June 11th: Holy Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve

The Holy Apostle Bartholomew was born at Cana of Galilee and was one of the Twelve Apostles of Christ. After the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, it fell by lot to the holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip (November 14) to preach the Gospel in Syria and Asia Minor. In their preaching they wandered through various cities, and then met up again. Accompanying the holy Apostle Philip was his sister, the holy virgin St Mariamnne.

The “Manna” of Saint John the Theologian

The feast day of this great apostle and evangelist is celebrated on September 26. This day (May 8) commemorates the miracle which appeared at his grave. When John was over one hundred years old, he took seven of his disciples, went outside the town of Ephesus and ordered them to dig a grave in the form of a cross.

The Chains of Saint Peter the Apostle

Saint Peter is commemorated on this day because of the chains by which he was shackled by the lawless Herod and which during the appearance of an angel in prison fell from him, “Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side […]

The Assembly (Synaxis) of the Seventy Holy Apostles

Besides the Twelve Greater Apostles, the Lord chose Seventy Lesser Apostles and sent them to preach the Gospel, “After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place He intended to visit, He said to them, ` The harvest is abundant but […]

The Holy Apostle Matthew the Evangelist

Matthew, son of Alphaeus, was a tax collector when the Lord saw him in Capernaum and said: Follow Me. And he arose, and followed Him (Matthew 9:9). After that, Matthew prepared a reception for the Lord in his home and thus provided the occasion for the Lord to express several great truths about His coming to earth. […]

How the Lord Chose His Twelve Apostles

“And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve, whom He also named apostles.” (Lk 6: 13) Choosing the Twelve Apostles Our Lord Jesus Christ spent the night in prayer, conversing with His Father and God in heaven in a way indescribable and beyond our powers of […]

An Introduction to the Epistles of the Apostle Paul

As I keep hearing the Epistles of the blessed Paul read, and that twice every week, and often three or four times, whenever we are celebrating the memorials of the holy martyrs, gladly do I enjoy the spiritual trumpet, and get roused and warmed with desire at recognizing the voice so dear to me, and […]

The Apostle Peter, a Greater Philosopher than Plato

Why then, it is asked, did not Christ exercise His influence upon Plato, and upon Pythagoras? Because the mind of Peter was much more philosophical than their minds. They were in truth children shifted about on all sides by vain glory; but this man was a philosopher, one apt to receive grace. If you laugh […]

The Gospel, Acts of the Apostles and the Synaxarion

  Saint Justin Popovich once said: Living by Christ, the saints can do the works of Christ, for by Him they become not only powerful but all-powerful: “I can do all things in Christ Jesus who strengthens me” (Phillip. 4: 13). And in them is clearly realized the truth of the All-True One, that those […]

Earliest Icons of Apostles Discovered

Here are a few photos of the earliest surviving Icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul. They’re from St. Thecla’s catacomb in Rome, and date from the latter half of the fourth century. Although older depictions of the Apostles survive, they are usually part of a narrative scene; these are the oldest surviving Icons of […]