Disciple

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A disciple (from the Latin discipulus, a pupil) is one who receives instruction from another; a scholar; a learner; especially, a follower who has learned to believe in the truth of the doctrine of his teacher, and implies that the pupil is under the discipline of, and "understands", his teacher; an adherent in doctrine.[link]

Disciple should not be confused with apostle, meaning "one who is sent" or "ambassador". While a disciple is one who learns from a teacher, an apostle is sent on a mission, such as to deliver those teachings to others.

Uses of Disciple

Disciple may refer to:

• the followers of any teacher (e.g. the disciples of Plato)
• the followers of a specific teacher:
• *the followers of Jesus of Nazareth

:While the twelve apostles are the most well known group of people who were identified as disciples of Jesus, there were others: a much larger group of people were identified as disciples in the opening of the passage of the Sermon on the Plain that begins in Luke 6:17.

*the twelve disciples of Jesus sent out as apostles

:The twelve original disciples became apostles when Jesus sent them to preach and to heal (c.f. Mark 6:7-13). While all apostles were disciples of Jesus, not all of his disciples were apostles.

*the followers of John the Baptist (c.f. John 1:35)

*the followers of the prophet Isaiah (c.f. Isaiah 8:16)

*the followers of the Apostles

:The twelve apostles call a gathering of their own disciples in Acts 6:1-7; there, they had a "multitude" of disciples. The word "discipline" essentially means "to learn".

a Christian

In many versions of Christian theology, discipleship is used to refer to the decision to become a committed follower of the teachings of Jesus. Jesus taught that "as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35, TNIV). In several Christian traditions, the process of becoming a disciple is called the Imitation of Christ, after the famous book of that title by Thomas à Kempis.

*a member of the Christian group calling itself the Christian Church (Disciple of Christ)

There is a modern Christian denomination known as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). They use this name in an effort to emphasize discipleship and Christian unity over adherence to a particular creed or sect. In this context, disciple is always capitalized.

• the Christian rock band Disciple
• the Christian hardcore punk band xDisciplex A.D.

• any of the games in Strategy First's fantasy series Disciples, including and

• the London reggae band The Disciples

• The Disciples a 1993 novel by Joe Andrew

Followers of Jesus of Nazareth

Named by all three Synoptic Gospels:

• Simon, called Peter (according to Mark and Luke he was named so by Jesus)
• Andrew (whom Matthew and Luke identify as the brother of Simon Peter)
• James (according to Mark he was surnamed Boanerges by Jesus, and Mark and Matthew identify him as the son of Zebedee)
• John (whom Mark states was surnamed Boanerges by Jesus, and Mark and Matthew identify him as the brother of James)
• Philip
• Bartholomew
• Matthew (who Matthew identifies as a publican)
• Thomas
• James, the son of Alphaeus
• Simon (who Mark identifies as a Canaanite, and Matthew and Luke state was called a zealot)
• Judas Iscariot

The other disciple of the twelve, according to Mark was called Thaddaeus, and according to Matthew was named Lebbaeus but surnamed Thaddaeus. Luke, however, identifies him as Judas, brother of James.

The Gospel of Luke also identifies as disciples the women named Mary:

• Mary, called Magdalene (Luke 8:2, 24:10)
• Mary, the sister of Martha (Luke 11)
• Mary, the mother of James (Luke 24:10)

And Luke also identifies the following minor characters as disciples:

• Simon the Pharisee (Luke 4:36-50)
• Joanna, the wife of Chuza (Luke 8:3, Luke 24:10)
• Susanna (Luke 8:3)
• Cleopas (Luke 24:18)
• Joseph of Arimathea (Luke 23:50-54)

External Links

• [What were the names of the apostles?]

 

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