The Synaxis of the Holy Seventy Apostles
The Synaxis of the Holy Seventy Apostles. This feast was established in the Orthodox Church to show clearly the equality of all the apostles, and thereby to put an end to disagreements among those who venerate them. Our Lord Jesus Christ chose seventy of His disciples to spread the teaching of the Gospel over the whole world.
On 4 January we celebrate the memory of all seventy apostles together, while in the course of the year the holy Church commemorates them one by one: the Apostle James, the brother of the Lord according to the flesh (23 October), Mark the Evangelist (25 April), Luke the Evangelist (18 October), Cleopas, brother of Joseph the Betrothed, and Symeon his brother (2 April), Barnabas (11 June), Joses, or Joseph, called Barsabas, or Justus (30 October), Thaddeus (21 August), Ananias (1 October), the Archdeacon Stephen (27 December), Philip of the seven deacons (11 October), Prochorus of the seven deacons (28 December), Timon of the seven deacons (28 July and 30 December), Parmenas of the seven deacons (28 June), Timothy (22 January), Titus (25 August), Philemon (22 November and 19 February), Onesimus (15 February), Epaphras and Archippus (22 November and 19 February), Silas, Silvanus, Crescens, or Criscus (30 July), Crispus and Epenetus (30 July), Andronicus (17 May and 30 June), Stachys, Amplias, Urban, Narcissus, Apelles (31 October), Aristobulus (31 October and 16 March), Herodion, or Rodion (8 April and 10 November), Agabus, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon (8 April), Hermes (5 November and 31 May), Patrobas (5 November), Hermas (8 April), Linus, Gaius, Philologus (5 November), Lucius (10 September), Jason (28 April), Sosipater (28 April and 10 November), Olympas, or Olympanus (10 November), Tertius (30 October and 10 November), Erastus, Quartus (10 November), Evodus (7 September and 8 December), Onesiphorus (7 September and 8 December), Clement (25 November), Sosthenes (8 December), Apollos (10 September and 8 December), Tychicus, Epaphroditus (8 December), Carpus (26 May), Quadratus (21 September), Mark, also called John, Zenas (27 September), Aristarchus (15 April and 27 September), Pudens, Trophimus (15 April), Mark, the nephew of Barnabas, Artemas (30 October), Aquila (14 July), Fortunatus and Achaicus (4 January).
Also numbered among the Seventy Apostles are Cephas, to whom the Lord appeared after the Resurrection (1 Cor. 15:5–6), and Simeon called Niger (Acts 13:1), since they too became greatly renowned for their apostolic labours.
