Saint Herodian – an Apostle of “The Seventy”

In Luke 10:1, we read these words: "After these things, the Lord appointed 70 others also, and sent them out two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go." Although not nearly as prominent as the Twelve Apostles, the Seventy carried out their mission with great fervor and zeal. The

Sacred Tradition of the Church is that these men were carefully selected by Christ to carry his message throughout the Roman Empire, and even far beyond its boundaries.

Although each of the Seventy have their own day of commemoration on the Church Calendar, they are also remembered collectively. It is only natural that we know more about some of the Seventy than others. One of them — Barnabas by name — worked closely with the Apostle Paul in spreading the Gospel. Titus is another of the better known of the Seventy. He was also intimately associated with Paul. It is said that Titus was in Rome at the time of Paul's beheading, and that he had the sad task of burying the body of his beloved friend.

SAINT HERODION was also a distinguished apostle. His missionary endeavors took him throughout the Near East and Asia. He ultimately returned to Rome, where he, too, suffered beheading during the reign of the Emperor Nero.

The labors of the Seventy will long be remembered and appreciated by the Church. It was largely through their efforts that the Church was planted on a firm foundation.