Biography

The Kievan hill where St Andrew is said to have erected the cross is commemorated by the cathedral dedicated in his name. Eusebius quotes Origen as saying Andrew preached in Asia Minor and in Scythia, along the Black Sea as far as the Volga. Hence he became a patron saint of Romania and Russia. Traditionally, he became the first bishop of Byzantium in 38, a position which would later become Patriarch of Constantinople.

The apocryphal Acts of Andrew, mentioned by Eusebius, Epiphanius and others, is among a disparate group Acts of Apostles that were traditionally attributed to Leucius Charinus. "These Acts may be the latest of the five leading apostolic romances. They belong to the third century: ca. A.D. 260," was the opinion of C.R. James, who edited them in 1924.

In the Bible

• ⁴⁴ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. (John 1:44)

• ¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. (Matt. 4:18)

• ² These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; (Matt. 10:2)

• ⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. (John 1:40)

• ¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." (Matt. 4:18, 19)

• ¹⁶ As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." (Mark 1:16, 17)

• ⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, ⁹ "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" (John 6:8, 9)

• ²² Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. (John 12:22)

• ³ As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, (Mark 13:3)

• ⁹ "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" (John 6:9)

• ²² Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. (John 12:22)

It is noteworthy that Andrew thrice brings others to Christ, (1) Peter; (2) the lad with the loaves; and (3) certain Greeks. These incidents may be regarded as a key to his character. -Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary

Andrew is represented in art as an old man with long white hair and a beard, holding the Gospel in his right hand, and leaning on his characteristic saltire cross. Relics: St Andrew Basilica - Patras (Greece), Sant'Andrea Dome - Amalfi (Italy), St Mary Cathedral - Edinburgh (National Shrine to St Andrew Scotland) and St Andrew & St Albert church - Warsaw (Poland).

Scottish legends

The oldest surviving accounts are two: one among the manuscripts collected by Colbert and willed to the King, now in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, the other in the Harleian Mss in the British Library, London. They state that the relics of Andrew were brought by one Regulus to the Pictish king Óengus mac Fegusa (729–761). The only historical Regulus (Riagail or Rule) — the name is preserved by the tower of St Rule — was an Irish monk expelled from Ireland with St Columba; his date, however, is c. 573–600. There are good reasons for supposing that the relics were originally in the collection of Acca, bishop of Hexham, who took them into Pictish country when he was driven from Hexham (c. 732), and founded a see, not, according to tradition, in Galloway, but on the site of St Andrews. The connection with Regulus is, therefore, due in all probability to the desire to date the foundation of the church at St Andrews as early as possible.

Another legend says that in the late 8th century, during a joint battle with the English, King Ungus (either the Óengus mac Fergusa mentioned previously or another king of the same name (820–834)) saw a cloud shaped like a saltire, and declared Andrew was watching over them, and if they won by his grace, then he would be their patron saint. However, there is evidence Andrew was venerated in Scotland before this.

A third theory as to Andrew's connection with Scotland is that, following the Synod of Whitby, the Celtic Church felt that Columba had been "outranked" by Peter. They therefore decided that the patron of the Celtic Church would now be Peter's older brother. While a satisfying piece of folklore, there is no more evidence for this than any other theory.

The 1320 Declaration of Arbroath, which declared Scottish independence from England, cites Scotland's conversion to Christianity by St Andrew, "the first to be an Apostle", as evidence of Scotland being held in especially high regard by God.

Numerous parish churches in the Church of Scotland and congregations of other Christian churches in Scotland are named after St Andrew.

The Italian Tradition

Saint Andrew in Romanian tradition

Saint Andrew and the Parish of Luqa (Malta)

In the old days, many fishermen lived in the village of Luqa, and this may be the main reason behind choosing Saint Andrew as patron saint of Luqa. One must also add that Luqa became officially a Parish on the 15th of May, 1634, during the reign of Pope Urban VIII. The first Parish Priest of the newly established parish was Rev. Wistin Cassia S.Th.D.

In 1634, a new Parish Church was built under the supercision of Rev. Gulio Muscat, and it took a lot of years for completion. Many people donated money to finance this new project. One must not forget that in these times, Luqa was a poor village and so this new Church was a great financial burden for all the people. After lots of work, the Church was completed and consecrated.

On the 9th of April, 1942, the Parish Church was hit during an air-raid and was damaged. After the war has ended, the Church was rebuilt and consecrated by the Archbishop of Malta Mgr. Michael Gonzi on the 26th of September, 1962.

The titular statue of Saint Andrew was sculpted in wood by Giuseppe Scolaro in 1779. This statue underwent several restoration works including that of 1913 performed by the Maltese renowned artist Abraham Gatt.

The titular painting found on the main altar of the Church was painted by Mattia Preti in 1687. This represents the martyrdom of Saint Andrew. Mattia Preti also depicted the painting of the Assumption of the B.V. Mary found in one of the side altars of the Church. Other artists which contributed in this Church were Envin Cremona, Giuseppe Cali, and Paul Camilleri Cauchi.

Amongst the feasts celebrated in Saint Andrew's Church, one could mention the titular feast of Saint Andrew (first Sunday of July, and 30th November), the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (first Sunday of October), the feast of Our Lady of Consolation (last Sunday of August), and the feast of Chorpus Christi (June). An important procession which is organised is that of Good Friday, which consists of 9 artistic statues representing the Passion of Our Lord.

Conclusions

St Andrew's Day is observed on November 30 in both the Eastern and Western churches, and is the national day of Scotland.

References

• Metzeger, Bruce M. (ed), Michael D. Coogan (ed) (1993). The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-504645-5
• Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-140-51312-4

see also: Timeline of Christianity