Reference: Disciples
Hastings
In the ancient world every teacher had his company of disciples or learners. The Greek philosophers and the Jewish Rabbis had theirs, and John the Baptist had his (Mr 2:18 'the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees'; cf. Joh 1:35; Mt 14:12). In like manner Jesus had His disciples. The term had two applications, a wider and a narrower. It denoted (1) all who believed in Him, though they remained where He had found them, pursuing their former avocations, yet rendering no small service to His cause by confessing their allegiance and testifying to His grace (cf. Lu 6:13; 19:37; Joh 4:1; 6:60,66-67). (2) The inner circle of the Twelve, whom He called 'Apostles,' and whom He required to forsake their old lives and follow Him whithersoever He went, not merely that they might strengthen Him by their sympathy (cf. Lu 22:28), but that they might aid Him in His ministry (Mt 9:37; 10:1,5), and, above all, that they might be trained by dally intercourse and discipline to carry forward the work after He was gone. These were 'the disciples' par excellence (Mt 10:1; 12:1,49; 15:23,32; Mr 8:27; Lu 8:9; Joh 11:7; 12:4; 16:17,29). See also Apostles.
David Smith.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
then saith he to his disciples, 'The harvest indeed is abundant, but the workmen few;
And having called to him his twelve disciples, he gave to them power over unclean spirits, so as to be casting them out, and to be healing every sickness, and every malady.
And having called to him his twelve disciples, he gave to them power over unclean spirits, so as to be casting them out, and to be healing every sickness, and every malady.
These twelve did Jesus send forth, having given command to them, saying, 'To the way of the nations go not away, and into a city of the Samaritans go not in,
At that time did Jesus go on the sabbaths through the corn, and his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck ears, and to eat,
And having stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, he said, 'Lo, my mother and my brethren!
And his disciples having come, took up the body, and buried it, and having come, they told Jesus,
And he did not answer her a word; and his disciples having come to him, were asking him, saying -- 'Let her away, because she crieth after us;'
And Jesus having called near his disciples, said, 'I have compassion upon the multitude, because now three days they continue with me, and they have not what they may eat; and to let them away fasting I will not, lest they faint in the way.'
And the disciples of John and those of the Pharisees were fasting, and they come and say to him, 'Wherefore do the disciples of John and those of the Pharisees fast, and thy disciples do not fast?'
And Jesus went forth, and his disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi, and in the way he was questioning his disciples, saying to them, 'Who do men say me to be?'
and when it became day, he called near his disciples, and having chosen from them twelve, whom also he named apostles,
And his disciples were questioning him, saying, 'What may this simile be?'
and as he is coming nigh now, at the descent of the mount of the Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began rejoicing to praise God with a great voice for all the mighty works they had seen,
And ye -- ye are those who have remained with me in my temptations,
On the morrow, again, John was standing, and two of his disciples,
When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees heard that Jesus more disciples doth make and baptize than John,
many, therefore, of his disciples having heard, said, 'This word is hard; who is able to hear it?'
From this time many of his disciples went away backward, and were no more walking with him, Jesus, therefore, said to the twelve, 'Do ye also wish to go away?'
then after this, he saith to the disciples, 'We may go to Judea again;'
Therefore saith one of his disciples -- Judas Iscariot, of Simon, who is about to deliver him up --
Therefore said some of his disciples one to another, 'What is this that he saith to us, A little while, and ye do not behold me, and again a little while, and ye shall see me, and, Because I go away unto the Father?'
His disciples say to him, 'Lo, now freely thou dost speak, and no similitude speakest thou;