Saint Andrew the Apostle
After the dispersion of the apostles, Andrew first labored in Scythia; later in Epirus and Thrace, and finally in the region of Achaia, in Greece. From this place, he was sent in a vision to the side of the apostle Matthew, who had been detained along with some disciples and sixty Christians in a city in Ethiopia. Matthew had been blinded by poison, which caused him great pain. Andrew set out for Matthew’s location, healed him of his affliction, and freed the Christians who were bound in chains. He preached in the city until a commotion rose against him; he was taken prisoner and, with his feet bound, was dragged through the streets. Andrew, meanwhile, prayed for his tormentors, who were so moved that they ultimately asked for his forgiveness and ended up converting.
After this, Andrew returned to Achaia, where he healed a blind demoniac and raised a dead child. He was also in Nicaea, where he established a bishopric. In Nicomedia, he raised another dead child and calmed a furious storm in the Hellespont. On one occasion, when savage Macedonians threatened him with death, they were terrified by a radiance from heaven that threw them to the ground. On another occasion, he was thrown to wild beasts but remained safe from this danger as well.
In Patras, a city of Achaia, he suffered martyrdom. Brought before the proconsul Aegeas, the apostle made a brave confession of his faith and was thrown into prison. The people, who loved him dearly, wanted to free him by force, but the holy apostle begged them not to deprive him of the joy of receiving the crown of martyrdom. The judge condemned him to die by crucifixion. When Andrew saw the cross from afar, he exclaimed:
"Oh, good cross, so long desired, so ardently loved and sought!"
He hung upon the cross for two days, and from there, he preached the faith of Christ to the people. Maximilla, the aunt of Saturninus, received his body, embalmed it, and buried it. His death occurred in the year 93 AD.
Historical Notes
() Abdias, a very ancient writer, writes the life of the saint in 42 chapters, narrating events in accordance with the visionary. Vincent of Beauvais cites as a source Ex actis ius, that is, the Acts of St. Andrew, which were already being read in churches in the second century.