In the previous article, I spoke about the “Feast of the Apostles,” who are the twelve disciples of the Lord Jesus, the seventy apostles chosen by the Lord Jesus, and Paul the Apostle whom the Lord Jesus later chose. All of the Lord Jesus’ disciples were martyred except for Saint John the Beloved. The discussion about the disciples began with Peter the Apostle, who was a fisherman, and then the Lord called him and his brother Andrew to follow Him and become His disciples. Peter the Apostle preached in many lands and visited Rome at the end of his life, where he was martyred by crucifixion, head downwards, at the hands of the Roman Emperor Nero.
Andrew the Apostle
Andrew the Apostle is the brother of Peter the Apostle. He was one of John the Baptist’s disciples and followed the Lord Jesus after hearing John the Baptist’s testimony about the Lord Jesus: “Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?”They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.” (John 1:35-40).
“Andrew” is a Greek name meaning “the man,” which implies (one who possesses masculine qualities like chivalry, courage, and daring). Andrew the Apostle was born in Bethsaida and then moved to Capernaum, following the Lord Jesus from the beginning of His ministry. He was the one who invited his brother Peter to the Lord Jesus and introduced the Greek Jews to the Lord Jesus when they wanted to see Him: “Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.” (John 12:20-22).
Andrew the Apostle preached in northern Iraq, Constantinople (modern-day Turkey), and Russia, where he is considered the patron saint of the Russian Church. He also preached in Greece, where he was martyred by crucifixion on Kiahk 4 (December 13).
James the Greater (James, Son of Zebedee)
James is a Hebrew name meaning “supplanter” or “one who follows.” He was born in Bethsaida and lived in Capernaum. He worked as a fisherman with his brother John. Most scholars state that James and John came from a wealthy family; when the Lord Jesus called them, they left their father with the hired men (their employees): “When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him. “(Mark 1:19-20). He is considered one of the three closest to the Lord Jesus who witnessed a number of miracles and events exclusively revealed to them, such as the raising of Jairus’ daughter and the Transfiguration.
James the Apostle preached in Spain, and the Spanish consider him their patron saint. He then returned to Judea and was martyred by King Herod; we find the story of his martyrdom in the Scripture: “Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. 2 Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.”(Acts 12:1-2). James the Apostle was the first Apostle to be martyred for the name of the Lord Jesus on 17 Baramoudah (April 25).
John the Beloved (John, Son of Zebedee)
John is a Hebrew name meaning “God is gracious.” He was one of John the Baptist’s disciples and followed the Lord Jesus from the beginning of His ministry. He was the youngest of the apostles and one of the three closest to the Lord Jesus; he was known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” He wrote the Gospel of John, three epistles, and the Book of Revelation. Saint John taught much about love: “He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:9-11).
He was one of those who followed the Lord Jesus. He remained in Jerusalem until the Dormition of St. Mary, then preached in Ephesus until he was exiled to the island of Patmos for a year and a half, where he received his visions and wrote the Book of Revelation. He then returned to Ephesus. He is the only disciple who was not martyred, but passed away on Touba 4 (January 12) of the year 100 AD.
To be continued
For stories of Beautiful Egypt never end!
General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
العربية
