Who was St Andrew and why is he vital?

30 November is St Andrew’s day. He was the brother of St Peter, the primary of Jesus’s disciples, and later an Apostle. This is the story …

The name Andrew

Andrew is the English type of the Greek  Ἀνδρέας (Andreas). The short form is Andy or Drew. This name is present in various spellings across many languages and appears in forms equivalent to Andrzej (Polish), André (French), Andreas (Greek), Andrés (Spanish), Anders (in Scandinavia), Ondřej (Czech) and András (Hungarian) and there have been two medieval kings of Hungary called András. There is just one person called Andrew within the Bible.

Andrew within the Bible

Andrew is mentioned by name twice in Matthew, 4 times in Mark, once in Luke, six times in John, and once Acts. He was a fisherman who was first a disciple of John the Baptist (John 1:40). When he recognised Jesus because the Messiah he became a disciple of Jesus. He is thought to be being the primary to follow Jesus and the primary to steer others to him.

Family

Andrew was quick to search out his own brother Simon (later called Peter) to inform him that he had found the Messiah (John 1:41). Andrew and Peter were fishermen working on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:18, Mark 1:16) probably as a part of a family business. They were the sons of John (John 1:42) and originally got here from Bethsaida (John 1:44). It shouldn’t be known of course whether Andrew was the older brother or the younger brother, but generally people have traditionally considered Andrew because the older brother. The family lived on the port of Capernaum. Peter was married because we read that Jesus healed his mother-in-law (Matthew 8:13, Mark 1:29). Most likely Andrew was married, either then or later, because we read in 1 Corinthians 9:5, that St Paul wrote, “Don’t we now have the fitting to take along a believing wife, as do the opposite apostles…?”

Andrew’s house

It seems that Jesus often stayed at Andrew and Peter’s house in Capernaum. Archaeological excavations in Capernaum uncovered an easy first-century house beneath a later Byzantine octagonal church, which was built over the home identified because the one where Peter and Andrew lived. The home is now the location of a Catholic church.

Apostle

Andrew and Peter were amongst the disciples who became apostles (Matthew 10:2, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:14). In fact, Peter and Andrew are the primary two apostles within the lists in Matthew and Luke.

Signs of the Times

After Jesus foretold the destruction of the Temple (Mark 13:1-2), as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately (Mark 13:3-4), what the signs of the tip times could be. Jesus then explained that there could be false christs, and lots of troubles, and “the gospel must first be published amongst all nations” (Mark 13:10).

Andrew on the feeding of the 5,000

In the well-known story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 at a desolate place near Bethsaida, it was Andrew who introduced Jesus to the boy with the five barley loaves and two fish (John 6:8).

Andrew on the entry into Jerusalem

After Jesus entered in Jerusalem (which is recalled on Palm Sunday), some Greeks were worshipping with the Jews at Jerusalem, they approached Philip and asked to see Jesus. Philip went and told Andrew who then told Jesus (John 12:20-22).

Andrew at Pentecost

Andrew is on the Last Supper and at Pentecost (Acts 1:13) after which disappears from the narrative. In such cases the gap is filled in by Early Church history and tradition. 

Black Sea Missions

St Andrew is purported to have been shipwrecked in Cyprus, perhaps on the method to Byzantium (later called Constantinople and now called Istanbul) where he’s reputed to have founded the bishopric which later became the Patriarchate of Constantinople. According to the Early Church historians, Origen and Eusebius writing within the third century, Andrew went to take the Gospel to Scythia, which was the realm to the north of the Black Sea, which today includes the coastlines of Romania, the Ukraine, parts of Russia and Georgia.

Martyrdom

The generally accepted tradition is that Andrew was crucified by the Romans at Patras in Achaea (now in Greece) on November 30, in AD 60. The story is that he thought that he was unworthy to die in the identical manner as Jesus had been, as so he was crucified on an X-shaped cross as an alternative, a shape now generally known as St Andrew’s cross, which gave rise to his flag.

Patron Saint

Andrew was never formally canonised as a saint, but he is mostly called St Andrew, and customarily thought to be a martyr. Because Andrew is seen because the apostolic founding father of their Churches, St Andrew is patron saint of Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Romania, Russia and the Ukraine. He can be the patron saint of fishermen and fishmongers, and of Scotland. 

Scotland

St Andrew is patron saint of Scotland not because he founded the Church there, but due to a legend that his relics were delivered to Fife. St Andrew’s Day has been celebrated in Scotland for the reason that reign of Malcolm III within the eleventh century, promoted by his Christian wife Margaret of Wessex (now generally known as St Margaret of Scotland). Queen Margaret encouraged and helped pilgrimages to St Andrew’s shrine, by making a ferry service across the Firth of Forth (at a spot now called Queensferry) and constructing shelters for pilgrims and travellers, who desired to visit St Andrew’s shrine. This helped to ascertain St Andrew as patron saint of Scotland. The place is now generally known as St Andrews, where the oldest university in Scotland was founded in 1413.

Churches dedicated to St Andrew

There are many Anglican and Catholic churches dedicated to St Andrew around the globe, with about 800 within the Church of England alone including Wells Cathedral. Around the world, churches founded by Scottish settlers were often dedicated to St Andrew, equivalent to St Andrew’s Anglican Cathedral in Singapore. 

In England where Scottish communities formed their very own Presbyterian churches these were often dedicated to St Andrew. The Presbyterian Church of England combined with the Congregation Union in 1972 to form the United Reformed Church (URC) and consequently there are a lot of St Andrew’s URC churches around England, where the dedication to St Andrew is a witness to their Scottish heritage.

St Andrew’s Day

St Andrew’s Day is observed on 30 November, the anniversary of his martyrdom within the Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox traditions. St Andrew is the one one in all the national patron saints of the United Kingdom who was a biblical figure. In 2006 the Scottish Parliament passed the St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act, and consequently 30 November has been an official bank holiday in Scotland since 2007.

Collect

The Scottish Episcopalian collect prayer for St Andrew is: “Almighty God, who gave such grace to your apostle Andrew that he readily obeyed the decision of your Son, Jesus Christ: give us, who’re called by your holy Word, the grace to follow him immediately, and to be messengers of the excellent news of your kingdom; through the identical Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, within the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world with no end in sight.”