Standard abbreviation: List Iren.
Other titles: none
Clavis numbers: ECCA 214
Category: Lists of Apostles and Disciples
Related literature: various apocryphal acts; List of the Apostles and Disciples (Anonymous II); Solomon of Basra, Book of the Bee 49
Compiled by: Tony Burke, York University ([email protected])
Citing this resource (using Chicago Manual of Style): Burke, Tony. “List of the Apostles and Disciples, by Pseudo-Irenaeus.” e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha. Accessed DAY MONTH YEAR. https://www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-christian-apocrypha/list-of-apostles-and-disciples-by-pseudo-irenaeus/.
Created February 2022.
1. TRANSLATION
Provisional translation based on the French translation of BL Add. 14601 by Michel van Esbroeck. Note a similar list of the seventy appears in Book of the Bee 49.
Then the heroic deeds and the coronations of the holy apostles.
1. Peter the chief of the apostles was crucified upside down by Nero in Rome.
2. Paul the apostle had his head cut off by the sword by Nero also in Rome.
3. James son of Zebedee, Herod killed him in Jerusalem.
4. The apostle Andrew was crucified in the land of Patras.
5. John the apostle died in Ephesus.
6. The apostle Bartholomew, he was flayed in the city of Arabyon (Urbianos) in Armenia.
7. Thomas the apostle, they pierced him with a spear in Liqimun, a city in India, and he is dead.
8. Matthew the Evangelist was killed in Qabira, city of Parthia.
9. Lebbaeus, called Thaddaeus, was killed in the town of Berenike in the land of Dalmania (Delam).
10. Simon the Canaanite was killed in the city of the Hebrews.
11. Jude son of Jacob was sacrificed in the city of Arebaw of Armenia.
12. Luke the Evangelist was in the great city of Thebes.
13. The entire body of Timothy the disciple of Paul was deposited in Ephesus in the mountain called Aphion (Pion).
14. Mark the Evangelist was crowned at the place of Pinesun.
Then on the seventy-two holy apostles and on the apostles who were apostates in their time
1. Addai preached in Edessa and Mesopotamia. He was a native of Paneas in the days of Abgar. And when he was in Sophene, Sawrus son of Abgar sent to kill him and his disciple-son in the citadel of Agel.
2. Ananias was killed in Damascus by the Jews.
3. Mana of Broucheion was stoned with stones in Alexandria, because he preached to them chastity and holiness.
4. Cephas one of the seventy apostles was stoned by the pagans in Antioch.
5. Barnabas, while he preached faith and renunciation on the island of Cyprus, was killed by a judge.
6. Sosthenes was thrown into the sea in Bithynia, and was deposited in the Hellespont.
7. Qrisqus became very old, and died of hunger in exile in Alexandria.
8. Joseph the counselor, of Arimathea.
9. Nicodemus the Pharisee.
10. Nathanael the chief of the scribes, who said “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
11. Matthias who joined in the place of Judas.
12. Justus.
13. Jude, the brother of James of the Lord.
14. Silas.
15. Judah.
16. Barsabbas.
17. Mark.
18. Johanan.
19. Mnason.
20. The Cypriot.
21. Manael of Herod.
22. Niger.
23. Jason.
24. Rufus, Alexander and their father Simeon.
35. Lucius of Cyrene.
26. Another Judas according to the account of Acts.
27. Cleopas.
28. Simon his son, who was bishop of Jerusalem and who was brother of Joses.
29. James the Less.
30. James of the Lord who is called the Just.
31. Judas whose name was Simon.
32. Orion the splay-footed and those who were with Cleophas on the way and to whom Christ appeared after the resurrection:
33. Thyrsis.
34. Castor.
35. Zabdun.
And here are the seven deacons that we believe make part of the seventy, for their opinions appear, but they were not given the charism of the Holy Spirit.
36. Philip who testified from afar.
37. Stephen who was stoned by the Jews eleven days before the ascension of our Lord.
38. Prochorus.
39. Nicanor.
40. Parmenas.
41. Philip.
42. Timon.
43. Nicolas the proselyte.
And those who in Rome confessed Christ before Paul and who are:
44. Andronicus
45. and Junias, recognized as apostles and who summon Paul.
46. Titus and the five with him, whom Paul called apostles and who were the glory of Christ:
47. Hermes.
48. Phlegon.
49. Patrobas.
50. Asyncritus.
51. Hermas who is called the pastor, and he has a book called the Pastor.
And the six brothers who were with Peter at Caesarea:
52. Crisinos.
53. Milichus.
54. Caditon.
55. Simeon Levaios who the apostles also remember.
56. And Aqilos.
And those who have denied the divinity of Christ through Cerinthus were of the seventy:
57. Cerinthus.
58. Abdiron.
59. Apelles.
Those who wrote the gospels as Luke says “Many are those who have undertaken to write stories.” They were not just four. This is why Paul tells us: “do not be like the many, who adulterated the word of God,” and which he also calls “false apostles.” For John proclaimed a revelation to those of the seventy, when he said, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us.” The names of the false apostles are the following: Simon, Levi, Barqoqa, Cleon, Awmonios, Cendron, Cleon, Demas, Narcissus, Sinplicius, Thaddaeus, Maroula. Entered in their place:
60. Luke the Evangelist.
61. Apollo the chosen one of Christ.
62. Ampliatus.
63. Urbanus.
64. Stachys.
65. Publius.
66. Aristobulus.
67. Stephen, who is not from Cyrene.
68. Herodion son of Narcissus.
69. Rufus.
70. Olympa.
71. and Narcissus.
They did not permit the election of the seventy-two to be cut off. As already one of the twelve came from the seventy-two. They were like that disciple-son of the apostle Thaddeus. End of the deeds of the holy apostles.
2. RESOURCES
2.1 Websites and Other Online Resources
3. BIBLIOGRAPHY
3.1 Manuscripts and Editions
3.1.1 Arabic (translated from the Syriac and contained in Abū-l-Barakāt, Lamp of Darkness 14 [14th cent.])
A Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. ar. 623, pp. 76–94 (16th cent.) ~ DigiVatLib
B Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. ar. 106, pp. 87–96 (1718)
Baumstark, Anton. “Abū-l-Barakāts nichtgriechisches Verzeichnis der 70 Jünger.” OrChr 1 (1901): 240–74 (Arabic text based on A and B with facing Latin translation, pp. 246–74).
3.1.2 Syriac
L London, British Library, Add. 14601, fols. 163v–164v (9th cent.) ~ anonymous
S Mount Sinai, Monē tēs Hagias Aikaterinēs, syr. 10, fol. 213v–216v (9th cent.) ~ LOC
Esbroeck, Michel van. “Neuf listes d’apôtres orientales.” Aug 34 (1994): 109–99 (edition of BL Add. 14601, pp. 163–66; French translation, pp. 116–18).
Lewis, Agnes Smith. Catalogue of the Syriac MSS in the Convent of S. Catherine on Mount Sinai. Studia Sinaitica 1. London: C. J. Clay & Sons, 1894 (edition by Rendel Harris based on Sinai syr. 10, p. 4–16).
Schermann, Theodor. Prophetarum vitae fabulosae, indices apostolorum discipulorumque Domini, Dorotheo, Epiphanio, Hippolyto aliisque vindicata. Leipzig: B. G. Teubneri, 1907 (Latin translation based on S, pp. 218–21).
3.2 Modern Translations
3.2.1 French
Esbroeck, Michel van. “Neuf listes d’apôtres orientales.” Aug 34 (1994): 109–99 (French trans. of BL Add. 14601, pp. 116–18).
3.3 General Works
Schermann, Theodor. Propheten- und Apostellegenden nebst Jüngerkatalogen des Dorotheus und verwandter Texte. TUGAL 31/3. Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs, 1907 (pp. 172–74).
Vinogradov, Andrey. “Апостольские списки – «забытая» страница христианской литературы [Apostolic Lists: A “Forgotten” Page of Christian Literature].” Богословские труды 40 (2005): 128–47 (includes table comparing the Syriac and Armenian lists of apostles, pp. 139–42).