The Apostle Andrew: the first of the twelve

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  • Andrew: life, icon, prayer
  • Prayer To Saint Andrew
    • Troparion
      St Andrew the Apostle:
    • Kontakion
      St Andrew the Apostle:

As Andrew was the first of the apostles? About the life, prayers, stories, and icons connected with the Holy, You would know if you read our article!

Andrew: life, icon, prayer

The memory of the Apostle Andrew – December 13

At the beginning of His Ministry Christ was passing by two brothers, fishermen, throwing the net in the sea of Galilee. He told them the simple words: “follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They did so, abandoning suddenly all his former life. It was Simon (Peter) and Andrew. Why is Andrew called Andrew?

The brothers were originally from the village of Bethsaida. The Evangelist John tells us that even before Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist and heard him called Jesus “the lamb of God.” After all, this was the most important in His earthly Ministry, sermon, miracles, and the sacrifice He would make on the cross as the lamb for the salvation of all mankind. Andrew believed it at once, and therefore we call it today the first-called — Apostle, he was called by the first. He pointed out to Christ the boy with five loaves and two fishes, which then was miraculously multiplied to feed the crowd. He, along with Philip led to Christ some of the Greeks (another case we don’t know) but Scripture says little about Andrew. Basically his life is known from his Deeds and Life.

When the apostles went preaching, they shared among themselves by lot the countries in which they were to proclaim the Good news. Andrew went to the coast of the Euxine, i.e. the Black sea. The southern coast (including the Crimean South coast) was part of the then “civilized world”, that is, the Roman Empire, and in the Northern black sea lived barbarians who were called Scythians. How far North we went in his travels the Apostle Andrew, we do not know — remained a relatively late tradition that he climbed up the Dnieper, and sanctified the place where later was built the city of Kiev, and even about how he got to the Novgorod land and was surprised the custom of the local inhabitants to bathe in the baths. Apparently, it’s still fiction: the early sources say nothing about this journey to the North, no trace of it left, and imagine such a trip in the first century ad is difficult. But still we can say that the Apostle Andrew was the first who began to spread Christianity “in our direction.” It is likely that he visited the Chersonese — the future of the Sevastopol.

Read also – Why did the Apostle Andrew the first-called?

Reliable is another story — that the Apostle Andrew visited Byzantium, the city on the site which was later built Constantinople, and founded there the Christian community and ordained Bishop Stach, Apostle of the seventy. Life tells of many miraculous healings and even resurrections performed the prayers of the Apostle in different cities, and about the cruel persecution to which he was subjected.

After his journey to the black sea, the Apostle went to the capital of the Empire — Rome, where his brother Peter. In Rome then ruled the Emperor Nero, and Christians came the time of persecution, in which had killed both brothers.

From the capital he decided to return to their former places. On the way he stopped in the city of Patras on the Greek Peloponnese Peninsula, where he witnessed the persecution of Christians and made their defense before the Roman Governor by the name of Aegeatos. “You are the destroyer of the temples of the gods, Andrew, trying to involve the people into a frenzied sect, which the lords of the Empire decided to destroy,” replied the Roman. The most unacceptable in the Christian doctrine was to him a sermon about the crucifixion of the Savior, because this painful and shameful punishment was left to the most hardened of criminals from the lower strata of society. How can you worship the Crucified?!

In response to this, the Apostle spoke in detail about Agiato of the creation story and the fall of the earthly life of the Savior and the significance of the death on the cross and called him to share the Christian faith to “find its soul”. He laughed: “do you want to convince me that I’m dead?” From his point of view, only a madman would all to believe it, and to challenge the faith of the Apostle, he began to threaten that will put his very death on the cross.

Price sermon was really high, but the Apostle was prepared to pay it. Andrew was thrown into prison in expectation of the imminent execution, and crowds gathered around her, ready to revolt to free the innocent sufferer. He preached to them, urging not to interfere with what was going to happen, because temporary suffering will lead him to eternal glory. And, in the end, he himself agreed to go with the lamb…

For the execution of the Apostle Andrew was chosen oblique cross in the form of the letter X (why this cross is called St. Andrew’s and now), and that his sufferings were more prolonged, Aegeatos was told not to kill, and to tie his hands and feet. “On the cross, sanctified my Lord and master, greetings, image of horror you after He died for you, became a sign of joy and love!” — with these words the Apostle ascended the cross. For two days he hung there until his death, after two days of standing around talking to people…

Photo: TASS / kremlin.ru

 

The memory of the Apostle Andrew, celebrated on 30 November, old, December 13 — new style. A long-standing tradition about the preaching of the Apostle on the lands of the future and Russia has created a special attitude on the part of the rulers of the Russian Empire: the order of St. Andrew became the highest order of the state, and the flag with St. Andrew’s cross still overshadows the Navy of Russia.

Saint Andrew the Apostle icons

Prayer To Saint Andrew
Troparion
the Apostle Andrew:

Thou the first-called of the apostles/ and the Supreme who is the brother/ Vladica all, Andrew, MOLISA/ world Selena of taravati// and our souls grace.

Kontakion
St Andrew the Apostle:

Courage the patron of bugagagagaga/ and the Church of posledovatel Supreme/ Petrova kinsman praise,/ as of old Zane this/ and now we vossa:// o come, abreojos Zhelaemogo.

Andrei DESNITSKY

See also:

  • The Holy Apostle Andrew the first-called
  • Andrew — on the Crimean land

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