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(John 1:35-50)
Looked at Jesus with an intense and earnest gaze (Gk. emblepo {em-blep'-o})
Those who know who Jesus is have an obligation to direct others to Him
Andrew
St. Augustine commented his Confessions, “For you, Oh Lord, have made
us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
The apostles Andrew, Peter, James and John were all partners in a
fishing business prior to being called by Jesus to follow Him.
Just as Andrew was the first of the Apostles, so his feast is taken in
the West to be the beginning of the Church Year. (Eastern
Christians begin their Church Year on 1 September.) The First
Sunday of Advent is defined to be the Sunday on or nearest his
feast (although it could equivalently be defined as the fourth
Sunday before Christmas Day).
Several centuries after the death of Andrew, some of his relics were
brought by a missionary named Rule to Scotland, to a place then
known as Fife, but now known as St. Andrew's, and best known as
the site of a world-famous golf course and club. For this reason,
Andrew is the patron of Scotland.
Byzantium claimed that its founder and first bishop had been
Andrew the brother of Peter. They pointed out that Andrew had
been the first of all the apostles to follow Jesus (John 1:40-41), and
that he had brought his brother to Jesus. Andrew was thus, in the
words of John Chrysostom, "the Peter before Peter." As Russia was
Christianized by missionaries from Byzantium, Andrew became
the patron not only of Byzantium but also of Russia.
Simon/Peter
Called the true Israelite = a person trying to abide by the covenant made between
God and the Jews
Was led to Christ in the region of Galilee, possibly by the apostle Philip and his
latter ministry belongs more to the eastern churches than it does to the western
churches.
In the company of the apostle Philip, the apostle Bartholomew went to Asia Minor
and labored in Hierapolis, near Laodicea and Colosse, in what is modern day
Turkey.
While in Hierapolis, it is said that the wife of the Roman proconsul was
healed by the apostles Philip and Bartholomew, that she became a
Christian and that her husband ordered Philip and Bartholomew to be
put to death by crucifixion. Sadly, Philip was crucified, but
Bartholomew escaped martyrdom, when for some special reason, the
magistrates caused him to be taken down from the cross and dismissed.
From there, Bartholomew went eastward to India and then to greater
Armenia.
A popular tradition among the Armenians is that the apostle Jude
(Thaddaeus) was the first to evangelize their region throughout the
years of 43 to 66 AD and that the apostle Bartholomew joined him in
60 AD (eight years before Bartholomew was martyred).
It is also said that Bartholomew carried with him a copy of the apostle
Matthew's Gospel. This copy was reported to be found at a later time
and a converted stoic philosopher by the name of Pantaenus is said to
have brought it to Alexandria.
Bartholomew is reported to have labored in the area around the south
end of the Caspian Sea, in the section that was then called Armenia.
The modern name of the district where he died is Azerbaijan and the
place of his death, called in New Testament times Albanopolis, is now
Derbend which is on the west coast of the Caspian Sea. The apostle
Bartholomew is said to have been martyred in the year 68 AD.