Saint Publius ( mt, San Publju; grc-gre, Πούπλιος) is a first century Maltese

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

. He is

venerated Veneration ( la, veneratio; el, τιμάω ), or veneration of saints, is the act of honoring a saint, a person who has been identified as having a high degree of sanctity or holiness. Angels are shown similar veneration in many religions. Etym ...

as the first Bishop of Malta and one of the first Bishops of Athens. Publius is

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

's first acknowledged saint, the prince of the island ( mt, il-prinċep tal-gżira). According to Maltese Christian tradition, Publius' conversion led to

being the first Christian nation in the

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

. His feast day is celebrated by the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and the Orthodox Church, of which the traditions related and the day of celebration differ.

History and tradition

According to Christian tradition, it was Publius who received Paul the Apostle during his shipwreck on the island as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles. According to the Acts of the Apostles, Paul cured Publius'

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

-afflicted father. :''"In the vicinity of that place were lands belonging to a man named Publius, the chief of the island. He welcomed us and received us cordially as his guests for three days. It so happened that the father of Publius was sick with a fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and, after praying, laid his hands on him and healed him. After this had taken place, the rest of the sick on the island came to Paul and were cured. They paid us great honor and when we eventually set sail they brought us the provisions we needed."'' — Acts 28:7–10, New American Bible Apart from being

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of Floriana, Publius is also one of the two patron saints of Malta beside Paul. He was martyred c. 125, during the persecution of Emperor Hadrian, and canonised in the year 1634. His feast is celebrated on January 22, in the

, which places him as the successor of

Dionysius the Areopagite Dionysius the Areopagite (; grc-gre, Διονύσιος ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης ''Dionysios ho Areopagitēs'') was an Athenian judge at the Areopagus Court in Athens, who lived in the first century. A convert to Christianity, he is venerate ...

(Denis the Areopagite), dating his martyrdom to c. 112 AD. In the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...

, however, his feast day is observed on

March 13 Events Pre-1600 *624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh. *1567 – The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War. *1591 – At the Battle of Tond ...

, and according to an epistle of Saint Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, he is placed as the successor of Saint Narcissus of Athens, dating his martyrdom to the period of the persecution under Marcus Aurelius (). Godfrey Wettinger, a contemporary historian, argues that there is no proof that Paul ever was in Malta other than in pseudo-Maltese history dating from the 11th to the 18th centuries. The island was conquered by the Muslims between 870 and 1091, during which period it also spent years uninhabited, suggesting that Christianity in Malta is not rooted on Publius and Paul. Though the Acts of the Apostles (c. 28) does specifically mention Malta in connection with Paul's voyage and shipwreck, the text does only claims that Publius' father was healed of dysentery and not that he ever converted.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Publius 112 deaths 2nd-century Christian saints Maltese saints People in Acts of the Apostles National symbols of Malta Saints of Roman Athens Year of birth unknown Bishops of Athens Bishops of Malta

History and tradition

See also

Notes

References