17. Благовестнические труды других апостолов. Мужи апостольские

The holy apostle and evangelist Matthew preached in Judea for a long time and wrote the Gospel for Jewish Christians, and then retired to preach to other nations (he was in Macedonia, Syria, Parthia, Persia, Media) and suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia 37. The holy apostle and evangelist Mark was the companion and collaborator of Peter and was ordained bishop for the Church of Alexandria by this great apostle. During the stay of the Apostle Peter in Rome, Mark helped him in preaching and, at the request of Roman Christians, wrote the Gospel. He also undertook his own travels to preach to the shores of the Adriatic Sea. Venice honors Saint Mark as its enlightener. After many labors, he suffered martyrdom in Alexandria from the pagans on the day of their idol festival in honor of Serapis 38. The holy apostle and evangelist Luke came from Syrian Antioch and before turning to Christ he was a Jewish proselyte. The Apostle Paul calls him a doctor (Col. 4:14); In addition to medical science, Saint Luke knew the art of painting. According to legend, he painted icons of the Mother of God and the apostles Peter and Paul. Since the second journey of the Apostle Paul, he has been an almost inseparable companion and collaborator (2 Tim. 4:10). He ended his exploits with martyrdom. The Holy Apostle Luke wrote the Gospel and the book of the Acts of the Apostles 39. The holy apostle James Zebedee preached in Jerusalem and the first of the apostles suffered for Christ. The Jewish king Herod Agrippa ordered his head to be cut off. A certain Josiah, a Jew, who brought the apostle to the judgment seat, was so touched by the courage and meekness of Saint James that he himself declared himself a Christian and was beheaded along with him. The holy Apostle Jude, nicknamed Thaddeus, or Levway, the brother of the Apostle James, is also called a brother, that is, a relative of the Lord. He preached in Asia, especially in the countries of Persia and Armenia, and suffered martyrdom in the latter. The Apostle Jude wrote a conciliar letter. In it, the apostle protects believers from false teachers who preached that God will not punish people for their hobbies and sins. The Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, brother of the Apostle Peter, preached along the shores of the Black Sea, walked along the Dnieper River and within the borders of our fatherland, blessed the Kyiv mountains, planted a cross on them and predicted the future enlightenment of Russia with the Christian faith. In Byzantium he ordained Stachys, one of the seventy disciples, as bishop. In the city of Patras, in Achaia, he suffered martyrdom. Few and unclear information has been preserved about the works of the other apostles: the apostle Philip preached in Greece, Arabia and Egypt, the apostles Bartholomew and Thomas preached in Parthia and India, Matthias in Egypt and Ethiopia, James Alpheus in Syria and Egypt, and all accepted martyrdom for the Lord Jesus Christ. The holy apostles shared the labors of preaching with their disciples, such as, for example, the Apostle Paul - Timothy, Silouan, Luke, Titus, Epaphras, Aristarchus and others, the Apostle Peter - Mark, Andrew - Stachy. Some of them were appointed bishops so that they would complete what was unfinished and install presbyters in all the cities of the regions entrusted to them. Thus, the holy apostles, during their lifetime, prepared for themselves successors and continuers of their great work. Some of the closest disciples of the apostles left us written monuments and begin a number of fathers and teachers of the Church. Such are Barnabas, the companion and collaborator of the Apostle Paul, Dionysius the Areopagite, Clement of Rome and Hermas - disciples of the same apostle, Ignatius the God-Bearer. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis, are disciples of the Apostle John the Theologian. They are called apostolic men and are especially revered as witnesses of the apostolic tradition, since they themselves personally saw and heard the apostles. Circumstances favorable to the spread of Christianity The spread of Christianity was facilitated by the union of many peoples in one Roman Empire. At the same time, trade and other relations sometimes paved special paths for preachers of the faith. Trade at that time especially flourished in the coastal and other large cities of Asia Minor. Smyrna, Miletus, Ephesus had their own trading colonies in Gaul, Britain, and Spain. Using these paths, Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, sent his preachers to Gaul. In the 2nd century, the Churches were not only known, but also flourished in the cities of Gaul - Lyon and Vienna, and the first bishops of Lyons, Saints Pofinus and Irenaeus, were disciples of Saint Polycarp. From Gaul the Christian faith spread to neighboring Germany. The Christians of Asia Minor planted the holy faith in Britain. Through the works of Roman preachers, Christianity was established in North Africa and Spain. In the first of these countries, the Carthaginian Church rose to prominence with its Christian enlightenment, and from here Christianity spread to Numidia, Mauritania and generally along the North African coast. From Alexandria, Christianity spread to Egypt and its neighboring countries. The famous teachers of the Alexandrian school, Panten and Origen, undertook separate trips to Arabia and India for missionary purposes. Thus, the successors of the apostles during the 2nd and 3rd centuries completed their work. Saint Justin the Martyr back in the 2nd century could say: “There is no longer a people in the world among whom praises would not be raised to the Father and Creator of all in the name of Jesus Christ” 40. Tertullian wrote to the pagans at the beginning of the 3rd century: “We have existed only, so to speak, since yesterday and already fill everything: your cities, islands, castles, suburbs, councils, camps, tribes, dicurias, court, senate, forum; We will leave you only your temples” 41. – The narrative in the Gospel of Matthew is aimed primarily at showing that Jesus Christ is the true Messiah, promised to Abraham and David, foretold by the prophets. Therefore, at the beginning of his Gospel, Matthew places the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, narrating the events of the Savior’s earthly life, he often indicates the prophecies that were fulfilled in these events (Matthew 1:22–23; 2:5–6 and many others). His Gospel was originally written in Hebrew, but in the first century (and, as some think, by the Apostle Matthew himself) was translated into Greek. – The stamp of Petrov’s spirit is visible on the Gospel of Mark. The main idea of ​​the Gospel of Mark is that the Lord Jesus Christ is God, the ruler of the universe. Mark's Gospel is distinguished by its brevity and conciseness of speech. Narrating primarily the miracles of the Lord in powerful, life-filled and energetic essays, the evangelist presents the divine greatness of the Lord the Redeemer. Some events in the life of the Lord, for example, His capture by soldiers, are depicted, apparently, as an eyewitness (Mark 14:51–52). – Both sacred books were originally intended for Theophilus, a noble Roman who lived in Antioch. The main idea of ​​the Gospel is that the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth not only for Jews, but also for pagans, and is the Savior of the whole world. Saint Luke primarily chooses such events in the life of the Savior and such His parables, in which the love of God for repentant sinners is visible (5, 27–39; 7, 36–50; 14, 15–24; ch. 15, 16, 9–14; 19, 1–10; 23, 39–43). Just as in the Gospel of Mark the participation of the great Apostle Peter is noticeable, so in the Gospel of Luke a special closeness to the teaching of the Holy Apostle Paul is visible. The Book of the Acts of the Apostles is, as it were, a continuation of the Gospel. It especially depicts the works of the supreme apostles Peter (at the beginning of the book) and Paul (from chapter 13 to the end). – Conversation with Tryphon, ch. 17. You might be interested in: