Andronicus | |
|---|---|
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| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodox Church Anglican Communion Catholic Church |
| Feast | May 17,22 Pashons |
| Attributes | Wreath |
Andronicus of Pannonia (Greek:Ἀνδρόνικος) was a 1st-centuryChristian mentioned by theApostle Paul in hisEpistle to the Romans (chapter 16):
Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
— Romans 16:7 Authorized Version
(other versions:Romans 16:7)
According to that verse, Andronicus was a kinsman of Paul and a fellow prisoner at some time, particularly well known among the apostles, and had become a follower ofJesus Christ beforePaul's Damascus road conversion. It is generally assumed thatJunia was his wife, but they could have been brother and sister, or father and daughter, or no close relation to each other, but to Paul as kinsmen.
Translations of theNew Testament vary with their renditions of the Greek words translated as "of note" and "apostles." One theory is that Andronicus and Junia were not apostles themselves, but enjoyed a high reputation among the apostles.[1] However, classicistEvelyn Stagg and New Testament scholarFrank Stagg write that Paul makes a special point of explicitly stating how well known the couple is to him. His references to the couple's imprisonment with him and to the time of their conversion relative to his own would give him no interest in deferring to the opinion of others as a source of credentials. Hence, he considers himself competent to endorse the couple as "apostles" on the basis of his own involvement with them. The Staggs conclude that both the context and the content of this verse require that it be read naturally as Paul's commendation of Andronicus and Junia as being remarkable Christian workers and "apostles" alongside Silas, Timothy, and others given that title in the early Church.[2] The traditional view of theEastern Orthodox Church, states that Andronicus was Bishop of Pannonia and that Andronicus and Junia were both martyred.[3]
In theEastern Orthodox andOriental Orthodox traditions, Andronicus was one of theSeventy Apostles. Andronicus was made bishop ofPannonia and preached the Gospel throughout the whole of Pannonia together with Junia. Andronicus and Junia were successful in bringing many to Christ and in demolishing many temples of idolatry. The tradition holds that they were capable of performingmiracles, by which they drove out demons and healed many of sickness and disease.[4]
In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, Andronicus died as amartyr. He andJunia are commemorated in theEastern Orthodox Church onMay 17. In the Oriental Orthodox tradition, Andronicus departed in peace one day before the departure of Junia. He is commemorated on22 Pashons in theCoptic Orthodox Church.
TheCatholicarchbishopric of Moravia was originally established byPope Nicholas I in the 9th century as a revival of the see founded by Andronicus.
