Saints Herodion (Rodion), Agabus, Asyncritus, Rufus, Phlegon and Hermes are among the Seventy Apostles, chosen by Christ and sent out by Him to preach (Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles: January 4). The holy Apostle Herodion was a relative of St Paul, and his companion on many journeys. When…
Saint Agabus was one of the Seventy Apostles chosen by Christ and sent out by Him to preach (Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles: January 4). The holy Apostle Agabus was endowed with the gift of prophecy. He predicted (Acts 11:27-28) the famine during the reign of the emperor Claudius (41-52), and…
Saint Asyncritus was one of the Seventy Apostles chosen by Christ and sent out by Him to preach (Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles: January 4). St Asyncritus (Rom. 16:14) was bishop in Hyrcania (Asia Minor).
Saint Rufus was one of the Seventy Apostles chosen by Christ and sent out by Him to preach. St Rufus, whom the holy Apostle Paul mentions in the Epistle to the Romans (Romans 16:11-15), was bishop of the Greek city of Thebes. St Rufus is also commemorated on January 4 (The Synaxis of the Seventy…
Saint Phlegon was one of the Seventy Apostles, chosen by Christ and sent out by Him to preach (Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles: January 4). St Phlegon was bishop in the city of Marathon (Thrace).
Saint Hermes was one of the Seventy Apostles chosen by Christ and sent out by Him to preach (Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles: January 4). St Hermes was bishop in Dalmatia (there is another Apostle of the Seventy by the name of Hermas, who was bishop in the Thracian city of Philippopolis). All…
Saint Niphon was a monk of the Kiev Caves Monastry, where he struggled in asceticism. In imitation of the Holy Fathers, he uprooted the passions through fasting, vigil, and prayer, and adorned himself with every virtue. He was chosen as Bishop of Novgorod when Bishop John retired to a monastery…
Saint Rufus the Obedient, Hermit of the Caves, lived at the Kiev Caves monastery during the fourteenth century. He was distinguished for his obedience and glorified as a lover of labor and fasting. He was buried in the Far Caves. He is celebrated a second time on August 28, the Synaxis of the…
The Holy Martyr Pausilippus suffered under the emperor Hadrian (117-138). Denunced by the pagans, he was brought to trial before the emperor and staunchly declared himself a Christian. They beat him with iron rods and handed over to the governor named Precius, who for a long time attempted to make…
Saint Celestine, Pope of Rome (422-432), a zealous champion of Orthodoxy, lived during the reign of the holy Emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450). He received an excellent education, and he knew philosophy well, but most of all he studied the Holy Scripture and pondered over theological…
The Spanish Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is one of the Panachranta type, depicts the Mother of God seated upon a throne.