Early Christian Missionaries...

abuyusufalshafii

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Can someone tell me about the early Christian missionaries (names, biographies)? I've heard of Paul, Barnabas and Apollos but know very little about the latter 2 and please let me know if there are any others (from their generation).

Thanks.
 
Oh, there are a few!

Apart from the Twelve (Judas having been replaced by Matthias), there are the Seventy Two disciples sent out by Christ in Luke 10. We have no scriptural reference to them, but the tradition lists their names – you can check them out here.

There are also the female followers of Christ, notably Mary Magdalene.

In Acts 18 we find Priscilla and Aquila (and again in Romans 16), a married couple and "fellow workers" alongside Paul. Interestingly, when Apollos was preaching in Ephesus, Priscilla and Aquilla heard him, took him home and "explained the way of God more accurately" as Apollos "taught diligently the things that are of Jesus, knowing only the baptism of John" – Apollos is listed as one of the 72, and clearly had been preaching Christ, but without the later knowledge imparted to the Church at Pentecost.

Paul writes in Romans 16:7 "Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was."

Mary of Bethany (Luke 10:39) "at Jesus feet" a phrase associated with rabbinic study, suggesting she might have been a student of Christ. Martha was her sister, and Lazarus their brother, whom Jesus raised from the dead. The Eastern (Greek) and Western (Latin) Traditions each have their own legend regarding the later lives of these three.

In short, we have precious little material data of the era, and the spread of Christianity – although clearly there were many missionaries, as the Church had spread right across the Roman Empire, and beyond, within a 100 years of the crucifixion.
 
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