Bible Dictionary
ELEVEN, THE
“The Eleven” refers to the apostles remaining after Judas’s death. They continued to be identified as the established apostolic group, and were sometimes still called “the Twelve” in reference to their office.
Biblical Usage
The expression occurs in accounts of the apostles after Judas’s death, including Mark 16:14, Luke 24:9, 33, and Acts 2:14. They are also called “the eleven disciples” in Matthew 28:16. Paul nevertheless refers to an appearance of the risen Jesus “to the twelve,” showing that the established designation of the apostolic college continued.