The Life and Passion of the Holy Apostle Onesimus, One of the Seventy (St. Justin Popovich)

St. Onesimus the Apostle (Feast Day - February 15)

 By St. Justin Popovich

In the Phrygian city of Colossae was a distinguished nobleman named Philemon. He believed in Christ, and later was honored with the episcopal rank. He would also be included among the Holy Seventy Apostles. Before his apostleship, Philemon had a slave named Onesimus. He sinned against his master and, fearing punishment, fled from him and traveled to Rome. In Rome he found the Holy Apostle Paul in chains, and heard a holy sermon from him. And having learned the holy faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, he was baptized by the apostle, and served him in Rome with Saint Tychicus. His service to the apostle was also of great benefit.

Saint Onesimus the Apostle Resource Page

 

St. Onesimus (Feast Day - February 15)

Verses

Onesimus laid out his legs to be broken,
Legs which bravely ran on roads to Paul.
On the fifteenth the legs of Onesimus were crushed.

 

Synaxarion of the Holy Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy

 

The Life and Passion of the Holy Apostle Onesimus, One of the Seventy (St. Justin Popovich)

 
Holy Apostle Onesimus as a Model for our Lives

 

February: Day 15: Holy Apostle Onesimus

 

Holy Apostle Onesimos in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church 

Slavery and Saint Onesimus

The Church of the Holy Apostle Onesimos in the Exokionion Quarter of Constantinople

The Mystery of the Apostle Onesimus

 

Holy Apostle Archippus of the Seventy

St. Archippus the Apostle (Feast Day - February 19)

Verses

Archippus longed for the extreme angle of stones,
He was crushed with stones for his longing,
On the nineteenth Archippus was killed by large stones.

Archippus was one of the Seventy Apostles. The Apostle Paul mentions him in his Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon: "And tell Archippus, 'See that you fulfill the ministry that you received in the Lord'" (Colossians 4:17); "To Archippus our fellow soldier" (Philemon 1:2). In the town of Colossae, the center of Christianity was in the home of Philemon. Here Christians gathered for prayer. In writing to Philemon, the Apostle Paul called this "the church at your house" (Philemon 1:2). At that time, the apostles ordained their disciples as bishops; some of them in permanent places and others as missionaries traveling to various places. Philemon was one of the latter. Apphia, Philemon's wife, hosted and served in the domestic church.

Synaxarion of the Holy Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy

St. Onesimus the Apostle (Feast Day - February 15)

Verses

Onesimus laid out his legs to be broken,
Legs which bravely ran on roads to Paul.
On the fifteenth the legs of Onesimus were crushed.

Saint Onesimus was a servant of the Apostle Philemon,* and according to Theodoret of Cyrus he was from Colossae, to which the blessed Paul wrote an epistle. Because Onesimus stole money from the household of Philemon, as was disclosed in the epistle of Paul to Philemon, he fled and went to Rome, and there he met the Apostle Paul finding him in bonds. Being catechized by him in the faith of Christ, and baptized, he also became wondrous in virtue. Because Paul did not consider it right for Philemon to grieve due to the theft and flight of his servant Onesimus, for this reason he sent him back to his master Philemon, together with his introductory and surrendering epistle to Philemon.

Holy Apostles Philemon, Apphia, Archippus and Onesimus of the Seventy

Sts. Philemon, Archippus, Onesimus, Apphia (Feast Day - November 22)

Verses

To Philemon

A bright green land cherishes Philemon,

Who is beaten by the bloodthirsty with the shoots of a willow.

To Archippus

Archippus longed for the cornerstone,

And stones fulfilled this longing.

To Onesimus

Onesimus laid out his legs for crushing,

Legs which bravely ran the roads for Paul.

To Apphia

Apphia is laid out and struck on the ground,

To the heavens having the eyes of her heart.

On the twenty second Philemon was carried off.

Holy Apostles Tertius, Mark, Justus and Artemas of the Seventy

Sts. Tertius, Mark, Justus and Artemas (Feast Day - October 30)

Verses

To Tertius

Having transcribed the words of Paul,

I see you Tertius as a new author.

To Mark

Perceived as a servant of the Apostles,

I in turn see you as a fellow worker Mark.

To Justus, also known as Jesus

Jesus found the salvation of Jesus,

Showing him to be the Savior of those that bear his name.

To Artemas

Artemas partakes of the glory of noetic beings,

Keeping his nous proper for the Lord.

Slavery and Saint Onesimus

Holy Apostle Onesimus (Feast Day - February 15 and November 22)

By Panagiotis Melikidis

On February 15th our Church celebrates the memory of the Apostle Onesimus, who became a Christian through the Apostle Paul when he was a prisoner either in Rome or Ephesus (probably Ephesus, according to modern research).

This brief note will deal with the subject of slavery and its correlation with the case of Onesimus.

First let us note that in the era of Emperor Augustus, half the population of the Roman Empire were slaves. Furthermore, based on the testimonies we have, the living conditions of the slaves were harsher in the West than in the East. For this reason, for example, in 1 B.C. we have the revolt of the slaves in Italy.

Holy Apostle Onesimus as a Model for our Lives

St. Onesimus the Apostle (Feast Day - February 15)

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

The Apostle Onesimus was originally a servant of the Apostle Philemon, who was a man of love and treated his servants with kindness. It turned out, however, that he was a useless servant, because he abused the kindness of his master, stealing from him and fleeing secretly to Colossae. In Rome, where he fled, he was catechized by the Apostle Paul in the "faith of Christ", he was baptized and he became "wonderful in virtue". From a useless servant he became an Apostle of Jesus Christ, and he became truly useful and truly free.