Posted on 04/14/2005 9:53:44 PM PDT by Agrarian
From the Prologue of Ochrid:
They were numbered among the Seventy Apostles. Aristarchus was bishop of Apamea in Syria. The Apostle Paul mentions him several times. "The city was filled with confusion and the people rushed with one accord into the theater, seizing Gaius and Aristarchus" (Acts of the Apostles 19:29). "Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions) if he comes to you, receive him" (Colossians 4:10). "Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, as well as Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my co-workers" (Philemon 1:23,24). Aristarchus was captured in Ephesus with Gaius by a multitude of people who had risen up against Paul. The Apostle Paul writes to the Colossians: "Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner sends you his greetings" (Colossians 4:10). In the Epistle to Philemon, Paul calls Aristarchus "my co-worker" together with Mark, Demas and Luke.
Pudens was a distinguished citizen of Rome. The Apostle Paul mentions him once. "Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers send greetings"(2 Timothy 4:21). At first, the home of Pudens was a haven for the Chief Apostles [Peter and Paul] and later it was converted into a place of worship, called the Shepherd's Church.
Trophimus was from Asia. "Sopater, the son of Pyrrhus, from Beroea, accompanied him, as did Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy and Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia" (Acts of the Apostles 20:4). He accompanied the apostle on his travel. In one place the Apostle Paul writes: "I left Trophimus sick at Miletus" (2 Timothy 4:20).
During the reign of Nero's persecution, when the Apostle Paul was beheaded, all three of these glorious apostles were also beheaded.
Cut and paste this to get the full text:
http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/m_akathist_e.htm
First sticheron at "Lord, I have cried..." at Vespers,
Tone I, Melody: "O most lauded martyrs..." ---
With discourse of divine understanding
ye utterly delivered the people from ignorance,
O most wise apostles,
and led them, saved,
to the Word Who shone forth from the unbegotten Father.
Him do ye entreat,
that He grant unto our souls peace and great mercy.
Kontakion, in Tone IV, Melody: "Thou hast appeared..." ---
This honored festival of the apostles
hath appeared today,
illumining us and dispelling the darkness of sin
from those who cry:
Light hath appeared and deliverance hath come!
Shining with the radiance of fasting,
Moses once beheld the glory of God.
Follow his example, O my humble soul,
and with acts of abstinence and prayer
serve Him who for thy sake
stretched out His hands in love upon the Cross,
granting thee a share in the divine gladness.
This is a very beautiful hymn, beloved of all Orthodox Christians.
Ping for the Akathist Hymn and the Apolytikion, Kontakion and Reading for the Feast of +Astarchus of the Seventy. By the way, at goarch.org under the audio section you can hear many sections of the Akathist.
Thanks to Agrarian...who perforce has become computer literate!
Thanks, Agrarian! I just love it when we honor the martyrs and saints who are mentioned in the NT! Enjoy the Akathist for me. I am unable to attend due to family duties. :>(
bump
Now, now, let's not get carried away. To a would-be Luddite like me, them's feudin' words... I was first forced into getting onto the internet only about 1998, having taken pride in resisting the information age as long as possible. Now, I'm as likely to be surfing the web as sitting in my cushy leather chair reading a book, I'm sorry to say...
But "computer literate"? Never!
Thank you for posting the link. I was not able to attend tonight but was able to pray along in a way thanks to your link.
I think my husbands sorry he ever brought a home computer for us. Until recently I spent my life dealing with mainframes and didn't want to look at anything computer-like when I got home. Then I found Free Republic and I got hooked.
We each have our own computers now!
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