THE CHOOSING OF THE SEVENTY HOLY APOSTLES (original) (raw)

As recounted by Dorotheus, Bishop of Tyre, an ancient and pious man, who became a martyr in the reign of the emperors Licinius and Constantine.

This above-mentioned and exemplary man left us various writings in Greek and Latin, for he was proficient in both languages and possessed of great intelligence. After the death of Diocletian and Licinius, he returned home and ruled the church of Tyre until Julian the torturer came to power; for Julian did not kill Christians openly, but secretly through his princes. Dorotheus came once more to the city of Odessus polis, where he was seized by Julian�s princes and suffered many tortures in his very old age for confessing Christ, and died as a martyr at the age of one hundred and seventy. This saintly Dorotheus speaks of the seventy apostles and disciples of Christ, many of whom were bishops among different peoples, while others served as preachers, whom the divine Paul mentions in tile salutations in his epistles. Many years after the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, he found all of them and recorded them, their names being as follows:

1. JACOB , brother of the Lord, first bishop of Jerusalem, who was ordained by the Lord Himself, whose head was crushed by a whiffletree and he died.
2. CLEOPAS was the second bishop of Jerusalem like Simeon, brother of the Lord; he saw the Lord after the resurrection, and died crucified by Emperor Dometian.
3. THADDEUS , who carried the letter to Avgar in Edessa: he cured the latter of his illness.
4. ANANIAS , who baptized the holy Apostle Paul, was bishop of Damascus.
5. STEPHEN , the first martyr, died after being stoned by the Jews.
6. PHILIP , one of the seven [deacons], who baptized Simon the sorcerer and Canalace�s eunuch, was bishop of Asian Tralia.
7. PROCHORUS , also one of the seven, was bishop of Bithynian Nicomedia.
8. NICANOR , one of the seven, died on the same day as Saint
9. Stephen , together with two thousand believers in Christ.
10. TIMON , one of the seven, was bishop of the island of Arabia, and died after being burned by the Hellenes.
11. PARMENAS , also one of the seven, died in front of the apostles� eyes while he was serving.
12. NICOLAS , also one of the seven, was bishop of Samaria; but he deviated from the true faith together with Simon.
13. BARNABAS , who served the Word together with Paul, and preached Christ in peace, was bishop of Milan.
14. MARK the Evangelist was ordained bishop of Alexandria by the Apostle Peter.
15. SILAS who preached the Gospel together with Paul, was bishop of Corinth.
16. LUKE , who preached the Gospel all over the world together with Paul, was bishop of Salonika. Luke the Evangelist came from Syrian Antioch, and went to Macedonian Thebes as a doctor during the reign of Emperor Trajan. He first wrote the holy Gospel to a certain ruler Theophilus, who believed in Christ. Then, many years after the passion of our Lord, and the holy Apostle Peter having commanded him to narrate the acts of the holy apostles, Saint Luke narrated the acts of the holy apostles to the same TheophiIus, And having done this, he gave up his soul to God in peace; and thus he died in Thebes. His holy relics were translated from Thebes to the church of the Holy Apostles, and were layed under the altar table.
17. SILVANUS , who preached the Gospel together with bishop of Salonika.
18. CRISPUS , whom the apostle (Paul) mentions in his epistle to Timothy, was bishop of Galilean Chalcedon.
19. EPENETUS , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle Romans, was bishop of Carthage.
20. ANDRONICUS , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Romans, was bishop of Pannonia.
21. AMPLIAS , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Romans. was bishop of Odissa.
22. URBAN , whom the apostle mentions in the epistle to the Romans, was bishop of Macedonia.
23. STACHYS , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Romans; when Andrew the apostle, traversing the sea of Hellespont, reached Agricopolis, he ordained Stachys as bishop of Byzantium.
24. APELLES , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Romans, was bishop of Heraklion.
25. PHYGELLUS was bishop of Ephesus; later he converted to Simon�s teaching.
26. HERMOGENES was bishop of Thracian Megara.
27. DEMAS , whom the apostle mentions in his second epistle to Timothy, opposed the teaching of God just as Phygellus and Hermogenes did; Demas loved this present world and in Salonika was a priest of the idols; he was one of whom the apostle John writes: they came from us, but were not one of us. APOLLOS, whom the apostle mentions, was bishop of Smyrna before Saint Polycarpus.
28. ARISTOBULUS , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Romans, was bishop of Britannia.
29. NARCISSUS , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Romans, was bishop of Athens.
30. HERODION , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Romans, was bishop of Patfas.
31. AGABUS , who is mentioned in the acts of the apostles, who received the gift of prophecy.
32. RUFUS , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Romans, was bishop of Thebes.
33. ASYNCRITUS , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Romans, was bishop of Hyrcania.
34. PHLEGON , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Colossians, was bishop of Marathon.
35. HERMAS , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Romans, was bishop of Dalmatia.
36. PATROBAS , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Romans, was bishop of Pottole.
37. HERMES , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Romans, was bishop of Philipopolis.
38. LINUS , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Romans, was bishop of Rome after the holy apostle Peter.
39. GAIUS , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Romans, was bishop of Ephesus after the apostle Timotheus.
40. PHILOGOGUS , whom the apostle [Paul] mentions, was ordained bishop of Sinope by Andrew the apostle.
41. RODION , whom the apostle mentions, was beheaded by Nero in Rome, together with the holy apostle Peter.
42. LUCIUS , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Romans, was bishop of Syrian Laodicea.
43. JASON , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Romans, was bishop of Tarsis.
44. SOSIPATER , whom the apostle mentions in his epistle to the Romans, was bishop of Iconium.
45. TERTIUS , who wrote the epistle to the Romans, was the second bishop of Iconium.
46. ERASTUS , whom the apostle mentions, was chamberlain of the church in Jerusalem; later he was bishop of Paneas.
47. APOLLOS , whom the apostle mentions to the Corinthians, was bishop of Caesarea.
48. CEPHAS was bishop of Iconium.
49. SOSTHENES , whom the apostle mentions, was bishop of Colophon.
50. TYCHICUS . whom the apostle mentions, was also bishop of Colophon.
51. EPAPHRAS , whom the apostle mentions, was bishop of Andriaca.
52. CAESAR , whom the apostle mentions, was bishop in Dyrrhachium.
53. MARK , the nephew of Barnabas, whom the apostle mentions, was bishop of Apollonias.
54. JESUS , called Justus, whom the apostle mentions in the Acts, was bishop of Eleutheropolis.
55. ARTEMUS , whom the apostle mentions, was bishop of Lystra.
56. CLEMENT , whom the apostle mentions, saying: �and with Clement, and with my other fellowworkers,� was bishop of Sardice.
57. ONESIPHORUS , whom the apostle mentions, was bishop of Cyrene.
58. TYCHICUS , whom the apostle mentions, was the first bishop of Bithynian Chalcedon.
59. QUARTUS , whom the apostle mentions, was bishop of Berytus.
60. CARPUS , whom the apostle mentions, was bishop of Thracian Berrhoe.
61. EUODIUS was bishop of Antioch after Saint Peter.
62. ARISTARCHUS , whom the apostle mentions, was bishop of Syrian Apamea.
63. MARK , called John, who is mentioned by Luke in the Acts, was bishop of Byblos.
64. ZENAS the lawyer, whom the apostle mentions, was bishop of Giospolis.
65. PHILEMON , to whom the apostle Paul wrote an epistle, was bishop of Gaza.
66. Another ARISTARCHUS,
67. PUDENS ,
68. TROPHIMUS : these three suffered together with the apostle Paul through all his persecutions; in the end they were beheaded in Rome by Emperor Nero.
69. ONESIMUS died in Potiole at the hands of the Roman ruler Tertillus.

All of these were bishops among the pagans. The saintly and most-blessed Dorotheus, while he was bishop of the church of Tyre, wrote about them and left his writings to the church, in order to commemorate the holy apostles, about whom even Paul wrote, saying: they were servants of God before us. May no one disbelieve it, for it is the truth.

This listing is found in the introductory material of the Slavonic Apostolos

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