostolos? The usage here fits best category two above, so that Epaphroditus was, like Barnabas, Titus, and other “messengers of the churches” an esteemed emissary and apostolic helper but not one of the twelve or a “special” apostle like Paul.

It is also interesting how the early particular Baptists used the term “messenger,” taken from the Tyndale-KJV tradition to refer to the representatives of “churches holding communion together” (2LBCF-1689 26:15).

JTR