Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 5.djvu/53

 DISCIPLE

good angel's object is the welfare of the soul and the bad angel's its defects or unhappiness, if, in the prog- ress of our thoughts all is well and tends to good there is no occasion for uneasiness; on the contrary, if we perceive any de^•^ation whatsoever towards evil'or even a slight unpleasant agitation, there is reason to fear. Such, then, is the substance of these brief rules which are nevertheless so greatly admired by the mas- ters of the spiritual life. Although requiring an au- thorized explanation, when well understood, they act as a preservative against many illusions.

ScAREZ, De Gratia, Proleg. Ill, c. 5, n. 36 et sqq.; Gaguardi. 6. P. Ignatn de Loyola de Di^crelwiie spirituum regulw eipla- nata (Naples, 1851); Rossignoli, De Disciplind Christ Perfec- twnis (Venice, 1601), 1, III, c. 13-20; Bona, De Discretione Spmtuum (Brussels, 1671); de Paz, Opera Spiritualia (Mainz 1619), III, V, 1855; Scaramelu, Discemimento de' Spiriti (Venice, 1753); Sarxelu, La Discrezione degli Spiriti (Naples 1864); GoDiNEZ, Practica de la Theologia MiMica (Madrid, 1903); EzQnERBA, Lucerna mystica pro Directoribus Animarum (Venice, 1722).

Paul Debucht.

Disciple. — This term is commonly applied to one who is learning any art or science from one distin- guished by his accomplisliments. Though derived from the Latin discipulus, the English name conveys a meaning somewhat narrower than its Latin equiva- lent: disciple is opposed to muster, as scholar to teacher, whilst both disciple and scholar are included under the Latin discipulus. In the English versions of the Old Testament the word disciple occurs only once (Is., viii, 16) ; but the idea it conveys is to be met with in several other passages, as, for instance, when the Sacred \Vriter speaks of the "sons" of the Prophets (IV K., ii, 7); the same seems, likewise, to be the meaning of the terms children and son in the Sapiential books (e. g. Prov., iv, 1, 10; etc.). Much more fre- quently does the New Testament use the word dis- ciple in the sense of pupil, adherent, one who con- tinues in the Master's word (John, viii, 31). So we read of disciples of Moses (John, ix, 28), of the Pharisees (Matt., xxii, 16; Mark, ii, 18; Luke, v, 33), of John the Baptist (Matt., ix, 14; Luke, vii, 18; John, iii, 25). These, however, are only incidental applications, for the word is almost exclusively used of the Disciples of Jesus.

In the Four Gospels it is most especially applied to the Apostles, sometimes styled the "twelve disciples" (Matt., X, 1 ; xi, 1 ; xx, 17; xxvi, 20; the sixteenth verse of chapter xxviii, having reference to events subse- quent to CHirist's Passion, mentions only the "eleven disciples"), sometimes merely called "the disciples" (Matt., xiv, 19; XV, 33, 36; etc.). The expression "his disciples" frequently has the same import. Occasion- ally the Evangelists give the word a broader sense and make it a synonym for believer (Matt., x, 42; xxvii, 57; John, iv, 1 ; ix, 27, 28; etc.). Besides the significa- tion of "Apostle" and that of "believer" there is finally a third one, found in St. Luke, and perhaps also in the other Evangelists. St. Luke narrates (vi, 13) that Jesus " called unto him his disciples, and he chose twelve of them (whom also he named apostles) ". The disciples, in this context, are not the crowds of be- lievers who flocked around Christ, but a smaller body of His followers. They are commonly identified with the seventy-two (seventy, according to the received Greek text, although several Greek MSS. mention seventy-two, as does the Vulgate) referred to (Luke, X, 1) as having been chosen by Jesus. The names of these disciples are given in several lists (Chronicon Paschale, and Pseudo-Dorotheus in Migne, P. G., XCII, 521-524; 54.3-545; 1061-1065); but these lists are unfortunately worthless. Eusebius positively a.sserts that no such roll existed in his time, and men- tions among the disciples only Barnabas, Sosthenes, Cephas, Matthias, Thaddeus, and James "the Lord's brother" (Hist. Eccl., I, xii). In the Acts of the Apostles the name disciple is exclusively used to desig- nate the converts, the believers, both men and women

29

DISCIPLES

(vi, 1, 2, 7; Lx, 1, 10, 19; etc.; in reference to the latter connotation see in particular ix, 36), even such as were only imperfectly instructed, like those found by St. Paul at Ephesus (Acts, .xix, 1-5).

Cremer, Biblisch-theologisches Worterbuch der neuiestament- hchen Gracitat (8th ed., Gotha. 1S95). tr. Urwick. Biblico-thco- logical Leiieon of the \. T. Greek (3rd ed., Edinburgh, 1892); Harn-ack, Die Mission und die Ausbreitung des ChristentuTns (Leipzig, 1902); Tillemont, Uemoires pour servir a Vhistoire ecd._ (Paris, 1655). I; Ollivier, Les amities de Jesus (Paris, 1895); Lesetre, La sairUe Eglise au siecle des Apotres (Paris, 1896).

Charles L. Souvat.

^ Disciples of Christ, a sect founded in the United States of .America by Alexander Campbell. Although the largest portion of his life and prodigious activity was spent in the United States, Alexander Campbell was born, 12 Sept., 1788, in the Coimty Antrim, Ire- land. On his father's side he was of Scotch extrac- tion; his mother, Jane Corneigle, was of Huguenot descent. Both parents are reported to have been persons of deep piety and high hterary culture. His father, after serving as minister to the Anti-Burgher Church in .Ahorey and director of a prosperous academy at Richhill, emigrated to the LTnited States and en- gaged in the oft-attempted and ever futile effort "to unite all Christians as one communion on a purely scriptural basis", the hallucination of so many nobfe minds, the only outcome of which must always be, against the will of the Founder, to increase the discord of Christendom by the creation of a new sect. In 1808 Alexander embarked with the family to join his father, but was shipwrecked on the Scottish coast and took the opportunity to prepare himself for the minis- trj' at the University of Glasgow. In 1809 he migrated to the United States, andfoimdinWashingtonCoimty, Pennsylvania, the nucleus of the new movement In the "Christian Association of Washington", under the auspices of which was issued a " Declaration and Address", setting forth the objects of the association. It was proposed " to establish no new sect, but to persuade Christians to abandon party names and creeds, sectarian usages and denominational strifes, and associate in Christian fellowship, in the common faith in a divine Lord, with no other terms of religious communion than faith in and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ".

An independent church was formed at Brush Run on the principles of the association, and, 1 Jan., 1812, Alexander was "ordained". His earnestness is at- tested by the record of one hundred and six sermons preached in one year; but he wrecked every prospect of success by finding in his reading of the'Scriptm-es the invalidity of infant baptism, and the necessity of baptism by immersion, thus excluding from the Chris- tian discipleship the vast majority of believing Chris- tians. On 12 June, 1812, with his wife, father, mother, and three others, Alexander was rebaptized by immersion. Nothing was left hmi now but to seek association with one or other of the numerous Baptist sects. This he did, but with the proviso that he should be allowed to preach and teach whatever he learned from the Holy Scriptures. The Baptists never took to him cordially; and in 1817, after five years of herculean labours, his followers, whom he wished to be known by the appellation of "Disciples of Christ", but who were generally styled "Campbel- lites", numbered only one hundred and fifty persons. Campbell's mission as a messenger of peace was a failure; as time went on he developed a polemical na- ture, and became a sharp critic in speech and in writ- ing of the weaknesses and vagaries of the Protestant .sects. Only once did he come in direct contact with the Catholics, on the occasion of his five days' debate, in 1837, with Archbishop Purcell of Cincinnati, which excited great interest at the time but is now forgotten. His sixty volumes are of no interest. Campbell was twice married and was the father of twelve childrer