Память святых апостолов Архиппа, Филимона и Апфии

According to the testimony of Blessed Ambrose, Saint Apostle Archippus, one of the seventy, was bishop after Saint Epaphras in the city of Colossae 1479, in Phrygia; Saint Apostle Paul in his letter to Philemon calls Saint Archippus his companion (Phil. 1:2). Saint Philemon was an eminent citizen in Colossae, while Saint Apphia, according to the testimony of John Chrysostom, was Philemon’s wife. The latter, having believed in Christ, made a church out of his house; Thus, all the believers in Colossae gathered in Philemon’s house and here Divine services were performed, as if in a church, 1480. Then Saint Philemon was made a bishop in order to help the Apostles in spreading the Gospel. During the time of the holy Apostles, some of the bishops had permanent residence and occupied one specific see, while others, not having this, went around various cities and villages; such were called apostolic bishops, since they were sent for apostolic preaching. Such a bishop was Saint Philemon, who was considered worthy to be numbered, like some local bishops, among the seventy holy Apostles; he went around the cities of Phrygia and some others and everywhere zealously preached the word of God. The news has survived to us that he was a bishop in Gaza in 1481. Saint Apphia, having built a church in her home in Colossae, diligently served the Lord day and night, laboring in prayer and fasting; she joyfully accepted and gave shelter to those who worked, preaching the teachings of Christ; she delivered food to the poor, the wretched and strangers, so that her house was not only a church, but also a hospice, a hospital and a refuge for everyone who did not have a place where they could rest and calm down. Once upon a time, a godless festival was celebrated in Colossae in honor of the pagan goddess Artemis 1482. At this time, the holy Apostles Archippus and Philemon, who were in this city, having gathered all the believers in the house of Philemon and Apphia, offered up their usual prayers to the Lord and performed the Divine service. Meanwhile, the idolaters, who harbored strong hatred for the believers, learned that all the Christians had gathered in Philemon’s house. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the pagans suddenly attacked the believers, dispersed the entire flock of Christ, beat some, killed others; then, seizing the holy Apostles Archippus and Philemon, as well as Saint Apphia, they brought them to the Ephesian mayor Artoklis and, at the command of the latter, subjected the saints to torture: first, the tormentors stretched them out on the ground and began to drag them, mercilessly inflicting blows on them; then they buried each of them individually up to their hips in the ground and began to stone them. They completely stoned Saint Philemon and Saint Apphia; and Saint Archippus was left barely alive to be ridiculed by children; Many youths gathered here and began to torment the saint with knives. So these three saints appeared in Heaven before the throne of the Most Holy, Life-Giving, Divine and Indivisible Trinity 1483. Kontakion of the Apostle Archippus, tone 4: Like a great star, the church that possesses you, Archippe, illuminated by your miracles with the rays, calls to you: save by faith those who honor your memory. Colossi is a city in the southwestern part of Phrygia (region of Asia Minor), near the Lycus River, near Laodicea and Hierapolis. In ancient times there was a large, populated, rich city. Currently, this is a small village on one of the Hokas slopes, where the ruins of the ancient city of Colossae are still preserved. During the time of the Apostles, Christians did not have special places for prayer meetings. Usually, some of the best upper rooms served for this purpose, usually in the house of some wealthy believer, and all the Christians of the city gathered in it to celebrate the sacrament of the Eucharist and public prayers. Thus, a simple upper room was like a church. We have the prototype of such a church-upper in the famous Zion Upper Room, in which, according to legend, the Last Supper was celebrated by the Lord Jesus Christ before His suffering, and in which, after the Ascension of the Lord, the Apostles gathered, receiving in it, on the fiftieth day after His resurrection, the gifts of the Holy Spirit who descended on them. Gaza is one of the most ancient Philistine cities, which served as the border of the Canaanites in the south of Palestine. Subsequently, this flourishing city lost all its significance, and now only sandy hills and miserable ruins serve as evidence that a significant city once existed here. Not far from here is a new city of later origin, of the same name. Artemis, otherwise Diana, is a famous pagan goddess among the Greeks and Romans, who personified the moon and was considered the patroness of forests and hunting. The service of this goddess was performed with great splendor and brilliance; She was especially revered in the city of Ephesus. The apostles Archippus and Philemon and the holy wife Apphia died during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero (54–68). Their memory is also celebrated by the Church on November 22. You might be interested in: