Difference between revisions of "Disciple"

<div> '''A — 1: '''''Μαθητής''''' ''' (Strong'S #3101 — Noun Masculine — mathetes — math-ay-tes' ) </div> <p> lit., "a learner" (from manthano, "to learn," from a root math---, indicating thought accompanied by endeavor), in contrast to didaskalos, "a teacher;" hence it denotes "one who follows one's teaching," as the "disciples" of John, &nbsp;Matthew 9:14; of the Pharisees, &nbsp;Matthew 22:16; of Moses, &nbsp;John 9:28; it is used of the "disciples" of Jesus (a) in a wide sense, of Jews who became His adherents, &nbsp;John 6:66; &nbsp;Luke 6:17 , some being secretly so, &nbsp;John 19:38; (b) especially of the twelve Apostles, &nbsp;Matthew 10:1; &nbsp;Luke 22:11 , e.g.; (c) of all who manifest that they are His "disciples" by abiding in His Word, &nbsp;John 8:31; cp. &nbsp;John 13:35; &nbsp;15:8; (d) in the Acts, of those who believed upon Him and confessed Him, &nbsp;John 6:1,2,7; &nbsp;14:20,22,28; &nbsp;15:10; &nbsp;19:1 , etc. </p> &nbsp;John 8:31&nbsp;15:8 <div> '''A — 2: '''''Μαθήτρια''''' ''' (Strong'S #3102 — Noun [[Feminine]] — mathetria — math-ay'-tree-ah ) </div> <p> "a female disciple," is said of Tabitha, &nbsp;Acts 9:36 . </p> <div> '''A — 3: '''''Συμμαθητής''''' ''' (Strong'S #4827 — Noun Masculine — summathetes — soom-math-ay-tace' ) </div> <p> means "a fellow disciple" (sun, with, and No. 1), &nbsp;John 11:16 . </p> &nbsp;Acts 1:15 <div> '''B — 1: '''''Μαθητεύω''''' ''' (Strong'S #3100 — Verb — matheteuo — math-ayt-yoo'-o ) </div> <p> is used in the Active Voice, intransitively, in some mss., in &nbsp;Matthew 27:57 , in the sense of being the "disciple" of a person; here, however, the best mss. have the Passive Voice, lit., "had been made a disciple," as in &nbsp;Matthew 13:52 , RV, "who hath been made a disciple." It is used in this transitive sense in the Active Voice in &nbsp;Matthew 28:19; &nbsp;Acts 14:21 . </p>

<p> ''''' di ''''' - ''''' sı̄´p ''''' ' ''''' l ''''' : </p> <p> (1) Usually a substantive (μαθητής , <i> ''''' mathētḗs ''''' </i> , "a learner," from <i> ''''' manthánō ''''' </i> , "to learn"; Latin <i> discipulus </i> , "a scholar"): The word is found in the Bible only in the [[Gospels]] and Acts. But it is good Greek, in use from [[Herodotus]] down, and always means the pupil of someone, in contrast to the master or teacher (διδάσκαλος , <i> ''''' didáskalos ''''' </i> ). See &nbsp;Matthew 10:24; &nbsp;Luke 6:40 . In all cases it implies that the person not only accepts the views of the teacher, but that he is also in practice an adherent. The word has several applications. In the widest sense it refers to those who accept the teachings of anyone, not only in belief but in life. Thus the disciples of John the Baptist (&nbsp;Matthew 9:14; &nbsp;Luke 7:18; &nbsp;John 3:25 ); also of the Pharisees (&nbsp;Matthew 22:16; &nbsp;Mark 2:18; &nbsp;Luke 5:33 ); of Moses (&nbsp;John 9:28 ). But its most common use is to designate the adherents of Jesus. ( <i> a </i> ) In the widest sense (&nbsp;Matthew 10:42; &nbsp;Luke 6:17; &nbsp;John 6:66 , and often). It is the only name for Christ's followers in the Gospels. But ( <i> b </i> ) especially the Twelve Apostles, even when they are called simply the disciples (&nbsp;Matthew 10:1; &nbsp;Matthew 11:1; &nbsp;Matthew 12:1 , et al.). In the Acts, after the death and ascension of Jesus, disciples are those who confess Him as the Messiah, Christians (&nbsp;Acts 6:1 , &nbsp;Acts 6:2 , &nbsp;Acts 6:7; &nbsp;Acts 9:36 (feminine, <i> ''''' mathḗtria ''''' </i> ); &nbsp;Acts 11:26 , "The disciples were called Christians"). Even half-instructed be-lievers who had been baptized only with the baptism of John are disciples (&nbsp;Acts 19:1-4 ). </p> <p> (2) We have also the verb, μαθητεύω , <i> ''''' mathēteúō ''''' </i> , "Jesus' disciple" (literally, "was discipled to Jesus," &nbsp;Matthew 27:57 ); "Make disciples of all the nations" (the King James Version "teach," &nbsp;Matthew 28:19 ); "had made many disciples" (the King James Version "taught many," &nbsp;Acts 14:21 ); "every scribe who hath been made a disciple to the kingdom of heaven" (the King James Version "instructed," &nbsp;Matthew 13:52 ). The disciple of Christ today may be described in the words of Farrar, as "one who believes His doctrines, rests upon His sacrifice, imbibes His spirit, and imitates His example." </p> <p> The Old Testament has neither the term nor the exact idea, though there is a difference between teacher and scholar among David's singers (&nbsp;1 Chronicles 25:8 ), and among the prophetic guilds the distinction between the rank and file and the leader (&nbsp;1 Samuel 19:20; &nbsp;2 Kings 6:5 ). </p>

<p> (Lat. discipulus, a scholar, from discere, to learn: &nbsp;Matthew 10:24), one who professes to have learned [[Certain]] principles from another, and maintains them on that other's authority. In the New Testament it is applied principally to the followers of Christ; sometimes to those of John the Baptist, &nbsp;Matthew 9:14; and of the Pharisees, &nbsp;Matthew 22:16. It is used in a special manner to point out the twelve, &nbsp;Matthew 10:1; &nbsp;Matthew 11:1; &nbsp;Matthew 20:17. A disciple of Christ may now be defined as one who believes his doctrine, rests upon his sacrifice, imbibes his spirit, and imitates his example (Farrar, Bibl. and Theol. Dict. s.v.). "There are three senses in which men are sometimes called disciples of any other person: </p> <p> '''(1.)''' Incorrectly, from their simply maintaining something that he maintains, without any profession or proof of its being derived from him. Thus [[Augustine]] was a predestinarian, and so was Mohammed, yet no one supposes that the one derived his belief from the other. It is very common, however, to say of another that he is an Arian, Athanasian, Socinian, etc. which tends to mislead, unless it is admitted, or can be proved, that he learned his opinions from this or that master. </p> <p> '''(2.)''' When certain persons avow that they have adopted the views of another, not, however, on his authority, but from holding them to be agreeable to reason or to Scriplture, as the Platonic, and most other philosophical sects '''''—''''' the Lutherans, Zuinglians, etc. </p> <p> '''(3.)''' When, like the disciples of Jesus, and, as it is said, of the Pythagoreans, and the adherents of certain churches, they profess to receive their system on the authority of their master or Church, to acquiesce in an 'ipse-dixit,' or to receive all that the Church receives. These three senses should be carefully kept distinct." </p>