Sosipater ( el, Σωσίπατρος) is a person mentioned in the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...

, in Romans 16:21. He is probably the same person as

Sopater Sopater Orr, James, M. A., D. D. General EditorSopater ''International Standard Bible Encyclopedia''. 1915. Retrieved December 9, 2005. ( el, Σώπατρος, ''Sṓpatros'') was the son of Pyrhus,Seventy Apostles The seventy disciples or seventy-two disciples, known in the Eastern Christian traditions as the seventy apostles or seventy-two apostles, were early emissaries of Jesus mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. The correct Greek terminology is evdomikont ...

. St. Sosipater's

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context do ...

s are on April 28 (Slavic tradition), or 29 (Greek tradition) with St.

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He ...

; November 10 with saints

Erastus Erastus is a masculine given name which may refer to: Biblical figures: * Erastus of Corinth, in the New Testament of the Bible People: * Erastus of Scepsis, 4th century BC student of Plato * Erastus Newton Bates (1828–1898), American politicia ...

Olympas Olympas ( el, Ὀλυμπᾶς, meaning "heavenly") was a Roman Christian whom Paul of Tarsus saluted () in around 65 AD. Olympas is regarded in the Eastern Orthodox Church as being one of the Seventy disciples The seventy disciples or seventy-t ...

Herodian Herodian or Herodianus ( el, Ἡρωδιανός) of Syria, sometimes referred to as "Herodian of Antioch" (c. 170 – c. 240), was a minor Roman civil servant who wrote a colourful history in Greek titled ''History of the Empire from the Death o ...

, Quartus and Tertius; and January 4 with the Seventy. According to Latin tradition, the disciple of St

Paul the Apostle Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

died on the 25th of June in

Beroea Beroea (or Berea) was an ancient city of the Hellenistic period and Roman Empire now known as Veria (or Veroia) in Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, Northern Greece. It is a small city on the eastern side of the Vermio Mountains north of Mount Olympus ...

Legend

Sosipater was born in

Achaea Achaea () or Achaia (), sometimes transliterated from Greek as Akhaia (, ''Akhaïa'' ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Western Greece and is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. T ...

. According to legend, he was

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 ...

in Iconium (modern-day

Konya Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it D ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

) (prior to the

Apostle Tertius According to the New Testament book of Romans, Tertius of Iconium (also Tertios) acted as an amanuensis for Paul the Apostle, writing down his Epistle to the Romans. He is numbered among the Seventy Disciples in a list pseudonymously attributed t ...

) by his relative the

Apostle Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

. With the Apostle Jason he traveled to the island of

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

where they built a church in honor of the

Apostle Stephen the Protomartyr Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...

and converted many pagans to the Christian faith. Seeing this, the governor of Corfu threw them into prison where they

converted Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

seven other prisoners to the Christian faith: Saturninus, Jakischolus, Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius and Mammius, known as the Seven Robbers. The governor had those seven put to death by boiling pitch for their faith. The governor's daughter, the virgin , having watched these holy apostles being tortured and turned to the Christian faith, distributed all her jewels to the poor. The governor became angry and put her in prison, yet she would not deny Christ. So he had the prison burned, but she remained unharmed. Many people were

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost i ...

upon seeing this

miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...

. He then had her killed with arrows while tied to a tree. Many believers fled to a nearby island to get away from the enraged governor, but as he chased them his boat sank. The new governor embraced the Christian faith and in baptism received the name Sebastian. From then on Sts. Sosipater and Jason freely preached the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

and built up the Church in Corfu until a very old age, when they gave up their souls to God.

Hymns

November 10

Troparion A troparion (Greek , plural: , ; Georgian: , ; Church Slavonic: , ) in Byzantine music and in the religious music of Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a short hymn of one stanza, or organised in more complex forms as series of stanzas. The wi ...

( Tone 3) :Holy Apostles,

, Sosipater, Quartus and Tertius, :entreat the merciful God, :to grant our souls forgiveness of transgressions.

Kontakion The kontakion ( Greek , plural , ''kontakia'') is a form of hymn performed in the Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic liturgical traditions. The kontakion originated in the Byzantine Empire around the 6th century and is closely associated with S ...

(Tone 2) :Illumined by divine light, O holy apostles, :you wisely destroyed the works of idolatry. :When you caught all the pagans you brought them to the Master :and taught them to glorify the Trinity.

April 28

Troparion (Tone 3) :O holy Apostles

and Sosipater, :Pray to the merciful God, :That He may grant to our souls :Remission of our transgressions. Kontakion (Tone 2) :O Jason, source of healing, :And Sosipater, glory of the martyrs of Christ: :You were enlightened by the preaching of Paul, :Both becoming a great consolation to the world through your miracles. :Thrice-holy and God-bearing Apostles and defenders of those who suffer, :Intercede with Christ God that He may save our souls.

References

Sources

*St.

Nikolai Velimirovic Nikolai or Nikolay is an East Slavic variant of the masculine name Nicholas. It may refer to: People Royalty * Nicholas I of Russia (1796–1855), or Nikolay I, Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855 * Nicholas II of Russia (1868–1918), or Niko ...

, ''The

Prologue of Ohrid The ''Prologue from Ohrid'' was compiled by Saint Nikolai Velimirovic. 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 normall ...

'' *

Martyrologium Romanum The ''Roman Martyrology'' ( la, Martyrologium Romanum) is the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy, but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approv ...

(for the Latin tradition)

External links

Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy
November 10 (

OCA OCA or Oca may refer to: Places and jurisdictions * The ancient town and bishopric Oca in Asia Minor (present Asia Turkey), now a Latin Catholic titular see * The former Spanish Oca, modern Villafranca Montes de Oca, also see of a medieval bis ...

)
Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy and those with him
April 28 (OCA)
Jason & Sosipater the Apostles of the 70 & their Companions
(

GOARCH The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, headquartered in New York City, is an eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Its current primate is Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. Archbishop On May 11, 2019, the church's Holy ...

)
The Holy Apostles Jason, Sosipater and the Virgin Cercyra
(''Prologue of Ohrid'') {{authority control Seventy disciples Saints from Roman Greece Christian saints from the New Testament 1st-century bishops in Roman Achaea People in Acts of the Apostles People in the Pauline epistles Legendary Greek people