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; an adherent in doctrine.[1]

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 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 (an abbreviated Sermon on the Mount) 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 the apostles were disciples of Jesus, but 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.

• Paul of Tarsus

Saint Paul can be considered the first of the disciples of Christ due to his significance in influencing all four gospels with his theology. His emphasis on Jesus as divine (the Son of God) pre-dates all four gospels and, at times, corrects, even the hesitations of the Apostles (James and Peter, for example) who would have more readily accepted Jesus as simply messiah (king or leader of a restored David's kingdom) but would have found the divinity of Jesus problematic given that there was no dogma on Trinity and the Mosaic Law of worshipping only Yahweh. Christians believe that the conversion of Paul supported by Annanias'sown vision was visionary and not mere epiphany or hallucinatory. This conversion of Paul on the road to Damascus was of a man who would have been in agreement with the Sadducees that "followers of Jesus" constituted a threat to the status quo with the Roman occupiers. The word "discipline" essentially means "to learn" and Saint Paul would claim direct learning from a risen Christ; it not only converted him and challenged the theology of the Apostles but became the norm for declaring against heresies far into the future beyond Paul's impact around 60 c.e.

• 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 Christian (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.

Followers of Jesus of Nazareth

As named in the Gospel of Luke

• Simon, called Peter
• James, the son of Zebedee
• John, the son of Zebedee
• Levi
• Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter
• Philip
• Bartholomew
• Matthew
• Thomas
• James, the son of Alphaeus
• Simon, called the Zealot
• Judas, son of James
• Judas Iscariot
• Simon the Pharisee
• Mary, called Magdalene
• Joanna, the wife of Chuza
• Susanna
• Mary, the sister of Martha
• Mary, the mother of James
• Cleopas