The Church commemorates today the five saints of the apostolic years, who belonged to the broader circle of the Lord’s seventy disciples.
Their names are: Silas, who according to Acts was a companion of the Apostle Paul, was imprisoned with him in Philippi of Macedonia and became bishop of Corinth. Silvan, also a companion of Apostle Paul, who became bishop of Thessaloniki and suffered much in order to spread the Holy Gospel, since the people of Thessaloniki, influenced by Greek philosophy, rationalized Christ’s preaching. Crescens, who according to the Second Letter to Timothy, marched to Galatia, that is, and became Bishop of Carthage. Andronicus, who was the husband of the apostle Junia and assisted the Apostle to the Nations on his tour of Rome, and Epenetus, who taught in North Africa and became bishop of Cartagena.
These disciples, by keeping with the command of the resurrected Jesus Christ, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,” did the same missionary work as the Twelve Apostles. However, they are distinguished from them for the latter constituted the narrow core of the disciples, which symbolized the twelve Tribes of Israel.
The Apostles are the pillars of our Holy Orthodox Church, upon which rested the building of the legacy of the Holy Trinity God for the salvation of men.
Source: Church of Cyprus
