Caesar of Dyrrhachium (

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

: Καίσαρ Δυρραχιού) is numbered among the

Seventy Disciples The seventy disciples (Greek language, Greek: ἑβδομήκοντα μαθητές, ''hebdomikonta mathetes''), known in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Christian traditions as the seventy apostles (Greek language, Greek: ἑβδομήκον� ...

, and was

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of Dyrrhachium, a city of

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

in modern

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

Biography

Caesar was one of the Seventy Disciples, who may also be known in traditions from

Eastern Christianity Eastern Christianity comprises Christianity, Christian traditions and Christian denomination, church families that originally developed during Classical antiquity, classical and late antiquity in the Eastern Mediterranean region or locations fu ...

as the seventy apostles (

: ἑβδομήκοντα απόστολοι, ''hebdomikonta apostoloi''). The apostles were early emissaries of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

mentioned in the

Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke is the third of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It tells of the origins, Nativity of Jesus, birth, Ministry of Jesus, ministry, Crucifixion of Jesus, death, Resurrection of Jesus, resurrection, and Ascension of ...

. The number of those disciples varies between either 70 or 72 depending on the manuscript. In Saint Paul’s letter to the

Philippians The Epistle to the Philippians is a Pauline epistle of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and Timothy is named with him as co-author or co-sender. The letter is addressed to the Christia ...

, Caesar is mentioned in the verse 4:22: ''“All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.”''

Legacy

The Church remembers St. Caesar on March 30 with Apostles

Sosthenes Sosthenes (Greek: Σωσθένης, ''Sōsthénēs'', "safe in strength") was the chief ruler of the synagogue at Corinth, who, according to the Acts of the Apostles, was seized and beaten by the mob in the presence of Gallio, the Roman governo ...

Apollos Apollos () was a 1st-century Alexandrian Jewish Christian mentioned several times in the New Testament. A contemporary and colleague of Paul the Apostle, he played an important role in the early development of the churches of Ephesus and Cori ...

, Cephas, and

Epaphroditus Epaphroditus () is a New Testament figure appearing as an envoy of the Philippian church to assist the Apostle Paul ( Philippians 2:25-30). He is regarded as a saint of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, first Bishop of ...

and on December 8 with the same apostles and

Onesiphorus Onesiphorus (Greek: Ονησιφόρος; meaning "bringing profit" or "useful") was a Christian referred to in the New Testament letter of Second Timothy ( and ). According to the letter sent by St. Paul, Onesiphorus sought out Paul who was imp ...

. He was the first bishop of Dyrrhachium (modern day

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the List of cities and towns in Albania#List, second most populous city of the Albania, Republic of Albania and county seat, seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is one of Albania's oldest ...

, Albania). His position as bishop was succeeded by

Saint Astius Astius (died AD 98 AD; , Greek: Άστιος) is a 2nd-century Christian martyr venerated by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. He was the bishop of Dyrrhachium (now Durrës in Albania). According to legend, he was arrested ...

, an

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

who has a church dedicated to him in Durres.

References

External links

Apostle Caesar of the Seventy
( OCA)
The Choosing of the Seventy Holy Apostles
(''

Prologue of Ohrid The ''Prologue from Ohrid'' was compiled by Saint Nikolai Velimirovic (1881–1956). Bishop Nikolai's work is a compilation of lives of saints, hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically writte ...

'') Seventy disciples 1st-century bishops in the Roman Empire {{saint-stub