Andrew, The Apostle
There are many stories about St. Andrew that have been passed down through tradition,
however many cannot be confirmed. What is known is that Andrew is one of Jesus
Christ's original twelve Apostles. Like his brother Simon (later called Peter),
Andrew made his living as a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee. He was known as
"Protocletus" (the First Called) because he was the first Apostle to be called by
Jesus into His service.
Stories of His Mission
Andrew began his missionary activity in the Provinces of Vithynia and Pontus the
southern shores of the Black Sea. Later he journeyed to the City of Byzantium and
founded the Christian Church there, and ordained the first Bishop of Byzantium,
Stachys, who was one of the 70 disciples of the Lord.
After Pentecost, Andrew taught in Byzantium, Thrace, Russia, Epiros, and Peloponnese.
In Amisos, he converted the Jews in the temple, baptized them, healed their sick,
built a church, and left a priest for them. In Bithynia, he taught, healed their
sick, and drove away the wild beasts that bothered them. His prayers destroyed the
pagan temples, and those who resisted his words became possessed and gnawed at their
bodies until Andrew healed them.
In one of his several missionary journeys to Greece, Andrew visited the City of
Patras. Through his preaching the miracles of healing he performed, in the name of
Jesus, many persons were converted to Christianity. Among those healed was Maximilla, the
wife of the Roman Proconsul, Aegeates. Seeing this miracle of healing, Stratoklis,
the highly intellectual brother of the Proconsul, also became a Christian, and Andrew
consecrated and enthroned him as the first Bishop of Patras.
As a prophet, he foretold of the greatness of Kiev as a city and a stronghold of
Christianity. In Sinope, he prayed for the imprisoned Apostle Matthias, and his
chains fell from him and the cell door opened. The people beat Andrew, breaking his
teeth, cutting his fingers, and left him for dead in a dung heap. Jesus appeared to
him and healed him, telling him to be of good cheer. When the people saw him the next
day, they were amazed and they believed. At another time, he raised a woman's only
son from the dead.
His Crucifixion
These conversions to the Christian Faith by members of his own family infuriated the
Proconsul Aegeates, and he decided, with the urging of the idolators who advised him,
to crucify Andrew. The crucifixion was carried out on an X-shaped cross with the body
of the Apostle upside down so that he saw neither the earth nor his executioners,
only the sky which he glorified as the heaven in which he would meet his Lord.
Twenty thousand of the faithful stood by and mourned. Even then, Andrew taught them and exhorted them to endure temporary sufferings for the kingdom of heaven. Out of fear of the people, Aegeates came to remove Andrew from the cross. Andrew, however, said that Aegeates could still become a Christian, but that he had already seen Jesus and he would not allow himself to be removed from the cross. Many tried to undo the knots, but their hands all became numb. Suddenly, a heavenly light illumined Andrew for about a half hour. When it left, Andrew had given up his spirit.
His body was tenderly removed from the cross by Bishop Stratoklis and Maximilla, and
buried with all of the honor befitting the Apostle. Soon numbers of Christians made
their way to Patras to pay reverence to the grave of Andrew, and when Aegeates
realized that the man he had put to death was truly a holy man of God his conscience
became so tormented that he committed suicide.
His Reburial
In the month of March in the year 357 the Emperor Constantine (son of Constantine The
Great) ordered that the body of St. Andrew be removed from Patras and be reinterred
in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. With all the magnificence and
honor of the Byzantine Empire and the Great Church of Christ at Constantinople, St.
Andrew was returned to the City that had first heard the message of Jesus Christ from
his lips. Thus he became death, as well as in life, the founder of the Great Church
of Christ in Constantinople.
The Patron Saint
The deeds and preaching of St. Andrew became known in all parts of the world.
According to tradition a part of the remains of St. Andrew were taken to Scotland,
and he was chosen as the Protector of the Scottish people. The Cross of St. Andrew
also adorns the British flag where it was placed after the union of Scotland and
England. The skull of St. Andrew was kept in Patras until the year 1460 when Thomas
Paleologos, the last ruler of the Morea brought the skull to Rome. In 1967, under the
orders of Pope Paul, the skull was returned to Patras with al of the pomp and dignity
of the Papal State. He remains the patron saint of Russia, Scotland and Romania to
this day.
The Call of St. Andrew
Today the voice of Saint Andrew continues to call on all Christians, whose feast day
is celebrated on November 30th in the liturgical year. His unstilled spirit beckons
across the centuries proclaiming: "The Saviour of the world has come! He is the
Christ, the Son of God!" This is the call of Saint Andrew to all men for "Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow" (Hebrews 13:8).
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