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The Eleven
ELEVEN, THE. The eleven apostles (
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)
e-lev’-’-n, (hoi hendeka):
The eleven apostles remaining after the death of Judas. The definite article used serves to designate them as a distinct and definite group whose integrity was not destroyed by the loss of one of the twelve. The college of "the Twelve" had come to be so well recognized that the gospel writers all used on occasions the word with the definite article to represent the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. This custom still remained and the numeral merely changed, as, "Afterward he was manifested unto the eleven" (
Walter G. Clippinger