Apostle 1st century

Apostles Evodius & Onesiphorus

Also known as Euodias and Onesiphorus of the Seventy

Two of the Seventy: Evodius, second bishop of Antioch, who first called the disciples 'Christians'; and Onesiphorus, praised by the Apostle Paul for refreshing him in prison

Feast Day

September 7

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Commemorated as

Holy Apostles Evodius and Onesiphorus of the Seventy

Life

Evodius and Onesiphorus are commemorated together on September 7 among the Seventy Apostles, the wider circle of disciples that Orthodox tradition holds were chosen and sent by Christ to preach after the Twelve. Both are associated with the apostolic generation of the mid-first century and with the region of Syria and Asia Minor.

Evodius is remembered as a bishop of Antioch in Syria, traditionally the first to hold that see after the Apostle Peter, and is credited in some sources with the first use of the name 'Christians' for the disciples. Onesiphorus is the figure praised by the Apostle Paul in the Second Epistle to Timothy for seeking him out and refreshing him during his imprisonment in Rome.

Timeline 3 moments Read Hide

1st century Among the Seventy Both are numbered in Orthodox tradition among the Seventy Apostles sent by Christ to preach.
c. mid-1st century Evodius bishop of Antioch Evodius is held to have led the church of Antioch as its first bishop after the Apostle Peter, and is credited by some sources with the first use of the name 'Christians.'
1st century Onesiphorus refreshes Paul Onesiphorus sought out and refreshed the imprisoned Apostle Paul, who commends him and his household in 2 Timothy.

Contributions & Legacy

2 contributions Read Hide

Evodius of Antioch

Orthodox tradition counts Evodius (also spelled Euodias) among the Seventy Apostles and names him as the first bishop of Syrian Antioch after the Apostle Peter. The Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, traditionally his successor in that see, is cited as honoring him; sources report that he held the bishopric for about twenty-seven years.

Some sources credit Evodius with being the first to call the disciples of Jesus 'Christians,' a name that the New Testament records as first arising at Antioch (Acts 11:26). Several writings have been attributed to him, though most are not preserved; later historians such as Nicephorus Callistus mention a work associated with his name. Tradition holds that he died a martyr under the emperor Nero, dated by sources to the year 66, though these martyrdom traditions are recorded by later writers.

Onesiphorus

Onesiphorus is named in the New Testament in the Second Epistle to Timothy, where Paul asks the Lord's mercy on his household because he 'oft refreshed' Paul and was not ashamed of his chains, seeking him out diligently when Paul was a prisoner in Rome (2 Timothy 1:16-18); he is greeted again in 2 Timothy 4:19. Orthodox tradition numbers him among the Seventy Apostles.

According to tradition, Onesiphorus served as a bishop, associated by sources with Colophon in Asia Minor and later with Corinth. Both Orthodox and Roman Catholic tradition hold that he died a martyr, with later accounts placing his death at Parium on the Hellespont; as with Evodius, the martyrdom traditions are attested by later sources rather than scripture.

Commemorated with Read Hide

The Seventy Apostles

Commemorated together · Jan 4

Sources: Synaxarion; 2 Timothy 1