Andrew the Apostle

For other uses of "Andrew", see Andrew (disambiguation).

Saint Andrew
Icon of the Apostle Andrew
Apostle
Born	Bethsaida
Died	Patras
Venerated in	All Christianity
Major shrine	Church of St. Andreas at Patras
Feast	November 30
Attributes	Old man with long (in the East often untidy) white hair and beard, holding the Gospel in right hand, sometimes leaning on a saltire cross
Patronage	Army Rangers, mariners, fishermen, fishmongers, rope-makers, singers, performers, Sicily, Scotland, Greece, Russia, Romania, Amalfi and Luqa - Malta and Prussia.

Saint Andrew (Greek: Ανδρέας, Andreas, "manly, brave"), called in the Orthodox tradition Protocletos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the younger brother of Saint Peter.

Biography

In Christian tradition, Andrew was born at Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee (John 1:44). Since he was a baby, Andreas was almost certainly not his given name, but no Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him.

He lived at Capernaum (Mark 1:29). In the gospels he is referred to as being present on some important occasions as one of the disciples more closely attached to Jesus (Mark 13:3; John 6:8, 12:22); in Acts there is only a bare mention of him (1:13). Both he and his brother Peter were fishermen by trade, hence the tradition that Jesus called them to be his disciples by saying that He will make them "fishers of men" (Greek: αλιείς ανθρώπων, halieis anthropon).

Eusebius quotes Origen as saying Andrew preached in Asia Minor and in Scythia, along the Black Sea as far as the Volga and Kyiv. Hence he became a patron saint of Romania and Russia. According to tradition, he founded the See of Byzantium in 38, installing Stachys as bishop (the only bishopric in that neighbourhood before that time had been established at Heraclea). This Sea would later develop into the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Andrew is its Patron Saint.

He is said to have been martyred by crucifixion at Patras (Patrae) in Achaea, on a cross of the form called Crux decussata (X-shaped cross) and commonly known as "St. Andrew's cross", at his own request, as he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross on which Christ was crucified. St. Andrew is the patron of Patras. According to tradition his relics were removed from Patras to Constantinople, and thence to St. Andrews (see below). Local legends say that the relics were sold to the Romans by the local priests in exchange for the Romans constructing a water reservoir for the city. The head of the saint, considered as one of the treasures of St. Peter's Basilica, was given by the Byzantine despot Thomas Palaeologus to Pope Pius II in 1461. In recent years, the relics were kept in the Vatican City, but were sent back to Patras by decision of the Pope Paul VI in 1964. The relics, which consist of the small finger and part of the top of the cranium of St. Andrew, have since that time been kept in the Church of St. Andrew at Patras in a special tomb, and are reverenced in a special ceremony every November 30.

St. Andrew Basilica at Patras, where the saint's relics are kept, said to be erected over the place of his martyrdom.

The apocryphal Acts of Andrew, mentioned by Eusebius, Epiphanius and others, is among a disparate group of Acts of the Apostles that were traditionally attributed to Leucius Charinus. "These Acts may be the latest of the five leading apostolic romances. They belong to the third century: ca. A.D. 260," was the opinion of C.R. James, who edited them in 1924. The Acts, as well as a Gospel of St. Andrew, appear among rejected books in the Decretum Gelasianum connected with the name of Pope Gelasius I. The Acts of Andrew was edited and published by Constantin von Tischendorf in the Acta Apostolorum apocrypha (Leipzig, 1821), putting it for the first time into the hands of a critical professional readership. Another version of the Andrew legend is found in the Passio Andreae, published by Max Bonnet (Supplementum II Codicis apocryphi, Paris, 1895).

Relics

The purported relics of Andrew are kept at St. Andrew Basilica, Patras, Greece; Sant'Andrea Dome, Amalfi, Italy; St. Mary Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland; and St. Andrew & St. Albert Church, Warsaw, Poland.

The Italian tradition

St. Jerome wrote that the relics of St. Andrew were taken from Patras to Constantinople by order of the Roman emperor Constantius II in 357. In 1208, the relics were taken to Amalfi, Italy, by Pietro, cardinal of Capua, a native of Amalfi. In the 15th century, the head of St. Andrew was brought to Rome, where it became enshrined in one of the four central piers of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. In September 1964, as a gesture of good will toward the Greek Orthodox Church, Pope Paul VI returned a finger and part of the head to the church in Patras. The Amalfi cathedral, dedicated to St. Andrew (as is the town itself), contains a tomb in its crypt that it maintains still contains the rest of the relics of the apostle.

Crucifixion of St. Andrew

Romanian tradition

Romanians believe that Saint Andrew (named Sfântul Apostol Andrei) was the first who preached Christianity and followed God in Scythia Minor, modern Dobrogea, to the native people of the Dacians (ancestors of the Romanians). It is the official standpoint of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Hippolyte of Antioch (died ~AD 250) in his On apostles, Origen in the third book of his Commentaries on the Genesis (AD 254), Eusebius of Caesarea in his Church History (AD 340), and other different sources, like the Usaard's Martyrdom written between 845-865, Jacobus de Voragine in Golden Legend (~1260), mention that Saint Andrew preached in Scythia Minor. There are toponyms and numerous very old traditions (like carols) related to Saint Andrew, many of them having probably a pre-Christian substratum. There exists a cave where it is supposed he preached. The mysterious tradition of baptism which happens in the village of Copuzu is also linked by some ethnologs with the christianization campaign made by the Apostle.

Scottish legends

About the middle of the tenth century, Andrew became the patron saint of Scotland. Several legends state that the relics of Andrew were brought under supernatural guidance from Constantinople to the place where the modern town of St. Andrews stands (Pictish, Muckross; Gaelic, Cill Rìmhinn).

The Saltire (or "St. Andrew's Cross") is the national flag of Scotland.

The oldest surviving accounts are two: one is among the manuscripts collected by Jean-Baptiste Colbert and willed to Louis XIV, now in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, the other in the Harleian Mss in the British Library, London. They state that the relics of Andrew were brought by one Regulus to the Pictish king Óengus mac Fergusa (729–761). The only historical Regulus (Riagail or Rule) — the name is preserved by the tower of St. Rule — was an Irish monk expelled from Ireland with St. Columba; his date, however, is c. 573–600. There are good reasons for supposing that the relics were originally in the collection of Acca, bishop of Hexham, who took them into Pictish country when he was driven from Hexham (c. 732), and founded a see, not, according to tradition, in Galloway, but on the site of St. Andrews. The connection made with Regulus is, therefore, due in all probability to the desire to date the foundation of the church at St. Andrews as early as possible.

Another legend says that in the late eighth century, during a joint battle with the English, King Ungus (either the Óengus mac Fergusa mentioned previously or Óengus II of the Picts (820–834)) saw a cloud shaped like a saltire, and declared Andrew was watching over them, and if they won by his grace, then he would be their patron saint. However, there is evidence Andrew was venerated in Scotland before this.

Andrew's connection with Scotland may have been reinforced following the Synod of Whitby, when the Celtic Church felt that Columba had been "outranked" by Peter and that Peter's older brother would make a higher ranking patron. The 1320 Declaration of Arbroath cites Scotland's conversion to Christianity by St. Andrew, "the first to be an Apostle".

Numerous parish churches in the Church of Scotland and congregations of other Christian churches in Scotland are named after St. Andrew.

Saint Andrew and the Parish of Luqa (Malta)

The first reference that we come across regarding the first small Chapel dedicated to Saint Andrew dates back to 1497. According the Pastoral Visit of Mgr. Pietro Dusina, we know that this Chapel consisted of 3 altars, one of them dedicated to Saint Andrew. The titular painting showing the B.V. Mary with Saints Andrew and Paul was made by the Maltese artist Filippo Dingli.

In the old days, many fishermen lived in the village of Luqa, and this may be the main reason behind choosing Saint Andrew as patron saint of Luqa. One must also add that Luqa became officially a Parish on the 15th of May, 1634, during the reign of Pope Urban VIII. The first Parish Priest of the newly established parish was Rev. Wistin Cassia S.Th. D.

In 1634, a new Parish Church was built under the supervision of Rev. Gulio Muscat, and it took a lot of years for completion. Many people donated money to finance this new project. One must not forget that in these times, Luqa was a poor village and so this new Church was a great financial burden for all the people. After lots of work, the Church was completed and consecrated.

On the 9th of April, 1942, the Parish Church was hit during an air-raid and was damaged. After the war had ended, the Church was rebuilt and consecrated by the Archbishop of Malta Mgr. Michael Gonzi on the 26th of September, 1962.

The titular statue of Saint Andrew was sculpted in wood by Giuseppe Scolaro in 1779. This statue underwent several restoration works including that of 1913 performed by the Maltese renowned artist Abraham Gatt.

The titular painting found on the main altar of the Church was painted by Mattia Preti in 1687. This represents the martyrdom of Saint Andrew. Mattia Preti also depicted the painting of the Assumption of the B.V. Mary found in one of the side altars of the Church. Other artists which contributed in this Church were Envin Cremona, Giuseppe Cali, and Paul Camilleri Cauchi.

Amongst the feasts celebrated in Saint Andrew's Church, one could mention the titular feast of Saint Andrew (first Sunday of July, and the 30th of November), the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (first Sunday of October), the feast of Our Lady of Consolation (last Sunday of August), and the feast of Corpus Christi (June). An important procession which is organised is that of Good Friday, which consists of nine artistic statues representing the Passion of Our Lord.

Saint Andrew in Ukraine

The Kievan hill where St. Andrew is said to have erected the cross is commemorated by the cathedral dedicated in his name.

Early Christian History in Ukraine holds that the apostle St. Andrew is said to have preached on the southern borders of Ukraine, along the Black Sea. Legend has it that he travelled up the Dnieper River and reached the future location of Kiev, where he erected a cross on the site where the St. Andrew's Church of Kiev currently stands, and prophesied the foundation of a great Christian city.

Conclusions

Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, Greece, Russia, Romania, Amalfi, and Luqa - Malta. He was also the patron saint of Prussia. The flag of Scotland (and consequently the Union Flag and the arms and Flag of Nova Scotia) feature a saltire in commemoration of the shape of St. Andrew's cross. The saltire is also the Flag of Tenerife and the naval jack of Russia. The Confederate flag also features a saltire commonly referred to as a St. Andrew's cross, although its designer, William Porcher Miles, said he changed it from an upright cross to a saltire so that it would not be a religious symbol but merely a heraldic device.

A statue of St Andrew is an important element in the story of the 1956 Hollywood wartime romance, Miracle In The Rain starring Van Johnson and Jane Wyman. When Ruth, played by Wyman realizes she has lost Art, the statue inside St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York becomes a focus of devotion for her.

St. Andrew's Day is observed on November 30 in both the Eastern and Western churches, and is the national day of Scotland.

See also

• Patron saints of places
• Roman Catholic calendar of saints

External links

• The Missionary Journeys of the Apostle Andrew
• Texts of The Acts of Andrew The Acts and Martyrdom of Andrew and The Acts of Andrew and Matthew
• Saint Andrew in Orthodoxy
• St. Andrew in the National Archives of Scotland
• Andreas: The Legend of St. Andrew translated by Robert Kilburn Root, 1899, from Project Gutenberg
• Parish Church of Saint Andrew - Luqa (Malta)
• Paintings and Statues of Saint Andrew in Malta and around the world
• L'Unione Philharmonic Society - Luqa (Malta) A.D. 1880
• Saint Andrew's Band Club A.D. 1883 - Luqa, Malta
• Biographical Study on St. Andrew the Apostle
• National Shrine to St. Andrew in Edinburgh Scotland
• Catholic Encyclopedia article

References

• Metzeger, Bruce M. (ed) (1993). The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-504645-5. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

Further reading

• Hall, Ursula, 1994. St. Andrew and Scotland