Saints Agabus, Rufus, Phlegon and Asygritos from the 70 Apostles

Saints Agabus, Rufus, Phlegon and Asygritos from the 70 Apostles

Celebration Date: 08/04

Of these holy Apostles, Agabus was the one mentioned by the evangelist Luke in the Acts of the Apostles, who, after taking the belt of the Apostle Paul, bound his hands and feet and prophesied about him these things: “Thus says the Spirit the Saint. The man, who is not in this zone, so shall the Jews say in Jerusalem, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles” (Acts of the Apostles, k’11). Indeed, it did. For not only did the Jews bind Paul, but they also tried to kill him. Agabus, after having preached the Gospel in the place where he lived, departed peacefully to the Lord.

And Paul mentions Rufus in the letter to the Romans: “Embrace Rufus the chosen one in the Lord and his mother and me” (To the Romans, p. 13). He later became bishop of Thebes in Greece.

And Phlegon (who became Bishop of Marathon) and Asygritos, after preaching the Gospel in various parts of the world, brought many unbelievers to the true faith. Eventually they were tortured in various ways by Jews and Greeks, resulting in both dying on the same day. Thus they took from the Lord the heavenly goods, reserved for the true workers of the Gospel.

NOTE:
In several synagogues, together with the above apostles, the Apostles from the Septuagint of Hermes and Herod are also celebrated.

Apostle Hermes became the Bishop of Dalmatia (honored on November 5 and March 8) and slept in peace.

The Apostle Herodius (celebrated on November 10 and March 28) belonged to the circle of the Seventy Apostles of the Lord. Following the Holy Apostles, he helped them in the preaching of Christ, offering services to all and submitting as a disciple of Christ, who said that he who wants to be first among all, let him be the servant of all and their minister. Afterwards he was ordained by them Bishop of the city of New Patras and led many Gentiles to the truth of the Gospel. But because the Jews envied him, they gathered against him together with the pagans, arrested him and tortured him mercilessly. They crushed his mouth with stones and beat his head against sticks. Then the outlaws, as wild and bloodthirsty hunters, butchered him with a knife. Thus he surrendered his blessed soul to the Lord, for whose love he suffered a martyr’s death.