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Saint Andrew: a fisherman, brother of Simon Peter, follower of John the Baptist and the first Apostle, was present at the Last Supper, beheld the risen Lord and witnessed the Ascension. He shared in the first Pentecost and, amid threats and persecution, preached the Gospel in Asia Minor, Turkey, Greece, and Russia before being martyred on a saltire cross.
Saint Andrew
Early Christian Writings
The Acts of Saint Andrew
Andrew was born and grew up in Bethsaida, a town in Galilee on Lake Genesareth, about 70 miles north of Jerusalem. In partnership with his older brother Simon Peter he worked for his father, John (or Jonah) as a fisherman at Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee.
He was already a follower of John the Baptist when Jesus saw him with his brother, casting their nets and called them, saying "Come and follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19). Recognising the Messiah, they left their life as fishermen to become disciples of Jesus. Andrew is often referred to as the "First Called" because he was the first Apostle to be summoned by Jesus.
In the Gospels, Andrew is particularly mentioned for participating in the feeding of the five thousand, when he said "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fishes: but what are these among so many?" (John 6:8-9).
Andrew was present on the Mount of Olives with the inner circle of disciples, Peter, James and John, when Jesus foretold the destruction of the Temple. He was also the person who Philip, recognising his greater authority, went to when, a few days before Jesus' crucifixion, a group of foreigners asked him to introduce them to Jesus (John 12:20-22).
Following Jesus' Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension to heaven, he was in the upper room before Pentecost when the Holy Spirit filled the disciples, who began to speak in other languages. After Pentecost, considered to be the birth of the Church, the Apostles dispersed to preach the Gospel in various countries.
Early historians record Andrew preached widely as a missionary: in Byzantium, Cappadocia, Galatia and Bithynia in Turkey; in Scythia, an area north of the Black Sea covered by Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and the Ukraine; in Epirus, Hellas, Thrace, Macedonia and Thessaly in Greece; in Achaea, Macedonia and in Russia, as far as the River Volga. They also record he faced many threats, was persecuted and attacked by mobs, saved forty shipwrecked people, healed the sick, brought the dead back to life, and suffered arson, torture and imprisonment.
According to the Apocryphal book, The Acts of Saint Andrew, when he came to preach in Patras, south-west Greece, Andrew performed many miracles, including healing Maximilla, wife of the Roman Governor Aegeas. Maximilla, baptised by Andrew, converted to Christianity and left Aegeas. Aegeas' brother Stratoklis was also converted and consecrated by Andrew as the first Bishop of Patras.
It is said the Aegeas was so enraged by this that he put Andrew on trial and, because he refused to renounce Jesus, condemned him to death, on November 30, 60AD. Andrew was crucified on the sea-shore on an X-shaped cross, or Saltire, which subsequently became his symbol. It was at his own request this cross was used because, he said, "I am not worthy to be crucified on a cross like my Lord's."
To prolong his suffering he was scourged then bound, rather than nailed, to the cross. He is said to have hung alive for two days, preaching the Gospel to the crowds around him, despite the torture.
As he preached, it is said, a divine light glistened on his body. Those attempting to torment him became paralysed and Aegeas descended into madness. After three days on the cross Andrew died, his body was embalmed and buried at Patras by Maximilla.
Around 357 the Roman Emperor Constantius II, son of Constantine The Great, ordered St. Andrew's remains to be taken from Patras to the Church of the Apostles in Constantinople.
According to some accounts, an otherwise obscure Saint, Rule or Regulus - variously described as a Greek or Turkish monk who had custody of the burial place, an Irish assistant of Saint Columba or Bishop of Patras - was warned by an angel in a dream that the remains were to be moved. He was directed to take them to "the west, in the utmost part of the world" for safety.
St. Rule, following this instruction, may have removed a tooth, an arm bone, a kneecap and some fingers from St. Andrew's tomb. After two years of travel, during which he faced many hardships, he was shipwrecked at Kilrymont, near what is now St. Andrews, on the north-east coast of Fife. Here St. Rule built a chapel to house the relics. In 1160 the chapel was replaced by the Cathedral of St. Andrews, which became a centre for Medieval pilgrimage.
An alternative and possibly more likely account describes how, in 733, after a pilgrimage to Rome, St. Wilfrid, possibly accompanied by Acca, Bishop of Hexham and a renowned collector of relics, brought them to the religious centre of St. Andrews.
It is not known what happened to these relics, although it is likely they were destroyed during the Scottish Reformation. The place where the relics were kept is now marked by a plaque amongst the ruins of the Cathedral at St. Andrews.
The rest of St. Andrew's remains were stolen from Constantinople in 1210 and eventually moved to Amalfi, Southern Italy. In 1879 the Archbishop of Amalfi sent a small piece of St. Andrew's shoulder-blade to the Roman Catholic community in Scotland. During his visit in 1969, Pope Paul VI gave further relics of St. Andrew to Scotland with the words "Saint Peter gives you his brother". These are now displayed in a reliquary at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Edinburgh.
The association of St. Andrew as patron saint of Scotland and the adoption of the Saltire as the national flag is said to have begun with the Pictish King, Angus MacFergus in 832. Faced with an invading army, led by Athelstane, King of Northumbria, Angus, on the night before the battle, prayed for guidance. It is said Angus saw a formation of white clouds in the azure sky which resembled the cross of St. Andrew. Inspired by what he took to be a divine omen, Angus won a decisive victory, at Athelstaneford in East Lothian, and adopted the Saltire as the symbol of the Picts.
However, it was not until after Robert The Bruce's victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 that the Declaration of Arbroath, in 1320, named "our patron and protector, Andrew" as patron saint of Scotland. The Saltire became the national flag of Scotland in 1385.
Saint Andrew's festival has always been kept on the 30th of November by the Anglican Church, and is a time of prayer for missionaries and the mission of the church.
As He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fisherman.
And He said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
And going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.
Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Matthew 4:18-22
Almighty God,
Who gave such grace to your apostle Saint Andrew
That he readily obeyed the call of your Son, Jesus Christ
And brought his brother with him:
Call us by your holy word,
And give us grace to follow you without delay
And to tell the good news of your kingdom;
Through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
Who is alive and reigns with you,
In the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, now and for ever.
Amen.
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